Asus opened retail sales for its ROG Rapture GT-BN98 series in Canada on Sept. 4, 2026, marking the commercial debut of retail Wi-Fi 8 hardware ahead of a broader international rollout slated for October.
The lineup consists of two quad-band desktop units: the flagship ROG Rapture GT-BN98 Pro, rated for cumulative wireless throughput up to 30,000 Mbps under the BN30000 speed tier, and the standard ROG Rapture GT-BN98, rated at BN25000 for up to 25,000 Mbps. Asus confirmed that Canadian retail stores have exclusive immediate access to the ROG Rapture GT-BN98 Pro, while United States availability and global shipments will commence in October.
Under the hood, the ROG Rapture GT-BN98 Pro runs on a 2.6 GHz quad-core processor paired with 2GB of RAM. Physical connectivity centers on two 10Gbps Ethernet ports alongside four 2.5Gbps LAN ports for high-bandwidth local connections and multi-gigabit WAN handoffs. The exterior housing integrates 16 antenna elements folded into eight external antennas using a three-dimensional structural layout designed to manage thermal loads under continuous multi-client stress.
Although client devices operating on the IEEE 802.11bn specification remain scarce, Asus stated that internal testing demonstrates measurable performance gains when pairing the router with current Wi-Fi 7 hardware. The platform also implements draft Wi-Fi 8 capabilities, including Unequal Modulation (UEQM) and Non-Primary Channel Access (NPCA). UEQM assigns different modulation schemes across separate subcarriers or spatial streams based on link conditions, while NPCA lets radios transmit over secondary channels even when primary 20 MHz channels experience localized interference.
Alongside the standalone gaming units, Asus announced the ZenWiFi BN12 tri-band mesh system, which is scheduled to ship worldwide in October. The 12-stream mesh package covers up to 7,000 square feet using dual 10Gbps ports per node for wired backhaul, along with low-density parity-check coding improvements to assist signal penetration through interior walls.
Both product lines include the vendor's subscription-free AiProtection Pro suite and AiMesh compatibility, allowing network operators to fold the new Wi-Fi 8 nodes into existing Asus deployments as regional regulatory certifications clear in late 2026.
