Dual 10G ports with Wi-Fi 7 - in-depth test of ASUS RT-BE88U router

Smartphones, laptops, motherboards... As more and more terminal electronic devices around us begin to support Wi-Fi 7, it also means that the momentum for the popularization of Wi-Fi 7 routers is on the rise. At the same time, the rapid development of the smart home field has led to an increasingly rich application of corresponding AI technologies. Therefore, as the "transit station" for the interconnection of all things, a good Wi-Fi 7 router should not only be powerful in performance but also put more effort into smart-related features. The new Wi-Fi 7 router RT-BE88U recently launched by ASUS not only has all the key technologies and specifications of Wi-Fi 7 but is also named "AI Router," which makes me have more expectations for its performance and functional applications.

Product Specifications

Network Standards: IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be

Wireless Specifications: 2.4GHz (1376Mbps), 5GHz (5764Mbps)

Antennas: External Antennas × 4

Transmit/Receive: 2.4GHz 4×4, 5GHz 4×4

Processor: 2.6GHz Quad-Core Processor

Memory: 256MB Flash, 2GB DDR4 RAM

Wi-Fi Technologies: OFDMA Technology, Beamforming Technology, 4096-QAM High Data Rate, 20/40/80/160MHz Bandwidth

Interfaces: 10Gbps WAN/LAN × 1, 10Gbps SFP+ WAN × 1, 2.5Gbps WAN/LAN × 1, 2.5Gbps LAN × 3, 10/100/1000Mbps LAN × 4, USB 3.2 Gen1 × 1Selected features: AiMesh, AiProtection Pro, Adaptive QoS, Guest Network, Parental Controls, NAT PassThrough, Mobile Gaming Mode, etc.

Weight: 1060g

Dimensions: 300mm × 188mm × 60.5mm

Reference price: 1999 yuan

Continuity in design

Significant upgrade in port configuration

The "88U" series holds an undoubtedly special place in ASUS's router product lineup. From the first Wi-Fi 6 router RT-AX88U to the current Wi-Fi 7 era's RT-BE88U, it has been imbued with a pioneering spirit, representing the technological leader among ASUS's router products at the moment. The RT-BE88U not only inherits the model name but also continues the horizontal design of the RT-AX88U and RT-AX88U Pro. The design, reminiscent of a sports car's dive, is quite distinctive, with sharp body lines adding to its dynamic look. The central ASUS logo triangle on the top of the device is gold, serving as an immediately recognizable mark that sets the RT-BE88U apart from previous "88U" products. The gold metal plate under the perforated grille at the top echoes the color of the triangle area, enriching the visual hierarchy of the router.

Eight indicator lights are lined up in a row at the front of the top of the device, showing the status of power, 2.4GHz/5GHz bands, USB ports, and the internet, with two 10-gigabit Ethernet ports also having their own status lights. The RT-BE88U has varying sizes of ventilation grilles on all sides, with the bottom grille covering almost the entire surface. Through these grilles, one can easily see the large metal heat sinks and shielding covers on the top and bottom of the internal PCB, a testament to the solid workmanship. Compared to the previous generation RT-AX88U, the RT-BE88U has a 15% improvement in both heat dissipation area and performance.

Like most of ASUS's mid-to-high-end routers, the RT-BE88U features four external antennas on the sides and back, designed to be removable. The types and number of ports on the back are a highlight of the RT-BE88U. The high configuration of two 10-gigabit Ethernet ports is enough to outshine many similar products on the market. One of them is an adaptive WAN/LAN port, and the other is an SFP+ WAN port. There is one electrical port and one multifunctional port, capable of meeting different connection needs and leaving ample room for future application upgrades. Particularly, the latter allows users to choose SFP+ optical modules, electrical port modules, or modem sticks based on their own circumstances, offering greater flexibility.The RT-BE88U also provides 4 2.5G Ethernet ports, one adaptive WAN/LAN port, and 3 LAN ports. Since the RT-BE88U's wireless network speeds on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands of Wi-Fi 7 have long surpassed gigabit, the 2.5G ports can better showcase the transmission speeds between Wi-Fi 7 devices and various wired connection devices. Among them, the LAN4 2.5G port is labeled with "Gaming Port," which is a dedicated port for gaming. When users connect gaming PCs, gaming consoles, or other gaming devices to this port of the router via a wired connection, it will automatically prioritize the connected devices without the need for additional configuration, ensuring the network speed of the gaming devices.

In addition to the 2.5G ports, the RT-BE88U also has 4 standard gigabit ports, which means it has a total of 10 ports, offering up to 34Gbps of wired network capacity. For most home users, there is no need to purchase additional switches; one RT-BE88U is sufficient to meet the connection needs of multiple devices. Whether it's leveraging the transmission capabilities of high-speed devices like home-based 10G NAS or setting up a 10G workstation to make video editing and large-scale design work smoother, the port configuration of the RT-BE88U is more than capable.

