Asus Launches $899 ROG Rapture GT-BE19000AI: The First AI-Powered Gaming Router with Docker Support

Asus Says Its ROG Rapture Is the First AI Router. Is It Worth $900?

Don't miss out on our latest stories. Add PCMag as a preferred source on Google. AI is everywhere these days, so it's no surprise to see it on your router, too. Asus' ROG Rapture GT-BE19000AI has all the trimmings of a top-end gaming router, with some added AI flavor. Asus has gone all out to justify the $900 price tag with nearly every feature you could want. There's Wi-Fi 7 support across 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands, giving it enormous bandwidth potential. It can deliver up to 19Gbps wireless speeds. For your next LAN party, the dual 10G Ethernet ports and four 2.5G Ethernet ports provide a total wired capacity of up to 31Gbps. The raw processing power is impressive, too, with a quad-core CPU, 4GB of DDR4 memory, and 32GB of eMMC flash onboard storage. It also features a Docker Engine with CLI and Compose support, providing ample space to install Docker Apps that can be run directly within the router, thanks to its onboard AI processing capabilities. This is where Asus feels its router really stands apart. The AI can run automation services, AI tasks, or allow for on-router IoT management without the need for a separate PC or server. It can simplify and streamline smart home management and work in conjunction with security cameras for image recognition, for example. There are also AdGuard and other tracker filtering systems that it can leverage for a leaner web browsing experience. Asus touts the AI's ability to reduce latency by up to 34% and better prioritize latency-sensitive data, such as gaming or video calls. As with all gaming routers, this one comes festooned with external antennas for a strong Wi-Fi signal even in larger homes with plenty of obstructions. It is also covered in RGB LEDs, so whatever kind of light show you want your gaming room to have, this router can match it. Even with all those features, $899.99 is pretty steep just to get online a bit faster than before. On PCMag's list of top gaming routers, the most expensive pick -- another Asus -- is just over $600.

Asus' first-ever ROG AI gaming router costs as much as a mini PC and has the specs to match -- device boasts quad-core CPU, 4GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage for $899

This router offers more than just a fast wireless network in your home. Asus just released the ROG Rapture GT-BE19000AI, a gaming router that features a built-in AI core and Docker Engine integration, allowing you to run apps and other workloads directly off the router. Asus also added the WiFi Insight feature, which scans your network for interference across different sources, making it easier for you to address the issue and ensure stability, even in the most congested airwaves. Of course, aside from all these features, you get high-speed wired and wireless internet with WiFi 7, two 10G, four 2.5G, and a 1G Ethernet port. Asus also added two USB ports for attaching external hard drives and other accessories. The ROG Rapture's Docker Engine integration turns it from a router to an edge computing device, allowing you to manage your IoT devices directly from it and even run AI services using its 7.9 TOPS NPU. This would reduce your dependence on a separate server, streamlining your smart home system. Of course, we cannot forget about the router's gaming chops -- its AI game boost automatically detects gaming devices and uses adaptive QoE to ensure that games get the highest priority in your network. Asus claims that this reduces latency by up to 34%, giving you an advantage over your opponents who have slightly slower networks. While wired connections are still preferred for the most hardcore gamers, this router has WiFi 7 connectivity, allowing you to stay competitive even if you're on a wireless device. You get tri-band connectivity with 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz, so even the oldest of your devices would still work on the network. However, the 6GHz band uses 320MHz channels, doubling the data throughput from WiFi 6E, and 4096-QAM, which quadruples data density, especially if you have a strong signal with low interference. While actual speeds will vary depending on network and environmental conditions, they'd still be significantly higher than what you get with Wi-Fi 6. This router also gets an improved guest experience with the Guest Network Pro, which lets you create five SSIDs for gaming, IoT, VPN, and a dedicated network for your visitors. This helps keep your networks separated for better security, so even if a device in your home gets compromised, attackers would not be able to access the rest of your network. All these features come at a premium, though. The Asus ROG Rapture GT-BE19000AI is available on Newegg for $899.99, which can be out of range for most of us. But if you need a new router for your home and want something a bit more affordable, be sure to check out our best routers list to find an option worth your cash.

Asus launches the world's first gaming router with built-in AI and native Docker support for $899

Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust. What just happened? Asus has revealed what it calls the world's first-ever gaming router with a built-in processor, the ROG Rapture GT-BE19000AI. It comes with a stunning specs list, but it's the $899 price that's the most shocking part. Companies love to pack AI into their devices these days, for better or for worse. Asus says that the ROG Rapture GT-BE19000AI is the first gaming router to include this functionality. Connectivity comes courtesy of tri-band WiFi 7, which combines 320MHz channels with 4096-QAM modulation to deliver blazing-fast wireless speeds of up to 19Gbps. As expected, it supports the standard 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz frequency bands, giving users broad compatibility with both legacy and next-gen devices. The 6GHz band, in particular, takes advantage of those wide 320MHz channels - effectively doubling the bandwidth available on WiFi 6 - while 4096-QAM enables higher data density for massive throughput in short-range, low-interference environments. Together, these technologies promise ultra-low latency and a more stable connection, even in data-heavy gaming or streaming scenarios. There are also dual 10G Ethernet ports - one of which can be used as a dedicated gaming connection to easily prioritize traffic - and four 2.5G Ethernet ports provide a total wired capacity of up to 31Gbps, and it supports 20Gbps link aggregation. The router features a slew of other impressive specs. There's a quad-core 2.6 GHz main CPU, 4GB of DDR4 RAM, and 32GB of onboard flash storage. Its artificial intelligence smarts come from a dedicated AI processor with four cores running at 2.1GHz alongside a 7.9 TOPS NPU. It's this AI processor that enables an integrated Docker Engine with CLI and Compose support, making the Rapture GT-BE19000AI the first router to run containerized applications natively. Asus notes that this turns the router into an edge computing device, enabling advanced users to deploy automation, AI services, or IoT management directly on the router without the need for a separate PC or server. "Whether running home assistants to AI-powered video recognition with Frigate, or using AdGuard as a DNS server to filter ads and protect family members online, this router doubles as a central hub for automation and smart services that traditional routers cannot provide," Asus writes. The router also features the same AI game boost features used in its previous gaming routers, though these are now apparently enhanced with AI algorithms for real-time optimization. As well as offering device detection, adaptive QoE for intelligent traffic prioritization, and GTNet routing, AI Game Boost reduces latency by up to 34%, according to Asus' testing. Such a fancy router - it also looks very cool - comes at a high cost: a painful $899.