ASUS ROG Rapture GT-BN98 Pro is the first Wi-Fi 8 router for gamers and a smart home

The Asus ROG Rapture GT-BN98 Pro gaming router has officially become the pioneer of a new era of home wireless networks. While customers around the world are just starting to adopt seventh generation networking standards, Asus has already created a solution for a promising transition to the next level of performance. Debuting at the Computex exhibition, this high-performance model was awarded the prestigious Best Choice Award even before the final and legal approval of the new communication standard.

Wi-Fi 8 technology

The new Asus ROG Rapture GT-BN98 Pro flagship is focused on uninterrupted data transfer in overloaded environments. The key innovation of the router is preparation for the promising Wi-Fi 8 communication standard, known in engineering specifications as IEEE 802.11bn. According to the Asus developers, the integration of the new specification will double the total bandwidth of wireless networks. This update is of great importance for improving the coverage of smart home networks and transmitting a stable radio signal through thick concrete partitions and capital inter-floor walls, while maintaining uninterrupted activity of low-power sensors and IoT gadgets.

Technical characteristics and interface ports for maximalists

The network interface of the flagship novelty from the Republic of Gamers brand is designed with an emphasis on peak hardware performance and work with gigabit providers:

• Two super-speed network connectors with 10GbE specification, supporting full aggregation of communication channels;
• Four local 2.5GbE class interface ports;
• One 1GbE level service network connector;
• One dedicated 10G gaming connector for instant prioritization of traffic to PC or game console directly.

Input-output interfaces are complemented by built-in USB 5 Gbit/s connectors and a traditional USB 2.0 solution for reliable synchronization of peripheral or office equipment such as old printers.

Features of the cooling system and nuances of smart software

The energy dissipation of the highly efficient filling of this generation forced the developers to radically modify the entire circuit of heat removal. Now under the upper protective grill of the device there is a thickened panel cast from a high-quality aluminum alloy, treated with an advanced nanocarbon heat-conducting substance. Similar engineering of the ventilation tract reduced the local temperature marks in the ROG Rapture GT-BN98 Pro by 35% better than the standard capabilities of the popular Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE16000 router.

AI Game Boost, an intelligent optimization utility, selects and routes network game requests in three different phases. Thus, the passage of packets is significantly optimized, allowing to reduce the ping to the server by about 34%. The following software developments from Asus are designed to control network privacy:

• AiProtection enterprise-grade standalone antivirus firewall;
• Segmentation and customization of multi-channel operation of virtual VLAN networks;
• Launching private child segments as well as secure IoT networks separate from home folders;
• Spectral analysis of available wireless zones in automatic real time.

Differences from GT-AXE16000

The main technical advantage of the Asus ROG Rapture GT-BN98 Pro is the direct integration of Wi-Fi 8 at the stage of early development (while the previous GT-AXE16000 model is strictly tied to the starting protocols of the previous Wi-Fi generation). The new device improved traffic distribution due to the updated AI Game Boost analysis system, and upgraded radiators provided an additional 35% reliable margin of safety under stable limit loads in multiplayer.

Release date and price

The full global date of the appearance of the router in distribution networks has not yet been officially disclosed by the manufacturer. The manufacturer also did not provide information on the commercial value of Asus ROG Rapture GT-BN98 Pro. Breakthrough hardware platforms with the capabilities of a new technological level are usually released in the premium class and require proportional financial investments for uncompromising network deployment for decades to come.