ASUSROG Rapture GT-BE98 PRO First Quad-Band WiFi 7 Gaming Router supports 320MHz, Dual 10G Port, Triple-level Game Acceleration, Mobile Game Mode, Subscription-Free Security, AiMesh, and VPN features

Too Long Don't Wish to Read - The ASUS ROG Rapture GT-BE98 Pro (hereafter noted as the "98 Pro") (released in March of 2024) takes the underwear of other Wifi 7 flagship routers and pulls them up over their heads and then slaps em silly. Although initially buggy with incomplete functions, … new motherboard versions (1.2a) combined with firmware updates (version 37812 {March} and 37839 {May}) have slowly transformed this router from a three-star device into the more mature product that was promised by ASUS back in early 2024. Five stars as of May, 2025.The long version - Few people are going to be able to afford the GT-BE98 Pro, ... much less set it up correctly, ... but for those who can, this router can perform some fairly rare functions while using the very latest standards. Initial versions (models sold until November of 2024) of the BE98 came with the slightly buggy 1.0 motherboard and suffered from a few half-baked functions in the firmware. In many ways, those initial 98 Pro's were inferior to the prior ROG Rapture GT-AXE16000 and GT-AXE11000 routers, especially when it came to Wifi 6 and 6E clients. As of March, 2025, ASUS is currently on their third motherboard revision (1.2a) and updated the firmware on May 8th to 3.0.0.6.102_37839 (for United States owners). This combination has hammered out most of the bugs, nags, and missing features that plagued most of 2024. Let’s look at some of the current features:Build Quality – Initially buggy with motherboards 1.0 (initial release, March 2024) and 1.1 (initial release November, 2024). As of mid-February and the 1.2a motherboard release, the 98 Pro has finally reached a more mature state. Firmware updates will work on all the boards, so no worries about needing separate versions. Due to the 2.6 GHz quad-core processor and the amount of clients it can handle, heat release is paramount to the 98 Pro's design. Mine, sitting about two feet off the ground (see pic) in an open space gets slightly warm but never hot (the CPU typically runs at about 42 deg C). Also, … the eight antennae feature two internal dipole elements each and need to be extended (per the user manual) for the best throughput. The 98 Pro also features separate amplifiers for each radio chain (and this is what helps it to saturate a large home for example). The 98 Pro also features two 10G ports and four 2.5G ports on the back, … in short, you are covered for the latest fiber optic speeds up to 10G. Finally, the 98 Pro is covered in LEDs and Aura lighting, which can all be controlled through the web interface. The styling is, ... well, ... let's call the design, ... spiderbot. Some will love it and some will hate it. I don't mind the styling but I wish they had removed the stickers from the clear window portion and expanded that area with more heatsinks for the CPU. Overall, the build quality is exactly what you would expect from such a high-end router. Please be aware that this router is sold as the GT-BE98 without the "Pro" designation in Canada and Europe due to those countries' respective regulations concerning the 6 GHz bands (other than that, the two routers are identical).Initial Setup – A new owner has the option to either use ASUS’s smartphone Router app (which I don’t recommend due to security concerns) or the far better web interface (usually reached by typing 192.168.50.1 into your address bar). The start up procedure will ask the owner a bunch of simple questions to set up your password, Smart Connect and/or separate SSIDs, mesh networking, and so on. It only takes a few minutes but works well. The one thing I do not like is that you cannot setup the router until you have internet access. The 98 Pro really needs the ability to be accessed for troubleshooting even if the internet is down (id est, ... particularly when the internet is down).Firmware Features – In short, the 98 Pro is stacked with just about every possible feature a home user could want or need. Smart Connect is configured stock and works very well for those who don’t want separate SSIDs. The 98 Pro will support up to 32 separate networks (and SSIDs) for those that need it. I, myself, have my 98 Pro set up with a separate SSID for each band (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz (1), and 6 GHz (2)) along with a separate network for guests (aptly named, "Alien_Anal_Probe_for_Guests") and a separate network for IoT devices (security