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Router

True Score Methodology v1.0

Asus RT-AX86S Review

Name: Asus RT-AX86S
Brand: Asus

By

Nathan Rizzuti

2/8/2024 5:57 AM

True Score

83

Absolutely Fresh

82

3

Experts

89

756

Consumers

Product Awards

GR Certified

Expert Pick

Customer Favorite

Expert Rankings

(

3

)

The ASUS RT-AX86S (AX5700) is a great router with plenty of gaming features, a fast, reliable connection, and an extensive range with easy setup. However, it lacks functions like backhaul and mesh.

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Table of Contents

Product Snapshot
Overview
Consensus
- {post.0.post_title} Specs
- Test Results
Product Comparison
All Stores
Score Card
Expert Score Breakdown
Customer Score Breakdown
Learn More About Router

Product Snapshot

Overview

The ASUS RT-AX86S (AX5700) is a mid-tier router released in 2020, offering many specs and features common to the best routers on the market. Its three antenna design delivers up to 5700 Mbps combined speed across 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. The download speeds come out to 563 Mbps on a 5Ghz band and 89 Mbps on a 2.4GHz band. The router supports MU-MIMO and ASUS AiMesh, Adaptive QoS for prioritizing gaming traffic, and AiProtection Pro for network security. It also features Mobile Game Mode for low-latency mobile gaming, VPN Fusion for simultaneous VPN and an ordinary internet connection, and an instant guard for secure remote internet access.

Best For

Asus
Centurylink
Cox
Gaming
Long Range
Optimum
Parental Controls
Secure
Spectrum
Streaming
Voip
Xfinity

Consensus

our Verdict

The ASUS RT-AX86S (AX5700) is a feature-packed dual-band router with blazing speed that is great for regular home use or gaming. On a 5 GHz band, it has 1.8 Gbps WiFi speed; it’s also great on a 2.4 GHz band, testing at 861 Mbps. Download speeds are also great; they clock in at 563 Mbps at 5 GHz, which is in the top 25% of the category. On a 2.4 GHz band, it runs at 89 Mbps, which is above average (The Asus ZenWiFi AX XT8 does slightly better at 95 Mbps.)

Additionally, the connection is reliable at long or short ranges and doesn’t suffer much fallout. The range is impressive, too, reaching up to 46 meters from devices before experiencing major issues. In terms of ports, it has many options, including 4 LAN and 2 USB 3.0 inputs, making it great for connecting external devices. Lastly, the router is super simple to set up and can be up and running within minutes. Users can easily manage settings from there via the ASUS smartphone app or web option. However, keep in mind there aren’t smart features, such as connectivity to home assistants.

Reason to Buy

Fast WiFi and download speeds
- The router is ideal for gaming and high-quality content streaming as the router has download speeds of 563 Mbps on a 5 GHz band and 89 Mbps on a 2.4 GHz band. The 5GHz performance ranks in the top 25% of the category.
- The ASUS RT-AX86S has amazing WiFi speeds. On a 5GHz band, it tested in at up to 1.8 Gbps. Then, on a 2.4 GHz band, it also performs very well, peaking at 861 Mbps.
Incredible range of coverage
- The router has a strong range of coverage that reaches up to 140 feet, which is in the top 10% of our certified tested routers.
Easy installation and set up
- Establishing a network with this router is a breeze, as all you have to do is download the app, follow a few short steps, and you’re set. The app itself is easy to navigate, and setup is done in under 10 minutes.
- The router has many features, such as parental controls, a Mobile Game Mode setting, and bandwidth limiting, which are easy to manage via the app or web.
Low Latency
- The router establishes quick connections between devices, as the latency is 15 ms, which places it in the top 25% of the category.

Reason to Avoid

Lacks Backhaul and Mesh Networking
- The router lacks backhaul and mesh, which prohibits it from finding the fastest possible networking routes.

Asus RT-AX86S Specs

	# of LAN Ports	4
	# of Phone Ports	n/a
	# of WAN Ports	1
	App Compatible	Yes
	Available Storage	256MB
	Band Technology	Dual
	Data Encryption Type	WPA, WPA-Enterprise, WPA2, WPA2-Enterprise, WPA3, WPA3-Enterprise, WPS
	Energy Star Certified	No
	Frequency Bands	2.4 GHz, 5.0 GHz
	Integrated Modem	No
	LAN Ports	4 Gb Ethernet
	MU-MIMO Support	Yes
	Mesh System	No
	Number of Antennas	4
	Parental Controls	Yes
	Processor Cores	Dual
	Processor Speed	1.8GHz
	Quality of Service Prioritization	Yes
	WiFi Range	5400 sq. ft
	WiFi Speed	5.7 Gb
	Wired Speed	–
	Wireless Standard	AC, AX, N

All Specs

Test Results

2.4 GHz Download speed (Mbits/s)	89
2.4 GHz Upload speed (Mbits/s)	0
5 GHz Download speed (Mbits/s)	563
5 GHz Upload speed (Mbits/s)	23
Router Range (ft)	140
Latency (ms)	15
6 Ghz Download speed (Mbits/s)	0
6 Ghz Upload speed (Mbits/s)	0