Apart from the Ethernet ports, the RT-BE88U also offers a USB 3.2 Gen1 port on the back. Users can not only insert a portable hard drive into this port to create a simple private cloud for easy file downloads and material sharing or connect a printer for network printing, but they can also use it to connect with a smartphone, utilizing the phone's 4G or 5G data as the primary or backup network. Additionally, the power switch, power interface, reset button, and WPS button are all located in the back interface area.

Broadcom's "Full Suite" Ensures Strong Performance

As the "star" of Asus's Wi-Fi 7 routers, the RT-BE88U is naturally outstanding in wireless specifications and also has complete support for key technical features of Wi-Fi 7. Let's take a look at the core components it uses; the RT-BE88U employs Broadcom's "full suite" combination for its processor and wireless chips. The processor is the Broadcom BCM4916, which uses a 64-bit ARM v8 architecture with 4 cores and 4 threads, reaching a maximum frequency of 2.6GHz. According to official data, the processing efficiency of BCM4916 has increased by 30% compared to the previous generation of Wi-Fi chips, offering powerful performance. The storage part that works with it uses a combination of 256MB flash memory and 2GB DDR4 memory.

For the wireless chip part, two Broadcom BCM6726 chips are responsible for the 5GHz band and the 2.4GHz band, respectively. This chip is based on Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), supports 4x4 MIMO spatial data streams, and covers 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands, with the highest channel bandwidth reaching 160MHz. It also provides support for key Wi-Fi 7 technologies such as 4096-QAM, MLO dual-band aggregation, OFDMA, and MU-MIMO. Therefore, the RT-BE88U's wireless transmission speeds are 1376Mbps (2.4GHz) and 5764Mbps (5GHz), with a dual-band concurrent wireless rate of 7200Mbps, which is 20% faster than the RT-AX88U Pro.

In the wired part, 2 ten-gigabit ports and 4 gigabit ports are all managed by the BCM4916, and a Broadcom BCM50904 chip is used to expand the 4 2.5G ports. The latter cannot be found on Broadcom's official website, so it is likely a custom product for Asus.

Tips: Key Technical Features of Wi-Fi 7

In January 2024, the Wi-Fi Alliance officially released Wi-Fi 7. Let's briefly understand its key technical features.● Higher modulation order: Utilizing 4096-QAM, the data transfer rate is 20% higher than the 1024-QAM of Wi-Fi 6E.

● Wider spectrum bandwidth: Supports a 320MHz bandwidth, provided in countries/regions where the 6GHz band is allowed for Wi-Fi use.

● MLO (Multi-Link Operation): Allows devices to transmit and receive data simultaneously through multiple links, thereby increasing throughput, reducing latency, and enhancing reliability.

● 512 Compressed block-ack: Improves efficiency and reduces transmission overhead.

● Multi-RU mechanism: Enables the allocation of multiple Resource Units (RUs) to a single user, increasing the flexibility of spectrum resource scheduling.

● Triggered uplink access: Refines the triggered uplink access defined by Wi-Fi 6 to accommodate delay-sensitive data streams and meet Quality of Service (QoS) requirements.

● EPCS (Enhanced Power and Channel Selection): Provides users with a seamless experience for security and emergency preparedness services while maintaining the priority and quality of service of the Wi-Fi access network.

It should be noted that the 320MHz bandwidth is specifically mentioned as being available only in countries/regions where the 6GHz band is permitted. According to the new regulations of the People's Republic of China on the allocation of radio frequencies, released in the middle of last year, the entire or part of the 6GHz band (6425MHz~7125MHz) is allocated for 5G/6G systems. The 6GHz band in the Wi-Fi 7 standard ranges from 5925MHz to 7125MHz, which largely overlaps with the band allocated to 5G/6G. This means that currently, Wi-Fi 7 routers available in the domestic market do not offer the 6GHz band, and consequently, do not have the 320MHz bandwidth. However, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has not yet clarified whether the 5925MHz~6425MHz band is considered unlicensed spectrum, and further developments remain to be seen.

Feature-rich

Practical and user-friendlyIn addition to its hardware components, the RT-BE88U has much to offer in terms of technology and features. It utilizes ASUS's core patented technology, RangeBoost+, which is a multi-antenna collaboration technique. The router intelligently adjusts the signal transmission of its antennas based on the orientation, distance, and obstructions of connected devices. It employs a unique algorithm to match the optimal antenna and adjust the gain for weak signal areas and dead zones, expanding the Wi-Fi signal range through directional and concentrated transmission, resulting in a stronger signal. Range Boost+ can increase the router's signal coverage area by 38%.

