ASUS - RT-BE88U
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Jan 28, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
491
122
"Unifi provide the most stable wifi network for IoT of all the AP on the market, even with one VLAN, even in mesh configuration. ... I have +200 IoT devices in my home from Apple, Switchbot, Aqara, Logitech, Eufy, Hue, Govee, and numerous exotic brands. I have been through hell with solutions from Apple, Orbi, Peplink, Meraki, Eero, Huawei and many many more. And only since I am rocking on Unifi I can open my Apple Home app with not a single device error !"
"Actually better than a range extender, as Mesh systems are designed from the ground up to work with each other in the system. ... But it's half ass "patched up" jerky jerky mesh was no match to a Deco. Deco was snappier, more reliable, and longer range."
"I have a 2 story 2350sf house. I have an Orbi with the master AP upstairs in the hall covering all the bedrooms rooms. Downstairs I have 2 Orbi Client APs on either end of the house covering all the downstairs, garage, and outside. ... I’ve never had any issues with coverage or bandwidth."
54
2
"With a 2.5G connection I am seeing download speeds in a 700sq ft apartment of 500mbps at worst and about 1100mbps as best."
"I've been enjoying 300mbps in every room"
"Backhaul is rock solid and fast"
9
0
"That's exactly what I'm using at home, and I can get 9.91Gbps running iperf3 internally"
"10g wan and a 10g spf+ lan"
"I got the BE88U and it is amazing with Marlin so far ... I use it mainly for the two WANs and VPN. ... what is great about this one is the 4 cores 2.6 CPU and it is the cheapest with this processor. This is very important for openVPN since it runs with a single core and can get to 300+ Mb (other routers can hit 30-70-100 according to their CPU) while handling load balancing for the two WANs"
7
0
"10g wan and a 10g spf+ lan"
"That's exactly what I'm using at home, and I can get 9.91Gbps running iperf3 internally"
"Plex streaming to my wider family, photography workflow, 2 NAS for backups (10Gbe and 5Gbe connections), game server for my kids, running VMs on Proxmox."
8
0
"I use Asus routers in my Ai mesh network and it gives me complete control over everything and I've loved it."
"many settings available"
"One last thing I do like ASUS's software I find it easy and intuitive."
Disliked most:
5
8
"so my iphone 16 and macbook air m3 which both support 6ghz would only use 5ghz with this? ... so it doesnt support the 6ghz band that my MacBook and iPhone use? would it just use the normal old 5ghz band? ... No 6ghz... No thanks. My macs and iphones are all wifi 6 ... no 6ghz band which the latest iphone and macs use ... No 6ghz band is whack.. ... so if i have the pro 6E right now which has support for 6ghz for my MacBook and iPhone, the new eero 7 wont support the ghz band? so would my devices just use 5ghz? ... lol hell na ill stay with my pro 6e then, I have wifi 6 devices, not wifi 7 devices"
"so my iphone 16 and macbook air m3 which both support 6ghz would only use 5ghz with this? ... so it doesnt support the 6ghz band that my MacBook and iPhone use? would it just use the normal old 5ghz band? ... No 6ghz... No thanks. My macs and iphones are all wifi 6 ... no 6ghz band which the latest iphone and macs use ... Nope. Especially if you have devices that use the 6ghz band on the 6e. ... No 6ghz band is whack.. ... so if i have the pro 6E right now which has support for 6ghz for my MacBook and iPhone, the new eero 7 wont support the ghz band? so would my devices just use 5ghz? I'm confused ... lol hell na ill stay with my pro 6e then, I have wifi 6 devices, not wifi 7 devices"
"The big issue (for me) with the RT-BE88U is that it has only 2 bands, 2.4GHz. and 5GHz., which limits your MLO opportunities."
3
17
"I had their AX1800 that was purchased from a local Walmart before the 3000 and it kept having to be rebooted which was annoying as ever as you might imagine!"
"Netgear told me to factory reset after every firmware update. It took over one hour every time…They write it in every forum thread. They never fixed their firmware. This was an awful experience."
"If the power went out, it wouldn’t come back on until after I manually unplugged."
11
8
"No devices connect to any nodes, only the primary access point."
"the AX3000 is only 2x2 dual band and has no dedicated radio for meshing, so if you mesh wirelessly, you end up halving the 5GHz bandwidth."
"There does seem to be a client limit at about 75-80 wifi devices whiche forced me to move iot devices to a separate wifi network."
0
1
"After some issues with a new fully updated asus wifi7 router constantly rebooting"
Aweful-Pawful 1.0Asus BE-88U or 98U, an SPF+ to RJ45 adapter and a couple of TP-Link SX1008 switches.
Basic_Platform_5001 1.0If it were me, I'd get the Asus RT-BE88U to start. For more coverage, I'd get the Asus zen wifi-bd5 with wired backhaul.
