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ASUS RT-BE96U vs NETGEAR Nighthawk RS300

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

ASUS RT-BE96U
NETGEAR Nighthawk RS300

Tested using Methodology v0.8.1

Updated Apr 30, 2025 07:32 PM

SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8.1

Updated Jul 03, 2025 07:44 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
ASUS RT-BE96U Picture
NETGEAR Nighthawk RS300 Picture

Our Verdict

ASUS RT-BE96U

NETGEAR Nighthawk RS300

The ASUS RT-BE96U is a better router than the NETGEAR Nighthawk RS300. They're both Wi-Fi 7 capable, but the ASUS is faster, has better range and more wired networking ports, and supports AiMesh for mesh expandability. The NETGEAR is physically smaller, however.

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Variants

  • RT-BE96U (Black)
  • Nighthawk RS300 (Black)

Check Price

Black
Nighthawk RS300
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
RT-BE96U
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Nighthawk RS300
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Black
RT-BE96U
SEE PRICE
B&H
Black
Nighthawk RS300
SEE PRICE
B&H
Black
Nighthawk RS300
Walmart.com

Main Differences for
Apartment/Condo

Threshold 

0.10

Apartment/Condo 

8.5
8.4

Interior Short Range 
 

9.3
8.6

Dimensions 
 

5.8
7.3

Full Comparison

Design

Dimensions 
 

5.8
7.3

Dimensions Photo  

ASUS RT-BE96U Dimensions Photo
NETGEAR Nighthawk RS300 Dimensions Photo

Height 
 

8.54" (21.7 cm)
9.84" (25.0 cm)

Width 
 

14.02" (35.6 cm)
3.94" (10.0 cm)

Depth 
 

11.81" (30.0 cm)
5.91" (15.0 cm)

Depth With Cables 
 

12.44" (31.6 cm)
6.61" (16.8 cm)
Show Text 

Network Ports 
 

8.5
8.5

Ports Photo  

ASUS RT-BE96U Ports Photo
NETGEAR Nighthawk RS300 Ports Photo

WAN Port Speed 
 

10.0 Gbps
2.5 Gbps

LAN Port Count 
 

5
4

10 Gbps Ports 
 

2
0

2.5 Gbps Ports 
 

0
3

1 Gbps Ports 
 

4
2

10 Gbps Ports (SFP+) 
 

0
0
Show Text 

USB Ports 
 

USB-A 3.0 Ports 
 

1
1

USB-A 2.0 Ports 
 

1
0

USB-C Ports 
 

0
0

USB-C Speed 
 

N/A
N/A

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

ASUS RT-BE96U In The Box Photo
NETGEAR Nighthawk RS300 In The Box Photo
Show Text 

Wall/Ceiling Mount 
 

0.0
0.0

Mount Photo  

ASUS RT-BE96U Mount Photo
NETGEAR Nighthawk RS300 Mount Photo

Mount Type 
 

None
None
Show Text 
Wi-Fi

Interior Long Range 
 

7.8
7.4

Long Range Graph  

See details
See details

Lowest Speed 
 

137 Mbps
105 Mbps

Average 5GHz Speed 
 

658 Mbps
381 Mbps

Average 6GHz Speed 
 

2,082 Mbps
1,055 Mbps

Test Configuration 
 

Standalone
Standalone
Show Text 

Interior Short Range 
 

9.3
8.6

Short Range Graph  

See details
See details

Highest Speed 
 

3,490 Mbps
1,830 Mbps

Average 5GHz Speed 
 

1,360 Mbps
800 Mbps

Average 6GHz Speed 
 

3,082 Mbps
1,558 Mbps

Test Configuration 
 

Standalone
Standalone
Show Text 

Wi-Fi Specifications 
 

9.4
9.4

Wi-Fi Version 
 

Wi-Fi 7 (be)
Wi-Fi 7 (be)

6GHz Band 
 

Yes
Yes

Multi Band 
 

Tri-Band (2.4 / 5 / 6)
Tri-Band (2.4 / 5 / 6)

DFS Channels 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 
Wi-Fi Coverage

Indoor Coverage - Same Story 
 

Wi-Fi Coverage Map  

ASUS RT-BE96U Wi-Fi Coverage Map

Indoor Coverage - 1 Story Above 
 

Wi-Fi Coverage Map  

ASUS RT-BE96U Wi-Fi Coverage Map

Wi-Fi Coverage Map (Dual Mesh)  

ASUS RT-BE96U Wi-Fi Coverage Map (Dual Mesh)

Broad Coverage 
 

Outdoor Coverage Map  

ASUS RT-BE96U Outdoor Coverage Map

Check Price

Black
Nighthawk RS300
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
RT-BE96U
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Nighthawk RS300
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Black
RT-BE96U
SEE PRICE
B&H
Black
Nighthawk RS300
SEE PRICE
B&H
Black
Nighthawk RS300
Walmart.com

ASUS RT-BE96U

NETGEAR Nighthawk RS300

Comments

  1. Comparison

ASUS RT-BE96U vs NETGEAR Nighthawk RS300: Main Discussion

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