Deciding on whether to buy a product like ASUS RT-AC88U Wireless Cable & Fibre Router or perhaps NETGEAR XR500 Nighthawk Pro WiFi Cable & Fibre Router? You’re in the right place as we’ll take you through all of the specs, features and look at the quality, pricing and reviews of both to help you make the decision on which one to go for.

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ASUS RT-AC88U Wireless Cable & Fibre Router vs NETGEAR XR500 Nighthawk Pro WiFi Cable & Fibre Router

ASUS RT-AC88U Wireless Cable & Fibre Router specs

ASUS RT-AC88U Wireless Cable & Fibre Router
NETGEAR XR500 Nighthawk Pro WiFi Cable & Fibre Router specs

NETGEAR XR500 Nighthawk Pro WiFi Cable & Fibre Router
Type: Cable & fibre router

Type: Cable & fibre router

Rating : AC 3100

Rating : AC 2600

Data transfer speed: Up to 2 Gbps

Data transfer speed: Up to 1733 Mbps

Wireless band: Dual-band (2.4 GHz & 5 GHz)

Wireless band: Dual-band (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz)

CONNECTIVITY

CONNECTIVITY

Wireless connectivity: Wifi

Wireless connectivity: WiFi

Wired connections: – Gigabit LAN Ethernet port x 8
– Gigabit WAN Ethernet port x 1
– USB 3.0 x 1
– USB 2.0 x 1

Wired connections: – Gigabit LAN Ethernet port x 1
– WAN Ethernet port x 4
– USB 3.0 x 2

Beamforming: Yes

Beamforming: Yes

Number of antennas: 4

Number of antennas: 4

SECURITY

SECURITY

Encryption: 128-bit WEP

Encryption: WPA/WPA2

Parental controls: – Timing restrictions
– Website restrictions

Firewall: – NAT
– SPI

GENERAL

Guest network access: Yes

Network standards: – IEEE 802.11 b/g/n 2.4 GHz
– IEEE 802.11 a/n/ac 5.0 GHz
– 256 QAM support

System requirements: – Windows
– OS
– Linux

Other security features: Denial-of-service (DoS) attack prevention

Colour: Black

GENERAL

Box contents: – Network cable (RJ-45)
– AC adapter
– Quick start guide
– Support disk

Dimensions: 188 x 200 x 84 mm (H x W x D)

System requirements: – Microsoft Windows 7 or later
– Mac OS
– UNIX / Linux

Weight: 950 g

Colour: Black

Manufacturer’s guarantee: 3 years

Box contents: – Netgear XR500 Nighthawk Pro WiFi Cable & Fibre Router
– 4 detachable antenna
– Ethernet cable
– Quick start guide

Dimensions: 321.9 x 243.7 x 55 mm (H x W x D)

Weight: 801 g

Manufacturer’s guarantee: 2 years

Price: £219.99

Price: £249.99

Number of Reviews:

Number of Reviews:

Review Score: 8.7 / 10

Review Score: 8.7 / 10


When deciding on whether to buy ASUS RT-AC88U Wireless Cable & Fibre Router or NETGEAR XR500 Nighthawk Pro WiFi Cable & Fibre Router, a very important consideration is the price. So we’re going to spend a bit of time looking at the price of both.

To start with, we looked at the price of the 174 products in the same category as ASUS RT-AC88U Wireless Cable & Fibre Router, which is the Routers category. Of these 174 products the average price was £76.75, the most expensive was £329.99 and the cheapest was just £0.97. We then looked at the price of the 174 in the same as the NETGEAR XR500 Nighthawk Pro WiFi Cable & Fibre Router, which of course the average was £76.75, top price was £329.99 and cheapest £0.97.

We then looked specifically at the average price of products from Asus and Netgear, the average was £599.98 for Asus, £120.17 for Netgear. The max for each was £4499/£299.99 and minimum was £12.99/£14.99

