Asus Debuts Wi-Fi 7, Quad-Band Gaming Router

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Asus’s ROG Rapture GT-BE98 features Wi-Fi 7 and all the trimming with a total bandwidth of 25,000 Mbps.

Asus ROG Rapture GT-BE98
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Just when we were starting to get used to the idea of ultra-fast Wi-Fi 6E wireless gaming routers, Asus looks to one-up the competition with the new ROG Rapture GT-BE98. The ROG Rapture GT-BE98 leaves Wi-Fi 6E in the dust and adopts the new Wi-Fi 7 standard while boosting the total available wireless network bandwidth for users to a staggering 25,000 Mbps.

The ROG Rapture GT-BE98 offers four wireless bands: one 2.4GHz, two 5Ghz and one 6GHz. The 2.4GHz band provides bandwidth of up to 1376 Mbps, while the two 5GHz bands each deliver up to 5762 Mbps. Finally, the 6GHz band delivers 11,525 Mbps. For comparison, Asus' current-generation ROG Rapture GT-AXE16000 maxes out at 4,804 Mbps on the 6GHz band.

(Image credit: Asus)

Asus ROG Rapture GT-BE98 and RT-BE96U Specifications

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Header Cell - Column 0 ROG Rapture GT-BE98RT-BE96U
Antennas88
Wi-Fi StandardWi-Fi 7Wi-Fi 7
Wi-Fi Bands2.4 GHz: up to 1376 Mbps (4096 QAM)2.4 GHz: up to 1376 Mbps (4096 QAM)
 5 GHz: up to 5762 Mbps (4096 QAM + 160 MHz)5 GHz: up to 5762 Mbps (4096 QAM + 160 MHz)
 5 GHz: up to 5762 Mbps (4096 QAM + 160 MHz)6 GHz: up to 11,525 Mbps (4096 QAM + 320 MHz)
 6 GHz: up to 11,525 Mbps (4096 QAM + 320 MHz) 
CPU2.6GHz quad-core2.6GHz quad-core
Memory256 MB Flash, 2 GB DDR4 RAM256 MB Flash, 2 GB DDR4 RAM
Ports1 x 10 Gbps WAN/LAN, 2 x 10 Gbps LAN, 4 x RJ45 10/100/1000 Mbps LAN, 1 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.01 x 10 Gbps WAN/LAN, 1 x 10 Gbps LAN, 4 x RJ45 10/100/1000 Mbps LAN, 1 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0

Asus says a 2.6GHz quad-core processor runs the show, backed by 2GB of RAM and 256MB of flash storage. The company doesn't skimp on wired connectivity, giving you three 10 Gbps LAN ports (one of which is for your WAN) and four 1 Gbps ports. You'll also find one USB 2.0 port and one USB 3.0 port.

As for design, the ROG Rapture GT-BE98 continues Asus’ familiar inverted spider design with eight prominent antennas in full view. However, in an added design twist, Asus uses a partially transparent top casing for the router, which lets you take a peek at its internals.

(Image credit: Asus)

If the ROG Rapture GT-BE98 is over the top for your home wireless needs, Asus also announced the slightly less outrageous RT-BE96U. The Asus RT-BE96U still leverages the new Wi-Fi 7 standard but only features three wireless bands (the RT-BE96U has just one 5762 Mbps 5GHz band compared to two for the ROG Rapture GT-BE98). As a result, maximum bandwidth falls to a still-impressive 19,000 Mbps.

The RT-BE96U uses the same processor/RAM/storage setup as the ROG Rapture GT-BE98, but it loses one 10 Gbps LAN port compared to its overachieving sibling. The router also features an eye-catching eight-antenna design with a stealthy black and grey color scheme.

Unfortunately, Asus has not announced pricing or availability for either the ROG Rapture GT-BE98 or the RT-BE96U.

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Brandon Hill
Brandon Hill

Brandon Hill is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware. He has written about PC and Mac tech since the late 1990s with bylines at AnandTech, DailyTech, and Hot Hardware. When he is not consuming copious amounts of tech news, he can be found enjoying the NC mountains or the beach with his wife and two sons.

14 Comments Comment from the forums
  • 3tank
    Looks swer ...how much of a mortgage will it take to own?
    Reply
  • bluvg
    "the new Wi-Fi 7 standard"

    Not yet...
    Reply
  • bill001g
    bluvg said:
    "the new Wi-Fi 7 standard"

    Not yet...
    Yes I saw that too and had to check that they still have not actually finalized the wifi7 stuff. The stuff I see still says late 2023.

