ASUS PCE-AC88 is a truly remarkable WiFi adapter. Why? If you have a wireless router that supports quad-stream 802.11ac wireless networking, so far, the only way to take advantage of that extra speed and seeing its full capacity and performance has been via the purchase of a second router, using it in bridge mode, with it functioning like a massive wireless adapter. You then connect wired devices to it, relying on the link between the two routers for data transfer.
So why do I need this adapter?
The launch of the ASUS PCE-AC88, a PCI card for desktop PCs, marks the first standalone 802.11ac adapter that supports 4×4 wireless speeds. The PCE-AC88 is top of the line when it comes to Wireless NICs. This solution features a dual-band 4×4 design that is capable of 1Gbps over the 2.4GHz band and 2.1Gbps on the 5GHz band due to technology such as NitroQAM. Also, this solution does support MU-MIMO (our lately tested ASUS Lyra also supports) and carries a flexible antenna design that allows for customized placement of the four Wi-Fi antennas. Compatibility sticks with Windows 7 and 10 in both 32 and 64-bit variants.
Tested with ASUS Lyra host @ a 1Gbps Down / 200 Mbps Up ISP.
With a simple red half-length PCI card, four antennas and a replacement IO plate for use in the smallest mini ITX cases, there’s not a great deal to talk about with the physical design of the ASUS PCE-AC88.
Flexible antenna placement
ASUS PCE-AC88 includes extension cables for its detachable antennas, plus a magnetized antenna base that can be attached to any suitable surface – horizontal or vertical. This makes it incredibly easy to find the best antenna location for optimum signal quality.
There’s not a great amount more to say on the matter. Asus has created the fastest 802.11ac adapter by a huge margin.
ASUS PCE-AC88 UNBOXING Video
The product can be purchased here:
| SPECIFICATIONS | |
|---|---|
| Antenna | 4 x R SMA Antenna |
| Product Segment | 1000+2167 Mbps |
| Interface | PCI Express |
| Operating Frequency | 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz |
| Operation Channel | 11 for N. America, 13 Europe (ETSI) |
| Output Power | ac mode : 18 ~21.5 dBm b mode : 24 dBm g mode : 22.5 ~24 dBm n mode : 21 ~24 dBm a/n mode : 19.5 ~24 dBm |
| Modulation | 1024QAM |
| Extra | Support MU-MIMO technology |
| OS Support | Windows® 10 Windows® 7 |
ASUS PCE-AC88
Build quality - 90%
Windows compatibility - 100%
Wireless speed - 97%
Network quality - 94%
95%
FAST!
The fastest 802.11ac adapter!
