ASUS RT-AC3200 Tri-Band Wireless Router Review

By Ken Brown

ASUS Joins the Tri-Band Crowd with the Band New RT-AC3200

ASUS RT-AC3200

As part of their Extreme Series, ASUS has released their RT-AC3200 Tri-Band 802.11ac router that features one of the fastest data rate combinations of any router on the market today. With a theoretical top speed of 3200 Mbps, the ASUS RT-AC3200 uses two 802.11ac networks (5.0 GHz and 2.4 GHz) with three transmitters a piece for a 3×3 antenna configuration. What all of this means is that if you have network with a bunch of different wireless clients and users, this is a router that is designed for you if you can afford to spend $294.99!

ASUS designed the RT-AC3200 to work with networks that have high number of Wi-Fi devices that compete for wireless connectivity. The RT-AC3200 has circuitry designed to automatically assign connecting devices to either the 2.4 GHz band or one of two 5.0 GHz bands depending on how busy and impacted each band is. If you want, you can assign each device connected to a particular band as well.

ASUS_RT-AC3200-1

This is the first Tri-Band router we have seen or reviewed. In fact, our top performing router is the Netgeqar is the $277 R8000 that we have reviewed last summer, and the $230 Linksys EA9200 reviewed late last year. The MSRP of the ASUS RT-AC3200 is $300, but you can pick it up today for $294.99 shipped. Because this is the newest Tri-Band router on the market, we expect that you will pay a premium for having the latest and greatest compared to devices that have been on the market longer.

ASUS_RT-AC3200-11The RT-AC3200 is powered by a dual-core 1GHz, Broadcom BCM4709 processor which is the exact same chip that fuels the Netgear R8000 and Linksys EA9200 routers. The ASUS has many of the same features and capabilities of the Netgear and Linksys and at this point, the featured specifications look very familiar.

ASUS RT-AC3200 Featured Specifications:

  • ASUS Model
    • RT-AC3200
  • Details
  • Standards
    • 802.11b: up to 11Mbps
    • 802.11a/g: up to 54Mbps
    • 802.11n : up to 450Mbps
    • TurboQAM (2.4GHz): up to 600Mbps
    • 802.11ac (5GHz-1 and 5GHz-2): up to 2.6Gbps
  • WAN Ports
    • 1 x 10/100/1000M WAN; 4 x 10/100/1000M LAN
  • Buttons
    • Power on/off Button
    • Reset Button: Push for 5 seconds to restore factory setting
    • WPS Button: Push for 5 seconds to ENTER WPS mode
  • Wireless Data Rates
    • Up to 3.2Gbps
  • Frequency Band
    • 2.4GHz/5GHz
  • Antenna
    • 6 x External dual-band detachable Antenna
  • Interface
    • 1 x RJ45 WAN
    • 4 x Gigabit LAN Ports
    • 1 x USB 3.0 Port, 1 x USB2.0 Port
    • 3G/4G sharing, HDD Sharing, SAMBA, DLNA,FTP SERVER &Printer Server Support
  • Dimensions
    • 2.30″ x 7.40″ x 11.40″ (H x W x D)
  • Weight
    • 2.25 lbs.
  • Features
    • Chipset: BCM4709+BCM43602(2.4G)+ 2 x BCM43602(5G)Add PCIe bus and slot , PCIe module card for 1 x B4360(5G)
    • Memory: 128 MB Flash &256 MB DDRIII RAM
    • Ultra-fast 802.11ac Wi-Fi router with a combined tri-band data rate of 3200 Mbps for smooth up to 4K/UHD video playback, ultra-fast file-sharing for large files and low-latency online gaming.
    • Intelligent Tri-Band Smart Connect automatically selects the fastest band for all devices individually, based on their demands and capabilities.
    • Built-in USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports for up to 10-times faster data transfers to USB storage devices1, printer sharing, and 3G/4G dongle support.
    • ASUSWRT graphical user interface for easy, CD-free 30-second SETUP and hassle-free advanced network control.
    • AiProtection with TREND MICRO with triple-strength total network security, plus robust parental controls and privacy protection.
    • ASUS AiCloud 2.0 lets you access, sync, share and stream your files anywhere, on any internet-connected device

Lets take a closer look at what ASUS delivers in the RT-AC3200 box and how easy it is to setup.