What's the verdict on the RT-AX88U vs RT-AX86U vs GT-AXE11000 if I'm buying today

[dylanmitchell]

AX88U is working well, wi-fi is stable and we're seeing a small speed increase. Hitting 260-280 Mbps on speed tests vs 260-270 I used to see on 300 Mbps connection. Both numbers are well above what we need. Expect to see bigger difference as we add Wi-Fi 6 devices over time.

May have picked AX86U if it had been in stock. Paid $300 for AX88U about $50 more than AX86Us go for. AX86U price will come down over time.

 

[erick_e]

Is the GTE-AX11000 even available yet?

 

[SoCalReviews]

Coming in Late here as well. I can say from experience and playing around, the GT-AXE11000, may be worth its weight and gold for a few reasons...

... and apparently the GT-AXE11000 has just been released and you may actually end up having to pay it's weight in gold if you want want one right now... $1500 USD each if you can find a vendor according to the early purchasers.

 

[SoCalReviews]

Is the GTE-AX11000 even available yet?

Yes, unfortunately the current prices... if you can find a vendor who is selling them are similar to the scalper's PS5 prices on Ebay before Christmas.

 

[tallytr]

Agree with everything here. I have an AX router but its not remotely required. Couple iPhones are on AX but makes zero real world difference.
Having said that I picked up the RT-AX86U for $CAD 280 around boxing day and it works great, before the RT-AC86U worked great for years...
I upgraded because I usually do so every 3-4 years when upgrading the internet connection...now on 1 Gigabit connection.

 

[Oscar0411]

$1500 is because ASUS pre order Qty are all sold out, so there are 3rd parties to sell with incredible price, ASUS will supply the stock to Amazon asap, they will open pre order page soon in these days, which will be sold by Amazon directly, if you are interested, keep watch it in these two days.

 

[leerees]

Wifi 6e will be a welcome addition to small spaces (i.e. apartments). However, for me it wouldn't be a deciding factor in buying a router today. if latency or speed is that critical then I would run an ethernet cable.

AX86u vs AX88u is down to personal preference and budget.

I have AX92u's and get 500mb/s over wifi 5 / AC. The reason I brought the AX92u is because I needed the greater range compared to the bundled ISP router.

 

[rankok]

What's the verdict on the RT-AX88U vs RT-AX86U vs GT-AXE11000 if I'm buying today

Is anything changed in this battle?

 

[Maverick009]

Well Asus made the AX11000 official, filling in the missing pieces. I honestly think the AX11000 with that 6Ghz bandwidth is the way forward if future proofing and money not a problem. You may have one less 5Ghz channel to work with, but I am finding out the 2nd 5Ghz channel is actually a weak one, as Asus even indicates in default settings.

I suspect this year will be a big push towards 6E devices as it already is launching in new phones and devices fairly quickly.

 

[dscline]

I think it's going to depend a lot on your physical landscape. In my old brick house with lots of plaster & lath walls breaking up the space, the neighbors' 5hz signals are attenuated enough that it doesn't cause a lot of problems. But the poorer signal penetration of 6ghz through all these thick interior walls means 6e will probably perform worse for me than 5Ghz, unless I'm in the same room as the router. Even though I already have a 6e capable phone, it doesn't make sense for ME to pay a premium for it. Someone living in an apartment/condo with more open interior spaces, but thinner walls to a higher quantity of closer neighbors is probably going to have the opposite take.

 

[thiggins]

Well Asus made the AX11000 official

You mean AXE11000?

 

[Maverick009]

I think it's going to depend a lot on your physical landscape. In my old brick house with lots of plaster & lath walls breaking up the space, the neighbors' 5hz signals are attenuated enough that it doesn't cause a lot of problems. But the poorer signal penetration of 6ghz through all these thick interior walls means 6e will probably perform worse for me than 5Ghz, unless I'm in the same room as the router. Even though I already have a 6e capable phone, it doesn't make sense for ME to pay a premium for it. Someone living in an apartment/condo with more open interior spaces, but thinner walls to a higher quantity of closer neighbors is probably going to have the opposite take.

There are actually several benefits to Wifi6E to benefit from. The nice thing about the Asus Router is it also supports Aimesh that I suspect extends to Wifi6E devices. While yes, direct line of sight can be good, you do not necessarily need an open floor plan to benefit from the Wifi6E features. Just like 5GHz, speed may degrade based on distance/walls, but you still benefit from less congestion and low latency. Also you still have a 5Gz and 2.4Ghz channel for legacy devices

 

[Maverick009]

You mean AXE11000?

