RT-BE96U Tri-Band

[Jansen3]

The junior sibling to the ROG Rapture GT-BE98 passed testing and received FCC certification in January.

Should hit shelves fairly soon.

FCC documentation:

FCC ID MSQ-RTBE6G00 BE19000 Tri-band WiFi Router by ASUSTeK Computer Inc

FCC ID application submitted by ASUSTeK Computer Inc for BE19000 Tri-band WiFi Router for FCC ID MSQ-RTBE6G00. Approved Frequencies, User Manuals, Photos, and Wireless Reports.

fccid.io

Asus product page:

RT-BE96U｜WiFi Routers｜ASUS Global

Discover RT-BE96U's cutting-edge WiFi 7 router, featuring 320MHz bandwidth, Multi-link operation, dual 10G ports & comprehensive VPN – upgrade your tech experience!

www.asus.com

 

[Jansen3]

Asus has announced pricing at $699.99 USD

• Estimated Arrival 5/19/23

 

[鸟语花香]

A few years ago, mobile phones used WiFi6 as a selling point, and routers WiFi6 debuted at the same time. This year, there are no mobile phones to promote WiFi7 selling points, and routing WiFi will debut first. Is ASUS trying to seize the opportunity to be the first mover?

 

[iFrogMac]

I came to read this thread out of curiosity. I think my only question is, with wifi 6/6e still being a minority even in today's wide range of devices, how fast is WiFi 7 expected to take off? Out of my devices, I only own three capable of WiFi 6, most are WiFi 5, and 4, maybe even 3 (if G, has a number now.). For my important devices, I stick to Ethernet.

 

[L&LD]

Wifi 7 is here. It isn't waiting for anyone.

Intel laptops will be shipping with WiFi 7 soon.

WiFi 6/6E may be a minority today, but that is mostly because of COVID-19 and the chip shortages.

With each WiFi class having to be backwards compatible with all the previous generations, there is no reason to not get a good/great example of a WiFi 7 router when they arrive. Because even the older clients can benefit (from past experience).

 

[tgl]

With each WiFi class having to be backwards compatible with all the previous generations, there is no reason to not get a good/great example of a WiFi 7 router when they arrive.

Well ... other than the fact that you're going to be paying top dollar for the latest shininess.

I'm as attracted by shiny toys as the next geek, and might well buy WiFi-7-capable gear soon if I have some plausible excuse for it. But make no mistake: buying WiFi 7 now is spending a lot of money in the hopes that the investment will pay off some years down the road. Looking at the client gear that's actually in my house right now, it's difficult even to make a case that I should own WiFi 6 (AX) routers, because most of the clients are still AC or below. I did manage to hold off buying AX routers till I had at least one AX client, and I hope I can muster the self-control to do the same for WiFi 7.

 

[L&LD]

I never said to pay top dollar, nor did I say to get it now.

To see the good/great models from the unavoidable crap that is sure to be a part of the next wave, one needs to be patient.

And every AC class router that I replaced with an AX class version was money well spent for each customer, regardless of their clients' vintage.

Again, once those golden models appear (and have proven themselves for some time), buying less than WiFi 7 class routers will be money down the drain.

Don't buy to keep up with the Jones, buy because you need to.

 

[Tech Junky]

mobile phones to promote WiFi7

OnePlus 11 has BE.

You can also look them up on the WiFi alliance site.

In general though any phone with the snapdragon 8 gen 2 or later on the Android side is capable.

Who knows if tensor or apple will in the next gen CPU or not.

 

[Tech Junky]

Intel laptops will be shipping with WiFi 7 soon.

Last I saw Intel wasn't pushing 7 until 2024.

 

[ElmerFudd]

There is a whole lot of hype around WiFi 7 but the jury is out if test from real world applications will ever match the sales pitches. 6ghz gains Will likely be very limited in most households. i personally find it revealing that in the eve of WIFI 7’s release, Asus is improving their WIFI 6 products with new features.

A 160mhz Channel width has not become common place several years after WIFI 6’s release and now people are getting all liquered up on a 320mhz channel width. I guess these companies will do what ever it takes for consumers to throw away perfectly good products and buy technology which will likely make marginal improvements to everyday life.

