ASUS RT-BE86U BE6800 Dual-Band WiFi 7 Router, Supports 4096-QAM, MLO, AI WAN Detection, AiMesh, Subscription-Free Network Security, and Comprehensive VPN Features, Guest Network Pro, Gaming

I’ve been really impressed with the ASUS RT-BE86U. I’ve deployed several of these in single-router setups (no nodes yet), and every one has been completely stable and dependable. Setup was straightforward. I always update to the latest firmware right away, and each install has gone perfectly — no connection drops, slowdowns, or random issues. Most of these homes have around 20–30 devices connected, including phones, TVs, Google smart devices, and the occasional gaming PC. The RT-BE86U handles everything effortlessly with solid speed and coverage throughout the house. The only small change I’ve noticed compared to the AX86U Pro is the rearranged GUI — some of the Wi-Fi settings have been moved under the “Network” section. It’s a bit different and took a minute to get used to, but once you know where everything is, it’s not a big deal. Overall, the RT-BE86U has been flawless as a standalone router. It’s fast, reliable, and a great upgrade for anyone wanting top-tier Wi-Fi 7 performance without headaches.

One of the best routers out there! It’s definitely worth the upgrade and you can see the difference compared to my old Orbi router. The range is just as good as my old mesh system.

I hate to leave a negative review for this product (RT-BE86U) because I love Asus and feel like this product should have worked perfectly. I "upgraded" from the RT-AX82U and that router was fantastic! However, this device would constantly crash and the wifi would go down. Interestingly the LAN ports would stay online. The SSID would just vanish and everything wireless went down. I had the latest firmware so I'm not sure why it was having issues. I tried turning off smart connect and wifi 7. Same issues. Unfortunately I had to return it. I've seen other reviews mentioning similar issues, so this router may be a gamble if you are thinking about purchasing. I reluctantly pulled the trigger on the RT-BE96U due to its high cost, but it has been absolutely flawless! It's hilariously big, but handles everything you throw at it. I have a good amount of features enabled. Tri-band wifi 7 with smart connect, second network with wifi 7 disabled for my IOT devices, Dual WAN, and VPN Fusion setup. So, you can gamble with the cheaper 86U or just suck it up and buy the fully decked out 96U.

If you are building an AiMesh system using the RT-BE88U for the router, this is the unit you want to use for your AiMesh node(s). Like the RT-BE88U, this router is wifi-7, but it does not have the 6ghz band. If you look at my review for the RT-BE88U you will see that wifi-7 caused my WiiM phone app to no longer be able to find its devices. This was a show stopper for me, so I turned off wifi-7. It is not a problem for me because I only have two wifi-7 devices on my LAN. The other 37 are wifi-6. I'll try wifi-7 again when Asus-Merlin and/or WiiM release new firmware. Speaking of Asus-Merlin, this router supports version 3006.*.*. Asus-Merlin has AMTM built-in which lets you install Diversion and Skynet very easily. The RT-BE88U and RT-BE86U are high performance routers, if you know how to configure them properly.

Easy setup for wifi. Basic setup was great. Tons of options and features for advanced users. Phone app is helpful for most settings, access on computer for more options. Signal is loud and clear. Bought as upgrade from 10 year old router. So far very happy with.

UPDATE: After returning for replacement, expert advice on setup and ASUS updating the firmware, this router has returned to the quality performance that I have been accustomed to from ASUS. It has been running for several days now without a single WIFI drop. I have updated to 4 stars. I won't give 5 stars because of all the hassle I have had to go through. The product should be good to go right out of the box. I had an ASUS RT-AC86U for 7 years that performed flawlessly for 7 years until I got up one day and it had died. Because of my past experience with Asus quality products I bought the ASUS RT-BE86U BE6800. It has been very disappointing. It constantly would drop WiFi connections over and over. I have spent the last week using ChatGPT to help configure and diagnose this unit but the best I could achieve was only dropping 2-4 times a day for 30-60 seconds before reconnecting. Results were: To rule out configuration or environmental factors, I have already performed: • Full factory reset • Full WPS-button hard reset with cold boot • Reconfiguration from scratch with minimal services • Operation in Router Mode and Access Point Mode • Manual static channel assignments (2.4 and 5 GHz) • Smart Connect disabled • OFDMA, roaming assistants, and advanced features disabled • WAN bypassed/isolated; issue persists with no WAN involvement • Manual device reconnections • Tested with a single client only • ISP modem/router stable with no WAN drops Wi-Fi failures occur regardless of load, time of day, or number of connected devices. Based on repeated WL subsystem crashes, DMA dumps, “dying gasp” deregistration, and full chip reinitialization, this unit appears to have a hardware-level defect (radio module, memory, or power subsystem). I am returning this one for another to see if it works any better. If not I will be buying something different. Not sure if it will be ASUS.

