Firewalla
Firewalla Gold Pro SE
Layer-7 firewall · 10 GbE · No subscription
90
/ 100
From $729
VS
Firewalla Gold Pro SE wins by 2
ASUS
ASUS RT-BE86U
Wi-Fi 7 · 9.4 Gbps · Dual 2.5G WAN
88
/ 100
From $299
Specdex verdict
Firewalla Gold Pro SE takes it — here’s why.
In our weighted Specdex score, Firewalla Gold Pro SE lands at 90 and ASUS RT-BE86U at 88. That puts Firewalla Gold Pro SE ahead by 2 points — a narrow margin driven mostly by its strengths in the categories below.
Pick Firewalla Gold Pro SE if…
- ✓10 GbE WAN + LAN
- ✓Best layer-7 protection without subscription
- ✓On-device Family Mode + DNS filtering
Pick ASUS RT-BE86U if…
- ✓Sub-$300 Wi-Fi 7 router
- ✓Dual 2.5 GbE WAN with link aggregation
- ✓AiMesh + AiProtection Pro
Firewalla Gold Pro SE 90
vs 88 ASUS RT-BE86U
Score breakdown
Firewalla Gold Pro SE
90 throughput 96
range 70
features 100
ease 84
ASUS RT-BE86U
88 throughput 88
range 88
features 90
ease 88
Specs side-by-side
| Spec | Firewalla Gold Pro SE | ASUS RT-BE86U |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Quad-core ARM Cortex-A76 | — |
| RAM | 8 GB | — |
| Storage | 128 GB | — |
| Ports | 10 GbE × 2 + 2.5 GbE × 4 | — |
| Concurrent connections | 500K+ | — |
| Standard | — | Wi-Fi 7 tri-band 4x4 |
| Total bandwidth | — | 9400 Mbps |
| WAN | — | 2× 2.5 GbE |
| LAN | — | 4× 1 GbE |
| USB | — | 1× USB 3.2 |
| Coverage | — | ~3000 sq ft |
Firewalla Gold Pro SE
Pros
- +10 GbE WAN + LAN
- +Best layer-7 protection without subscription
- +On-device Family Mode + DNS filtering
Cons
- −Steeper learning curve vs eero
- −No built-in Wi-Fi (need separate APs)
- −Mobile-app-centric setup
ASUS RT-BE86U
Pros
- +Sub-$300 Wi-Fi 7 router
- +Dual 2.5 GbE WAN with link aggregation
- +AiMesh + AiProtection Pro
Cons
- −Tri-band only (no 6 GHz dedicated)
- −No 10G WAN
- −Plastic chassis
FAQ: Firewalla Gold Pro SE vs ASUS RT-BE86U
Which is better, Firewalla Gold Pro SE or ASUS RT-BE86U? +
Firewalla Gold Pro SE scores 90 on our weighted rubric — ahead by 2. Your best pick depends on the sub-scores above.
Is Firewalla Gold Pro SE worth the price? +
At $729, Firewalla Gold Pro SE delivers a Specdex score of 90 — strongest in features.
Is ASUS RT-BE86U worth the price? +
At $299, ASUS RT-BE86U delivers a Specdex score of 88 — strongest in features.
Does Firewalla Gold Pro SE or ASUS RT-BE86U last longer? +
Based on our long-term update and support ratings, both ship with multi-year support. Battery and reliability scores are visible in the breakdown above.