ASUS is increasing its portfolio of networking devices with a new USB dual-band Wi-Fi adapter. It is called ASUS USB-AC68 and it uses a USB 3.0 port in order to deliver fast connections. It also bundles the latest networking chip from Realtek, as well as the multi-user MIMO technologies that are offered by modern premium routers. Couple its impressive specs with some great looks, which are inspired by the Republic of Gamers brand and it's clear that we are dealing with a premium networking device that aims to impress its users. If you want to learn more about ASUS USB-AC68 and what it has to offer, read this review:
Unboxing the ASUS USB-AC68 adapter
The packaging used by ASUS for the USB-AC68 is a dual-band USB Wi-Fi adapter is quite simple: on the front of the box you have a picture of the device, together with some information about its main characteristics. On the back you will find a comparison with previous generation devices, informin g you about the benefits of using the latest technologies that ASUS has bundled in this adapter.
When you open the box, you get to see the adapter itself.
When you unbox everything, you will find the following elements: the ASUS USB-AC68 adapter, a USB extension cable with a cradle at one end , into which you can plug in the adapter, the warranty card, the quick start guide and the support disc with drivers. Unfortunately, in the box that we received for testing, the support disc was missing and we had to download the drivers from the internet. This issue might have happened because we received an early sample for testing.
The unboxing experience for the ASUS USB-AC68 adapter is quick and painless. Inside the box you will find all the elements you need to get started as soon as possible.
Hardware specifications
ASUS USB-AC68 is a dual-band USB 3.0 wireless adapter with two external movable antennas. In order to use it and benefit from the highest performance possible, you must expand the antennas. As you can see below, they look like wings and they use the coloring and the motifs from the Republic of Gamers brand.
ASUS USB-AC68 uses a modern Realtek RTL8814AU chip which provides some of the fastest network connections you will encounter on USB Wi-Fi adapters. It has support for all the modern networking standards, including 802.11ac. It features a powerful three-transmit, four-receive (3x4) MIMO design and ASUS AiRadar beamforming technology for solid signal coverage. The maximum theoretical bandwidth is of 1900 Mbps: 1300 Mbps for the 5 GHz band and 600 Mbps for the 2.4 GHz band.
The size of the device is quite large: it has a width of 4.52 inches or 115 mm, a depth of 1.18 inches or 30 mm and a height of 0.68 inches or 17.5 mm. Its weight is of only 1.55 ounces or 44 grams.
In terms of drivers, ASUS offers drivers for Windows 7 up to Windows 10 and Mac OS X 10.7 up to Mac OS X 10.11. If you would like to check the official specifications of this device, go to this page: ASUS USB-AC68 Specifications.
Both the design and the hardware specifications of the ASUS USB-AC68 are quite promising. You should be able to enjoy fast wireless network connections when using it.
Setting up and using the ASUS USB-AC68 adapter
You can use the ASUS USB-AC68 by plugging it into a USB 3.0 port directly or by plugging it into the cradle that is offered by ASUS. The first option is useful for laptops while the second is useful for desktop computers.
After you plug in the device, you must install the drivers for it. As we mentioned before, we had an early sample for testing and we were missing the support disc. If you don't have the disc with drivers at hand, you must download them from the ASUS support website. Once the drivers are installed, you can connect to wireless networks straight from Windows, using the built-in features for managing WiFi connections.
We connected a desktop computer to the wireless networks that were broadcast by an ASUS RT-AC88U router. We had no issues in connecting to the network. We transferred files over the network, streamed media, did some online gaming and web browsing. All activities were performed without stability issues and we enjoyed solid performance. But, more on that, on page two of this review.
Wireless network performance
In order to evaluate the real-world performance offered by ASUS USB-AC68, we plugged in this adapter into the USB 3.0 port of a desktop computer with the following hardware configuration: an Intel Core i5 4460 processor, running at 3.20GHz, 16GB of RAM and a very fast Samsung 850 Pro 512GB SSD. We also used Windows 10 Pro with the latest updates installed. During our testing we used a very fast internet connection capable of downloads of 1 Gbps and of uploads up to 200 Mbps. The router we used in our network is ASUS RT-AC88U, which we reviewed here.
