ASUS ZenWiFi AX XT8 Review: The Real Power Of Wi-Fi 6

ASUS ZenWiFi AX XT8 Review: The Real Power of Wi-Fi 6

ASUS ZenWiFi AX XT8 uses next-generation Wi-Fi 6 technology and provides uninterrupted network connectivity across a wide area.

ASUS ZenWiFi AX XT8 system consists of a dual router device in the XT8 model equipped with ZenWiFi technology that comes with Wi-Fi 6, i.e. 802.11 AX technology. ASUS ZenWiFi AX XT8 is not a modem, it is a system that connects to the modem and distributes the Internet wired and wireless everywhere. So you need to have a modem connected to the internet to use it. By installing this, you create a very powerful network to access the internet from these devices instead of a modem.

The installation of the system is very simple, you plug the ASUS ZenWiFi AX XT8 unit and plug the ethernet cable into the WAN port. There is internet on one end of the Ethernet and one on the other. Whether you connect the other unit wired or wireless, you get very strong wireless network performance in a multi-story building and an area of approximately 500 square meters.

When we set up and tried it, we were able to transfer wireless data at 950 Mbps. This shows that we can now also get the performance of a wired Gigabit line wirelessly. This is more than just watching 4K video wirelessly, it is an appropriate speed for 8K and even beyond. For example, you can transfer a 6 GB file at a very high speed from your desktop computer on a different floor to your Wi-Fi 6 supported laptop.

Of course, it is possible to get different results when the space conditions and distances change. But it doesn’t change the fact that it’s the fastest wireless network we’ve ever tried.

ASUS ZenWiFi AX XT8 Review: The Real Power of Wi-Fi 6

ASUS ZenWiFi AX XT8 Design

On the XT8, the device design of which is extremely compact, we see the circular metallic lines in ASUS’s other Zen-designed products. Thanks to this design, the units with their antennas are very stylish even in the most luxurious environments. The device has white and black color options.

The lights on the front of the ASUS ZenWiFi AX XT8 show connection states. At the back, there is the adapter input, power switch, 4 ethernet ports, and the Reset button that you need to insert and hold the pen tip to reset to factory settings. They also have a USB 3.0 port where you can connect a USB stick, USB modem, external disk, or plugin a printer.

ASUS ZenWiFi AX XT8 Review - The Real Power of Wi-Fi 6 — ASUS ZenWiFi AX XT8 Review

Three LAN ports on the device are Gigabit, and the WAN port is at 2.5 Gbps. In this way, you can establish a high-speed connection between devices. AiMesh, the version of the mesh system equipped with ASUS technologies, creates an integrated network that you can add and expand as desired after installing a device as the main router.

Advantage of AiMesh Technology

The advantage of this network system is more clearly understood, especially when using a large number of devices. You don’t jump from one wireless network to another when you roam at home or in the office with your phone. More precisely, you do not feel the transition, because the network name and identity do not change. Mesh system makes the transition without making you feel while you are traveling between the devices. In multi-floor and unit installations, AiMesh continues to work by repairing itself and deactivating the units that are not working, even if there are power cut-off and degraded units.

The only thing the system cannot fix in practice is the physical placement of the units. This is the main thing you can set up, if you connect the units to each other with a cable, you don’t change it anyway, but they have to see each other well in the wireless connection. The “seeing” here means that they are in a place where they receive the signal well.

Advantage of AiMesh Technology

It is very nice to be able to provide local communication between wireless workers at home or office flexibly without installing wired Switch structures. Of course, Wi-Fi 6 does not replace these wired switches yet. Because beyond Gigabit speed, you can establish much stronger local networks with 10 Gbps switches. But for most users, this is also quite a satisfying solution.

Range And Signal Strength

Other points we were very pleased with were coverage and signal strength. Each device has 6 antennas, so 2.4 and 5 GHz passes are very fast. In fact, there is more than one 5 GHz network in the ASUS ZenWiFi AX XT8, one of these bands provides wireless background transfer when you install AiMesh and connect XT8s to each other.

In theory, they are 2.4 GHz longer range, 5 GHz shorter range but fast signals. However, we have seen an event we have experienced in the past here again, where the 2.4 GHz traffic is crowded, the 5 GHz signal can provide very good signal strength even from a greater distance, providing better range performance. In fact, the access of the 5 GHz signal on these new generation devices is much longer than the devices with older WiFi versions we have tried before. It was connected to 5 GHz from all over the office and we were able to get a strong signal.

This system enabled us to set up the longest range wireless network we have ever used. If you want the highest range right now, it will be the default option. Besides the range, the speed it offers is perfect for today’s technology. Moreover, the results we get in the same room or behind many walls are very close to each other. You can use 90 percent of the speed even at a distance, whereas other affordable solutions such as network expanders or adapters can deliver 50 percent performance under the same conditions.

Software And Interface

We encounter a menu we are used to in ASUS’s software interface. It is possible to make all kinds of fine adjustments imaginable with connected devices, system status, tabbed menu items. AiProtection is offered, as this system will especially cover a large number of IoT devices. This Trend Micro negotiated anti-virus solution has functions such as detecting a virus-infected system in the network and stopping the spread of the virus. Of course, it does not scan and fix systems itself, but it provides additional security benefits in addition to solutions such as the firewall we are used to.

If you enable Trend Micro, you give security firm permission to analyze packages, malware analysis requires this. If there is a corporate security company that you prefer and deal with, it will be more useful to turn it off and use your own preferred security on your devices or apply the network settings recommended by this company.

A good security-related update was WPA3 security support. WPA3 on new generation devices provides a significant security increase compared to easily broken WPA or now easily broken WPA2. Unfortunately, not all connected devices support WPA3, so we may have to choose WPA2 / WPA3.

