Asus Reveals Eight Ethernet Port RT-AC88U Gaming Router At ROG Unleashed

[manitoublack]

Finally something more than 8 ports. Like most people here I use switches to expand my network, but I hear that using switches in between slows the speed down in some way. Very happy to see 8 ports.

Not to any measurable degree, no they don't.

In point to point transfers no, but there are countless usage scenarios where expanding a gigabit network with additional gigabit switches will slow down traffic (multiple large transfers between different clients, being the obvious one.) Admittedly, in a home (or even small office) it's unlikely to give you real trouble.

That said for the last 6-months I've had a 2-Stream wireless-AC as my only network link at home. I get a stable 50MB/s (half gigabit speeds) on file transfers to our server and I think that's pretty good. would love to get a 3-Stream client mini-PCI-E adapter, but currently none exist. With new routers like this I hope 4-Stream ,mini-PCI-E client adapters will be released soon.

 

[0inc_inc0]

hmm... Have to replace an old RT-AC68U. I have a Netgear Nighthawk X8 AC5300 due to ship tomorrow. Cancel or not, is the question. The Nighthawk might be a bit more ‘future proof’ with triple-band (where are you client-side?) vs the dual of this ASUS; and for those with extra cash, the aggregation ability of 2 of its Ethernet ports might be important. But the two more ports, plus the possibility of a ninth via USB might be nice. I do wonder if the Nighthawk’s four external active antennas (4 more passives are inside) will make a difference vs the four external passive antennas of the ASUS.

Of course, just looking at hardware and disregarding pricing issues, the fact that the Nighthawk can be in-hand by the end of the week vs ??? has some value. ...though the 'Spider' will be available at some point as yet a third choice. ;p

 

[Supporter]

Do gamers really have more than 4 computers in a short distance? I doubt there are many use-cases for these.

it clearly states all the extra ports are for LAN parties where you get few friends over and play the game(s) together yes you need a lot of computers and a router to support all the Ethernet connections.

 

[BadTrip]

Looks really nice for the average home, but I have a Sonicwall firewall combined with an Aruba Networks cluster that does me just fine.

 

[clonazepam]

To each their own, but I saw better value in having a wireless router in the ideal location for wireless, and running gigabit ethernet up to the attic where I have a switch.

Running up to 8 ethernet from the ideal wireless location would be a stupid mess in my situation, so run 1 or 2 cables from there, then branch out from a switch where wireless connectivity is no concern.

Just like I can't see 8 ports useful on the router, I'm sure there's plenty that do.

 

[jimmysmitty]

May not have more than 4 PCs yeah, but add in TV, DVD, network drive(s), printer(s), etc, and 8 may not be enough

Not only that but all Asus routers use a custom skinned version of DDWRT and if this has superior gaming based QoS then it is a great idea. I wouldn't mind a new router, I have a RT-AC66U and I love it, but a newer one with better WiFi would be nice. And better QoS for Steam/games.

 

[firefoxx04]

a few people are complaining about having 8 ports as if that is a disadvantage while most people are embracing it.

I would love to have an 8 port router but instead I run several asus n16 routers. They are also open source ready which is my number 1 priority. Ive grown to heavily prefer Tomato over any other option for consumer routers.

 

[thebigt42]

Could someone please tell me what the Hell a "GAMING" routers is?
How is it better the non "GAMING" high end routers?

ITS NOT THEY JUST SLAPPED "GAMING" IN THE NAME.

Gaming Mother Boards, Gaming RAM, Gaming Case...Its all BS

The only devices the can be labeled Gaming is the GPU and Controller/KB/Mouse

 

[jimmysmitty]

Could someone please tell me what the Hell a "GAMING" routers is?
How is it better the non "GAMING" high end routers?

ITS NOT THEY JUST SLAPPED "GAMING" IN THE NAME.

Gaming Mother Boards, Gaming RAM, Gaming Case...Its all BS

The only devices the can be labeled Gaming is the GPU and Controller/KB/Mouse

And why is that? A GPU can do more than just gaming and any keybaord/mouse can have Macros without being labled "Gaming".

The difference will be in how the software/firmware works. If it is one that prioritizes gaming network traffic then how is it not a gaming router?

A gaming mouse/keyboard prioritizes gaming functions and a gaming GPU tends to prioritize gaming performance. Therefore a router that is built specifically to prioritize gaming network traffic could easily be called a gaming router.

 

[phantomferrari]

while it is nice having the 8 ports directly on the router a simple switch connected to the router would also work and be cheaper. on the other hand it does require a little bit of extra setup so i could see the appeal of this if one was not familiar with such things

 

[jimmysmitty]

while it is nice having the 8 ports directly on the router a simple switch connected to the router would also work and be cheaper. on the other hand it does require a little bit of extra setup so i could see the appeal of this if one was not familiar with such things

The only problem with adding a switch is the added latency and if you get too cheap of a switch it might not have the same performance from the NIC as the router.

A good switch would cost quite a bit and in that case it would be smarter to buy a good firewall that connects to the switch instead.

 

[thebigt42]

The difference will be in how the software/firmware works. If it is one that prioritizes gaming network traffic then how is it not a gaming router?

Any half way REAL router can do that.

 

[jimmysmitty]

The difference will be in how the software/firmware works. If it is one that prioritizes gaming network traffic then how is it not a gaming router?

Any half way REAL router can do that.

And as I said most any keyboard can have macros and any mouse can have a high precision laser. So what makes them "Gameing" more than a router that is designed specifically with gaming in mind?