cams, etc ...). Since March of 2024, there have been about seven firmware updates for the 98 Pro, but I do wish that they would release firmware updates about once a month though to keep everything fully current.Protection - The 98 Pro also offers the usual firewall services (iPv4, iPv6, etc ...), NAT, etc … tools but also offers Trend Micro’s AI Protection free of subscription fees. While it won’t stop everything, the service is a nice extra add-on for a home user. ASUS also offers ADGuard DNS through its firmware under the parental controls section (also a free subscription although you have to sign up for it). I have been testing it and so far have found it does indeed cut down on sites that try to blind you with 40 ads popping up. The downside is that the free ADGuard only protects against so many ads per month (and of course, they then want you to go to their site and sign up for one of their paid versions).Gaming Features - True to its Republic of Gamers (ROG) moniker, the 98 Pro provides several services to help out online gamers. The Game Booster page offers three levels of Quality of Service (QOS) adjustments and there are separate settings for managing ping to well known game servers (Call of Duty, War Thunder, Arma, Eve Online, etc ….). The end user also has numerous customizable options for tailoring any game connection to their liking and there is even the ability for the router to recognize other ROG devices (like motherboards). I use the Game Booster features for DCS World online flight simming combat and have brought my average ping down from about 14 milliseconds to about 12 milliseconds for the two preferred servers I enjoy playing on. Nothing Earth shattering, ... but any boost I can get is welcome. I will say that I think ASUS ROG routers in general do a better job of ping optimization than any other brand currently on the market.WiFi 7 – The IEEE introduced Wifi 7, also known as 802.11be back in January of 2024. From a technical standpoint, Wifi 7 offers MLO, MIMO, Flexible Channel, and MRU improvements to Wifi 6 and 6E standards. The Wifi Alliance states that Wifi 7 allows up to 23 Gbits per second but that is purely theoretical. In the real-world, Wifi 7 using the 98 Pro will realistically reach around 4 Gbit/sec (with 2x2, 320 MHz) while the prior Wifi 6E (with 2x2, 160 MHz) reaches about 1.7 Gbit/sec. While the Wifi Alliance promises Wifi 7 speeds out to 98 feet indoors, realistically you are looking at more like 15 to 25 feet, … so you need to be in the same room with no walls blocking the signal. Truth be told, … Wifi 7 is really a bit of a short range gimmick. That said, does the 98 Pro fulfill Wifi 7 speeds? … Yes, as of November, 2024, it can indeed reach these speeds as long as the client is less than 25 feet from the router. As of the 1.2a motherboard (starting mid-Feb, 2025) and the latest firmware versions (either 37812 {March} or 37839 {May}), .. excellent. My Pixel 9 Pro XL and my wife's iPhone 16 both work excellently (both have sadly been handicapped with only 2x2, 160 MHz MIMO configurations {hardware limitation of their Wifi chips}) although only within the same room and only out to about 8 meters or so. Testing some file transfers, I was able to reach speeds of 2000 Mbps from 3 feet away and 1700 Mbps from 15 feet away, ... smoking fast! Am I ever going to need file transfers that fast? …. Not really, … but it is nice to have. The 98 Pro is also (I believe) the only currently, commercially available router with two separate 6 GHz bands.Wifi 6 and 6E – As noted previously, … initially the 98 Pro performed poorly compared to dedicated Wifi 6E routers like the GT-AXE16000. Much of these problems were ironed out (finally) from Nov to Jan of 2025. The 98 Pro now delivers full Wifi 6 and 6E throughput if the client supports those standards. I use a Meta Quest Pro VR headset (which uses Wifi 6E at 2x2, 160 MHz but not Wifi 7) in wireless mode to fly virtual aircraft in MSFS 2024 and DCS World (I have my second 6 GHz band setup exclusively for the Quest Pro headset so there is no interference). I have tested the Quest Pro with numerous routers and the 98 Pro now exceeds the GT-AXE11000 as the best router I have ever used for connecting the headset at roughly 1300 Mbps from three meters (using H264) (speeds are about 655 Mbps using HEVC). My dream of flying in high fidelity and with all settings maxed in DCS World without a Meta Quest Link cable has finally been realized. (Both Meta Air Link {wireless} and Virtual Desktop {wireless} are averaging around 1100 to 1300 Mbit/sec top speeds with the Quest