ASUS has announced a new high-end wireless repeater, and the RP-AC68U boasts dual-band wireless AC1900 speeds, and features 5 Gigabit Ethernet ports to add wired devices to the network.

"ASUS RP-AC68U works by connecting wirelessly to an existing router and extending the Wi-Fi signal to areas of poor coverage, which are often a problem in large or multi-floor homes. With its blindingly-fast up to 1900Mbps combined speeds (600Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 1300Mbps on the 5GHz band), RP-AC68U is the perfect companion for extending the coverage of the latest 802.11ac routers, but it can also be used with routers supporting any older Wi-Fi standards."

The boxy shape is a big contrast from the giant spider-like designs we've seen from recent high-end routers, and inside the enclosure there are a total of 3 transmit and 4 receive antennas to extend the range of your dual-band 802.11ac network.

The RP-AC68U has five Gigabit Ethernet ports on the back, which ASUS says "allow users to convert any wired network devices to wireless operation", and there's a USB 3.0 port to allow additional devices to be added to the network. 

Specifications:

  • I/O ports:
    • 5 x Gigabit Ethernet LAN RJ45
    • 1 x USB 3.0 port
  • Antennas: 4 x Internal antennas (3 transmit, 4 receive)
  • Memory: 128MB Flash / 256MB RAM
  • Operating Frequency: Dual band 2.4GHz & 5GHz
  • Wi-Fi Data Rate*:
    • 802.11ac: up to 1300Mbps
    • 802.11n: Up to 600Mbps
    • 802.11a/g: Up to 54Mbps
    • 802.11b: Up to 11Mbps
    • *Quoted network speeds and bandwidth based on current IEEE specifications. Actual performance may be affected by network and service provider factors, interface type, and other conditions. Connected devices must be compatible for best results.
  • 802.11ac Specification:
    • MIMO: 3 x 4
    • 20/40/80MHz bandwidth
  • Buttons:
    • WPS button
    • Power button
    • Reset button
  • Encryption:
    • WPA/WPA2-PSK
    • WPA/WPA2-Enterprise
    • WPS support
  • Mode:
    • Repeater
    • Access Point
    • Media Bridge
  • Dimensions & weight: 178 x 106 x 106 mm; Weight: 870g

Pricing and availabilty were not announced. Full press release after the break.

Taipei, Taiwan (5th February, 2016) — ASUS today announced RP-AC68U, its top-of-the-range 802.11ac (AC1900) dual-band Wi-Fi repeater. The compact and stylish RP-AC68U features four internal high-performance antennas (3 transmit, 4 receive) and allows users to easily extend coverage of an existing 802.11ac Wi-Fi network with ultra-fast speeds of up to 1900Mbps.

RP-AC68U is equipped with a USB 3.0 port for connecting storage devices. This high-performance port supports ASUS AiCloud and delivers up to 10-times (10X) faster data transfers than USB 2.0.

Five Gigabit Ethernet ports add great flexibility for connecting wired devices, and combined with the convenient Media Bridge mode they allow users to convert any wired network devices to wireless operation. RP-AC68U can also be used in Access Point mode to add ultra-fast Wi-Fi convenience to any existing wired network.

The compact RP-AC68U has a sophisticated and stylish design, with illuminated red accents that can be turned on or off by a convenient touch sensor incorporated in the ASUS logo on the front. With its simple one-touch setup and LED signal strength indicators for optimized installation, RP-AC68U is the hassle-free way to extend ultra-fast Wi-Fi coverage to any part of a home or office.

Extend ultra-fast Wi-Fi, everywhere!

ASUS RP-AC68U works by connecting wirelessly to an existing router and extending the Wi-Fi signal to areas of poor coverage, which are often a problem in large or multi-floor homes. With its blindingly-fast up to 1900Mbps combined speeds (600Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 1300Mbps on the 5GHz band), RP-AC68U is the perfect companion for extending the coverage of the latest 802.11ac routers, but it can also be used with routers supporting any older Wi-Fi standards.

RP-AC68U is perfect for extending multi-device HD streaming, online gaming, and other bandwidth-intensive tasks to every corner of the home.

Create a personal cloud server with AiCloud

RP-AC68U includes a USB 3.0 port that delivers up to 10-times (10X) faster data transfers than USB 2.0, ensuring fast and responsive performance for connected USB storage devices.

Users can easily create their own personal cloud server by connecting USB storage and using the ASUS AiCloud app to access and stream stored content anywhere. AiCloud is a free app for iOS and Android™ devices, and works seamlessly with RP-AC68U to give users the ultimate mobile flexibility.

Connect more devices with five Gigabit network ports

With five Gigabit Ethernet ports for connecting wired devices, RP-AC68U gives users the performance and flexibility to configure their home network to suit any situation.

With RP-AC68U, users now have the freedom to connect all their wired devices — including game consoles, PCs, smart TVs, printers, NAS devices and much more — and make RP-AC68U the powerful heart of their home media and gaming network.

Easy setup and installation

Setting up and installing RP-AC68U couldn’t be easier: the user simply needs to press the WPS button on both RP-AC68U and the router, and that’s it! There’s no CD needed and the entire operation can be completed without a PC.

For the best results, RP-AC68U needs to be located in a position where there is a sufficiently-strong signal from the router. Perfect installation is made foolproof thanks to RP-AC68U’s dedicated LED signal strength indicators for each frequency band, which help the user find the best location for RP-AC68U.

AVAILABILITY & PRICING

Please contact your local ASUS representative for further information.

SPECIFICATIONS[1]

ASUS RP-AC68U

  • I/O ports:
    • 5 x Gigabit Ethernet LAN RJ45
    • 1 x USB 3.0 port
  • Antennas: 4 x Internal antennas (3 transmit, 4 receive)
  • Memory: 128MB Flash / 256MB RAM
  • Operating Frequency: Dual band 2.4GHz & 5GHz
  • Wi-Fi Data Rate*:
    • 802.11ac: up to 1300Mbps
    • 802.11n: Up to 600Mbps
    • 802.11a/g: Up to 54Mbps
    • 802.11b: Up to 11Mbps
    • *Quoted network speeds and bandwidth based on current IEEE specifications. Actual performance may be affected by network and service provider factors, interface type, and other conditions. Connected devices must be compatible for best results.
  • 802.11ac Specification:
    • MIMO: 3 x 4
    • 20/40/80MHz bandwidth
  • Buttons:
    • WPS button
    • Power button
    • Reset button
  • Encryption:
    • WPA/WPA2-PSK
    • WPA/WPA2-Enterprise
    • WPS support
  • Mode:
    • Repeater
    • Access Point
    • Media Bridge
  • Dimensions & weight: 178 x 106 x 106 mm; Weight: 870g

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About ASUS

ASUS is a worldwide top-three consumer notebook vendor and maker of the world’s best-selling, most award-winning motherboards. A leading enterprise in the new digital era, ASUS designs and manufactures products that perfectly meet the needs of today’s digital home and office, with a broad portfolio that includes motherboards, graphics cards, optical drives, displays, desktop and all-in-one PCs, notebooks, netbooks, servers, multimedia devices, wireless solutions, networking devices, tablets, smartphones and wearables. Driven by innovation and committed to quality, ASUS won 4,326 awards in 2014 and is widely credited with revolutionizing the PC industry with its Eee PC. ASUS has more than 16,000 employees around the globe with a world-class R&D team of 5,200 engineers. Company revenue for 2014 was approximately US$14.5 billion.

[1] Specifications, content and product availability are all subject to change without notice and may differ from country to country. Actual performance may vary depending on applications, usage, environment and other factors. Full specifications are available at http://www.asus.com