ASUS DSL-AC88U AC3100 Wi-Fi Gigabit Modem Router, Upto 18x

 

Review is for the DSL-AC88U.

I wanted an all-in-one replacement solution for EE’s BrightBox2 modem/router. Not that their router is bad (it’s not) but EE occasionally push unannounced firmware updates to the box, and the last time this happened it bricked the modem completely on the same day that O2’s mobile data network went down. We were stuck in a prehistoric world completely lacking internet access.

Although I promptly received a free replacement from EE, I decided that a 3rd party modem/router combo would probably suit me better in the long term, and this Asus DSL-AC88U seemed to fit the bill. Here’s what I’ve noticed over the last week or so (as quickly as possible):

* Before swapping your current modem/router out – find your ISP login details (not the admin login for your current router). You can usually find this on initial “welcome to your ISP” emails/documentation, in the router itself, from the ISP directly, or sometimes from Google!

* Complete the initial setup using a browser window on a PC, not from your phone. Phones generally see the setup window (on a router without internet access) as a public WiFi login, and will force close the window before completing the entire setup procedure.

* If you make it through the setup with internet access, congrats! The first thing you should do is navigate to the firmware update section, update the firmware automatically (if available) and then factory reset the router to avoid any software/configuration issues. Once this is done run through the ISP/initial setup again.

* Set a new router login/password immediately, as well as 5GHZ and 2.4GHz SSIDs and passwords.

* For the sake of stability and compatibility with some streaming/android devices I’d recommend changing the Network Key Rotation Interval to 604800, and the DCHP lease time to 604800, then setting the router to automatically reboot at a convenient weekly time (4am on a Sunday or something). This will somewhat reduce security on your network (as a new key is usually generated every hour by default rather than weekly) but does improve stability – if you’re on a home network with a decent SSID password then it’s a risk worth taking in my opinion.

* Being able to see all the connected devices from the router’s homepage, see the connection type/strength, and rename the devices (along with an appropriate icon) is a fantastic bonus on a home network.

* WiFi strength is about as good as can be expected, it sits in the middle of a 3 bedroom, 2 story house (on the ground floor) and both 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks cover the entirety of the house (with the 2.4GHz network spanning the back garden as well).

Put simply, it’s a good modem/router combo. It does require some networking knowledge to get the best out of it (and using some sort of channel scanning tool like InSSIDer to find/set the least cluttered 2.4GHz or 5GHz channels is also advised with any router, although “auto” should still work fine) but once it’s set up it seems stable and has a decent signal range.

There are more advanced options like the built in firewall, malicious website blocker, device logging tools, inbuilt DLNA server via attached USB storage, Guest Network setup (with no access to your intranet devices etc) and more – but if all you’re after is a stable modem/router combo for DSL/Fibre then you can do far worse than this.

 

So far, after a week, the DSL AC88U has worked perfectly providing a strong signal and much improved speeds everywhere in the house.
I have been having problems with wi-fi on a TalkTalk super router, Hg633, which dropped out and lost signal on a regular basis. As we could have four computers, four phones, TV downloads and other devices connected, and our property is old with solid brick walls and lathe and plaster ceilings, we needed something with more oomph and bandwidth to provide a more reliable distribution and this Asus unit does just that.
Set up was not trouble free, however with a couple of small niggles.
First the set-up screen would not open automatically, despite reboots, checking proxy settings, internet searches and scouring the manual on the supplied CD. Typing in 192.162.1.1 on a hunch though solved the problem and the screen opened immediately.
Once logged in, there is a long list of ISPs, including TalkTalk, and from that TalkTalk TV, which can be selected and the Asus wizard fill in the required settings automatically. If you set the name and passwords of the networks to the same as you had with your previous router, in my case the TalkTalk set up, then everything logs in as if nothing has happened and you don’t have to fill in new log-in details on every device.
The second niggle is wi-fi. Speed connected by cable was close to the advertised 76 Mb of fast fibre so connection was excellent but there was no wi-fi. There are two push buttons on the front, one to switch LEDs on and off, one to switch wi-fi on and off.
The wi-fi LED stubbornly remained off and the button did not seem to do anything, no matter how often it was pressed . . . until it was pressed for about five seconds whereupon the LED lit up like a Christmas tree and wi-fi was operating.
Since the two set-up problems were solved the, connection and wi-fi have been rock solid and downloads over wi-fi, with several computers, phones and devices connected, is about a third faster than the HG633.
There are tons of settings to play for people who like that sort of thing, but my needs were for a solid, reliable connection and that has been achieved.
The guest networks are a good idea, by the way, as guests usually just want to access the internet so a simple, shortish password is ideal.
The AC88U is not a cheap item but it appears well built and does what it promises on the box and is in a different class to ISP supplied routers