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ASUS DSL-AC88U AC3100 Modem Router Review

Pricing, Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Pricing

At the time of writing, Amazon UK has the ASUS DSL-A88U wireless modem router for £199.45, down from the normal £209.99 MSRP.

ASUS DSL-AC88U

It has been a while since I had the pleasure to test an ASUS router, in fact, the last one was the RT16. So it has been a while. It is nice to see that ASUS has kept up the development of their OS, ASUSWRT and that it has come a long way.

You get a router with a complete set of features such as parental control with scheduling and URL filter as well as Quality of Service and traffic monitors. VPN server and client setups are supported too and you can gain easy access to connected USB storage locally and remotely. With built-in FTP server, DDNS service, and media streaming abilities, a lot is covered. You can even use it as a print server for your USB printers.

Performance

While the OS is cool, it is the hardware that is the DSL-AC88U’s strength. The router supports the latest G.fast DSL technologies for combined speeds up to 900Mbps. On top of that, it supports 3G/4G connections through USB modems and connection through Ethernet WAN. Having a router with three internet options makes it pretty future proof no matter the internet plan you switch too, but it can do more. You can set any two of the tree connection options up in a failover mode. Should one connection fail, the backup will take over and you won’t be without a connection.

You might say, so what if it has a great DSL feature, I got a fibre connection and just need the Ethernet WAN. Well, it’s still a great router as it features an impressive wireless performance. The dual-band AC3100 router supports 1024QAM for up to 1000Mbps on the 2.4ghz band and up to 2100Mbps on the 5GHz band. Those are some of the fastest possible connections you can get. It does naturally require your clients to support the same tech, but it is backwards compatible to N and AC standards and speeds. Wireless isn’t suited for all types of operations, so the router has four Gigabit Ethernet ports too.

The performance isn’t just on paper, we also saw a strong performance during our tests.

Conclusion

Everything is wrapped up in an aggressive but good looking case. It’s rare that I really like the looks of a router, but I do here. Besides being functional, the ASUS DSL-AC88U also looks great. The front access for LED and Wi-Fi toggle along with the USB 3.0 port makes it easy to access vital features. The only shame is that the WPS button is on the back side. It’s also worth mentioning again that the four antennas are removable, allowing you to upgrade them in case you need something more powerful for your mansion.