I like Asus since you don't have to go all-in with mesh on day one. Wireless backhaul is an issue with every mesh system. I started with an AiMesh Extendable Router and I can add anything from the Asus line-up if I need better coverage. And, yeah, that RT-AX86U Pro is pretty nice with its 2.5 Gbps port connecting to my Arris cable modem. This computer is wired to a LAN port and works very well, and the wi-fi around the house is very reliable.
Bulls729 1.0I just moved from a BE88U (Have been Asus+Merlin for the last 10 years) to a UniFi system, UDM Pro, Agg Switch, and a U7 Pro Max running the latest EA FW and Network app, and have been rock solid including 2.4hhz IOT devices.
Chaubie 1.0ASUS BE88U with Merlin software on a 1Gbps plan. Has worked very well apart from some older devices not liking the main network (wifi 7 etc) so I use the VLAN options to make separate networks that work better with these devices.
cheeseybacon11 1.0I would go with Ubiquiti if you're at least a little tech savvy. That's what I'd go with if I had a bigger budget, but I also don't feel confident enough to build myself. But I'm also happy with my Asus, so that one you have there would be a good choice also, IMO. If the firmware it comes with doesn't do what you want or it gets an update in the future that removes features, you can flash custom firmware to most Asus routers. Just google if it's compatible with Merlin or openWRT, most are I think. Edit: just noticed you had 3 Asus routers. Don't get the BE88U, you want triple-band.
codrook 1.0If you don’t specifically need the 6ghz band the 88U or 86U are better on the 5ghz band which is where most performance devices will connect
Commercial-Total5940 1.0I'm running rt-be88u... It's smooth and fast ..has like 8 ports Asus for the win!
DavidPHoward_DC 1.0**Title:** Loving the BE88U (and planning my Ubiquiti upgrade) I recently purchased the **ASUS BE88U** over the **BE92U** and paid the extra $100 for better stability, extra power, and the SFP port so I can run dual WAN ports at 10 GbE. Right now, only my Verizon service is running at 2.5 Gbps — and the crazy part is it actually clocks out on Speedtest at 2.5 Gbps up and down! I’m running **dual WAN in load-balance mode**, and I opted to install **Asuswrt-Merlin** firmware. I’ve also got a mesh setup using my old routers (AC88U and AX88U) — a great way to repurpose older gear. I couldn’t be happier with the BE88U. It’s fast, responsive, and stable. I was already familiar with the ASUS interface from my previous models, and this one never lags. It also handles dual WAN far better than the older units. This weekend, I’m going to turn the BE88U into a **mesh AP** and replace routing duties with a **Ubiquiti UCG-Fiber**, which has 2 × 10 GbE SFP+ WAN ports. If I love the BE88U so much, why switch? Simple — **Ubiquiti’s Uni software is next-level** and gets me deeper into their ecosystem. I also have a **Tuya Wi-Fi camera system and alarm**, but switching to Ubiquiti gear will let me do a lot more. Uni offers **geo-blocking, IPS add-ons, and better logging** if you install an NVMe drive in their UCG routers. I’m not sure if the Dream Router supports all of these, but the UCG line definitely does. I can also upgrade to **Uni cameras and smart door locks**, and since their routers can function as NVRs, I may skip a standalone recorder unless I add a lot of cameras. For Wi-Fi, they’ve got several **PoE access points under $200**, and I’m eyeing their new **Wi-Fi 7 outdoor APs**. Their smart light switches — with port colors that change based on VLAN — are super cool too. I also love that I can **manage everything from one place** using the Uni management suite. It’s a hybrid cloud model, so I can access and manage my network from anywhere. Don’t get me wrong — I **highly recommend the ASUS BE88U**, and I’ll keep using my ASUS mesh until I can afford the $500 or so for three Ubiquiti APs. Honestly, I’m a little annoyed that Ubiquiti is *that good*, because I just finished building an **OPNsense firewall** on a repurposed **Sophos SG210** with 4 × 10 GbE ports, 6 × 2.5 GbE ports, a Xeon E3 CPU, and 24 GB RAM. I might use that as a dedicated IPS to take some load off the UCG-Fiber — not sure yet. If you don’t need everything the Uni ecosystem offers, you’ll be super happy with the **BE88U**. And hey — you can always upgrade later like I plan to. **Dave’O** https://preview.redd.it/pimvddja0szf1.png?width=638&format=png&auto=webp&s=8337e20766f68f454a7261730ae88587a3b37d3b
dridinger 1.0You don’t need a 3 pack for that sq feet. Look at a 2 pack if you want mesh . Otherwise I prefer ASUS routers. Check out BE88u. It will probably be fine!
Equivalent_Ice_1379 1.0Go with the Asus. Just tried the TP-Link BE550 and ended up returning it and going with an Asus BE88U. I didn't need the tri-band for my use and the Asus destroyed the TP-Link in range and speeds. The BE98 Pro is really in a different category. I would've gone for it if I could justify the cost for how I'd be using it.
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