Sections
- Page 1 Asus RT-AC68U AC1900 802.11ac router Review
- Page 2 Setup & Performance Review
- Page 3 Verdict Review
Should I buy the Asus RT-AC68U?
Quite clearly everything so far points to a resounding yes, but none of this allows for price. The (somewhat expected) caveat is Asus has slapped a £189.99 RRP on the AC68U making it the most expensive consumer/enthusiast router on the market. But not by much.
The AC68U is £20 more than the Linksys EA6700 and roughly £40 more than most 802.11ac routers. Given the performance leaps here we’d say making that extra investment in your network is money well spent. Interestingly Linksys itself has announced its own router based on the Broadcom BCM4709 chip, the ‘EA6900’, and given its premium heritage we wouldn’t be surprised if its price tag is even greater.
Ultimately, the best always costs a lot, but the AC68U is the best router we have tested to date. It is by far the fastest, is feature packed, very well made and its leap in computational power is an industry first which gives USB network storage a huge boost. Furthermore, the AC68U isn’t only bringing out the best in cutting edge wireless ac kit, it bolsters legacy equipment too with benchmark 802.11n 5GHz and 2.4GHz scores. If you can afford the investment, there’s virtually no downside.
Verdict
Recently we’ve seen a number of manufacturers release follow-ups to their debut 802.11ac routers, but Asus is the only one so far to make a true generational step up. Virtually everything has been upgraded and the combination of blistering speed, smart new design, masses of functionality and far greater horsepower has raised the bar for the competition. We’d still like to see AiCloud offer full remote access to router controls and the RRP is high, but right now there is no better router on the market.
Trusted Score
Score in detail
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Performance 10
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Value 7
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Features 9
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Build Quality 9
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Design 8
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Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.