ZenWiFi AX Whole-Home Tri-Band Mesh WiFi 6 System (XT8) - 2 Pack, Coverage up to 5,500 sq.ft or 6+Rooms, 6.6Gbps, WiFi, 3 SSIDs, Life-time Network Security and Parental Controls, 2.5G Port

I wanted to replace my old Linksys ( WRT1900AC ) with a faster ( AX ) router. So I bought the Linksys MR9600 and it performed so poorly ( hard to set up and very weak signals ) that I gave up on Linksys. Then bought the Asus XT8. Couldn't be happier. Easy to install the router and set up using the web browser interface. And it gave stronger signals housewide than any of my previous routers. Also very easy to add additional AiMesh routers as nodes. But. I had bought the combo XT8, with three routers. What to do? Turned out I didn't need the AiMesh system for improved signal strength, but I discovered a feature that I absolutely love. Namely, you can set up a Aimesh system with multiple routers and then use either wireless or wired connections for computers at the router and/or at any node. In this way I was able to have a wireless network with some of my computers connected via ethernet cable in various rooms without the nodes being connected with cables. The throughput is FAST. And when hard-wired with the proper CAT6 or better cable, it is faster than my computer's AC network adapter. Please note that this system has three channels, 1 at 2.4 GHz and 2 at 5 GHz. You can set up separate networks or a smart network ( or both, using guest networks ( with or without passwords )). But when you use AiMesh to connect the router to nodes, it uses the second 5 GHz channel for backhauling. If you are using a "smart" network and log on from a wireless computer, the "system" will determine the channel and ( if using AiMesh ) the node. With separate networks you can force a given connection to either 2.4 o5 5 GHz. You can also block internet access by device. For example I have several NAS drives connected to the router that I don't want to have internet access. Lots of other features I have not explored. Five stars. Even with several couple of quirks ( minor flaws ). First is that while you can add a USB drive to any router or node, the firmware will only allow you to configure and dismount a USB drive connected to the router, not one connected to a node. If the drive is connected to a node, you have to power off the node before safely removing the USB drive. The USB drive works fine connected to a node, with these limitations. I can live with that. Second, the router sometimes forgets the names of computers connected to the network. Doesn't have any operational impact. Just keep track of the IP addresses and enter the name of the computer yourself, or wait until the "mystery" device is powered on again or the system reboots ? Or don't worry about it. Bottom line is ... I like it so much I am going to buy a fourth XT8 as a third node to place upstairs for my daughter when she visits. Not for the improved signal strength ( which is significant ), but so she can plug in her computer and get faster data transfers.

Got this to replace a 5 year old d-link wifi5 (wireless ac) triband 3600 router with an awful Netgear extender (never found a single Netgear networking item that works after 20+ years of giving them chances, so even if you don't go with Asus, do NOT go with Netgear. They truly make some of the worst wireless solutions out there). The D-link router was great (and on its own had a noticeably better range than one of these), but I needed a better whole-house solution, so I went with this. Overall, I am happy with it. It provides solid speeds throughout the areas it covers, remains stable without requiring frequent reboots (the Netgear extender required reboots every few days, so this is a huge plus), has a really nice interface in the android app to easily control everything you would need to control, and supports a very robust smart home network (I have 40+ devices connected, so the older wireless ac router + extender would start dropping devices over 20 or so then crash and require reboots, another huge plus to this upgrade). The only things I have to complain about are two things that are specifically advertised as perks of a mesh network, and this device in particular, that don't really come through, even with latest firmware updates: 1. Devices in a mesh