Pro, and I occasionally see spikes up to ~ 2000 Mbit/sec. (this is using H264))Wifi 5 and 2.4 GHz - So far, excellent. The 98 Pro has the highest speeds I have ever seen on the 5 GHz band at roughly 1100 Mbps (from 25 feet) (upstairs and through three walls I am getting roughly 740 Mbps). With the 2.4 GHz band, I am getting excellent penetration throughout the house (about 74 Mbps at three meters and 11 Mbps at 30 meters) and all of my 23 IoT devices can connect without problems or delays, even cameras 95 feet away on my back fence.Network Attached Storage - The 98 Pro features one 3.2 USB port and one 2.0 USB port. I have my 2TB Samsung T9 SSD attached to the USB 3.2 port and am getting file transfer speeds around 1750 Mbps! I did briefly try out ASUS's AICloud feature but it seemed half-baked and more of a security risk, so I turned that feature off. I have never tried their Samba setup, so can't comment there.Custom Firmware - The 98 Pro is compatible with the WRT Merlin custom firmware releases which give the router some additional features not found in the stock firmware. It is also nice to be able to use this firmware if you find a feature in the stock firmware is not working as well as you wished. Sadly, the 98 Pro cannot use DD-WRT custom firmware at this point in time.Conclusion – Anytime the IEEE releases a new Wifi standard, it is always going to take a good year to 18 months for real-world products to actually fully implement those standards. The 98 Pro is no different. When the 98 Pro was first released in March of 2024, it was somewhat buggy and had numerous small issues with both Wifi 7 and 6E connectivity. In short, … it was a three star router. It reached a four star router level around Dec of 2024. Now that there have been two motherboard changes and several firmware releases, the 98 Pro is indeed reaching true Wifi 7 speeds and has fixed most of the small bugs and 6E connectivity issues that plagued it in 2024. Overall, it is now a five star product.

Update 13 July 2023: Another recent cabling upgrade by our ISP in our neighborhood. ASUS ROG GT-AXE11000 wins again‼️Should be (Plan)/Actual Speeds Achieved🛜 Download: 500 MBPS / 601.64 MBPS🛜 Upload: 10 MBPS / 53.17 MBPS🟧 This ☝️ is the highest speed I tested afterwards — 601.64 MBPS download‼️🟩 Last upgrade was 1.25 years ago from 150 MBPS up to 250 MBPS (3/16/2022), & we were pulling close to 300 MBPS, on average, consistently.🚫 No price change for us for these upgrades.——Update: 03/16/2022: My ISP just bumped my Data Plan up by ⅓ from 150 MBPS to 250 MBPS for FREE (Same $ for plan). First good thing they’ve done in a LONG time. Originally, I reported speeds improved achieving 180 MBPS consistently, & now hitting 288-299 MBPS since they upgraded lines (still <1 week in) in my neighborhood. Proud to report (so far) NO ISSUES with the GT-AXE11000 Router failing as many saw when pushing speeds near or over 1 - 1.2 GBPS or over 100 wifi clients on a residential router. I still LOVE this thing. Still 1 month shy of 6-months where some owners reported CPU in their router checked out (multiple ASUS models) & lost significant speed performance. If that happens, I will update this “update.” I do NOT regret buying this at $550 even though WIFI6E is still effectively “DOA” (limited devices still at the end of Q1 2022). WIFI 7 may come out 1st at this rate (Target was/is 2025?).————Original Review for Amazon for ASUS Router AXE11000Note: Be sure to verify any reviews you read HERE apply to the router YOU want. Many reviews here are for various ASUS routers: AXE11000, AX11000, AX6000, etc. This review is for their AXE11000, which came out to market in Feb 2021.Purchase Date: 09/13/2021, online & configured 09/21/2021; long-term performance to be determined.I recently upgraded from a D-Link DIR-890L/R bought in 2015. It is ridiculous that support ends in 4 years & obsolete by the 5th (I digress). This top of the line router was $350 in 2015, now flagship routers cost like this ASUS $550 or more. Expensive? Yes! Worth it? YES!!The thing I most despised about it (old one), & 95% of all routers on the market for home networks, is they are most or all auto-configured with little manual customization available, or none at all. You WON’T have that issue with the ASUS GT-AXE11000!! I saw many reviews “ding it” for supporting 6E but the market is extremely limited in 6E Tech even now. I’ve been wanting this ASUS Router since I saw the preview announcements back in 2020. Here is why I love it & you will as well.1. Supports 6E despite market is still not ready with 6E NIC’s or other