ASUS ROG Rapture GT-BE98 WiFi 7 gaming router: a future-proof & feature rich premium device
We look at the features of this high-end gaming router, plus compare the standard version against the Pro version
Updated: Feb 1, 2024 7:56 am
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The ASUS ROG Rapture GT-BE98 or the very similar Pro version, are quite simply some of the most high-end routers that money can buy. Their eight-antenna designs enhance coverage, with four of the antennas being dual-feed with copper tubing to maximize signal strength. They come with a powerful quad-core 2.6 GHz CPU for maximum efficiency when allocating those data packages to devices, and an advanced heat sink to maximise thermal dissipation, plus 256MB of flash memory and 2GB of RAM.
Several high-end Wi-Fi 7 routers have appeared which will be capable of making the most of this new connectivity tech, and the GT-BE98 is amongst them. Looking to the present, the router has the maximum frequency banding currently available (6GHz as well as 5GHz), ensuring that existing WiFI 6E connections run as well as possible, plus two 10G and four 2.5G ethernet ports for wired connections, and plug-and-play 4G and 5G mobile tethering in case your internet provider goes down and you require a backup.
Beside this there are many other features which you can currently use to maximise your gaming experience. Using the onboard software, there are numerous ways you can prioritize gaming devices, server connections, and data packets to help ensure you have the smoothest online gaming experience possible. The router also features Open NAT technology, which allows for ‘port forwarding’ with trusted ports, meaning your trusted friends can more easily connect with you by bypassing your firewall and streamlining online play together. There’s even an in-built gaming VPN with WTFast tech that looks for the best possible route between you and the game server for the shortest ping and latency possible. Besides this, you get additional security features including Commercial-Grade AiProtection Pro and Instant Guard, plus customizable guest network options that can be used to create child-friendly web permissions or limit network rights for guests in your home/office when they connect to the web.
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The benefits of a WiFi 7 router
You can read our main WiFi 7 release page for more detailed info on the upcoming Wi-Fi standard, but in summary, the below features are the chief benefits it will bring, all of which the ASUS ROG Rapture GT-BE98 will be able to take full advantage of. Combined these features will enable ethernet quality connection, speed, and bandwidth but across a wireless connection. Once again it’s going to be a while before you can enjoy the advantages of these features, however it’s good to know that when the new standard does arrive, you’ll instantly be able to make best use of it.
320MHz channel size
In the current standard the maximum channel size is 160MHz. The doubling of this in Wi-Fi 7 essentially means twice as many signals can pass through at the same time as before, which means at double the data rate from this feature alone.
MLO (Multi-link Operation)
Although the frequency bands remain the same as those in Wi-Fi 6E (i.e. 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and the most recently introduced 6GHz), Wi-Fi 7 has a feature that essentially enables it to use two channels at the same time (e.g. combining the 6GHz and 5GHz channels), which is what allows it to achieve the aforementioned 320MHz combined channel size.
4K QAM
4K QAM is the new modulation that will be used by Wi-Fi 7, which is a significant upgrade over that of the 1K QAM of Wi-Fi 6E. This means a more efficient packing of data into signals (reportedly up to 20%) so you get increased data rate over the same signals
Increased Max Data Rate
The combination of the increased channel size and the improved modulation means that the maximum data rate Wi-Fi 7 can support is 46Gbps, which is over four and a half times that of the 9.6Gbps maximum that Wi-Fi 6E/6 are capable of, and the biggest leap in Wi-Fi speed since the introduction of Wii-Fi 5 in 2013.
Multi-RU Puncturing
Finally, Multi-RU Puncturing is a feature that breaks down the data being transmitted across channels into smaller packages, which will essentially reduce congestion when multiple people are using the same bandwidth, increasing efficiency and reducing delay.
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ASUS ROG Rapture GT-BE98 vs Rapture GT-BE98 Pro
As mentioned, the Rapture GT-BE98 and Rapture GT-BE98 Pro are very similar indeed. If you compare the specifications of the two on the ASUS website, there is literally only one difference between them, and that’s the number of channels in the different frequency bands (which you can see under the ‘Transmit/Receive’ section).
Whereas the standard ROG Rapture GT-BE98 has two 5GHz channels and one 6GHz, the Pro variant has two 6GHz and one 5GHz. This means that the potential upper end of the throughput performance is higher on the Pro version, however the standard edition will be more suitable for those environments where 6GHz frequency bands will be more limited – either due to regulatory constraints or some other reasons. Both will still offer fantastic performance however, and depending on the country you’re in (we advise doing a bit of research beforehand RE 6GHz channel regulations) the regular model might be the better option.
Plug-and-play 4G & 5G mobile tethering
In situations where your internet drops off a cliff for whatever reason, mobile hotspotting can be a lifesaver, particularly if you’re in the middle of a crucial gaming session (you’d be surprised at how capable a 4G/5G connection can be for online play). Usually though hotspotting is hindered by the limited connectivity of your phone to attach to the potentially large number of devices around your home, plus overheating issues which can take place as your phone suffers under the strain of managing the connections. Not any more however!
With the mobile tethering feature, you can easily connect your phone to the Rapture GT-BE98, essentially turning it into a 4G or 5G router but with all the same enhanced connectivity and functionality it offers when using a conventional internet connection. As the router is taking over this functionality it will limit the overheating of your phone and the degradation of its battery lifespan over time.
All you do is switch on the personal WiFi hotspot on your phone, attach your smartphone to the router with a USB cable, ensure the setup has successfully taken place and then hey presto, you’re good to go!
