ASUS RT-AC3200 and ASUS RT-AC3100 are two models of high-end wireless routers developed by ASUS. Both are 802.11ac wireless gigabit routers with a 5-port switch and 4-antennas.
RT-AC3200 is the successor to RT-AC3100. Compared with RT-AC3100, RT-AC3200 has a higher maximum transmission speed over the wireless network.
The wireless bandwidth of RT-AC3200 is 1.8 Gbps, while that of RT-AC3100 is 1.3 Gbps. The wireless bandwidth is determined by the number of lanes on the wireless network.
Both of them support 802.11a/b/g/n/ac wireless devices. The difference between RT-AC3200 and RT-AC3100 is that RT-AC3200 supports up to 5.33 Gbps over the wired network, while RT-AC3100 supports only up to 1 Gbps.
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Which one is easy to set up?
The Asus AC3100 is easy to set up. You just need to plug in the router, download the app to your mobile device and follow the instructions. It really is that easy. You can assign a guest network, create parental control and manage your network with ease.
The Asus AC3200 is easy to set up as well. Like the AC3100, it has a single WAN port and four gigabit LAN ports. It also has a USB 3.0 port, a WPS button, and a Wi-Fi on/off button. It also comes with a CD that contains the setup software.
The setup software is easy to use and takes you through step by step. It also gives you the option to set up the router wirelessly. However, you need to download the Asus router app to your device.
You also have the option to set up the router using an Ethernet cable. The app is available for iOS, Android, and Windows devices. It is also compatible with both Mac and Windows PCs.
How many ports do they have?
The ASUS AC3200 has a total of 8 ports. This includes 4 x Gigabit LAN ports, 1 x USB 2.0 port and 3 x USB 3.0 ports. The ASUS AC3100 has 8 ports, including 4 x Gigabit LAN ports, 1 x USB 2.0 ports, and 3 x USB 3.0 ports. So, they are both very similar in this department. But there is one clear winner: The ASUS AC3200 has 1 more USB 3.0 port than the AC3100.
How many antennas do they have?
Both the Asus AC3200 and the Asus AC3100 have 8 antennas. The antennas are designed in a way that each antenna is dedicated to a single function. For example, one antenna is used for the 2.4GHz band, one for the 5GHz band, and one for the 160MHz band. This allows the router to provide a better and more consistent signal with less interference. This is a very important feature to have in a router. It is also an indicator of the overall build quality of the router.
Which one has a firewall?
This is a question that many people ask every time they want to buy a new router. The reason is simple: they want to know if there is firewall protection included in the routers. The answer is yes. There is a firewall in all AC3200 routers: the Asus AC3200, the Netgear R7000, and the D-Link DIR 890L.
Which one has a good AC Speed?
My initial impressions of the ASUS RT-AC3200: Pros: Looks amazing. Feels amazing. Superfast. Easy to set up. Easy to use. Has everything I could ask for and more. Cons: Very large footprint. Require a decent amount of space for the house. Hard to hide. Very large footprint.
The ASUS RT-AC3200 has a big brother, the RT-AC3100. Looking at the features, they are exactly the same except for the AC speed. Both are compatible with MU-MIMO and have Wave 2 features. The primary difference between the AC3200 and the AC3100 is the AC speed.
The AC3200 has a higher AC speed. So who has the better AC speed? This can be hard to figure out. If you are using this router for Downloading, I would definitely go with the AC3200.
If you are using this router for Streaming, a good rule of thumb is to set the AC speed to 1300Mbps and if you still get buffering issues, increase it further. If you are downloading a high-definition video, you will want to set the AC speed to the maximum (1733Mbps). Both routers are great for gaming. The AC3200 has a slightly better connection for the gaming consoles.
Number of Bands
There are 2 models of Asus AC3100 & AC3200, they are Asus AC3100 & AC3200 respectively. But they have the same functions. So in this part, I will talk about that they have the same functions, but they have different numbers of bands.
As we know, a normal Wi-Fi router only has 2 bands. This is not enough for a large home or apartment. So what is the difference between the 2 models? The biggest difference is that Asus AC3100 has 3 bands, and Asus AC3200 has 4 bands. Then how does it affect?
The number of bands determines how many devices can be connected at the same time. The more bands, the more devices can be connected at the same time.
Generally, the more bands the better, but this is only true if the devices you are connecting support the same number of bands. For example, if you have devices that only support 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz, then it doesn’t matter whether you have 2 antennas or 3 antennas.
Asus AC3100 vs Asus AC3200: WPS, WPA2, WPA3
The real difference between the AC3200 and AC3100 is the software and the performance. Both of them have 4 LAN ports, but they have only 3100 Mbps in speed.
The AC3100 has WPA/WPA2 and 128-bit AES encryption, and the AC3200 has WPS, WPA3, and 192-bit AES encryption. WPS stands for Wi-Fi-protected setup, which is safe and easy to use. WPA3 is the next generation in WiFi security. Both of them are 802.11ac, which is faster than 802.11n.
What is the main difference between RT-AC3200 and RT-AC3100?
The most obvious difference between the AC3200 and the AC3100 is the number of antennas. The AC3200 has 8 high-performance antennas, and the AC3100 has 3. Apart from the number of antennas, both of these are pretty similar.
They both have 8GB of storage, support MU-MIMO has 4×4 antennae, and have the same CPU. The processors are the same, at 1.4GHz, but the AC3100 has 600MHz less memory.
Hence, the difference between the two is not noticeable for most people. AC3100 is good for most users, but if you want to make sure that you can handle heavy usage, then go with the AC3200.
How is the design of the ASUS RT-AC3200 compared to RT-AC3100?
The RT-AC3200 has the same design as the RT-AC3100 and is more powerful. The ASUS RT-AC3100 comes with two detachable antennas in the package, one of them being a smart antenna that can be moved around the room to get the best signal.
The AC3100 also comes in 3 color options: Grey/Black, White, and Black. The RT-AC3200 could support dual-band at speeds of up to 2100 Mbps with a wireless range of up to 800 Mbps in 2.4GHz and 1733 Mbps in 5GHz. The AC3200 also has 4 external antennas for a stronger signal.
Asus AC3100 or Asus AC3200? Which one is the better buy?
While both AC3200 and AC3100 are Dual-Band (2.4&5GHz) routers, the AC3100 is a newer and upgraded version than the original AC3200.
AC3100 has a faster Wi-Fi speed of up to 600Mbps on both bands (2.4GHz and 5GHz) on medium-range, 350Mbps on 5GHz band on long-range, whereas AC3200 has a faster Wi-Fi speed of up to 1300Mbps on 5GHz band on the mid-long range, 450Mbps on 5GHz band on long-range.
Both the models have 4 Gigabit LAN ports and 1 Gigabit WAN port, but the AC3100 has USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports at the back, which were missing in AC3200. Both the routers have WMM which is Wi-Fi Multimedia (QoS) standard to provide a better Wi-Fi experience.
Other than that, the AC3100 has AiCloud which allows users to access, sync, stream, and share files easily, while the AC3200 has AiRadar which is a beamforming technology that helps to increase wireless signal strength and maintain a steady connection. Considering the price point, ASUS AC3100 is the better buy.