Who doesn’t love mobility and accessibility? After more than 30 years of designing and making award-winning computers, gaming hardware, and routers, Asus has not relented in its quest for perfection. The Asus RT-AC87U has an excellent mobile app from which you can manage your network.
PROS
CONS
HARDWARE & SPECS
Main Features & Benefits
Maximum Throughput of 2,300Mbps
The Asus RT-AC87U has an amazing 4x4 stream to limit congestion. This router breezed through all server-to-client speed tests. Although the 2.4GHz causes some issues, it still came great in speed tests with 105Mbps at 10m (30ft). With a maximum throughput of 2,300Mbps, 600Mbps on the 2.4GHz band, and 1,700Mbps on the 5GHz band.
1GHz Dual-Core Processor
The 1GHz dual-core processor and 256MB RAM of this router may not be the best numbers, but it works perfectly well because of the Broadcom TurboQAM chipset that increases performance by 33%. Tuxera, an exceptional data storage system, keeps your CPU performance at top speed by reducing the data stored in it. Instead, Tuxera uses its optimized network storage you can access when you need it.
AiRadar Beamforming and 4x4 MU-MIMO
Beamforming is the secret for a broader range and coverage. The four receive and four transmit antennas ensure that you get the signal you need for your router and send as much to the devices connected to it.
Better than implicit beamforming, Asus uses explicit beamforming, aka AiRadar beamforming. This technology improves the quality of connection, even if you are in a large or multi-story house. This also means that even if you are in the maximum range of the router, you can still stream 4K videos from 2 different devices without any connection issues.
The future-proof and innovative MU MIMO technology on this router loves a challenge. Instead of slowing down when more devices connect to it, its capacity increases to accommodate the devices.
Intuitive Remote Management
With mobility on everyone’s plate, Asus took it to another level by making the app intuitive. You can manage your router even without logging into your computer. All these include setting up your router for the first time and updating your firmware. The app also allows you to monitor real-time network traffic, boost your router’s performance with the one-click Game Boost, and set up a Guest Wi-Fi account for up to 6 friends.
Keeps Your Network Safe
AiProtection Pro keeps your network safe from viruses, Trojan horses, phishing, and identity theft. Aside from blocking malicious websites, it can also keep your identity and data in your infected device. The database gets updated frequently, so it doesn’t get outdated.
Also, the router comes with excellent parental controls. Access the internet activity dashboard from the Asus Router app. Configure the parental controls by adding URLs and websites into the content filter.
Compatible with Gaming Consoles
The Asus RT-AC87U passed compatibility tests for gaming consoles such as Wii U, 3DS, Xbox One, and different PlayStation versions. This means you don’t have to do guessing games if your consoles work with your router.
User-Friendly GUI
The Asus RT-AC87U has a user-friendly GUI. Here, you can install your router using the web-based installation process. Everything that works for your router, including your AiCloud storage, network map, and Adaptive QoS. You can work on these configurations from the Asus Router app or the Asus website. Since it is web-based, you can work on it anywhere without downloading a separate app for each feature.
Personal Cloud Storage
Aside from other fantastic features listed here, Asus RT-AC87U also gives you your cloud storage. To set up your AiCloud, plug in a flash drive into the USB 3.0 port of your router. Navigate to https://router.Asus.com to sign in using your router account credentials. Select AiCloud 2.0 and turn on the cloud disk. For best results, use Google Chrome or Firefox and login to your AiCloud.
Download the Asus AiCloud app and follow the instructions to login to set up your AiCloud on your smartphone. Using the USB-attached storage devices, you can share your files and photos to your AiCloud app and download them anytime.
Gigabit Ports
The 4 Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports let you connect your wired devices directly to your router. If you need more wired connections, you can add an Ethernet switch. It has 4 LAN ports, one of which is customizable into a WAN to upgrade your router into a dual WAN router.
The hardware network address translation (NAT) optimizes the WAN to LAN communication, increasing performance 2-5 times over software-based NAT. Software-based NAT uses processor memory, thereby slowing the internet connection. On the other hand, hardware NAT does not need that much processor memory as it has its hardware to do the task.
Cons
Here are some of the glaring flaws of the Asus RT-AC87U router. We included them, so you don’t get disillusioned when you finally decide to get this router.
Insanely expensive
The Asus RT-AC87U is insanely expensive, and unless you have extra bucks to spend on a router, this is the perfect route to take. Depending on the seller, it can go as much as $300. We believe you’re better off getting a tri-band router. That is a stiff price to pay for something with some annoying flaws.