We performed two tests on each wireless network that was broadcast by our router:
- We ran SpeedTest both on the 2.4 GHz wireless and 5GHz wireless network that were broadcast by our ASUS RT-AC88U router. This test showcases how fast the internet connection is. Please remember that the maximum speeds that can be achieved on our internet connection are 1 Gbps for the download and 200 Mbps for the upload.
- We transferred an 883 MB file between our desktop computer and a Microsoft Surface Pro 3 with an Intel Core i5-4300U processor, running at 1.9 GHz, 8 GB of RAM and a fast 256 GB SSD drive from Samsung. The desktop computer was connected wirelessly to the network using the ASUS USB-AC68 adapter, while the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 connected to the network using a network cable and a Microsoft Surface Ethernet Adapter.
First, we evaluated the performance of the 2.4 GHz wireless network connection that is offered by ASUS USB-AC68. As you can see below, in SpeedTest, the average download speed we obtained was 249.78 Mbps while the average upload speed was 149.81 Mbps. While we did not have any other USB wireless adapters available for comparison, we think that you will agree with us when we say that these speeds are quite high and they will please most users.
When transferring the 883 MB file between the two computers in our network, we obtained an average download speed of 264 Mbps and an average upload speed of 192 Mbps.
Again, these are very good results.
Next, we evaluated the performance of the 5 GHz wireless network connection offered by ASUS USB-AC68. The average download speed which we recorded in SpeedTest was 275.04 Mbps while the average upload speed was of 168.35 Mbps.
When transferring the 883 MB file between the two computers in our network, we obtained an average download speed of 286 Mbps and an average upload speed of 288 Mbps.
The ASUS USB-AC68 wireless adapter delivers fast WiFi connections when using both the 2.4 GHz and the 5GHz frequencies and it has no issues in outperforming previous-generation devices of its kind.
Pros and cons
We enjoyed the following about the ASUS USB-AC68 Wi-Fi adapter:
- It delivers fast wireless network connections
- It is compatible with the multi-user MIMO technologies that are offered by modern premium routers
- It connects to a USB 3.0 port so that you can enjoy fast data transfers
- It is easy to setup, install and use
There are also a few cons about the ASUS USB-AC68 network adapter:
- Its pricing is unknown at this time. Most probably it is going to be a premium product which costs more than your average USB Wi-Fi adapter
- Our test sample was missing the support disc
Verdict
The ASUS USB-AC68 dual-band USB 3.0 wireless adapter is a solid product that will please users with both its futuristic looks and performance. It is easy to set up and it can be used to enjoy wireless network connections on desktop computers or to get a boost on laptops which have a USB 3.0 port and rather poor Wi-Fi networking capabilities. It's also great for those of you that want to enjoy the benefits of wireless connections that are using the 802.11ac standard.
No matter the reason you have for purchasing it, if you can afford it, you will definitely enjoy what it has to offer. Also, its looks will definitely stir reactions from those that see it.
Discussion (2)
I have since a couple of days the ASUS USB-AC68. I have an Netgear Nighthawk r7000 router. I tested the ASUS USB-AC68 on a Toshiba Laptop and a Wacom Companion 2. I transferred a 1Gb file between these devices and my Thecus N5550 NAS in a RAID5 configuration connected via 1Gb ethernet directly to the r7000 router.
On 5Ghz I was able to have up and download speeds between 500 Ã 600 Mbps when using USB 3.0. There was almost no difference between up and download speeds.
When using a USB2.0 the speed drops to the values you have obtained. With a notable difference between up and download speed.
After using it for several days I discovered that performances is unpredictable. As I wrote earlier, I had recorded real speeds of 500 Ã 600Mbps. But the last couple of days I am also around 300 upload and 210Mbps download. Rebooting or reconnecting the stick gives most of the time another transfer speed. It can be higher but also slower. And sometimes connection is lost or the computer doesn’t see the stick anymore. Where you can restart your download all over.
I also have a Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265 adapter, it has only to antennas integrated in the laptop. It is only capable of connecting at 867Mbps. But its transfer speeds are always around 260Mbps. And this little adapter costs less then the half of the ASUS.
The ASUS is at 5meters from the router where the laptop is even at 7meters away.
For the moment I give it only a score of 2,5/5