ASUS has announced that its ROG Rapture GT-BN98 series is now available at retail in Canada, marking what the company describes as the world's first quad-band Wi-Fi 8 router to reach store shelves. The series will roll out worldwide in October, with details on a US launch expected soon. According to Wccftech, ASUS first showed the GT-BN98 at Computex, where it won a Computex 2026 award, before bringing it to market as a retail product.
The lineup includes two models, the ROG Rapture GT-BN98 Pro (BN30000) and the GT-BN98 (BN25000). Both are quad-band Wi-Fi 8 routers built around a 2.6 GHz quad-core processor with 2 GB of RAM, and both are rated for up to 30,000 Mbps of combined wireless throughput. Connectivity includes two 10 Gbps ports and four 2.5 Gbps LAN ports, and the hardware uses a 16-antenna architecture built into eight external antennas via a 3D structural design, supported by a thermal system intended to sustain performance. Wccftech notes the GT-BN98 Pro is aimed particularly at gamers through ASUS's networking software. TechPowerUp's editor's note lists a Canadian retail price of $1,299.99 CAD.
Both outlets emphasize that Wi-Fi 8's main advantage is reliability rather than raw peak speed. Wccftech points out that Wi-Fi 8, based on the IEEE 802.11bn framework, shares the same maximum bandwidth throughput as Wi-Fi 7 (23 Gbps), but is designed to maintain consistent performance under network congestion or weak signal conditions. ASUS testing cited by both sources indicates the GT-BN98 can deliver measurable performance improvements even for existing Wi-Fi 7 client devices. Features such as UEQM (Unequal Modulation) and NPCA (Non-Primary Channel Access) are highlighted as tools to improve connection stability and reduce interference as compatible Wi-Fi 8 devices arrive. Wccftech adds that Wi-Fi 8 is expected to offer up to 2x higher median throughput, up to 2x wider IoT coverage, and lower latency through Multi-AP Coordination in crowded wireless environments.
Alongside the router, ASUS is launching the ZenWiFi BN12, described as the first dedicated Wi-Fi 8 mesh ecosystem, also arriving in October with US availability to be announced later. TechPowerUp describes it as a 12-stream tri-band system using 2x LDPC wall-penetration technology to cover up to 7,000 square feet, with dual 10 Gbps ports for wired backhaul, plus subscription-free ASUS AiProtection Pro, customizable Parental Controls, and AiMesh interoperability with existing ASUS setups. Wccftech separately cites the ZenWiFi BN12 as offering 12 streams and up to 129 Gbps of combined throughput, with coverage of up to 7,000 square feet in a two-unit configuration.
ASUS frames the rollout as a global effort, citing regional regulatory compliance, frequency optimization, a global supply chain, and localization-ready software to support store-ready hardware across major markets. Wccftech notes an important caveat: the underlying IEEE 802.11bn standard is still being finalized, and ASUS itself acknowledges that the full benefits of Wi-Fi 8 will require both routers and client devices to support the technology.