Problematic 2.4GHz Band
The 2.4GHz band is the perpetual issue for newer Asus routers. There are some hacks you can do to make it work better. One of them is finding the right position for your router. Stay away from barriers like walls and interference like microwave ovens and other electronic devices. If the placement doesn’t work, try updating the firmware. The antennas are not adjustable, so no luck there as the third hack.
Poor Customer Support
The company promises plug-and-play installation, but it’s trickier than that. Getting help from customer support is not helpful, either.
What is the Asus RT-AC87U Router Best For?
A buyer usually has two main reasons why he’s looking for a router. Here are 4 top reasons why people buy this particular router.
Best for Gaming
The Asus RT-AC87U works best for amateur and professional gamers. With the Tuxera systems backing the CPU performance, gaming experiences less latency and faster data packet transfer. With the Adaptive QoS, you can choose which programs and applications to prioritize in your network with simple drag-and-drop, using the Asus web interface or the Asus Router App.
It is also compatible with most gaming consoles like PlayStation, Wii, Xbox One, and 3DS. It is also a good idea to upgrade your regular modem into a gaming modem, so your network works better. Remember, the router is only as good as the internet speed. If your modem cannot keep up, there’s no use investing in a good gaming router.
Best for File Sharing
If you are a home-based worker who shares many files to his network, having a failproof cloud is a good option. Also, you can access your files remotely with just your smartphone or tablet. All you need to do is to activate your cloud account that comes with this router.
Best for Remote Management
Remote management is the thing of the future. Most companies have developed companion apps for their routers so users can access their routers without signing into a desktop computer or laptop. However, not all router apps are optimized for remote management since you have to be connected to your network to manage it. The Asus Router app, on the other hand, is an independently-working, web-based app you can access anytime to configure, update your firmware, or monitor the traffic within your network. If gaming lags, you can also choose the applications and apps to prioritize with the Adaptive QoS of this router.
Best for Backup Connections
A Dual WAN router like the Asus RT-AC87U with link aggregation increases your router’s maximum throughput to 2Gbps. This means that you have two internet servers connected to your router. Not all routers are dual WAN-ready, but this router has a configurable LAN port you can use as a WAN port.
The router either acts as a load balancer or an automatic failover. Load balancing means both of your internet providers are active, and they aggregate the bandwidth so you can get as much as 2Gbps if you subscribe to Gigabit plans from both providers.
Automatic failover, on the other hand, simply means backup. The second ISP is not active. By turning on the Failover feature in your router, the second ISP automatically takes over when the first ISP fails. This way, you always have an internet connection even if your main provider has issues.
What Buyers Say About The Asus RT-AC87U Router
Even if this is an insanely expensive router, many people still thought the Asus RT-AC87U is worth the splurge. We looked for credible reviews, so you don’t get discouraged by the price.
I have been using this router for about a year now on my 100Mb/100Mb Fibre line, without a single glitch. I have easily found my way around the user interface, managed to load a VPN easily, and the signal strength is super good. Even my neighbors can pick up some of my wifi signal on their phones, so the reach is great. Not a day’s hassle with this router, so I would easily recommend it to anyone needing a powerful Fibre/ADSL router.
Awesome router. I never had any issues with it. Run a switch into it, and it handles all hardwired connections and multiple gaming laptops, phones, and smart TVs with no issues. Has a very long range and covers my 1200 square foot house and almost my entire acre of land!
This wireless router has proven superior to the prior two I had before: The TP-Link Google Home router and the Apple Airport router. In both cases, I would find that I'd have to restart my router in order just to get a decent speed. Sometimes those routers would altogether fail and stop, well, routing. It became maddening. So I did some research and anded on this Asus router, which out of the box was a little more complicated to set up but worth the trouble as it is constantly fast, reliable, and offers a solid connection throughout my multi-level house. I'm also very happy with the control it gives me over my web traffic and web security. The only downside is that the dashboard interface is very tricky to figure out and not that well designed, but given some time, I'm sure anyone can decipher it and get it up to their liking.
Conclusion
We love the Asus RT-AC87U router’s 2,300Mbps maximum throughput. It means you can get the most from your router by connecting more wireless devices. The 1GHz dual-core processor works overtime to give it the best performance required for high-performance routers.
Lastly, we like the intuitive remote management from the Asus router. It’s convenient to manage your network without booting on your computer because you can do everything else on your mobile app.
Let’s clinch this review with a good push of the Shop Now button. Get the Asus RT-AC87U router!