All Tests

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Product Comparison

	Asus RT-AX86S Review	Asus ZenWiFi XT8 Review	Google Nest Wifi Review	Linksys Atlas Pro 6 MX 5503 Review
True Score	83	79	78	78
Ranking	# 12 / 37	# 24 / 37	# 29 / 37	# 27 / 37
Market Context	The ASUS RT-AX86S (AX5700) is a mid-tier router released in 2020, offering many specs and features common to the best routers on the market. Its… The ASUS RT-AX86S (AX5700) is a mid-tier router released in 2020, offering many specs and features common to the best routers on the market. Its three antenna design delivers up to 5700 Mbps combined speed across 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. The download speeds come out to 563 Mbps on a 5Ghz band and 89 Mbps on a 2.4GHz band. The router supports MU-MIMO and ASUS AiMesh, Adaptive QoS for prioritizing gaming traffic, and AiProtection Pro for network security. It also features Mobile Game Mode for low-latency mobile gaming, VPN Fusion for simultaneous VPN and an ordinary internet connection, and an instant guard for secure remote internet access.	The ASUS RT-AX86S download speeds are faster than the ASUS ZenWifi XT8, clocking in at 89 Mbps on a 2.4 GHz band compared to the… The ASUS RT-AX86S download speeds are faster than the ASUS ZenWifi XT8, clocking in at 89 Mbps on a 2.4 GHz band compared to the XT8’s 79 Mbps. The RT-AX86S also has more input options, offering one extra LAN and USB input compared to the XT8. Perhaps the biggest advantage the RT-AX86S has over the ZenWifi model is range. The RT extends up to 140 feet without dropping the connection, whereas the XT8 has a limited 90-foot, 27-meter of connection. For a more in-depth look, check out our ASUS ZenWifi XT8 review.	The ASUS RT-AX86S has faster speeds than the Google Nest WiFi. The ASUS RT-AX86S is a Wi-Fi 6 router with speeds up to 5700 Mbps,… The ASUS RT-AX86S has faster speeds than the Google Nest WiFi. The ASUS RT-AX86S is a Wi-Fi 6 router with speeds up to 5700 Mbps, ideal for high-bandwidth activities like gaming and 4K/8K streaming. The Google Nest WiFi, a Wi-Fi 5 router, offers lower speeds compared to Wi-Fi 6 and is more suited for general home use. The RT-AX86S includes multiple Gigabit Ethernet ports and a USB 3.2 port. Google Nest WiFi has fewer ports, only one USB port, and no LAN or WAN inputs. For another great router insight, check out our Eero 6+ review.	The connection range is the main difference between the ASUS RT-AX86S (AX5700) and Linksys Atlas Pro 6 (MX5503). The ASUS has a worse connection range,… The connection range is the main difference between the ASUS RT-AX86S (AX5700) and Linksys Atlas Pro 6 (MX5503). The ASUS has a worse connection range, which is 140 feet, compared to the Linksys, which extends to 160 feet before experiencing major connection issues. The Linksys also lacks ports with no USB inputs and only 3 LAN slots. There’s also a huge gap in speed. The ASUS has a 2.4 GHz download speed of 89 Mbps, compared to the Linksys 76 Mbps speed. In terms of controls, the ASUS also offers more robust parental settings. For another look at a great ASSU router, read our ASUS RT AC66U review.
# of LAN Ports	4	3	2	3
# of Phone Ports	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
# of WAN Ports	1	1	1	1
App Compatible	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Available Storage	256MB	256MB	512MB	256MB
Band Technology	Dual	Tri	Dual	Dual
Data Encryption Type	WPA, WPA-Enterprise, WPA2, WPA2-Enterprise, WPA3, WPA3-Enterprise, WPS	WPA-Enterprise, WPA-PSK, WPA2-Enterprise, WPS	WPA3	WPA2 Mixed Personal, WPA2-Personal, WPA3 Mixed Personal, WPA3-Personal
Energy Star Certified	No	n/a	n/a	No
Dig Deeper		Asus ZenWiFi XT8 Review →	Google Nest Wifi Review →	Linksys Atlas Pro 6 MX 5503 Review →

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Score Card

E

Expert Score

82

*.75

We place a 75% weighted value on Expert Test Scores

C

Customer Score

89

*.25

We place a 25% weighted value on Customer Scores

True Score

83

Expert Score Breakdown

Publications with higher Trust Scores are given more weight.

87.29
Category Trust Score
79
The ASUS RT-AX86S is the best all-around dual-band router we tested, offering exceptional performance where… read more
By:
Matt Spencer
65.33
Category Trust Score
NR
If your online gaming or video streaming experience hasn’t been living up to expectations, a… read more
By:
Brad Moon
50.86
Category Trust Score
NR
N/A read more
By:
Unknown