network are supposed to seamlessly move from node to node. I always hated having to manually switch my phone from the router to the extender and back as I moved through the house. Unfortunately, that has not changed. This network does NOT move my phone from one node to another automatically. I get "no internet" errors (even though it shows a strong wifi connection tray icon, yet the app shows an awful signal strength but still doesn't switch to a closer node), and have to disable and re-enable wifi on the phone to get it to switch nodes (the asus app has a reconnect option, but this just causes it to reconnect to the same crappy signal node). My phone is a fully wifi6 compatible galaxy s10+, so I am inclined to think it is the network, and not the phone, but I cannot say for sure without other test devices. 2. The advertised coverage of 5000 sq feet for 2 units is laugable. Its a lie. I know companies use wordage like "up to" or "under ideal conditions" but it is still a flat out lie unless maybe you are using this outside in an open field, and not inside of your home. I had to get 3 units to cover 4300 sq feet and still have a spot at the edge of the house where I lose signal. I live in the woods with no neighbors or interference whatsoever in a regular modern wood construction home, so I should be getting close to maximum advertised coverage, but it doesn't even come close. I do have 3 floors, so maybe that's it. I needed one unit per floor centrally located to cover almost the whole house and a little bit of the yard outside. The bright side is that you can add however many nodes you need to expand your coverage, but I just don't like such horribly overexaggerated numbers to get you to buy the product then sink more money into expanding it. It is, however, excellent for anything that is within range, and worth the cost of expansion, so that is what you will likely find yourself doing instead of returning it if your coverage is underwhelming. I just get irked by inaccurate or misleading advertising is all, and I know many others do as well, which is why I am making a note of it here. So in the end, I DO fully recommend this system, as it performs extremely well in most ways, and honestly the competition probably has even more small issues (its just the nature of ALL wireless tech). I get my full 300 mbps internet speed, and far higher internal network speeds that are often only limited by the speeds of my hard drives (well, except the m2 nvme, but I do have 2 of the nodes and 2 media/file storing/sharing PCs hardwired to allow full speeds to the wireless devices accessing them). It is excellent for a smart home full of echo devices (or your ecosystem of choice), smart switches, smart outlets, multiple phones, desktops, laptops, smart bulbs, etc. Again, 40+ devices without a hiccup and never having to reboot with full speeds everywhere is about as good as it gets with wireless tech even if there are those couple of small gripes above. Also worth noting is that all of my Asus products have lasted forever in the sense that I only ever have to retire them for new tech. I have never had a single asus product fail in 20+ years of building computers and playing with tech (which is more than I can say about some other companies - looking at you Netgear, Seagate, Western Digital, Epson, Lexmark, HTC, and Optima) so that is also a huge selling point for me as a loyal Asus customer year after year. December 2023 UPDATE - This mesh system is still going strong. I am now up to 120 devices on the network without a hitch and my newer upgraded Verizon gigabit internet that has been solid (Verizon plugs right into this from the box in the basement without a need for one of their routers for internet-only service). I still have issues with my phone properly jumping from node to node causing me to miss WiFi calls sometimes, but other than that, it remains excellent. I have only had to reboot the main router twice in the past 2 years to restore functionality to a couple of dropped devices that couldn't re-negotiate a connection to the network. This is by far the single most stable wireless network I have ever experienced since WiFi began oh so many years ago and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a headache-free wireless networking solution.

