At last – the Asus RT-AC3200 has arrived! Promised during the course of 2014, this is Asus’s first venture into the world of the Tri-Band router. In direct competition with the D-Link DIR-890L, the Nighthawk X6 and the Linksys EA8500, the RT-AC3200 has some stiff competition.
So along with Tri-Band (two 5GHz WLAN’s and a single 2.4GHz WLAN), Asus have added a list of features to tempt the traditional Asus lovers, and the fans from other vendors.
WLAN, WiMAX and Wi-Fi explained
Have they done enough? We’re about to find out…
Asus RT-AC3200 Features
So, here;s that list of features that Asus want us all to know about…
7 Features of the Asus RT-AC3200
Tri-Band With 3.2Gbps AC
So first off, up to 3.2Gbps theoretical Wi-Fi speeds are at your disposal. AC routers have come a long way from the Megabit days of just a couple years ago.
The RT-AC3200 is a Tri-Band router, with 3 bands (yes, I’m sure you worked that out already!). 1.3Gbps is available on each of the 5GHz bands and a further 600Mbps on the commonly used 2.4GHz frequency range.
Asus use their very own Smart Connect software to ‘smartly’ as the name suggests, connect users to the most uncongested band depending on the specs and requirements of the client. This is designed to maximize throughput for each client and give a better overall wireless experience for all the Wi-Fi devices on your network.
This is especially useful on the 5GHz bands. Instead of one client hogging all the available Wi-Fi juice, two 5GHz bands are on hand to dish out the speeds evenly, so that more users get more Wi-Fi, all at the same time.
2.4GHz vs 5GHz wireless explained
Dual Core CPU
With a dual core CPU (Broadcom BCM4709A) the RT-AC3200 has the power to process powerful wireless connections over Tri-Band at Gigabit speeds, run adaptive QoS, share files via USB, and run a multitude of other features all at the same time.
There’s also 256MB of powerful RAM available, to help out.
2x USB Ports
There’s two ports on board. A USB 3.0 port and a secondary USB 2.0 port. Use the USB 3.0 port to host your favorite movies and TV shows. Then stream across your Tri-Band network for fuss-free entertainment – and NO cables!
It’s recommended to use the USB 2.0 port for printing, although again, it can be used for basic file sharing.
Either port is compatible for dongles, so you can plug in 4G/3G dongle as a very useful Internet backup.
RT-AC3200 Ports
6 External Antennas
With 6 adjustable antennas, you can position one in the direction that suits the aesthetics of your house the best. Very useful if you have a multi-storey home.
Smart Connect
As mentioned above, Smart Connect makes sure that wireless devices are connected to the correct Wi-Fi band at any one time – optimizing your network. Combined with AiRadar Beamforming, Smart Connect places devices on the best band based on current utilization and the type of device and the traffic speeds at that time.
Adaptive QoS
Essential for ensuring that your network flows fluidly, QoS makes a priority for your essential sensitive traffic over certain bandwidth heavy non-essential traffic.
ASUSWRT User Interface
If you want full control over your router, you can use the optional ASUSWRT (DD-WRT) user interface. ASUSWRT gives you more options when taking control of your router.
Contents
RT-AC3200 – Other Features
Guest Network
Create up to 6 guest networks and limit access based on your terms.
Fast Wired LAN
The RT-AC3200 has 4 LAN and a single WAN port – all 1Gbps. On top of this, the NAT is hardware accelerated, which eases the load on the processor, compared to the more often used software NAT. This can result in an Internet-based performance increase.
There is also the option to bundle two cables together if your PC is compatible. This doubles wired throughput and adds resilience.
You can also use one of the LAN ports and turn it into a WAN port, which can be doubled up to 2 Internet connections – perfect as a backup.
Asus AiCloud
Connect into your home network to access your files from anywhere around the world.
AiCloud securely lets you access your home network by encrypting your connections (made by the AiCloud app on your smartphone or via a browser) into your personal network.
AiProtection
Network security is strengthened with Asus AiProtection. Using Trend Micro, the RT-AC3200 is kept highly secure and safe against malicious intruders.
VPN
The RT-AC3200 supports VPN access. Using PPTP or OpenVPN, you can connect to your network as a client.
RT-AC3200 Technical Specs
- 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
- Tri-Band – 2x 5GHz / 1x 2.4GHz
- 3.2Gbps Data Rates (2x 1.3Gbps / 1x 600Mbps)
- 1x USB 3.0 / 1x USB 2.0
- 1x 1Gbps WAN / 4x 1Gbps LAN
- 6x External Antennas
- 6x Guest Networks
- WPA2 / WPA / WEP
- VPN Support (PPTP & OpenVPN Server)
RT-AC3200 Conclusion
Good
- Excellent Performance
- Lots of Features
- AiProtection (security)
Not so Good
- Not Cheap – But it is ‘Top-End’ after all
Do you agree/disagree? Why not comment below and let us know what you think…