 

[L&LD]

Intel: 2023-2024 is their stated goal for WiFi 7. You're thinking of what they announced almost a year ago when 2024 was targeted. Goals change.

What Is Wi-Fi 7?

Wi-Fi 7 is bringing increased speeds and lower latency to your connected devices. Learn more about the future of wireless technology.

www.intel.com

Wi-Fi 7 is Here for Early Adopters: What You Need to Know

Wi-Fi 7 routers are available starting from $599

www.tomshardware.com

New Lenovo Legion lineup includes one of the first laptops with Wi-Fi 7

Lenovo's new Legion Slim laptops feature the latest chips from AMD and Intel, and two of them support Wi-Fi 7.

www.windowscentral.com

(I guess their AMD-based laptops will also have WiFi 7 now too).

Intel and Broadcom show off interoperable Wi-Fi 7 kit

For those who reckon we'll make it out of 2022 alive and into 2024

www.theregister.com

 

[RMerlin]

how fast is WiFi 7 expected to take off?

Not very fast.

1) Lots of countries still don't have opened the 6 GHz band (or only opened a fraction of it)
2) 6 GHz band implies the router needs three separate radios, which increases costs, and means Wifi 7 devices will remain high-end expensive devices for quite a while
3) Standard isn't even finalized yet. I expect clients to take longer than routers to appear in significant volumes, as that has been the case with Wifi 6 and 5.

 

[iFrogMac]

Not very fast.

1) Lots of countries still don't have opened the 6 GHz band (or only opened a fraction of it)
2) 6 GHz band implies the router needs three separate radios, which increases costs, and means Wifi 7 devices will remain high-end expensive devices for quite a while
3) Standard isn't even finalized yet. I expect clients to take longer than routers to appear in significant volumes, as that has been the case with Wifi 6 and 5.

I had a feeling that's what the realistic response was going to be. Well, as it stands I only have my iPhone, and 2 Apple TVs that are WiFi 6 compatible, the Apple TVs I use with Ethernet, and the phone is wireless of course. I've made it a point in the last several years to go Ethernet whenever humanly possible, to avoid having to deal with wireless, and only deal with wireless when there is no other option.

 

[Tech Junky]

WiFi 6

Keep in mind that doesn't do 6ghz only 6E/7 does.

 

[iFrogMac]

Keep in mind that doesn't do 6ghz only 6E/7 does.

Right, but in the context of my setup, 6ghz still isn't as reliable as Ethernet. I was saying I would only use wireless for things that don't have a wired option. In my personal setup, my wireless only devices are either my iPhone 12 Pro Max, which is WiFi 6, my Amazon echo devices which are 80211n, or WiFi 4, my Google Nest Audio which is WiFi 5 (ac), my smart plugs which are WiFi 4, and my bulbs which are most likely wireless G. So, for me there would be no reason to have a WiFi 7 router currently, I really don't have a need for WiFi 6, but it does give the phone a bit more speed over WiFi 5. Keep in mind, most of my stuff is either Apple, Amazon, Google, or in the case of my TV (Sony) So going back to my initial question / comment based on my usage, and the type of product I use, and my experience with WiFi 6 already, I don't expect WiFi 7 to bring me anything for at least several years.

 

[Tech Junky]

I don't expect WiFi 7 to bring me anything for at least several years.

Depends on how fast things die and get replaced. But, most iot things will keep using 2.4 for distance purposes. There are benefits though to bumping routers and APs to at least ax. If people quit feeding the machine and buying old stock things would progress faster for devices to jump to the next WiFi standard.

Some companies like Apple though are always slow on the uptake of some tech. They're getting better about it but still slow. And of course not everyone is keen on doing surgery to swap WiFi cards. Though it's a lot cheaper than buying new devices. I picked up a couple of ax411 cards for $18/ea and was able to wring out another 300mbps to hit 1.5gbps.

 

[iFrogMac]

Depends on how fast things die and get replaced. But, most iot things will keep using 2.4 for distance purposes. There are benefits though to bumping routers and APs to at least ax. If people quit feeding the machine and buying old stock things would progress faster for devices to jump to the next WiFi standard.