I bought the ASUS Zen mesh Wi-Fi system to replace a Linksys Velop mesh system that is three years old and had been giving us problems. We started losing WiFi frequently. I checked the Linksys app and found that the node router had weak signal and no devices were connected to it. I checked the node and unplugged it and restarted it several times but it’s light kept slowly fading and coming back on. I never really liked the Velop system. I didn’t like that in order to use the app you had to be connected to the internet and have a Linksys account. Supposedly you could log on with the router password but that never worked. When I first set the Velop system up I had to get a lot of tech support to figure out I needed to set up separate 2.4g and 5g networks in order to use our Sonos home theater system. I only bought it because Apple discontinued the Airport routers and sold Linksys. The automated message on the Velop support line said that a recent firmware update may be causing problems and you may need to restore the routers to factory and set up again. Two things I really don’t want to do are frequently restart the WiFi and go through the setup again. So I’m not sure if there is anything wrong with the routers or if it is a firmware problem but I did not want to deal with it. Of course it was about one week past the 3 year warranty period. So I did some online research and decided to try ASUS. The setup was easy using the app on my iPad. The choice to separate 2.4g and 5g was part of the setup. Also I did not have to create an online account in order to use the ASUS app for set up or to check the system. The app is pretty easy to use. It is easy to see lists of devices that are connected to the main router and the node. One odd thing is that the app displayed the names of our desktop computers, but the mobile devices are identified by numbers. Had to figure out which number went with which device and then rename them. It’s important to recognize our devices to make sure no one has joined our network without permission. We have been using it for more than a week now and everything is fine. No more dropped WiFi, good signal throughout the house including the basement (routers are upstairs) and in the yard. We stream a lot of movies and tv, no gaming. I concur with one of the reviewers who said that the 2.4g doesn’t have blazing speed. We have 500mbps service. I used our ISP’s speed test and found that we got about 150mbps on the 2.4g network and 500mbps on the 5g. I can’t comment on their tech support because fortunately I haven’t had to use it! Very pleased with the ASUS Zen system that seems to work consistently and we don’t have to think about it.

I purchased this system based on several reviews and the comments here on Amazon. I saw the problems with firmware updates and planned to updating at implementation. Set up and installation went well except for the overly simplistic and confusing app from ASUS. When I accidentally found the GUI sub app, I could find the commands that I was looking for. I used the app to check for firmware update after finally finding it kind of hidden. Anyway, it showed that both the router and mesh unit required updating. Told the app to update, only to have it fail twice. Went to the GUI, searched and searched, to find it as an upper tab under administration. Checked for update, they were located and chose to update. I was able to update the router, but not the mesh unit. Update failed several times. I read where you can manually update each unit, so now my journey begins. On the page under Administration - Firmware Upgrade there’s a FAQ and other instructions in case of upgrade failure. Well, if you click on the link to take you to the download the firmware restoration utility, it takes to ASUS’s web page for this unit. Go to drop down to support. After which ones to click on, I finally find the download. Then I click on the link to find the firmware. Again, it takes you to the ASUS web site for this unit! Now to find support again and drill down to the drivers. BTW, if you search without your model number, you find everything under networking, wi-fi, and all the way to the bottom of the models, you find this one. They are not alphabetically. So now I have the utility and the firmware. go find my laptop and start the upgrade. If you follow the directions from the GUI, you will have to scroll through a lot of pics with, I assume, Chinese writing that shows you how to open the file and install the program. You finally get to plugging your laptop computer into the router or mesh unit. Then it shows you how to configure your Ethernet port to a specific IP. It was kind of hard to read the IP numbers to be careful. Once you assign the IP and close the config, it’s times to put the unit into rescue mode. Now for me, I expected the reset button somewhere around the power cord, on/off button or the Ethernet plugs. Nope, it’s not anywhere on the visible surface of the unit. The pics in the instructions on using the rescue tool are from an older router. And, BYW, where is the WPS button. Look at the instructions, there’s no mention of these two buttons. Search the unit and I found them on the np bottom hidden in all the writing. I find a paper clip and note, the instructions say to pull the power plug and hold down the reset button, plug the power plug back in, while still holding down the reset button until the unit flashes slowly. Then release the reset button. I did this and the unit never flashed slowly. It went through a lot of different color and flashes, but not slow repetitive flash. My hand grew tired and I let go of the button. I decided to try the firmware update in the rescue tool and it worked. Then the tool tells me to wait until the unit reboots, but it never said that the process was finished. I just closed the program and checked the firmware. It was now upgraded to the newest release. ASUS needs to fix the firmware upgrade if this is the process for future updates! Also, I was lucky to still have PCs and laptops. I know many people who only have tablets and phones so I think this needs to be addressed by ASUS. After spending a couple of hours figuring all of this out, the system works very well and provides coverage where I need it. Speeds are good too. I have no issues streaming anything.

