Asus RT-AC68UF 5 GHz router review, is it worth it?

The Asus RT-AC68UF (RT-AC68UF) router released in 2016. It is powered by Broadcom BCM4709A0 @ 1 GHz chipset, 256 MB of RAM and 128 MB of flash. The AC1900 router is compatible with IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac standards, and the maximum speed that you can get with RT-AC68UF is 600 + 1300 Mbps. The router has 1 x 10/100/1000 Mbps WAN and 4 x 10/100/1000 Mbps LAN ports.

The RT-AC68UF is a popular router model from Asus that has received positive reviews from many users. You can connect supported USB devices to the RT-AC68UF router. The external storage devices such as USB flash drives or external hard drives add file-server functionality to this router. Asus is a well-established brand and has a significant market presence globally.

Table of contents:

• Asus RT-AC68UF specifications
• Asus RT-AC68UF pictures

Asus RT-AC68UF (RT-AC68UF) specifications

Body

The dimensions and design of a router can impact its cooling capabilities. Routers with larger dimensions may have more space for internal cooling mechanisms, such as larger fans or heat sinks, which can help dissipate heat more effectively. The weight of a router can be a consideration in certain situations, but it is generally not as crucial as other factors such as performance, features, and compatibility.

System

The Asus RT-AC68UF router is equipped with Broadcom BCM4709A0 @ 1 GHz processor. The RT-AC68UF comes with 256 MB of RAM. The amount of RAM in a router can impact its performance and capacity to handle concurrent operations and traffic. Higher RAM capacity allows for better multitasking, larger routing tables, and improved overall performance. The 128 MB flash memory in the router serves as the storage medium for the router's firmware. It is a non-volatile memory that retains its data even when power is removed from the device.

The Asus often releases firmware updates to enhance the router's functionality, improve security, fix bugs, and add new features. Firmware updates can provide performance improvements, compatibility with new devices or protocols, and address vulnerabilities. Using a custom OS on a router can offer certain benefits and advantages, but it also comes with potential risks and considerations. Installing custom firmware on theAsus router voids the manufacturer's warranty and may impact your ability to receive official support. The Asus RT-AC68UF router comes with 19 V / 1.75 A PSU. This unit is responsible for providing electrical power to the router, and if it becomes faulty, it can be replaced with a new, compatible one.

Network

Like many modern routers, the RT-AC68UF supports many network standards too. The IPv4 is the fourth iteration of the Internet Protocol (IP) and is the most widely used version of IP on the internet today. The latest firmware supports IPv6 protocol that provides an identification and location system for computers on networks and routes traffic across the Internet. The Asus RT-AC68UF has 4 x 10/100/1000 Mbps LAN and 1 x 10/100/1000 Mbps WAN ports. LAN or Ethernet ports (RJ-45) are used to connect devices to the local area network (LAN).

This router has Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports, which provides data transfer speeds of up to 1000 Mbps (1 Gbps) over Ethernet connections. The WAN port on a router stands for "Wide Area Network" port. It is used to connect the router to the external network, typically provided by an internet service provider (ISP). The RT-AC68UF router supports Gigabit speed on its WAN port, that can support speeds up to 1000 Mbps. This router ensures that you can fully utilize high-speed internet connections provided by your ISP.

The RT-AC68UF router supports 3G or 4G dongles, allowing you to connect to a cellular network. This feature can be useful in areas with limited wired internet access or as a backup option in case of an internet outage. The RT-AC68UF comes with OpenVPN support. OpenVPN is a full-featured SSL VPN solution which implements OSI layer 2 or 3 secure network extension using the industry standard SSL/TLS protocol. The PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) is an older VPN protocol that was widely used in the past but is now considered less secure compared to newer alternatives like IPsec or OpenVPN.

Wireless

This router has 3 x 3.5 dBi, RP-SMA antennas. Antennas play a significant role in Wi-Fi performance and coverage. They are essential components of wireless routers that transmit and receive radio signals to establish wireless connections with devices. This router is 2.4 GHz compatible. The 2.4 GHz band is widely supported by a wide range of devices, including older devices that may not be compatible with the 5 GHz band.

The RT-AC68UF supports the 5 GHz band too. The 5 GHz band offers better noise immunity, less interference, and more available channels. The RT-AC68UF belongs to the Wi-Fi 5 class. Wi-Fi 5 operates on the 5 GHz frequency band and utilizes wider channel widths and advanced modulation techniques to deliver higher data transfer rates. The AC1900 refers to the maximum combined data transfer rate supported by the router across all Wi-Fi bands.

The RT-AC68UF is capable of a maximum throughput speed of 600 + 1300 Mbps. The real-world speed of a RT-AC68UF router is typically lower than its theoretical maximum speed. The TX power (25 dBm) of a router refers to the transmission power or signal strength at which the router broadcasts its Wi-Fi signal. It determines the range and coverage area of the wireless network. The RT-AC68UF router offers several security protocols: WEP, WPA, WPA2, WPS.

The WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) was the first security protocol for Wi-Fi networks but is now considered weak and easily compromised. It uses a static encryption key and has known vulnerabilities, so it is no longer recommended for securing Wi-Fi networks. The WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access 2) was introduced as an improvement over WEP and provides stronger security. If WPA3 is not available, WPA2-Personal with AES encryption is still considered secure.

The RT-AC68UF router offers WPS. The WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) provides a simplified and convenient method for connecting devices to a Wi-Fi network. Instead of manually entering the Wi-Fi network name (SSID) and password, users can use the WPS feature to establish a connection with the push of a button or by entering a PIN. A guest network on the RT-AC68UF router is a separate network that provides internet access to guests or visitors without giving them access to your main or primary network. It allows you to create a dedicated network segment for guests, keeping their devices isolated from your private network, thereby enhancing security and privacy.

Connectivity

USB ports can offer additional functionality depending on the router's capabilities. The USB 2 port has a maximum theoretical data transfer rate of 480 megabits per second (Mbps), which is equivalent to 60 megabytes per second (MB/s). The USB 3 ports provide a fast interface for external storage with data transfer rates of up to 4.8 Gbps. You can attach a compatible USB printer to the Asus RT-AC68UF device. USB print servers allow you to connect a USB printer to your network, making it accessible to multiple devices. This eliminates the need for each device to have a direct USB connection to the printer. It has built-in NAS functionality. You can connect external storage devices such as USB flash drives or USB hard drives to your router. This allows you to share files, documents, photos, and media across devices on your network. It can be convenient for accessing and sharing files without the need for separate file servers or cloud storage.

Administration

The default IP addresses of the Asus RT-AC68UF device is 192.168.1.1. These address allows you to access the router's console login page. If you are unable to log in to the setup panel of your Asus router, performing a reset can be a helpful troubleshooting step. It is highly recommended to change the default password of your RT-AC68UF router after the initial setup. If you forget the new password in the future, you may need to perform a factory reset on the router to revert to the default settings.

The specifications above are based on the official data published by the manufacturer, but we also take user reviews into consideration. If you found an error or something lacking in the specifications above for the Asus RT-AC68UF, then don’t hesite and signal the problem to us.

Asus RT-AC68UF (RT-AC68UF) pictures

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