ASUS’ first WiFi 8 router costs $2,000

Fergus Halliday - Digital Content Editor

Last updated 15 September 2026

ASUS’ first WiFi 8 router is set to make its debut in October, but it won't be cheap. In Australia, the ASUS ROG Rapture GT-BN98 will be available from early October at an RRP of $1,999. That's more than double the price of current-generation top-end WiFi 7 routers.

According to the company, Australia is set to be one of the first markets in the world to range the new ASUS ROG Rapture GT-BN98 gaming router. Out of the box, this high-end piece of networking gear comes built to offer quad-band connectivity and up to 25,000Mbps in terms of overall throughput.

Although there aren’t any WiFi 8 devices that you can pair up with the high-speed hardware here, ASUS claims that its testing has indicated that the router can deliver “measurable performance gains” when paired with existing WiFi 7 devices.

When WiFi 8 devices do become more widespread, the ROG Rapture GT-BN98 comes equipped to make the most of that with new features that promise to improve connection stability and reduce interference.

Under the hood, the ROG Rapture GT-BN98 is powered by a 2.6Ghz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM. On the back, it features a pair of 10Gbps WAN ports – one of which doubles up as the device’s quartet of LAN ports, which cap out at speeds of up to 2.5Gbps.

Those looking for something a little less eye-catching or over-specced might be better served by the ASUS ZenWiFi BN12. This one isn’t due to launch until early 2027, but it does promise to bring the benefits of WiFi 8 to mesh-based home networks. Out of the box, it’ll support coverage of up to 7000 square feet. Local pricing for the ASUS ZenWiFi BN12 is to be determined.

Fergus Halliday

Digital Content Editor

Fergus Halliday is a journalist and digital content editor at WhistleOut Australia. He’s written about technology, telecommunications, gaming and more for over a decade. He got his start writing in high school before interning at magazines like CRN Australia and freelancing for publications like the AU Review, Gizmodo, Kotaku, GamesHub, Press Start, ScreenRant, Superjump, Nestegg, and more.

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