Some companies like Apple though are always slow on the uptake of some tech. They're getting better about it but still slow. And of course not everyone is keen on doing surgery to swap WiFi cards. Though it's a lot cheaper than buying new devices. I picked up a couple of ax411 cards for $18/ea and was able to wring out another 300mbps to hit 1.5gbps.

I currently have the RT-AX86U from Asus, which is WiFi 6, I also have an AX4400 from TP-Link as a backup router, and that's also WiFi 6. If either one of those come to a day where they refuse to work, I have my AirPort Extreme 6th Gen WiFi 5 router. The TP-Link router just got another firmware update back in April, so I connected it locally to my computer via a USB to Ethernet adapter, and flashed it locally so if I decided to put it back into service, it's got the latest firmware. The Airport, is sadly out of support, so, that will be a last resort. Although, from what I hear, they still work well, and don't have too many security risks as their firmware is different than most of the linux based consumer routers. One point I give to the Airport over the Asus, or TP-Link though is, it's smaller and has internal antennas so, can go into tight spots, and not take up so much space.

 

[Tech9]

New Wi-Fi 7 phone for $1000 + new Wi-Fi 7 router for $1000 = priceless. Instagram must be flying, 0.2 seconds faster. Definitely worth it.

Draft specs Wi-Fi 7 router + beta tester membership. Must be awesome experience. I want to pre-order 5-6 different routers. I want it all.

 

[ElmerFudd]

New Wi-Fi 7 phone for $1000 + new Wi-Fi 7 router for $1000 = priceless. Instagram must be flying, 0.2 seconds faster. Definitely worth it.

Draft specs Wi-Fi 7 router + beta tester membership. Must be awesome experience. I want to pre-order 5-6 different routers. I want it all.

So so true… much more then life to focus on specs that don’t matter. It’s probably like Instagram loads .0002 seconds faster

Folks just don’t understand that there are fundamental limitations in the wireless spectrum. Higher frequencies = shorter range unless regulators lift power limitations.

 

[L&LD]

Yes, great hyperbole from the above posts.

We'll see where WiFi 7 is at in a few short months.

When I finally upgraded to an RT-AC68U from an RT-N66U, I knew I had waited too long (it was years). Same thing when I upgraded from that RT-AC68U to an RT-AC3100 and then to the RT-AC86U. When I bought an RT-AX88U (which was quickly sold) the promise of AX was more than just a glimmer or marketing hype, and I bought the pair of RT-AX86Us very quickly (~6 months after they were available and 'proven'). Same for the GT-AX6000.

With the second set of AX class routers (and the 2.5GbE backhaul they used), my network speeds more than doubled and the latency decreased noticeably too. Impressively, this was with the same 1Gbps symmetrical Fibre connection and the same mix of client devices too.

The upgrades to my network were real. Particularly to my 2.5GbE NAS usage (with two additional 2.5GbE QNAP switches at each router to share that 2.5GbE goodness with). But also noticeable on WiFi too (I could feel the ISP connection was limited by the previous RT-AX88U router and its lower-performing hardware/SDKs).

When the time is right, I will test WiFi 7 routers in my own network and make a decision then (I'm sure you'll read a few posts from me on that, right here, of course).

If WiFi 7 gives even the same boost (~20% greater throughput at the same distance, which equates to a 20% decrease in latency too) as the GT-AX6000 has, depending on my budget at that time (and the prices I can sell the current gear at), it may be worth switching/upgrading once again.

But what I do know is that I won't be making that decision based merely on specs or other abstract mind games. The gains I like to see must be real, not imaginary. And the cons described above show little understanding of all the points I'm making (or even how WiFi/RF works when the spectrum is expanded so slightly).

One thing I know for sure: manufacturers don't (intentionally) release new products to be equal to their previous offerings (they're not just trying to outdo their previous products, but also their competitors too). Anyone who operates on that belief is only fooling themselves and/or doesn't know how to buy the right products for their use cases.

Yes, there are only a few worthwhile models each year worth recommending, with a lot of duds mixed in. But that is what return policies are for. If the new doesn't surpass the old, don't keep it. Return and try again in a few weeks/months with something else.