Yes i did. Was responding from phone and may of corrected me lol.

 

[dscline]

There are actually several benefits to Wifi6E to benefit from. The nice thing about the Asus Router is it also supports Aimesh that I suspect extends to Wifi6E devices. While yes, direct line of sight can be good, you do not necessarily need an open floor plan to benefit from the Wifi6E features. Just like 5GHz, speed may degrade based on distance/walls, but you still benefit from less congestion and low latency. Also you still have a 5Gz and 2.4Ghz channel for legacy devices

But if you look at @thiggins initial testing, 5Ghz outperforms 6Ghz at attenuation levels I experience through one single plaster & lath wall. And I use wired backhaul between my router and APs, so the extra band for wired backhaul doesn't benefit ME. I'm not suggesting 6Ghz isn't any good, I'm simply suggesting the benefits, if any, will vary by application.

 

[Maverick009]

But if you look at @thiggins initial testing, 5Ghz outperforms 6Ghz at attenuation levels I experience through one single plaster & lath wall. And I use wired backhaul between my router and APs, so the extra band for wired backhaul doesn't benefit ME. I'm not suggesting 6Ghz isn't any good, I'm simply suggesting the benefits, if any, will vary by application.

Yes at lower bandwidth, but if you open the channel fully up, 6Ghz is far better and full throughput. Distance may be a little less, but over all the benefits out way the cons. If you already have an 802.11AX router, I am not saying you need to buy a new router right at this point, but if you are in the market for a new router, that is going to be the way going forward. The WiFi6E routers, and cards are set to pave the way forward and remove us from the congestion that is happening on the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz Channels. You are talking a healthy 7 160Mhz Channels that are open to 6E vs. 2 in the WiFi6 5Ghz band. Since all new devices, and Routers going forward will begin to add WiFi6E, and adopt it much quicker, then what was seen with WiFi6 and to a lesser extent WiFi5, it only makes sense to get a router that supports 6E. I would also venture towards a Tri-Band router that carries 2.4Ghz/5Ghz/6Ghz radios, as you will still have support for legacy devices.

I have seen that article, but It is not real world testing, and you can see a major difference in real world testing, and that was something also hinted to in that article. I also suspect firmware may of been updated further since that testing, and will still be updated after launch to improve the radios and devices.

 

[dscline]

Yes at lower bandwidth, but if you open the channel fully up, 6Ghz is far better and full throughput.

Perhaps I'm misreading the article, but I'm seeing 5ghz @ 80mhz overtake 6ghz @ 160mhz at -42db or worse. - 42db is what I see 5' away from a router but through just one wall. And again, congestion isn't an issue for ME, because the same thick was that hamper my signals indoors, hamper my neighbors' signals too. FWIW, I was in the market for a new router. I just bought an AX86 and AX68 about a month ago. I got them both for about what an AXE1100 would cost. I do still have an AC router left that I'll probably upgrade in the not too distant future, and if by then a 6E router is something like $250 vs. $200, I'll probably bite. But in MY environment, 6E isn't worth the current premium.

 

[thiggins]

I have seen that article, but It is not real world testing, and you can see a major difference in real world testing, and that was something also hinted to in that article. I also suspect firmware may of been updated further since that testing, and will still be updated after launch to improve the radios and devices.

The firmware has not been updated yet.

 

[thiggins]

@dscline The dB values in testing are not RSSI readings, which would be in dBm. They are path loss attenuation. The typical starting RSSI value I see reported for 5 GHz is ~-40 dBm. Windows reports only a % #, not RSSI. But let's say 6 GHz starts 3 dBm lower. So the -42 dB you cite would actually be ~ -87 dBm. So the situation is not as bad as you think.

I am never a proponent of being an early adopter. Prices are highest, technology is buggy and product selection is limited.

 

[dscline]

@dscline The dB values in testing are not RSSI readings, which would be in dBm. They are path loss attenuation.

Thanks for the clarification! Maybe when prices come down to earth, I'll see how it does in this old house.

 

[thiggins]

Thanks for the clarification! Maybe when prices come down to earth, I'll see how it does in this old house.

Believe me, I would not have spent $550 if I didn't have to. ASUS couldn't tell me when they could provide one for review.