The ASUS RT-BE96U is a tri-band Wi-Fi 7 router with 2.4, 5, and 6GHz bands. It has configurable dual 10Gbps network ports and a full suite of software features, like ASUS's AiMesh, which allows you to use old ASUS routers as additional access points, WPA3 security, parental controls, and more.
Our Verdict
The ASUS RT-BE96U is very good for use in an apartment or condo. Its indoor network coverage across the same floor is remarkable, delivering incredible speeds whether you're right next to the router or on the other side of your apartment. It has ample connectivity with support for 10Gbps speeds and five LAN ports. Its biggest downside is its size. It has eight large antennas and a very large footprint, so it'll stick out and be hard to conceal in a living space.
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Remarkable top speeds.
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Great wired networking connectivity with flexible port assignments.
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Wi-Fi 7 support.
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Very big and bulky.
The ASUS RT-BE96U is an impressive router for medium to large houses with multiple floors. It provides very fast speeds, whether you're right next to it, two floors above it, or in the backyard. It has great connectivity options with multiple 10Gbps network ports and five LAN ports. It's very big and has eight large antennas, so it'll stick out if installed in a living space, and its range isn't quite as far as a mesh solution.
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Remarkable top speeds.
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Great wired networking connectivity with flexible port assignments.
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Very good range.
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Wi-Fi 7 support.
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Compatible with ASUS' AiMesh for better range.
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Very big and bulky.
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5GHz slows down at very far distances.
The ASUS RT-BE96U has remarkable top speeds suitable for a multi-gigabit internet connection. It also supports DFS (Dynamic Frequency Selection), so it can use less congested DFS-only channels to give you better speeds in noisy wireless environments.
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Remarkable top speeds.
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Wi-Fi 7 support.
The ASUS RT-BE96U has very good range. Even from nearly 100 feet away, the 6GHz band delivers superb speeds. The 5GHz range isn't as good as a mesh solution, but it's compatible with other ASUS AiMesh routers to create a mesh network.
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Very good range.
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Wi-Fi 7 support.
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Compatible with ASUS' AiMesh for better range.
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5GHz slows down at very far distances.
Changelog
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Updated Feb 20, 2025:
We've added the ASUS ROG RAPTURE GT-BE98 Pro as an alternative with a better network port selection in the Network Ports section.
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Updated Jan 23, 2025:
We've added a link to the newly reviewed UniFi Dream Router in the Network Ports section.
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Updated Oct 30, 2024:
We've added links to the newly-reviewed TP-Link Deco BE63 and BE65 Pro in the Interior Long Range section of the review.
- Updated Jul 22, 2024: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
This router has no variants. Here's a photo of our unit's label.
Compared To Other Routers
The ASUS BE96U is among the first Wi-Fi 7 routers on the market and ASUS' flagship router at the time of writing. Its configurability and number of features and settings make it stand out from other routers like the eero Max 7. It's no slouch performance-wise, delivering extremely fast top speeds and multi-gigabit networking capabilities. That said, it's still only a standalone router, and the eero Max 7 has much better range thanks to its mesh design. The ASUS is also very large for a router, and its aggressive styling might not appeal to everyone.
If you're looking for more options, check out our recommendations for the best Wi-Fi routers, the best routers for large homes, and the best long-range Wi-Fi routers.
The ASUS ROG Rapture GT-BE98 Pro and the ASUS RT-BE96U are excellent Wi-Fi 7 routers. The main difference comes down to features for mesh networking. Get the GT-BE98 Pro if you have a large home and want to set up a mesh network, as it's a quad-band router with two 6GHz bands; you can use one of the 6GHz bands as a dedicated backhaul channel that ASUS claims delivers more consistent performance. If you don't need this feature, get the RT-BE96U, as it provides similar performance and offers a better value.
The ASUS RT-BE96U is a better router than the NETGEAR Nighthawk RS300. They're both Wi-Fi 7 capable, but the ASUS is faster, has better range and more wired networking ports, and supports AiMesh for mesh expandability. The NETGEAR is physically smaller, however.
Test Results
This router has two multi-gigabit networking ports, both rated for 10Gbps. By default, one is a WAN port (to connect to your modem), while the other is a LAN port. You can use the router's web interface to configure the ports to your liking.
If you're looking for a router with PoE (Power over Ethernet) ports, check out the UniFi Dream Router. If you want a router with more high bandwidth network ports, check out the ASUS ROG Rapture GT-BE98 Pro.
This is a standalone router without mesh capabilities, so the mesh satellite position line on this graph isn't applicable.
If you're looking for a Wi-Fi 7 mesh option with better range, check out the TP-Link Deco BE63 or TP-Link Deco BE65 Pro.
This is a standalone router without mesh capabilities, so the mesh satellite position line on this graph isn't applicable.
Wi-Fi 7 has faster speeds, lower latency, and supports more simultaneous connections than previous generations of Wi-Fi. However, you'll need devices supporting Wi-Fi 7 to benefit from these features.
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Comments
ASUS RT-BE96U: Main Discussion
Let us know why you want us to review the product here, or encourage others to vote for this product.
Update: We’ve added the ASUS ROG RAPTURE GT-BE98 Pro as an alternative with a better network port selection in the Network Ports section.
- 21010
Please consider adding information about LTE backup network support. In the specs of Asus RT-BE96U there’s an information about LTE backup support via USB dongle. It would be nice to easily check if each tested router has such feature.
Hi lukz,
It’s definitely not something we currently check for when we test at the moment. We will consider it in the future when we bring changes to our router testing. I assume it may be challenging to validate since the network support can change for each country and each router may have a different list of dongles they support.
We’ll monitor the forums and check if there is a significant interest for us to evaluate this feature.
Thank you for the suggestion!
- 21010
Please consider adding information about LTE backup network support. In the specs of Asus RT-BE96U there’s an information about LTE backup support via USB dongle. It would be nice to easily check if each tested router has such feature.