Price analysis of ASUS RT-AC88U Wireless Cable & Fibre Router

Price analysis of NETGEAR XR500 Nighthawk Pro WiFi Cable & Fibre Router

  • ASUS RT-AC88U Wireless Cable & Fibre Router
  • For cable or fibre optic broadband
  • AC 3100
  • Ideal for high internet use
  • Dual-band (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz)
  • Beamforming improves network connectivity
  • Top features: – Stream 4K content and play games online without worrying about lag – Powerful WiFi coverage around your entire home – Advanced parental controls Stream in 4K and game without lag Offering the capability to handle 4K streaming online, smart home technology and demanding gaming, the Asus RT-AC88U Wireless Router is perfect for offering access to high speed internet connections. Reducing lag and making sure you don’t have to waste time while videos buffer, the dual band wireless ensures that you can access your network quickly for smooth streaming and fast gaming. When you need extra resources dedicated to gaming, AiProtection lets you reallocate CPU and memory space to your game by turning off 3rd party applications and anti-virus programs. Powerful coverage Capable of supporting as many devices as you want, the RT-AC88U can maintain multiple Full HD streams so that no one has to sacrifice on quality and speed, even when everyone is online. Using MU-MIMO technology, the RT-AC88U gives every device its own dedicated connection so everyone can make the most of fast internet, instead of having to share a single connection. Able to connect to smart home devices like cameras and thermostats, the RT-AC88U future-proofs your home so that you can upgrade your technology without needing any extra internet access. With cross-platform compatibility, the RT-AC88U gives all your devices coverage on every operating system, so that you can achieve faster connections on everything from your tablet and phone to PC and console. Built-in USB ports, as well as eight Ethernet LAN ports let you connect to external devices like printers, storage drives, smart TVs or set top boxes simultaneously. Parental controls Prevent other users from visiting inappropriate websites with Asus’ advanced parental controls that let you restrict adult content as well as keep on top of the times that each device can access the internet. By applying time limits you can make sure that every device that your children access is safe to use online.
  • Product codes: 4712900030389
  • NETGEAR XR500 Nighthawk Pro WiFi Cable & Fibre Router
  • For cable or fibre optic broadband
  • AC 2600
  • Ideal for gaming
  • Dual-band (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz)
  • MU-MIMO gives everyone the fastest connection
  • Top features: – Advanced gaming and streaming with a fast and stable connection – Prioritise what matters most with dual-band connectivity – Make sharing between devices simple with two USB ports Advanced gaming and streaming Get a stable, lightning-quick internet connection with the Netgear XR500 Nighthawk Pro WiFi Cable & Fibre Router.The high AC rating and four antennas mean that the XR500 Nighthawk Pro delivers a faster, more powerful connection. Perfect for 4K streaming and the demands of online gaming.The Nighthawk also features beamforming technology, which helps to focus your WiFi for stronger, more reliable internet. You can even monitor your live WiFi speeds for extra peace of mind that your connection is keeping up.Prioritise what matters mostThe XR500 Nighthawk Pro gives you the flexibility of dual-band connectivity, so you can split the load of everyone trying to get online at once.The 2.4 GHz band is great for browsing on your phone, playing on an app or other small online tasks, freeing up the 5 GHz band for more serious internet usage like downloading large files, streaming a 4K film or playing an online game. With speeds of up to 1733 Mbps, the whole family can enjoy lag-free internet without anyone having to deal with connection drop-outs.Make sharing between devices simpleWith two USB ports, you can connect to external hard drives and printers for easy wireless access for anyone connected to the WiFi. Play music, watch videos or print photos from any device that’s connected to the router in moments – ideal for sharing files between devices around the house.
  • Product codes: 606449131154

What’s better ASUS RT-AC88U Wireless Cable & Fibre Router or NETGEAR XR500 Nighthawk Pro WiFi Cable & Fibre Router?

There are obviously a number of differences between ASUS RT-AC88U Wireless Cable & Fibre Router and NETGEAR XR500 Nighthawk Pro WiFi Cable & Fibre Router, but there are several things that you can use when comparing the two. The first of these, which we’ve already covered, is price. Make sure you spend a bit of time deciding how much you are willing and able to spend on your product to really get a good idea if the £219.99 cost of ASUS RT-AC88U Wireless Cable & Fibre Router is closer to the expectation you had than the £249.99 pricep point of NETGEAR XR500 Nighthawk Pro WiFi Cable & Fibre Router.

Once you’ve nailed down everything there is to know on the price of both, the next step is to really study the reviews. Taking the time to read reviews of both will really help you to decide which is a better product between ASUS RT-AC88U Wireless Cable & Fibre Router and NETGEAR XR500 Nighthawk Pro WiFi Cable & Fibre Router. We looked at the reviews over at Currys PC World for both products and found that ASUS RT-AC88U Wireless Cable & Fibre Router scores out of 10 from reviews. Whereas NETGEAR XR500 Nighthawk Pro WiFi Cable & Fibre Router scores out of 10 from reviews.

It’s also really worthwhile spending the time to look at the key differences between the two products. For that you can use our comparison table about which looks at the main features of both products to give you a clear idea of where one product perhaps benefits over another. When comparing the two it’s a really good idea to have an idea in your mind of the key features that you need from your Routers as this will help you to narrow down the products that do or don’t meet your criteria.



ASUS RT-AC88U Wireless Cable & Fibre Router



Rating:
8.53 out of
10