Numerous settings such as parental controls, how to connect which device, port forwarding, IPv6, VPN, DNS settings are waiting for you in these menus. There is no need for a standard use other than setting up the initial setup, Wi-Fi name, and password. However, ASUS ‘networking products have allowed for years to access skillful settings and special software. OpenWRT support is an example for most Modem / Router products. There is a global community of users who have been doing a great deal of work, from modeled custom firmware versions.

Results Evaluation

You can find many user guides and experiences while moving to the advanced level of the business in both Turkish and English. As soon as the XT8 system was launched abroad, its stock was rapidly depleted in many countries. products in particular will be taken to places such as Turkey waterside apartment or we can say this. You can achieve excellent wired / wireless network performance in environments such as villas, large residential areas, multi-storey offices.

Although your space is not so wide, you have very good reasons to get this system. Increasing the number of simultaneously connected devices offered by LTE technologies thanks to the speed and Wi-Fi 6 are two big advantages. All devices before AX, Wi-Fi 6, is connected to the network sequentially even though we do not feel it, even if the bandwidths are adjusted, they cannot benefit very efficiently. However, in this new generation, the number of devices connected to the network does not have any bad effects on the system as before. Also, the device’s own analysis, signal routing, splitting and management options work very well automatically.

Our criticism of the ASUS ZenWiFi AX XT8 limited by the general prevalence of 300-500 Mbps, or 1 gigabit Internet speeds in Turkey. If we can get faster internet cheaper, we will fully enjoy such systems and we will be able to show you higher internet speeds in the tests. Apart from that, we can easily say that it is a perfect product package for 2020.

ASUS ZenWiFi AX XT8 Technical information:

Network Standards:
IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n, IEEE 802.11ac, IEEE 802.11ax, IPv4, IPv6
Data Rate:
802.11a: 6,9,12,18,24,36,48,54 Mbps
802.11b: 1, 2, 5.5, 11 Mbps
802.11g: 6,9,12,18,24,36,48,54 Mbps
802.11 n: Upgradeable to 300 Mbps
802.11ac (5GHZ-1) ： Up to 867 Mbps
802.11ac (5GHZ-2) ： Up to 3466 Mbps
802.11ax (2.4GHz): Up to 574 Mbps
802.11ax (5GHZ- 1)
.11 up to 1201 Mbps 802.11ax (5GHZ-2) ： up to 4804 Mbps
Sending and Receiving:
2.4 GHz 2 × 2, 5 GHz-1 2 × 2, 5 GHz-2 4 × 4
1.5 GHz 4-core processor, 256 MB Flash, 512 MB RAM
Wi-Fi Technologies:
OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access)
Beamforming: Standard-based and Universal
1024-QAM high data rate
20/40/80/160 MHz bandwidth
Encryption:
WPA3-PSK, WPA2-PSK, WPA-PSK, WPA-Enterprise, WPA2-Enterprise, WPS support
Firewall and Access Control:
Firewall: SPI intrusion detection, DoS protection
Access control ： Parental control, Network service filter, URL filter, Port filter
Administration:
UPnP, IGMP v1 / v2 / v3, DNS Proxy, DHCP, NTP Client, DDNS, Port Trigger, Virtual Server, DMZ, System transaction log
VPN Support:
IPSec Pass-Through
PPTP Pass-Through
L2TP Pass-Through
PPTP Server
OpenVPN Server
PPTP Client
L2TP Client
OpenVPN Client
WAN Connection Type:
Internet connection type: Automatic IP, Static IP, PPPoE (with MPPE support), PPTP, L2TP
Ports:
2.5G for 1 x RJ45
WAN for BaseT
Gigabit for 3 x RJ45
LAN for BaseT
USB 3.1 Gen 1 x 1
Specifications:
Range Increase
Router app
MU-MIMO
Smart Connect
Traffic Analysis
Adaptive QoS
AiProtection Pro
Parental Control
Guest Network: 2.4 GHz x 3, 5 GHz-1 x 3, 5 GHz-2 x 3
VPN server: PPTP Server, OpenVPN Server, IPSec server
VPN client: PPTP client, L2TP client, OpenVPN client
NAT Pass-Through: PPTP Pass-Through, L2TP Pass-Through, IPSec Pass-Through, RTSP Pass-Through, H.323 Pass-Through, SIP Pass-Through, PPPoE relay
Mac OS Backup
Advanced media server (compatible with AiPlayer app)
– Visual: Jpeg
– Sound: mp3, WMA, wav, PCM, mp4, lpcm, Ogg
– Video: asf, avi, DivX, MPEG, mpg, ts, VOB, WMV, Mkv, mov
AiCloud personal cloud service
3G / 4G data sharing
Printer Server
– Multiple functional printer support (Windows only)
– LPR protocol support
Download Master
– bt support, nzb, HTTP, ed2k
– Encryption support, DHT, PEX, and magnet link
– Upload and download bandwidth control
– Download timing
AiDisk file server
– Account management with Samba and FTP server
IPTV support
Roaming Assistant
OFDMA
Beamforming
Buttons:
WPS Button
Reset Button
Power Switch
Power source:
AC Input: 110V ~ 240V (50 ~ 60Hz)
DC Output: Maximum with 19 V. 1.75 A current
Operating System Support:
Windows 7
Windows 10
Windows 8
Mac OS X 10.6
Mac OS X 10.7
Mac OS X 10.8
Dimensions:
160 x 75 x 161.5 mm
Weight:
716 grams
Box contents:
ZenWiFi AX
RJ-45 Cable
Adapter
Documentation The version we reviewed came with a dual XT8 device.

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ASUS ZenWiFi AX XT8 Review: The Real Power of Wi-Fi 6