Asus RT-BE55 Review: Entry-Level Wi-Fi 7 With the Full ASUSWRT Toolkit
A dual-band BE3600 router with a 2.5 Gbps WAN port, AiMesh and a complete VPN suite, held back by gigabit-only LAN ports and no 6 GHz band.
The RT-BE55 is Asus's least demanding way into Wi-Fi 7: a dual-band router rated at 688 Mbps on 2.4 GHz and 2882 Mbps on 5 GHz, with Multi-Link Operation, a 2.5 Gbps WAN port and four gigabit LAN ports. It runs the same ASUSWRT software as the pricier models, so AiMesh, a VPN client and server, a firewall, parental controls and separate guest and IoT networks are all included rather than gated behind a plan. What it gives up to sit at this tier is the 6 GHz band, any multi-gig LAN port, a USB port and dual-WAN failover. That makes it a strong pick for an apartment, a small home or an extra AiMesh node, and the wrong pick for a multi-gig wired backbone.
- Budget Wi-Fi 7 upgrades
- AiMesh network expansion
- Router-level VPN users
- Apartments and small homes
- Smart-home IoT networks
Pros
- Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with Multi-Link Operation across the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands
- 2.5 Gbps WAN port for faster-than-gigabit internet plans
- AiMesh support, either as the primary router or as a node on an existing mesh
- Full VPN toolkit: client and server with OpenVPN, WireGuard, PPTP and L2TP/IPSec, plus DDNS
- Separate guest and IoT networks, WPA3 encryption and a built-in firewall
- Parental controls with schedules, instant blocking and content filtering
- Managed from the web interface, the Android and iOS apps, or the command line
- Three-year warranty
Cons
- Dual-band only: no Wi-Fi 6E and no 6 GHz radio
- All four LAN ports are 1 Gbps, with no multi-gig LAN, no SFP and no link aggregation
- No USB port, so no FTP, Samba, Time Machine or media sharing from an attached drive
- No dual WAN, no WAN failover and no cellular backup
- No Thread border router and no Matter controller role, so it will not double as a smart-home hub
- No SNMP and no built-in internet speed test
Who is the Asus RT-BE55 for?
This is a dual-band Wi-Fi 7 router, not a tri-band flagship: it puts one 2.4 GHz radio and one 5 GHz radio behind four external antennas and leaves the 6 GHz band out entirely. That shapes who it suits. A household replacing an aging ISP box in an apartment or a single-floor home gets the full Wi-Fi 7 feature set, including Multi-Link Operation, without paying for spectrum it cannot reach. An existing Asus household gets an AiMesh unit that can either lead a mesh as the primary router or join one as a node. And a smart home with a lot of connected gear gets a dedicated IoT network alongside the guest network, which keeps low-trust devices off the main SSID. What it is not built for is a wired home lab: the WAN side is 2.5 Gbps, but everything on the LAN side runs at 1 Gbps.
What the Asus RT-BE55 offers
The wireless side covers Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7, with Multi-Link Operation so a compatible client can use the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands at the same time instead of picking one. WPA3 encryption is on board, and so is access point mode for anyone who already has a router doing the routing. The software is where a router at this tier normally cuts corners and this one does not: the VPN section carries both a client and a server, covering OpenVPN, WireGuard, PPTP and L2TP/IPSec, with DDNS for reaching the network from outside. Parental controls handle scheduled internet access, instant blocking and content filtering. Adaptive QoS, a firewall, new device connection notifications and configuration backup and restore round out the feature list, and it can be administered from the web interface, the Android and iOS apps, or over the command line. Asus backs it with a three-year warranty.
What to know before you buy
The omissions are all deliberate and all worth checking against your setup. There is no Wi-Fi 6E and no 6 GHz radio, so the cleanest spectrum is off the table. The single 2.5 Gbps port is the WAN port, and the four LAN ports are gigabit only: no 2.5G or 10G LAN, no SFP or SFP+ cage, and no LAN link aggregation, which caps what a NAS or a wired workstation can pull from the router. There is no USB port at all, so the file-sharing features that Asus builds into ASUSWRT (FTP, Samba, Time Machine backups and media sharing from an attached drive) have nothing to attach to. On the WAN side there is no dual WAN, no failover to a second connection and no cellular backup, so a dropped line stays dropped. It is also not a smart-home hub: it has no Thread border router and no Matter controller role. SNMP and a built-in internet speed test are both absent as well.
Is the Asus RT-BE55 worth it?
Judged on hardware alone it is a modest router: two bands, one multi-gig port, and a gigabit switch. Judged on what comes with it, it is generous, because Asus ships the whole ASUSWRT software stack here rather than reserving the VPN server, the security suite, the parental controls and AiMesh for higher models, and none of it sits behind a subscription. That is the trade the RT-BE55 asks you to make. If the internet plan is faster than a gigabit and the wired devices are the point, a model with multi-gig LAN ports is the better spend. If the goal is a capable, fully controllable Wi-Fi 7 router for a smaller space, or one more node on an AiMesh network, the value here is hard to argue with.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Asus RT-BE55 support Wi-Fi 6E or a 6 GHz band?
No. It is a dual-band Wi-Fi 7 router with one 2.4 GHz radio and one 5 GHz radio. There is no Wi-Fi 6E support and no 6 GHz band, so it cannot use that extra spectrum.
How fast is the Asus RT-BE55?
It is rated at 3.6 Gbps combined: up to 688 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band and up to 2882 Mbps on the 5 GHz band. Multi-Link Operation lets a compatible Wi-Fi 7 client use both bands at once.
What ports does the Asus RT-BE55 have?
Five in total: one 2.5 Gbps WAN port and four 1 Gbps LAN ports. There is no 10 Gbps port, no SFP or SFP+ cage, no LAN link aggregation and no USB port.
Can the Asus RT-BE55 be used as an AiMesh node?
Yes. It supports Asus AiMesh in both roles, so it can lead a mesh network as the primary router or join an existing Asus mesh as a node. It also has an access point mode for networks that already have a router.
Does the Asus RT-BE55 include VPN support?
Yes, and in both directions. It has a VPN client and a VPN server covering OpenVPN, WireGuard, PPTP and L2TP/IPSec, plus DDNS for remote access, all built into the router with no extra plan.
Does the Asus RT-BE55 work as a smart-home hub?
Not as a hub. It has no Thread border router and no Matter controller role, so smart-home devices connect over Wi-Fi like any other client. It does provide a dedicated IoT network to keep those devices separated from the main one.

