Asus ROG Rapture GT-BE98 Pro Review

If you’re looking for the fastest, most feature-rich Wi-Fi 7 router to power your online gaming sessions, look no further than the Asus ROG Rapture GT-BE98 Pro ($799.99). This beast of a router could blow your budget, but in return you get incredibly fast 6GHz throughput performance thanks to the latest Wi-Fi 7 technology, a CPU fit for a computer, and six high-speed networking ports. This Editors’ Choice-winning router also offers dual 6GHz bands, one of which can be dedicated to speedy wireless backhaul in a mesh configuration, and is chock-full of gamer-friendly features, including a dedicated 10GbE game port.

Design: Welcome to the Wi-Fi 7 ‘Republic’

Shaped like an irregular hexagon, the GT-BE98 is a massive router intended to be placed on a desktop or other flat surface. It measures 8.6 by 13.7 by 13.7 inches (HWD) and weighs 4.4 pounds. It sports eight adjustable external antennas and uses 16 internal antennas for enhanced signal range. The top of the router contains a series of tiny LEDs that make up the Republic of Gamers (ROG) logo. The LEDs use the Asus Aura RGB engine to change colors and provide breathing, wave, static, and rainbow lighting effects.

Also up top is a specially designed vent that works with an internal heatsink and heat-plate assembly to help keep internal components cool. You’ll also notice a plastic see-through panel that covers a gaming-themed mural designed to give the router an edgy look. The front edge is home to WPS and LED on/off buttons, as well as LED indicators for power, internet connectivity, 10GbE LAN activity, LAN activity, and Wi-Fi radio band connectivity.

Around back is an arsenal of high-speed I/O ports, including a 10GbE WAN/LAN port, a 2.5GbE WAN/LAN port, three 2.5GbE LAN ports, a 10GbE gaming LAN port, and one 1GbE LAN port. The gaming port automatically provides bandwidth priority for whatever device it is connected to, and all of the LAN ports support link aggregation. Here you’ll also find a USB 3.2 Type-C port and a USB 2.0 port. Under the hood are a 2.7GHz quad-core CPU, 256MB of flash memory, and 2GB of RAM.

(Credit: John R. Delaney)

The GT-BE98 Pro is a quad-band BE30000 router that can reach theoretical data rates of up to 1,376Mbps on the 2.4GHz band, up to 5,764Mbps on the 5GHz band, and up to 11,529Mbps on each of the 6GHz bands. It supports the latest Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) technologies, including 4K QAM, 320MHz channel width, direct-to-client beamforming, MU-MIMO data streaming, and orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) transmissions. It also supports the Multi-Link Operation (MLO) protocol, which lets client devices communicate with the router using multiple radio bands. Finally, it works with Asus AiMesh technology, which means you can use it as a node in a mesh network with other AiMesh-compatible devices.

The GT-BE98 Pro comes with Trend Micro-powered AiProtection Pro software, which provides robust parental controls, including age-based website filtering, usage statistics, and time scheduling utilities. Network security tools include Asus Instant Guard VPN (which lets you remotely connect to your home network from public Wi-Fi), security scans, malicious content blocking, and infected device blocking.

You can manage the router using the Asus mobile app or with the web-based management console. Both are easy to use, but the web console offers more advanced settings than the app does. The console opens to a Dashboard screen with a panel that displays the internet status, the WAN IP, and the number of connected clients. Below that is a panel with a real-time network traffic graph and the average network ping time. At the bottom of the dashboard screen is a Game Radar panel that lets you identify the best server connection for specific online games. Here you can also enable and configure Aura RGB settings, turn the LEDs on or off, and enable Game Boost, which analyzes traffic and prioritizes gaming packets for optimal performance.

(Credit: Asus)

Off to the left is an extensive menu with selections for AiProtection (network security), parental controls, game acceleration (port and packet prioritization), Open NAT, Game Radar, VPN, and Traffic Analyzer. Advanced options include a schematic representation of your network; Wireless, LAN, WAN, and Guest Network settings; USB settings for external storage devices; IPv6 and firewall settings; administration settings for updating firmware; a system log; and tools for configuring things like Wake-on-LAN (WoL).

