Upgrading now. RT-AX88U Pro -OR- RT-BE88U?

[dissonance79]

I'm looking to upgrade my EOL Asus RT-AC68U. Would you go with the AX88U Pro or the BE88U or something else? My concern with the AX88U is I'm not sure how long Asus will support it. My concern with the BE88U is it's still new and unproven. I've never used Merlin firmware so that's not a big concern for me. I work from home so a solid router is very important. I'm on a 500 mbps down, 100 mbps up internet plan but can go as high as 2000/200 although I'd probably wait until fiber gets to my area (no public timeline for that yet). Cat 5e in the walls. I also have around 40+ devices. Thanks.

 

[Tech9]

I would get RT-BE88U. Expected longer support as new Wi-Fi 7 model and has built-in 2.5GbE switch for your future ISP plan upgrade and existing Ethernet cables. Both run new Asuswrt 5.0 on somewhat early stages, you'll be beta testing for some time. You'll have to wait for the firmware to mature a bit. Keep the configuration simple and you'll be happy with it. Older RT-AX88U Pro + 2.5GbE switch is about the same price anyway. Get the newer model.

 

[KevTech]

Right now the 88 pro is 239.99 while the BE88 is 349.99
Not exactly the same price.

 

[Tech9]

RT-BE88U has more than 4x 2.5GbE ports. It's upgraded hardware device as well.

 

[BlueOrbit]

If you don't need WiFi 7 (most people won't for a while), I would get AX88U Pro and run it with Merlin FW. Rock solid performance and stability (speaking from experience).

 

[dissonance79]

For those that don't think the BE88 is worth $110 more than the AX88 Pro, do you think the AX88 Pro is worth $40 more than the AX86 Pro?

 

[Tech9]

do you think the AX88 Pro is worth $40 more than the AX86 Pro?

If you plan no upgrade over Gigabit ISP line RT-AX86U Pro is perhaps all you need. It has single 2.5GbE port and exceeding Gigabit in WAN is possible only as aggregate traffic Wi-Fi + Ethernet. If you want 2.5GbE Ethernet you need minimum 2x 2.5GbE ports - one for WAN and one for LAN.

 

[sfx2000]

RT-BE88U has more than 4x 2.5GbE ports. It's upgraded hardware device as well.

Agreed - having the ports are one thing, it's having the hardware behind it that makes the difference..

 

[JamesK]

I'm looking to upgrade my EOL Asus RT-AC68U. Would you go with the AX88U Pro or the BE88U or something else? My concern with the AX88U is I'm not sure how long Asus will support it. My concern with the BE88U is it's still new and unproven. I've never used Merlin firmware so that's not a big concern for me. I work from home so a solid router is very important. I'm on a 500 mbps down, 100 mbps up internet plan but can go as high as 2000/200 although I'd probably wait until fiber gets to my area (no public timeline for that yet). Cat 5e in the walls. I also have around 40+ devices. Thanks.

If you are looking to purchase a new Asus router, I noticed that Asus in the UK have started a cashback promotion, which runs until 23rd September. See link below for details:
Link to ASUS UK Website
The cashback varies according to device, but most seem to be around £30.

Amazon UK is listed as one of the participating dealers, however I'm not sure if it extends to Marketplace sellers. I say that because the RT-AX88U Pro is sold on Amazon via a Marketplace seller, and the promotion is not mentioned. Yet on the page for the RT-BE88U which is sold by Amazon, the promotion is mentioned.
That being said the ASUS UK store is selling the RT-AX88U Pro for the same price as Amazon along with the likes of CCL and scan.co.uk.

 

[dissonance79]

If you are looking to purchase a new Asus router, I noticed that Asus in the UK have started a cashback promotion, which runs until 23rd September. See link below for details:
Link to ASUS UK Website
The cashback varies according to device, but most seem to be around £30.

Amazon UK is listed as one of the participating dealers, however I'm not sure if it extends to Marketplace sellers. I say that because the RT-AX88U Pro is sold on Amazon via a Marketplace seller, and the promotion is not mentioned. Yet on the page for the RT-BE88U which is sold by Amazon, the promotion is mentioned.
That being said the ASUS UK store is selling the RT-AX88U Pro for the same price as Amazon along with the likes of CCL and scan.co.uk.

I'm afraid I'm in the US. I wish we had this offer here.

 

[el pescador]

I'm looking soon too. My AC88U is like 10 year old and time for a well deserved rest lol. thinking AX88U. Does it run AMTM?

 

[Tech9]

thinking AX88U

Think RT-AX88U Pro, 2023 model. Older RT-AX88U is a 2018 model.

 

[128bit]

fwiw, i found myself with a similar dilemma. my ax86u had some soft spots even when meshed with an ac86u. i even tried the foil to help direct the signal but to no avail. pragmatically, wifi 6 will likely cover my needs for at least another decade. my only ax device is the cell and i could care less. in fact, i often let it run on the 2.4 to minimize traffic on the 5 ghz band. mind you, this is personal/home use.

our isp is serving us at 1gb - overkill for our needs but with cat 5e cable, i'm pretty much at the wired limit. we have three 4k tvs (802.11ac) and cannot see a discernable difference in streaming with 2 that are identical - one on the 5 band and the other ethernet. clearly, data flow ain't the issue but i thought i should standardize on wifi 6.

so, last week i gambled when i found a used rog gt ax-6000 that a liquidator was willing to part with for $120. one of my better purchases, mind you. it's a beast and has some additional features over the (now meshed) ax86u. keep in mind, according to "dong knows," it's very similar hw to the ax88u pro with negligible performance differences. still, it wasn't enough on it's own to remedy the soft spots without help from the ax86u but now i'm solid everywhere! granted the house is 3200 sq ft and i don't game.

unlike many here, i don't really care about eol - in fact, i look forward to the day when there are no more updates! between the built-in protection, my antivirus, etc, i'm a tougher target than most for those looking to do harm.