devices. Give it time. This was the 1st router that supported 6e—of course it wasn’t ready when launched back in Feb 2021 – duh?! An ASUS firmware fix will make all well with 6e soon. Hopefully the market will offer more 6e devices in the next 6 months (semiconductor shortage makes that not likely)!! That is NOT ASUS’ fault (6e market or silicon chip shortage).2. Every setting practically is manually configurable if you wish or you can get most settings automatically configured if not a Tech person. I am, so I LOVE it.3. AI Protection Pro — You get Lifetime AI Protection against spyware, adware, & ransomware updates from the Internet that get pulled by your devices via YOUR router & modem. Again, MOST routers on the market have no protection built in, much less free, with lifetime updates! My wife’s work computer has seen multiple malicious programs attempt access that this feature stopped from infecting either her computer or spreading onto router or our other home network devices. We sent the reports to her employer’s IT Team to investigate.4. WiFi Radar — Instead of paying an additional $500 or more for a Network (SSID) Analyzer Program or Subscription for Wireless Channel Stats, & Site Survey, this feature set is included for FREE! You don’t need other programs to see what channel your neighbors chose for 2.4G, 5G or 6G & the interference you may get competing on those busy channels from neighboring devices. You also can create reports by scanning as often as you like. This alone makes the $550 Router a real bargain. IT Network people tell users to choose, for example: Channel 1, 6, or 11 for their center channel using 2.5 GHz. The problem is everyone knows this as they have heard this same counsel for over a decade!! Your neighbors know this too. Guess which are the busiest channels in 2021 (at least in my hood)?5. Traffic Analyzer — tells you which Top 5 devices (& programs or service—like streaming on device) are MOST responsible for data downloads & graphs it. For example, when my son is home from college during the summer, we easily exceed 100 GB of data per day downloaded between him & us working, gaming, or streaming from home. My ISP charges & throttles if you go over your allocation based on monthly use. This feature makes it easy to KNOW 100% which devices are the culprit & specific activities or program most responsible on it. My son is a gamer like I am, but we regularly hit 30-35 GB/day when he isn’t home. We had to assume it was his PC Gaming that was the issue (he was downloading too much or in a dead zone even with a WiFi booster). We didn’t definitively know, but NOW WE DO!! I love this too.If you want a manually configurable router with tons of settings (95% of what is out there doesn’t support it to this degree for home users), & all the benefits above included, then get this already. The streaming & gaming quality & speeds we do in my home (I tested) are improved over my last router. Consistently reaches 10-50 MBPS more for download speed than an AC3200 router. If this is what you are looking for as well, then this is for you!My ISP frequently has downtime issues in my neighborhood so download speeds varied from 60-180 MBPS using my old router over this past year. Now, 180 MBPS consistently unless ISP goes down. Those of you who have better internet packages should see a proportional dramatic improvement as I did for mine. Have had no issues since installing & configuring it. Have I said I LOVE my ASUS ROG GT-AXE11000? (We have 35 client devices — 16-20 of those are active daily too, ranging from PC’s, MacBook, iPhones, iPad, AppleTV’s, gaming consoles (plural), and so on with no connectivity issues). My old router required daily reboot or suffered degraded performance when video conferencing. The new router I reboot 2x a week per auto schedule. Again, flawless so far.

I chose this tri-band router because it still operates in the 2.4 and two 5 ghz bands rather than the higher 6 ghz band because that makes it more useful to me. The 6 ghz band is not well supported among my devices and even if it was, higher frequencies require a closer and closer proximity to achieve their stated speed. Meanwhile, wifi 6 (not "6e") on this router performs very well. I am able to achieve near wired speed through a floor. If you are an apartment dweller, the new 6 ghz band might be appropriate and helpful but as a suburbanite, I prefer the 5 ghz bands. I'm also very happy with this router's VPN server and client capabilities and its dedicated IoT network option. I like Asus routers and this one is a champ for my needs. Very happy.