We test run ASUS’s top of the range router, the ASUS RTAC87U

Byline: By Din

In a world where people are looking to de-clutter, it’s normal to see people switching from wired networking to wireless. What’s not to like? You don’t need any long, ugly, and unsightly wire running from your PC to the router. However there is a caveat – wireless connection is always slower than wired. Or is it? ASUS sent in its topmost router, the ASUS RTAC87U, for me to test.

Four is Better than One
The one thing that will immediately strike you is the four, yes FOUR, antennas on this ASUS RTAC87U. Why are there four? Well it is, after all, specifically made tosupport four spatial streams and deliver a link rate of 1734Mbps using the 5Ghz frequency on Wi-Fi 802.11ac. For those that don’t understand, it means ASUS has devised a way for the router to fully utilise all four antenna at once to create a connection FASTER than Gigabit LAN.

Future Proof
On the rear you can find the usual 1 GigaBitWAN port + four GigaBit LAN ports. The WPS, power and reset buttons are all located at the rear as well as the four antennas and a USB 2.0 port. While it might look messy, I can safely say I’m happy that the USB 3.0 port is front and centre. That means easy plugging in of my storage devices for convenient streaming.

Dimensions ( W x D x H): 289.5 x 167.6 x 47.5mm
Weight: 747g
Network Standard: IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n, IEEE 802.11ac, IPv4, IPv6
Antenna: 4x Externals
Operating Frequency: 2.4GHz/5GHz
Encryption: 64-bit WEP, 128-bit WEP, WPA2-PSK, WPA-PSK, WPA-Enterprise , WPA2-Enterprise , WPS support
I/O: 4 x RJ45 for 10/100/1000/Gigabits BaseT for LAN, 1 x RJ45 for 10/100/1000/Gigabits BaseT for WAN, 1x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.0

Value: 7/10
Features: 9/10
Performance: 10/10
Design: 9/10
Usability: 9/10

Verdict: Easy and fast – it’s all a router ever needs.

Total Score 8.8/10