I purchased 3 units, 1 hub and 2 nodes of ASUS ZenWiFi AX6600 Tri-Band Mesh WiFi 6 System through Amazon end of June 2022. Beware if you need support from Asus Service Center and unfortunately was not able to do the installation for several months mid-September 2022. When the installation was completed a (again mid Jun’22) problem came up with not being able to connect to what is an important web site getting the ‘403 Forbidden’ error. Note, this never happened before with the previous router I was replacing. Figuring it was a firewall or security issue I checked to make sure the site wasn’t inadvertently being blocked. Checked the newly installed router to make sure there were no issues with it. I also put the web address into a do not block list. No help. The problem manifested itself on every device we used using our home network using this router: W10, W11, even Vista, android devices, Samsung book reader, hardwired (Ethernet) as well as all WiFi connections. When I went outside our router, i.e., data on android phone, devices using other networks, other ISPs, a direct connection to the modem bypassing the router, and even reinstalling the old router there was no longer a problem, i.e., I could connect to the blocked site without problem and no ‘403’ error. Followed up with Asus Support who wanted me to do a couple things in the router’s interface software. Did as requested which did not correct the problem. Asus Support said next my ISP must be the problem, sending me on a wild goose chase with my ISP. This avenue was also not fruitful. To all but Asus, the two pieces of damning evidence for the culprit being the router was that that access to the problem web site was successful when the Asus router was disconnected and: 1) a computer was directly connected to the modem or 2) when the old router was reinstalled. Once the Asus router was reconnected (old router removed) to the modem the problem returned. Thus back to Asus Service Center and what a fiasco this was. I spent literally months with trivial emails back and forth with them along with phone calls. Every email was the formal jargon that I guess they figured would placate me. Never the same support person two times in a row and almost always some entirely new person. Thus EVERY different person via email would repeatedly ask me over-and over-again for the same information most of which I had already sent and if they read/kept a file on my case they would know that. I would respond asking them to please read my file and point out to them that they already had all the info they requested. Several times I re-sent the requested data since I had lost faith that the previous files/data I sent were actually saved and available and in their system and I wanted to get the problem resolved. By the end of Jan’23 I finally convinced Asus the unit was defective and needed replaced. At this point they wanted me to disconnect my router leaving me without an internet router connection unless I reconnected my old router in the meantime. Problem is I need my router (like many these days) as my home and employment are linked to having a network up and running. Even replacing the router had to be started on a Friday night so that I could have everything reconfigured by Monday morning, pretty much a 2 to 3 day task. What Asus Service wanted was for me to take down my entire network, send back the faulty router, they receive it, and at their discretion send me a repaired or replacement router. Then, days (weeks?) down the road I would eventually receive the replacement and redo everything once again. What a nightmare scenario! I finally did manage to convince Asus to first sent a replacement router before sending back the faulty device. Then after swapping routers, installing and reconnecting the replacement router I would then send back the defective router. Asus agreed to this but initially said ‘sorry’ we don’t have any replacement units available and I would be put on their waiting list for shipping one! Hard to believe that the company that makes these units doesn’t have any and we are way past the popular supply chain excuse. Next, when they finally dug one up I had to give them my credit card info for the full item value ($500+) which they would only release when I returned the unit back to them within a specified time, verify its receipt, and pass some kind of verification. Ok, kinda understood but my experience with Asus