Asus ROG Rapture GT‑BN98 Pro Review: A First Look at Pre‑Certification Wi‑Fi 8
Asus’s new quad‑band router brings Wi‑Fi 8 features to early adopters, but it carries a $900 price tag.
First‑generation Wi‑Fi 8 hardware
Wi‑Fi 8 has not yet been finalized, and consumer‑grade devices are still months away, yet Asus has already released a router built on the latest draft specification. The ROG Rapture GT‑BN98 Pro is the company’s first quad‑band Wi‑Fi 8 gaming router, and it will receive updates as the standard approaches final certification.
Physical design and build
The unit is roughly 14 inches square and 9 inches tall, dominated by eight adjustable, permanently attached antennas that give it a “giant dead mecha spider” silhouette. A translucent side panel reveals internal components, while an Aura RGB ROG logo provides seven color lighting effects. The chassis houses multiple heatsinks and airflow channels, allowing the router to stay silent and cool to the touch throughout a month of testing.
Port selection and connectivity
Port offerings include a 10 Gbps WAN/LAN, a second 10 Gbps LAN (both usable for link aggregation), a 10 Gbps LAN, four 2.5 Gbps ports (one can serve as WAN/LAN), a 1 Gbps LAN, a USB 3.2 Gen 1 port, and a USB 2.0 port. The hardware also supports link aggregation on the two 10 Gbps ports, enabling up to a 20 Gbps conduit if needed.
Core hardware
Inside, the router uses Broadcom’s BCM 6718 Wi‑Fi chip with a 2.6 GHz quad‑core processor, 256 MB of flash, and 2 GB of DDR4 RAM. It operates on four bands: the traditional 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, plus two 6 GHz bands. All four radios are 4 × 4 with OFDMA, 4096‑QAM, and maximum‑width channels, yielding theoretical peaks of 1.3 Gbps (2.4 GHz), 5.6 Gbps (5 GHz), and 11.5 Gbps for each 6 GHz band.
Real‑world performance
In‑room testing produced speeds up to 3 Gbps, about 1 Gbps through a wall, and 350 Mbps at the farthest point of a thick‑walled home. Compared with the Wi‑Fi 7 Asus RT‑BE96U, the GT‑BN98 Pro was slightly faster at every distance and on every band, and it benefitted from an extra 6 GHz band that can serve as wireless backhaul for AiMesh configurations.
Multi‑Link Operation
Multi‑Link Operation (MLO) allowed a second GT‑BN98 Pro to act as a client, delivering close‑range speeds near 5 Gbps. Most upcoming Wi‑Fi 8 devices will not yet support this dual‑band client capability.
Automated Frequency Coordination
The router includes support for Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC), which can boost power on the 6 GHz band after checking local licensed services. AFC is available in the United States and will arrive in the United Kingdom soon, though its effectiveness will vary by region.
Gaming‑oriented software
Wi‑Fi 8 aims to improve stability and latency rather than just raw speed. The GT‑BN98 Pro offers adaptive Quality of Experience, automatically prioritizing gaming devices and streams. In a household with two gaming PCs, a MacBook, and a PS5, the connection remained smooth. Features include Game Boost (AI‑driven stability), GTNet (server‑connection optimization), and a mobile gaming mode.
Value‑added services
Asus provides a year of NordVPN service with the router, along with robust security software, parental controls, and real‑time traffic monitoring. The device supports USB tethering, file sharing, and media streaming, and users can create multiple networks (IoT, Guest, Gaming) with independent settings. Band steering, combined‑band operation, and adaptive device prioritization are configurable via the mobile app or the web interface, which runs on Asus’s WRT 6.0 firmware.
Stability and firmware
Unlike early Wi‑Fi 7 Asus models that required several firmware updates to reach stability, the GT‑BN98 Pro’s firmware was “surprisingly reliable” from the start. Further updates as the Wi‑Fi 8 spec finalizes and AFC rolls out should enhance performance.
Final thoughts
At $900, the GT‑BN98 Pro carries a hefty early‑adopter price and is overkill for most users who do not need Wi‑Fi 8 today. Cheaper alternatives exist, and the only other Wi‑Fi 8 router the reviewer tested, the TP‑Link Archer 8 Ultra, is not available in the United States. Nonetheless, for enthusiasts eager to experience the next Wi‑Fi generation and who value extensive ports, thermal design, and gaming‑focused features, the Asus ROG Rapture GT‑BN98 Pro delivers a compelling, if pricey, preview of Wi‑Fi 8.
