ASUS RP-AC87 Wireless AC2600 Dual-Band Repeater Review

Bohs Hansen / 7 years ago

Test Systems, Software, & Methodology

The setup for today’s test isn’t very advanced and should represent what is found around various homes. We have a modern router as well as network cards which are up to the task. I will place the router as far from the wireless client system as possible and the repeater in between. I will then test the different operation modes and put them up in comparison with a baseline test without the repeater.

Now, there are things to keep in mind when we’re testing wireless equipment. First, there is interference. I live in an area which is highly congested with wireless signals. There are about 30 wireless networks in range and a lot of industrial networks too. This will have a natural impact on the performance, but it also allows me to show you how the devices work in difficult areas. The second thing to keep in mind is the size of my home. The 2-bedroom apartment is about 80 square meters which easily are covered by the high-end hardware we’re using. That means that the extender function won’t be the most useful one, but we got two other modes that can be very useful.

The software used is PerformanceTest 8.0’s network benchmark which allows me to test TCP and UDP connections with various packet sizes.