ASUS RT-AX86U WiFi 6 Gaming Router Review

Interface: Advanced Settings

Extra features which enhance the experience are great, but we shouldn’t forget the basics. Every router has settings for the network aspects, but not every router gives you access to configure everything. So I will take you through the various options for the LAN, WAN, and Wi-Fi settings here. ASUS calls these the advanced settings as it works as-is and these only are necessary if you aren’t happy with the defaults.

Wireless

We get to the Wireless settings first in the ASUS’ OS and the first page contains the general settings. These include the Smart Connect feature which will combine the two network bands into one – at least from the user’s point of view. With it, a connecting device will be assigned the fastest band it can handle. You can also edit the channel settings and authentication.

Wi-Fi Protected Setup, or WPS for short, is a simple way of connecting a Wi-Fi device with your router. Press the WPS button on both units and they’ll be paired without the need for user-input of network name and password. If your client doesn’t have a WPS button, it might have a code option. That’s also possible to use with the RT-AX86U.

The router can work in WDS bridge mode where it effectively works as a repeater. However, it is limited to half the available original wireless speed. A MAC filter is also available for wireless networks. Block or allow specific devices based on the MAC address.

If you’re running enterprise-grade authentification, you’ll need RADIUS too, which has its tab in the wireless settings. Advanced and Professional users also gain access to all other radio settings. But beware of what you change here, you might end up making things worse and not better.

LAN

A wired network doesn’t need a lot of settings, but there are some. For example, we need to define its IP address and thereby the address range it operates within. This is set by default, and you most likely don’t need to change anything here.

The DHCP server is what hands out IP addresses to all your clients if you want it to do so. You can reserve IP addresses by MAC address too. Static routes are also available and so are IPTV profiles.

The last page is for the switch, AKA the four LAN ports. You can enable Jumbo Frames for them if you utilise them on your network.

WAN

There are a lot of settings for the internet connection, such as the connection type. In most instances, this will all be detected automatically, and it’s doubtful that you’ll need to change or add anything.

As mentioned earlier, the RT-AX86U supports Dual WAN. With it, you can have load balancing or failover protection for your vital features.

Port triggers and port forwarding are vital features for a lot of us, at least if you deal with network setups as I do. Both are fully supported here too. A Demilitarized Zone is also available if needed.

With the remote connection options we talked about for USB drives, a DDNS setup is needed. There are few people with static IP addresses these days, and you don’t need one with a DDNS setup. ASUS also offers up their service, so you don’t have to go to third-party providers for it.

The last WAN setting is the NAT Passthrough. This is needed for those of you with VPN setups.

Alexa and IFTTT

ASUS’ router can be connected to your Amazon voice services too, better known as Alexa. With it, you can active guest networks, upgrade firmware, pause the internet connection, and more things. A really sweet feature if you use Alexa.

IFTTT is also supported, despite the product page states that it isn’t. This allows for usage with a lot more than just Alexa. IFTTT stands for If this then that, which kind of explains the whole idea of it. One of the examples that ASUS is giving is “if my wife comes home, then play her favourite song”. This will, of course, require it to be connected to supporting services.

IPv6

IPv6 could technically also be under the WAN settings, but it has its own section. If you need it, it’s there. If not, you can ignore it.

VPN

Virtual Private Networks, or VPN for short, are very in these days. Privacy is a huge factor for a lot of people while others are bothered by GEO restrictions. Whichever person you are, you can set it up with the ASUS RT-AX86U router. It has features to act as PPTP, OpenVPN, or IPSec VPN server as well as a client. The client feature is important for devices which don’t have their own VPN function. That could be TVs, set-top boxes, and similar devices.

Firewall

A firewall is a great option any day. We get a few options with this router which include DoS protection and basic firewalling.

On top of that, we get an URL and Keyword filter. Black or Whitelist the sites you want users blocked from or limited to.

You can filter connections based on services too, and limit it to specific times. For example, you could block your kids from accessing online gaming servers when they should be doing their homework.

Administration

The basic operation mode for any router is, well, the router mode. However, you can also run it in Access Point, Repeater, or Media Bridge mode. Recently added is the AiMesh node option.

The system settings include the admin credentials, time, and location, as well as management access options.

The firmware upgrade page is one you should check regularly. It’s always recommended to run the latest version. It will be the one with the most features and best protection.

Once you made all your settings, you can export them for easy restoration at a later point. You can also reset it to factor default from this page.

ASUS even included a page which allows you to send feedback. A nice bonus and a welcomed feature. With it, there is no need to search the internet for a communication option when you want to tell them something about their product.

System Log

The router maintains a comprehensive log. There are various tabs available which will help you limit the output and thereby find what you’re looking for.

Network Tools

There are also a couple of network tools included in the OS. These include a Ping and Traceroute option, Netstat, and WOL.

Hidden on the very last tab of the very last page are the Smart Connect Rules. You can customise the, well, smart connection rules, on this page. Maybe you want your setup to switch earlier to prevent dropouts in certain areas.