Testing the GT-BE98 Pro: Wi-Fi 7’s Potential on Full Display

Installation was quick and easy. I powered down my modem, connected the GT-BE98 to the modem using the 10GbE WAN port, and connected my desktop PC to the router’s 10GbE game port. I powered everything up and then opened a browser on my PC; the Asus Welcome screen automatically launched. I tapped Create Network, assigned Wi-Fi SSIDs and passwords, and created an Admin name and password. Finally, I updated the firmware to complete the installation.

The GT-BE98 Pro delivered the fastest 6GHz throughput scores we’ve seen from any router. Its score of 3,075Mbps on the close-proximity test was significantly faster than that of the TP-Link BE800 (2,280Mbps). Similarly, the GT-BE98 Pro’s score of 442Mbps on the 30-foot test beat the TP-Link BE800 (232Mbps) by a healthy margin.

Results on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz tests were different. Although the GT-BE98 Pro turned in reasonably fast scores on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz close-proximity tests (148Mbps and 1,828Mbps, respectively), the TP-Link BE800 was faster (175Mbps and 1,880Mbps, respectively). On the 30-foot tests, the GT-BE98 Pro managed 74Mbps while operating on the 2.4GHz band and 911Mbps while operating on the 5GHz band. The TP-Link BE800 scored 88Mbps on the 2.4GHz test and 978Mbps on the 5GHz test.

We test Wi-Fi signal strength using Ekahau’s Sidekick 2 Wi-Fi diagnostic device and Survey mobile app, which generates heat maps that show the router’s 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz signal strength throughout our test home. (Note: Ekahau is owned by Ziff Davis, PCMag’s parent company.) The white circle on the map represents the location of the router, and the colors represent signal strength. Darker greens represent the strongest signal, yellows represent a weaker signal, and grays indicate a very weak or nonexistent signal.

5GHz Wi-Fi coverage map for the Asus ROG Rapture GT-BE98 Pro (Credit: Ekahau)

2.4GHz Wi-Fi coverage map for the Asus ROG Rapture GT-BE98 Pro (Credit: Ekahau)

6GHz Wi-Fi coverage map for the Asus ROG Rapture GT-BE98 Pro (Credit: Ekahau)

As shown on the maps, the GT-BE98 Pro had no trouble providing relatively strong 2.4GHz and 5GHz signals throughout the house, but 6GHz signal strength became weaker as I moved further away from the router. That said, we’ve yet to see 6GHz signal range that rivals even 5GHz signal range from any Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 router, so the GT-BE98 Pro is not alone here. Currently, the immense speed that 6GHz promises is really only useful if you’re in the same room as the router.

Is Wi-Fi 7 Worth It? Yes, If You’ve Got the GT-BE98 Pro

Wi-Fi 7 clients may still be few and far between, but if you’re looking to future-proof your network with the fastest Wi-Fi 7 router available, the Asus ROG Rapture GT-BE98 Pro is an excellent choice. It’s packed with high-speed network ports and features designed to elevate your online gaming experience, and it comes with robust parental control and network security software. Most important, it delivered the fastest 6GHz throughput scores we’ve seen to date. Granted, the GT-BE98 Pro’s $800 price represents a sizable investment, but its stellar performance, top-shelf hardware, and game-enhancing features make it a solid choice for a high-end gaming router.

(Credit: John R. Delaney)

If you require 6GHz data transmissions but don’t want to spend a bundle for a Wi-Fi 7 router, consider a Wi-Fi 6E router instead, such as the TP-Link Archer AXE75. It doesn’t offer multi-gig ports and isn’t nearly as fast as the GT-BE98 Pro, but it does provide reasonably fast 6GHz throughput and will save you a cool $600 that you can spend on other gaming hardware.