Thinking of a catchy way to start this review has been one of the hardest things I’ve had to do during my time working with the team at MKAU Gaming. It’s not because the product is bad; it’s actually really good, but when I collected the ASUS RT-BE68U WiFi 7 Router and saw “Ai Protection Pro” and “AI Detection” proudly printed on the box, I was thinking of ways I could relate it to AI as most people know it. With that in mind, does it really come with AI?  

Before I answer that question, I’ll talk about what I consider to be more important here, and that is its functionality as a router. In this respect, the ASUS RT-BE68U WiFi 7 Router is designed to provide users with a fast, reliable and secure network, and it does this in several ways.  

As a dual-band router, it can achieve network speeds up to 6800Mbps, with a 5GHz band providing up to 5764Mbps, and a 2.6GHz band delivering up to 1032Mbps. These make use of a wider 160Mhz bandwidth, meaning more data packets will move across the network, resulting in faster connections, lower latency, and the ability to connect more devices without fear of bogging down the network.   

Any unexpected instability is mitigated by comprehensive Multi-Link Operation (MLO), where the system can intelligently combine or switch between the two bands in order to maintain a stable network connection, and with the ability to use the ASUS RT-BE68U WiFi 7 Router as an Access point or a mesh node to expand coverage up to 255 square metres. With the right equipment, it can also avoid interruptions to internet access by attaching a 4G LTE or 5G USB device capable of tethering.  

Secure connections can be achieved by simply pressing the WPS button, and presto, you’re connected, but additional security can be achieved by creating dedicated SSIDs and subnets. These will help you separate groups of devices and users, such as setting up a subnet specifically for use with a VPN, making use of parental controls and firewall filters, or ensuring entertainment devices have their own connections.

These will help you separate groups of devices and users, such as setting up a subnet that includes a VPN, creating a network for the kids, making use of parental controls, setting filters for firewalls, and ensuring entertainment devices have their own connections so they don’t take up bandwidth from other internet-heavy devices.

Small businesses, such as small cafes, Bed ‘n Breakfasts, and the like, can even go so far as creating multiple guest networks, with and without up to WPA3_Personal encryption, and then style a landing page with branding visuals, targeted redirects, and enforcing time and usage limits, making the ASUS RT-BE68U Performance WiFi 7 Extendable Router. 

You can even go so far as creating multiple guest networks, with and without up to WPA3_Personal encryption, and then style the landing page with branding visuals, targeted redirects, and enforcing time limits, making the ASUS RT-BE68U WiFi 7 Router a great solution for small businesses to engage with customers.  

Although less common than it was when I first started gaming with friends, the ASUS RT-BE68U WiFi 7 Router is also a great solution for setting up LAN parties and cafes.

A 10G WAN/LAN port ensures high-speed connections through a wired network, and four 2.5G LAN ports can split this equally across four devices, but if you’d rather stay at home and connect your gaming system direct to the router, one of the 2.5G LAN ports is also configured as a dedicated gaming port, so it will prioritize a connected gaming device to provide low-latency connections.  

So, where does AI come into it?  

While I am a Certified AI Associate and I really want to go into more detail about how and why this is considered AI, doing so will result in a wall of text that will result in your eyes glazing over, so I’ll keep it simple.  

A 2.6GHz quad-core CPU, 1GB of RAM, and 256MB Flash memory provide the required computing power, and as part of the Triple-Level Protection, AiProtection Pro is a real-time monitoring system that constantly reviews your network and connected devices and referencing a commercial-grade database powered by Trend Micro, and it provides real-time feedback, quarantines affected devices, and sends you instant notifications.   

If you have multiple supported devices, AiMesh helps you quickly and easily set up a mesh network, as well as provides an easy way of monitoring it, providing better coverage, and keeping the network stable and secure.  

The vertical-standing router maintains the usual aggressive lines featured on most high-performing routers. A red grill towards the bottom of the unit draws the eye, also serves the purpose of protecting the black aluminium heat plate that keeps the router cool by allowing warm air to flow out the top while drawing cool air in from the bottom. Three sharp-lined antennas proudly sticking out on top, with a fourth tucked away and inaccessible to users.

It has an almost alien-appearance sitting on your bench. Alongside the four 2.5G and single 10G ports are two USB Gen1 Type-A ports, one is a 3.2, the other is a 2.0, and these are for connecting the backup 4/5g internet devices.  

With security, performance, and ease of use being the primary features, the ASUS RT-BE68U WiFi 7 Router, is a fantastic dual-band option for personal users and small businesses alike. It offers a solid array of possible uses, from being a simple router to a hub for subnets, and real-time monitoring ensures that you’ll know what has happened as soon as it happens. 

Written by: Mathew Lindner