Asus RT-AC87U 4×4 (Bridge Mode) Review

1. Introduction2. Asus RT-AC87U3. High Res Gallery4. Set Up5. Testing6. Closing Thoughts7. View All Pages

There is no doubt that the Asus RT-AC87U is a phenomenal router that breaks ground in regards to ultimate 802.11ac performance.

The biggest concern we have is that you will really need two of them to get the maximum throughput to the computer. It is very demanding of the receiver and unless you have a high grade 4×4 receiver the performance will drop noticeably.

Asus have the new PCI-E AC87 card but we couldn't get a sample in time for the review today. Our testing is a clear indication that the partnering equipment will likely be the limit of the 5GHZ 802.11AC performance.

In single router mode we were limited by the receiver in our Mac Pro 2013- and there is little performance improvement in this situation over leading routers such as the Linksys WRT1900AC and Netgear Nighthawk R7000.

The Asus RT-AC87U really comes into its own when you have two, with one set into ‘Media Bridge' mode. With both routers talking to each other, performance is staggering, and we hit a peak of 956Mbps.

If you can't afford two RT-AC87U routers to run in bridged mode, then you can rest assured that you will be futureproofed for many years when the next generation 4×4 Wi-Fi receivers are more widely available.

You can pick up the ASUS RT-AC87U directly from Overclockers UK for £219.98 inc vat each. Is a dual configuration worth £440? Only you can answer that question.

Discuss on our Facebook page, over HERE.

Pros:

• Astonishing levels of performance in bridged mode.
• Stylish looking design.
• years of futureproofing.
• Dual CPU system.

Cons:

• To get the best performance, you need two of them.
• High grade 4×4 Wireless receivers are thin on the ground.

Kitguru says: If you have the money to spare, and want the ultimate 802.11AC WiFi performance then two Asus RT-AC87U in bridged mode are going to be tough to beat.

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