    Not unusual the vendors have released prestandard stuff for a while but you would think they would have learned after they got burnt so bad with the 802.11n "draft" stuff.
    Reply
  • That_One_Dude
    All I've been wanting these last few generations is an SFP port. Sigh...
    Reply
  • M0rtis
    Do any of these new routers come with an input for a fiber optic cable ? Most of the ISPs in my are provide a direct fiber connection to the consumer but they all have to terminate in their basic but effective modem/routers which are kind of limited and then from there I need to extend the network using a standard router and extenders.
    Is there a way to connect a fiber line directly to a gaming router as such ? I tried researching but the terminology went over my head.
    Reply
  • bill001g
    M0rtis said:
    Do any of these new routers come with an input for a fiber optic cable ? Most of the ISPs in my are provide a direct fiber connection to the consumer but they all have to terminate in their basic but effective modem/routers which are kind of limited and then from there I need to extend the network using a standard router and extenders.
    Is there a way to connect a fiber line directly to a gaming router as such ? I tried researching but the terminology went over my head.
    You don't want to use any kind of wifi for gaming and the speed doesn't matter either games use maybe 1mbit and most are far less. There is no such thing as a gaming router it is all a marketing thing.

    You likely will never see optical ports on most routers. There are a couple incompatible methods of transmitting data on fibers. Many use GPON but even that has lots of both software and hardware variations. It would be almost impossible to build a universal fiber connected router.

    In addition part of the ISP security is the setting in these devices to prevent connection of unauthorized devices. ATT for example actually has a certificate loaded into each box so even if you get all the gpon setting and change the mac address you still can't connect it.
    Reply
  • M0rtis
    bill001g said:
    You don't want to use any kind of wifi for gaming and the speed doesn't matter either games use maybe 1mbit and most are far less. There is no such thing as a gaming router it is all a marketing thing.

    You likely will never see optical ports on most routers. There are a couple incompatible methods of transmitting data on fibers. Many use GPON but even that has lots of both software and hardware variations. It would be almost impossible to build a universal fiber connected router.

    In addition part of the ISP security is the setting in these devices to prevent connection of unauthorized devices. ATT for example actually has a certificate loaded into each box so even if you get all the gpon setting and change the mac address you still can't connect it.

    Yeah got that. Im actually using a wired connection for my PC by having the base unit right next to it. However this room is in one corner of the house and I do need wifi coverage throughout but the brick walls with rebar reinforced columns and beams seem to be blocking wifi signals quite a lot. Using repeaters helps but the signal quality drops drastically by the time it gets to the living room where my TV is. From 300Mbps down to 30-50Mbps which would ideally be sufficient but it just feels like the quality has degraded a fair bit. It doesnt FEEL like its 40 or 50, more like the 8-10 I get from an LTE network if you know what I mean ?
    I wanted to replace my ISPs fiber optic modem, mainly just to get rid of one device in my chain and having a better signal going out to the repeaters.
    Reply
  • bill001g
    This router is not going to magically make radio waves go through brick walls. In some ways it might be worse since it is using 6ghz which tends to be absorbed more easily.
    Reply
  • SyCoREAPER
    Absolutely nothing supports 320mhz.

    160 is barely supported. This feels like releasing something just to say "First".
    Reply
  • 2Be_or_Not2Be
    M0rtis said:
    Yeah got that. Im actually using a wired connection for my PC by having the base unit right next to it. However this room is in one corner of the house and I do need wifi coverage throughout but the brick walls with rebar reinforced columns and beams seem to be blocking wifi signals quite a lot. Using repeaters helps but the signal quality drops drastically by the time it gets to the living room where my TV is. From 300Mbps down to 30-50Mbps which would ideally be sufficient but it just feels like the quality has degraded a fair bit. It doesnt FEEL like its 40 or 50, more like the 8-10 I get from an LTE network if you know what I mean ?
    I wanted to replace my ISPs fiber optic modem, mainly just to get rid of one device in my chain and having a better signal going out to the repeaters.

    Look for a pack of mesh network routers, like Amazon's eero Pro or even Ubiquiti's UniFi / AC Mesh Pro. Then just space them strategically enough that you can create a chain of "solid" signal zones. Either dual-band or tri-band mesh routers will be fine; the extra bands help the routers send traffic between each point on separate bands from the user devices.
    Reply