made me a bit nervous but did so to hopefully resolve this nightmare. Replacement unit arrived 2/11/2023, I installed it the next day and Voila, no problems any more, i.e., this 5 month sage was totally due to their router and it took them, the so called customer support to finally agree with me, replace it and fix the issue. I packaged up the defective router in the original packaging which I had saved, put in the same box they sent the replacement, albeit better packaged than the one they sent me, and shipped back to them 2/13/23 using the FedEx shipping label they supplied at a FedEx shipping center. I got notice it arrived at Asus and was signed off as received by Asus personnel. True to form, several days, later I get an email saying the unit was not received and I would be charged if they did not receive it. I of course contacted them and sent them the FedEx confirmation of its arrival and signature and of course receive the response back for yet another rep that they needed to confirm what I sent them and could do nothing till they could resolve. Final note: I bought and installed this mesh router to improve and update my network and ended up diving into a nightmare of incompetency! I can’t even calculate the amount of my time which is spent on the phone, on hold, transferring from one ‘tech specialist’ to another, filling out the forms, collecting data, executing the alleged tasks to resolve, wasting my and my ISP providers time for more than 5 months. It seems Asus approach is lip service and that my time has no value as far as they are concerned. Asus approach was that their problem was actually my problem and maybe they’ll frustrate me enough I’ll eventually go away. My mistake was not installing the router as soon as it arrived, finding the problem, and sending it back ASAP. This was at least the third router over the last 20 years I have installed in my home so and I am not new to networking and NEVER have I had such problems. Shame on Asus

Pros: - Works seamlessly with existing Asus routers supporting AiMesh - Excellent performance and coverage with WiFi 6 technology - Tri-band functionality for enhanced network capacity - Simple setup and integration with Asus's AiMesh system Cons: - None mentioned Summary: The ASUS ZenWiFi AX6600 Tri-Band Mesh WiFi 6 System proves to be a high-performing solution, offering excellent performance and coverage with WiFi 6 technology. Its compatibility with most normal Asus routers that support AiMesh allows for easy integration and expansion of the mesh network. One of the standout advantages of this mesh WiFi system is its seamless compatibility with existing Asus routers supporting AiMesh. This feature enables users to expand their network by adding the ZenWiFi AX6600 system, creating a unified and robust mesh network. The compatibility with a wide range of Asus routers adds flexibility and convenience for users who already own Asus networking equipment. The WiFi 6 technology utilized in this system ensures high-speed and efficient connectivity, delivering enhanced performance for modern devices that support WiFi 6. The tri-band functionality further enhances network capacity and reduces congestion, allowing for smooth and reliable internet connectivity throughout the coverage area. Setting up and integrating the ZenWiFi AX6600 system is made easy thanks to Asus's AiMesh system. The user-friendly interface and intuitive setup process simplify the configuration and ensure a hassle-free experience during installation. In summary, the ASUS ZenWiFi AX6600 Tri-Band Mesh WiFi 6 System offers excellent performance and coverage. Its compatibility with existing Asus routers supporting AiMesh allows for seamless integration and expansion of the mesh network. With WiFi 6 technology and tri-band functionality, this system delivers fast and reliable internet connectivity. Overall, it is a recommended choice for users seeking a high-performing mesh WiFi solution. TL;DR: The ASUS ZenWiFi AX6600 Tri-Band Mesh WiFi 6 System provides excellent performance and coverage with WiFi 6 technology. It seamlessly integrates with existing Asus routers supporting AiMesh, allowing for easy expansion of the mesh network. With its tri-band functionality and user-friendly setup through Asus's AiMesh system, this WiFi system delivers fast and reliable connectivity. It is a recommended choice for those in need of a high-performing mesh WiFi solution.