Great mid range priced router. Yes $200 is a bit to spend but if you have decent Internet you need a router that can handle the band width and speed. I'm not an expert so bear with me. My last router was an Asus also. Time got away and it was a 2019 model. Wondered why I was dropping calls and the speed wasn't there with my fiber optic line. Router!! I did speed tests from different areas in the house with the old router and the new. Results: old router 97Mbps, 119, 98,141 this one sitting in front of the router. New router 502Mbps, 395, 240 and 508 sitting in front of the router. Big difference, easy to use, good value for what I got. My go to replacement.

I'm really loving this new router! So I'm using Home Assistant, and needed a way to manage my internal and external network, as well as hard-coding IPs and 'turning off' internet access for certain devices. Now I'm totally not a network person, so there are probably other ways to do what I needed to do, but this router made it super straight-forward. On the connectivity side, I live in a 3 story 3500+sf house (way bigger than my old 1200 sf condo) and I've no issues at all reaching every single corner and even out into the yard. I have it set up in my office on the first floor, and it's not really central the office is in the corner, but again no issues. Back to my Home Assistant setup, I've found the stability and signal strength of the router to be perfect for my routines and the like as most of my stuff is connected through WiFi. I was originally looking at setting up a mesh in my home fearing that I'd have dead spots, but it's been perfectly fine! So, long story short, this was probably overkill for what I need it for as it has a LOT more advanced features that I don't use (my bad, as I said I'm not a networking gal), but I really wanted something solid that has a good interface and solid connectivity, and this fits the bill.

Great router replacing my old still functional AC5300 router. BE6800 sports double the memory and cpu core at 1GB 4 core CPU, and the 3 long antennas cover more than the 6 antennas of my old router. Configured BE6800 the same way as my old router and slot it in as a pure replacement. Works like a charm, one SSID, it automatically pic he right channel or channel based on client device, works flawlessly. As for the old AC5300, I reset it and run it as an AiMesh node to extend the range to the other side of the house. Connected via a CAT6 cable as backhaul, the coverage is now superb at both ends of the house and the yards. Router is running embedded linux, allowing flexibilty of firewall, many features handle like a breeze, like DNS, DHCP, Media server, remote disk, SSH access, speed test, traceroute, etc. Many generation after AC5300, delivery same and more features at a cheaper price, even before inflation adjustment.

Es una maravilla de router!!! Altamente recomendable, vale cada centavo que pagas, protege tu red de una forma que uno no se daba ni cuenta que estabas siendo infectado o seguido. la configuración es facil si sabes solo un poquito, Le conecte un SSD y lo ocupo como un NAS accediendo a mi disco de manera remota VPN. Funciona más que excelente. Lo recomiendo ampliamente, el envío fue rápido y el ASUS llegó impecable, VENDEDOR 100% RECOMENDABLE. GRACIAS.

Sorprendentemente fácil de instalar y controlar. Tiene mucho rango, atraviesa paredes para generar conexiones estables.

Something take my attention: when I did register the router the expiration date was setup to 2029-01-10 even the box indicated 3 years, so it should be 2029-05-09 purchase date mai and not January. It is possible this router was used and registered before by another person?. that means ASUS resell the routers when they are retourned without verification and delete previous registration? On the papers this router is one of the best on the market. En reality It is very fast, low latency, 10Gb WAN, a lot of options like most ASUS routers, very good to management VPN, so it is very good. It was a little more complicated to set up pppoe WAN connection for Ebox, than others routers, but at the end it works. Power supply 120-240 volts. With this router you are sure to be good for several years upcoming.

I've been using this for about 4 months now and it has worked out fantastically. It worked seamlessly with Telus and Beanfield (just plug the ethernet cable directly and it works). Bell has stopped allowing any 3rd party router so that's a no-go now. The speeds are a huge improvement over the crappy ISP boxes - the Asus app and router page hasn't given me any trouble. My Brother printer works with no htiches either. Wired speeds are a gamechanger and the WiFi 7 makes mobile device Internet feel like next level stuff.