As a core patent of ASUS routers, this multi-antenna collaboration technology allows the router to intelligently adjust the signal transmission of its antennas based on the orientation, distance, and obstructions of connected devices. It uses a unique algorithm to match the optimal antenna and adjust the gain for weak signal areas and dead zones, expanding the Wi-Fi signal range and achieving a stronger signal. Compared to routers without this technology, its signal coverage can be increased by 70%.

As an Ai-powered smart router, the RT-BE88U offers numerous intelligent features to enhance the user experience. It has a smart one-click scene optimization feature that can accelerate specific settings for gaming, streaming media, conference office work, online classes, etc., to achieve the optimal network experience for different scenarios. In terms of network security, the RT-BE88U comes with a lifetime free AiProtection Pro network shield that provides round-the-clock network security protection. The AiMesh 2.0 smart networking technology, which allows networking with various ASUS routers, is also included. When signal coverage is insufficient, users can easily add another ASUS router to network with the RT-BE88U to avoid wireless signal dead zones and make good use of existing ASUS routers.

In addition to the previously mentioned 2.5G dedicated gaming port, the RT-BE88U also offers more features for gamers. It supports adaptive QoS functionality, which prioritizes the processing of gaming data packets, allowing users to enjoy ultra-fast online gaming. Furthermore, the RT-BE88U comes with a built-in NetEase UU accelerator that can reduce latency, minimize network fluctuations, and packet loss rates. New users can enjoy 40 days of free full-platform membership, after which they will need to purchase it. The ASUS Router App on mobile phones also provides a mobile gaming mode. With just one click, the router prioritizes the network traffic for mobile games, minimizing latency and waiting time to the greatest extent.

Performance Testing

Next, we proceed to the performance testing phase. Currently, terminal devices that support Wi-Fi 7 mainly include smartphones, laptops, and mid-to-high-end motherboards. The network chips on smartphones are primarily the Qualcomm FastConnect 7800 paired with the third-generation Snapdragon 8 mobile platform, while the network cards on laptops and motherboards are mainly the Intel BE200. They all feature 2x2 MIMO and support up to 320MHz bandwidth and 4096-QAM. However, due to the reasons mentioned earlier, the maximum bandwidth that Wi-Fi 7 routers and various terminals currently available in the domestic market can connect to is only 160MHz.

In the testing, we prepared a PC platform with a 10G network card and a 2.5G network card (referred to as Platform A below), a PC platform with a 2.5G network card and Wi-Fi 7 support (referred to as Platform B below), and a smartphone that supports Wi-Fi 7 (referred to as Phone C below). Platform A connects to the RT-BE88U's 10G port and 2.5G port via the 10G network card and 2.5G network card for different test items, serving as the server side, while Platform B and Phone C act as clients. Through the IxChariot 6.70 testing software and the installation of Endpoint 9.50 on the terminal for throughput testing, the test script used is High_Performance_Throughput.scr. We will conduct tests and analyze the results with SmartConnect and MLO enabled.

The RT-BE88U we received has Wi-Fi 7 enabled by default. If the product you receive does not have it turned on by default, you can log in to the router management page, go to "Wireless Network" - "Expert Settings", and switch "WiFi 7 mode" to enable. To achieve the router's maximum transmission power, we also adjusted the "Region" in "Expert Settings" to "Australia".It is worth mentioning that the RT-BE88U also has a dedicated SSID specifically prepared for smart home devices. After completing its wireless setup, you will have an SSID with the suffix IoT.

Wired Throughput Testing

In the LAN to LAN test, due to the presence of only a single 10G network card, we mainly examined the speed of the router's 2.5G Ethernet port. The test results showed that it achieved the expected performance of a 2.5G LAN port.

Wi-Fi 7 Wireless Throughput Testing

In the near-field environment for wireless throughput testing, both the B platform and C phone connected wirelessly to the RT-BE88U at a speed of 2882Mbps. The test results indicated that under 10 threads, the throughput of both the B platform and C phone exceeded 1700Mbps, with the C phone's 10-thread download speed approaching nearly 2000Mbps. In the single-thread part, the B platform's upload and download speeds were close to 700Mbps, showing stable performance. The C phone's single-thread upload speed was very high, reaching 1351.726Mbps, while the download speed was 540.135Mbps, showing a significant difference. For this reason, we also tested another phone that supports Wi-Fi 7 and obtained similar results in the single-thread test with upload speeds of 1415.445Mbps and download speeds of 506.254Mbps.

To briefly explain how to enable MLO on the RT-BE88U, first, ensure that SmartConnect is turned on. Next, click on "Wireless Network" - "MLO" to enable MLO. Finally, on the same page, "Add a Network," enter the SSID and password. It is important to note that the MLO SSID must be different from the existing one on the router. After completing this, click Apply and wait for a moment, and you will be able to see the newly established MLO SSID under the WLAN interface on the terminal.