Prior to the Asus ZenWiFi AX (XT8) AX6600 Mesh Network I had a TPLink router acting as an A/P covering top floor and FIOS G1100 router covering bottom floor. I have owned and used my two node XT8 network for just over month now. The original upgraded firmware when I purchased the set was FW version 45934, I am currently on FW version 46061. Overall, I’m very happy with this mesh system. I have a two-story colonial with a full basement. I have the primary XT8 set up as a router and connected to a FIOS router (double NAT’d). The primary XT8 is at one end of the house on the first floor wired to the FIOS router and the XT8 Mesh Node is at the other end of the first floor connected via Ethernet backhaul (Cat5e). I did run the XT8’s in wireless backhaul mode briefly to test speed and it seemed to work fine, however since I had the Cat5e cabling in place wanted to use that as the backhaul and use both 5Ghz wireless bands on the XT8 for front haul. The XT8 system allows me to do this with Ethernet backhaul. Using the ZenWiFi AX web interface I can see a mix of wireless 5G clients on both the 5-1 and 5-2 bands in this configuration. After one week after obtaining the XT8 mesh system, I did try the Eeros 6 Pro mesh system. I will say the Eero 6 Pro mesh performed very well during the week I used it. And I did like having the 3rd node as I used that node on the 2nd floor to give better signal strength upstairs. Like the XT8 system, I did try the Eero Pro 6’s in wireless backhaul briefly, then switched to Ethernet backhaul since I had the cabling in place. For me the biggest con of the Eero Pro 6 is that you only have the phone app to manage that system (no web tool) and for the most part it’s designed to plug and play so doesn’t have as many configuration options as you get with the XT8 system. The final straw on the Eero Pro 6 system for me was that the enhanced security features required a paid subscription after 30 days. That being said, I think for people that want an easy to set up system that performs well, for the week I tried it I would give the Eeros 6 Pro a thumbs up. Unfortunately, one week doesn’t provide a very long basis for this comment, but it was my experience so passing it along. I use the ZenWiFi XT8 mesh system with around 40-50 clients. Most are wireless. Over 30 are IOT. I’ve had no issues with any of my IOT devices connecting or staying connected on my XT8 system. Using Iperf3 with a wired server on one of my XT8 mesh nodes and the Iperf3 client on an iPhone 13 I get 300 – 833 Mbits wireless download speed in most locations in my home. Speedtest Internet speed varies based on the server I select in Speedtest but I can generally get 300-600 Mbits with a good Speedtest test server that’s not overly busy. My FIOS speed is the 1G service. From the FIOS router this service typically ~930Mbits/930Mbits down/up (using Verizon’s speed test service from a wired host). After one month of experience with this system, streaming, web browsing, and working from home with several MS Teams sessions daily I give this system a very high rating. When I did the FW upgrade from 45934 to 46061, I originally upgraded right from the web tool and the system seemed to be working ok, however there were some system log entries that puzzled me, so I performed a WPS factory reset to get back to factory default configurations. Not a real fan of this method of upgrade as I spent a lot of time naming my connected devices and ended up repeating that process after the upgrade, however it gave me a baseline factory config which I’ve noted for my reference in the event I tweak settings on my XT8 system (like the “Smart Connect Rule” settings that allow you to tweak the triggers and station selection policies for wireless devices).

3,700 sq ft 3-story home. I've been using Google Mesh Wi-Fi 5 for last few years with ok results - not great. A recent Wi-Fi 6 upgrade by Google Fiber required a new router and came with a single Wi-Fi 6 extender that was absolute garbage. Every time I logged into my office laptop - which relied on the Wi-Fi extender - it would take >>minutes<< for it to re-establish the Wi-Fi connection with the base router, resolve hostnames and get any kind of acceptable response time and throughput. Made me late for every Zoom meeting and my exterior security cameras were always losing signal. I tried multiple channels, multiple placements in the home, etc... Upgraded to the ASUS ZenWiFi AX6600 2-pack system and it has been a night & day difference! Full interior and exterior signal coverage, great signal strength and super-reliable connectivity from the Wi-Fi extender unit (Using 5GHz Wi-Fi for the backhaul). Every time I login to my office laptop - even after days of Wi-Fi inactivity - the Wi-Fi extender provides instant, high-quality signal, low latency and fast throughput. Setup was an absolute breeze. Both the packaging and instructions were excellent, and so is the ASUS app on my iPhone. To be honest, I haven't even played with all the advanced features yet, so I'm really only rating my experience with installation and signal coverage. But to be honest, that's all I really needed and this delivered it in spades. Yes, these are a bit expensive for just a 2-pack, but I feel it was worth every penny. I'd highly recommend.