Asus RT-AC88U

How satisfied are you with the connectivity of the modem/router to your devices?
very good.

How often do you get dropouts that are fixed by resetting the modem / router (ie. the ISP is not at fault)?
None that ive noticed.

How difficult is it to set up and manage this modem / router?
pretty easy if you have a bit of background knowledge i use the ISP modem as a bridge.

Ton of features and great range. I haven't had a single drop out or Reboot needed since switching from a Dlink taipan. It also just smashes the d'link in feature set and range. The extra LAN ports is also great for homes with a fair bit of Ethernet wiring.

Not the prettiest thing but I don't care as long as it works. That said, their customer support pages are terrible so I hope I don't have to use them.

This router performs very reliably and has no trouble at all downloading at 50mbps on NBN, or streaming or file sharing between the 7 other devices on my network. I installed the Merlin custom firmware for some extra features, but it really has everything most users would need with the stock firmware, including the VPN client functionality which is so convenient. The speed and range are excellent on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. I really don't think you can go wrong with this router.

I've had a great experience with the AC68U I had high hopes for the AC3200. I've read a few things about sketchy setup issues and dropped connections so was a little nervous. Anyway, I followed the directions to first set it up and immediately download the latest firmware. First note is that I did the quick setup and that worked great. It prompted for the firmware upgrade and I did it. After doing it, I reset configuration back to factory default using the Web GUI. This ensures settings with the latest firmware are addressed in the config file. I've had stable connection and I've seen a performance improvement over the AC68U. For a single router system I highly recommended it.

This router is awesome. No connection drops and a great range. Bonus is that it has a futuristic love it or hate it design, and I absolutely love it. Sad thing is that it does not have an inbuilt modem, wherein I still have to use Optus’ Junkbox to connect with NBN. Beside this, the product is highly recommended

Power at ur fingertips. Great modem router

Pros
-Speed
-Consistent and reliable
-Great wifi
-frequent update

Cons
-Can't use ddwrt or other custom firmware on this device because it's adsl modem
-App doesn't work
-sometimes admin doesn't load on my phone well

Got it from Harvey Norman Melbourne city for about $409 after amex deal and cash back from asus

3 stars as it was a great unit while it worked, but...
1st RT-AC88U lasted ~6 months before dropping the 5Gwifi band permanently. Factory reset and rescue mode was unsuccessful. Returned to reseller.
2nd RT-AC88U lasted 4 hours before dropping the 2.4Gwifi band permanently. Factory reset and rescue mode was unsuccessful. Returned to reseller.
We have swapped to a RT-AC68U which looks to be a more reliable unit, only time will tell.

I have been using the router for a while and I can not fault it. The Wi-Fi range is great yet no outstanding. I installed Merlin on it and it runs with no complaints. The software comes with a bunuch of very useful features (not only for geeks). If I had to purchase it again I would not think twice.

This is as stated a outstanding router with lots of features, however it still cannot stay connected to my WiFi attached Xerox 625dw office printer no matter how it is configured! I have rung and put in a please fix asap with Asus lady stating, "you will get a confirm email contact and progress", um, when? Never arrived! In contrast my previous router had no issues with this same printer with its same WiFi settings. This also applies to a WiFi connected product called Voyager Air 2 which will not stay connected either. Also 88U has a few other things that just dont work and DO NOT use the Asus android app, espically child time programming, it just wipes any settings done via the normal GUI, gone, and to make matters worse, dosent store any changes made using the app either!!!! Using a android tablet, browser, one CANNOT move items in QoS customize as example.
It is very sad that such a pricey, the best product of Asus is let down by its very basic of operation! I still can't print! Asus keep adding wonderfull NEW features like Asus mesh while missing the ones that still DONT WORK! And still keeps saying in log 'WAN reconnecting, WAN restored' over and over, um from what on NBN FTTP? How long is it going to take Mr. Asus to get this all fixed?

I am using this router on my 100/40 NBN connection. It's wifi coverage and performance is great. It also has a lot of security features that most family needs. For more demanding user, there is also custom firmware available which makes the router even more flexible.

I only give 4 starts because the router seems to slow down the connection over a number of days. I am hoping that the latest firmware fixes this.

Potentially very good router spoilt by poor ASUS technical support and unreliable connectivity issues. Needed regular (couple of times a day) reboot prior to connecting to its printer server and other devices e.g. Chromecast, for these devices to be recognised and operate correctly. Replacement with a new A6 hardware revision and latest firmware failed to fix the issues. After replacing with a TP Link router, the regular reboots were no longer needed.

I bought this router a couple of months ago, when I moved into a new house with FTTP available. The unit has been rock solid during this time, with the only restarts being for firmware upgrades. The current router uptime is 33 days.

Initially I was using the router via wireless, to my PC with an ASUS PCE-AC88 wireless card. Connection speed on the 5Ghz band was a solid 1300Mb/s, with the PC located 12M from the router, through 3 walls. Wireless throughput was measured at 96/35 3ms on my FTTP 100/40 connection.

I have run some CAT6 cable from the NBN NTD and moved the router to my office. The only real difference that I notice from the wireless connection is that latency has reduced by about 1ms.

Wireless coverage is very good on both the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands, covering our largish corner block (inside and outside) completely. We have a variety of devices connected, iPhones, iPads, Samsung smart TV etc. and everything connects fine and stays connected.

Overall, this is a very nice unit, much better than the Billion 7800VDPX I upgraded from.

Over the years I have many modem/ routers issued by ISP. Some were subpar, some average some brands were excellent. Asus was one of the router brands that has performed well. This year I decided to get my own. I chose Asus RT-AC88Uproduct due to my previous exposure. It has the robust web admin configuration page. Featured heavy customisations, 2.4 GHz & 5 GHz radio isolations to keep it interfering with wifi devices, guest network creations. Ability to monitor devices remotely, assign static IP's, LAN assignments, ports management & security updates are few I find it very valuable. This modem is not a cheap. It's priced around $380. There are 8 LAN ports which are more than enough for the devices I use. I have done speed tests over a week which turned out to be excellent. Compared to the direct connection to my NBN modem, this router consistently outperformed in speed test site Oakla website. My house is a medium size single story house. The wifi signal reaches to outside to my ring IP camera's fitted on top far corner of the garage. My router is located about 75 metres away indoors & the signal is robust. I had to have a WIFI extension with my prior router to get the signal this far.