There is no MLO-related settings interface on the phone. Users can refer to the official website for information. The phone used in this test is explicitly mentioned in the official introduction to support MLO. The Windows PC platform is a bit more complex. First, you need to install the Windows 11 Insider Preview version. The specific process is not described in this article, but you can look up the detailed installation steps online. After updating the system to the Windows 11 Insider Preview version, simply upgrade the BE200 network card driver to the latest version.

At this point, after the phone and PC wirelessly connect to the MLO SSID, how can you determine if they are working in that state? You can enter the RT-BE88U management page and navigate to "System Logs" - "Wireless Users" to see the relevant parameters and status of the wirelessly connected devices. The Asus RT-BE88U has two frequency bands (2.4G and 5G), and this page will list the devices connected under each frequency band. By checking whether the test B platform and C phone appear simultaneously in the 2.4G and 5G frequency bands, if they do, it indicates that they support MLO and have successfully enabled it.

From the test results, the actual throughput performance under MLO is not better than the standalone 5G frequency band. This is actually determined by its current stacking form. MLO itself can support 2.4GHz+5GHz, 5GHz+5GHz, and even 5GHz+6GHz in some foreign countries. Looking at the frequency bands supported by the RT-BE88U, after enabling MLO, it is 2.4GHz+5GHz. In this mode, the change in throughput is not the focus; the more significant meaning lies in reducing latency during severe interference and providing higher stability. For users who value the throughput improvement of MLO, they can actually pay attention to products with three frequency bands, such as the ROG GT-BE96.

Wi-Fi Signal Strength TestingWe conducted tests on the connection rate, latency, and signal strength of the C phone at near-field, mid-field, and far-field distances. Three test points were selected: near-field Point A (1 meter away from the router), mid-field Point B (5 meters away from the router, with one wall in between), and far-field Point C (8 meters away from the router, with two load-bearing walls in between). The phone connected to the SSID of RT-BE88U's SmartConnect and MLO-enabled, and continuous fixed-point tests were conducted for 5 minutes to obtain the average rate, latency, and signal strength. It can be observed that at the near-field Point A, there is not much difference in the three performance metrics before and after enabling MLO, but there is already a certain advantage in average latency after enabling MLO. Moving to Point B, which is 5 meters away from the router and separated by one wall, although the average rate remains at 2882Mbps in both states, the average latency is significantly lower and the signal strength is stronger after enabling MLO. At Point C, which is 8 meters away from the router and separated by two walls, the advantages of enabling MLO are fully demonstrated. On one hand, the average connection speed is faster than when it is not enabled (1152Mbps vs. 864Mbps), and on the other hand, the average latency and signal strength continue to lead. It is not difficult to see that in office areas where wireless signal interference is more severe, the latency and signal strength after enabling MLO are indeed higher, demonstrating the value of RT-BE88U's 5GHz+2.4GHz MLO in these aspects.

Heat Dissipation Performance

The internal and external heat dissipation design of the RT-BE88U is impressive, with solid materials, so we also tested its heat dissipation performance. At a room temperature of 26°C, IxChariot 6.70 was used to continuously run a 5G to Lan, 10-thread throughput test for 1 hour, and then an infrared camera was used to capture the heat conditions on the top and bottom of the router. It can be seen that the highest temperature on the top is 61.1°C, located on the heat sink inside the triangular heat dissipation grille. The temperature at the two lower corners of the top shell is a bit higher, with the highest temperature at the lower left corner at 50.2°C, and the lower right corner at 49.2°C, while most of the rest are below 40°C. The highest internal temperature at the bottom is 60.2°C, located on the PCB board without a shielding cover, and the highest temperature on the bottom shell is just over 50°C, with most of the rest below 50°C. The overall heat dissipation is good, which helps to maintain the stable operation of the RT-BE88U in high-intensity working environments.

Summary

The ASUS RT-BE88U is a very comprehensive flagship Wi-Fi 7 router. With the support of key Wi-Fi 7 technologies such as 4096-QAM and MLO, the RT-BE88U has a dual-band concurrent wireless rate of up to 7200Mbps. What is more commendable is its high specification in wired interfaces, with dual 10G ports plus 4 2.5G ports and 4 Gigabit ports, which not only saves the cost of a switch but also allows experienced players with 10G NAS and professional users who need to build 10G workstations to experience the convenience brought by high-speed transmission capabilities.

At the same time, ASUS's unique features such as AiMesh, one-click smart scene optimization, mobile gaming mode, and AiProtection Pro enable the RT-BE88U to provide users with an excellent experience in terms of network signal coverage, intelligent networking, and home network security. Today, as Wi-Fi 7 is becoming more popular, the ASUS RT-BE88U will be an excellent choice that can meet the diverse application needs of mid-to-high-end users at present and also leave a significant room for improvement for the future.