Asus WiFi 7 and WiFi 6E routers

[xiaofan]

Asus WiFi 6E and WiFi 7 router offerings.

WiFi 7
https://www.asus.com/sg/networking-...gory=WiFi-Routers,Whole-Home-Mesh-WiFi-System

Please also refer to the generic WiFi 7 router thread for other options.
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/...-7-routers-without-6ghz-band-support.6905228/

WiFi 6E
1) GT-AXE16000 (quad band WiFI 6E, two 10G ports and one 2.5G port)
2) RT-AXE7800 triband
3) ZenWiFi ET12

There is also the older GT-AXE11000 triband WiFi 6E router and ET8 but I think Asus will not bring it to Singapore market.

WiFi 7
1) GT-BE98 and GT-BE98 Pro (quad-band WiFi 7, two 10G ports and 4 x 2.5G ports). GT-BE98 Pro will not be available in Singapore since 6GHz-2 band is not approved in Singapore for WiFi use.

2) GT-BE96U (tri-band WiFi 7, two 10G ports), not available in Singapore market yet.

3) ZenWiFi BQ16 and BQ16 Pro (quad-band WiFi 7, two 10G ports). BQ16 Pro will not be available in Singapore since 6GHz-2 band is not approved in Singapore for WiFi use.

4) ZenWiFi BT10 (triband WiFi 7, two 10G ports), BE18000
5) Asus RT-BE92U, triband BE9700, 10G RJ45 port and quad 2.5G ports
6) Asus RT-BE88U, dual band, BE7200, 10G RJ45 Port and 10G SFP+ ports, quad 2.5G ports and quad 1G ports.
7) Asus RT-BE86U, dual band, BE6800, 10G RJ45 port and quad 2.5G ports
8) Asus TUF-BE6500, dual band 6500, quad 2.5G ports
9) Asus RT-BE58U, dual band, BE3600, one 2.5G port and quad 1G ports.
10) Asus ZenWiFi BD4, dual band, BE3600

Some advanced feature of high-end Asus routers.
1) VLAN -- GT-AX11000 Pro, GT-AX6000, ROG Rapture GT-AXE16000, RT-AX86U Pro, RT-AX88U Pro, ZenWiFi Pro ET12, ZenWIFI Pro XT12
https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1049415/
2) Guest Network Pro -- GT-AX11000 Pro, GT-AX6000, ROG Rapture GT-AXE16000, RT-AX86U Pro, RT-AX88U Pro, ZenWiFi Pro ET12, ZenWIFI Pro XT12
https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1049414/

Asus introduction to WiFi 7.
https://www.asus.com/sg/content/wifi7/

Chipset info is quite incomplete for these new routers.
Chipset info:
http://en.techinfodepot.shoutwiki.com/wiki/List_of_802.11ax_Hardware
http://en.techinfodepot.shoutwiki.com/wiki/List_of_802.11be_Hardware

Asus ROG GT-BE98, ZenWiFI BQ16, RT-BE88U and RT-BE86U -- BCM4916 CPU

Asus GT-AXE16000: BCM4912 CPU + BCM6715 x 4pcs Radio (2x10G ports).
https://en.techinfodepot.shoutwiki.com/wiki/ASUS_GT-AXE16000

Asus GT-AXE11000: BCM4908 CPU + BCM4364 x 3pcs Radio chip
https://en.techinfodepot.shoutwiki.com/wiki/ASUS_GT-AXE11000

CPU performance comparison --> for reference only.
https://mao.fan/socpk.html

Partial list from the above website.
(Note --> BCM6764L should be quad-core Arm Cortex A53 or at least A35 core as it is an ARM v8 CPU).

Broadcom CPU only (Asus uses a lot of Broadcom chipsets)

WiFi 7 real world speed.
Close range good WiFi speed using WiFi 7 router (with or without 6GHz band).

1) WiFi 7 router with 2x2 80MHz clients on the 5Ghz/6GHz band, max Phy speed 1441 Mbps, real world speed 600Mbps to 1Gbps (770% of MAX PHY speed). You will not be able to exceed 1.15Gbps in general (80% of MAX PHY Speed).

2) WiFi 7 router with 2x2 160MHz clients on the 5Ghz/6GHz band, max Phy speed 2882 Mbps, real world speed 1Gbps to 2Gbps (70% of MAX PHY speed). You will not be able to exceed 2.3Gbps in general (80% of MAX PHY speed)

3) WiFi 7 routers with 2x2 320MHz WiFi 7 clients on the 6GHz band, max Phy speed 5764 Mbps, real world speed 2Gbps to 4Gbps (70% of MAX PHY Speed). You will not be able to exceed 4.6Gbps in general (80% of PHY speed).

4) In the future with better HW/FW especially MLO implemenation, the speed may be increased.
a) 5GHz band (or 5GHz-1 and 5GHz-2 MLO)
WiFi 7 router without 6GHz band, 2x2 160MHz clients on the 5Ghz, 240MHz channel bandwidth --> max PHY speed 4320 Mbps --> real world speed 2Gbps to 3.5Gbps

b) 5GHz/6GHz band MLO (or 6GHz-1 and 6GHz-2 MLO in those countries where 6GHz-2 is approved, Singapore does not appove 6GHz-2 for WiFi use)
WiFi 7 router with 6GHz band --> MAX PHY speed for 5GHz/6GHz MLO at 8646 Mbps (2882+5764=8646 Mbps) --> real world speed 3Gbps to 5Gbps, probably can reach up to 5Gbps or even higher.

 

[xiaofan]

Asus China version vs Local version
They are basically the same HW and same FW, just different country code. The country code can not be changed as it is outside of the FW area. The country code will decide the minor differences in the behaviours.

Major differene:
Local version has three years HW warranty. China version will have no local warranty.

Minor differences in terms of FW behaviours:
1) China version has Chinese/English Web UI
2) China version may have specific game accelerator (网易 UU 加速器), just ignore it.
3) China version may ping Baidu for web monitoring but you can change the behavior.
4) Some China version routers may have special Web UI skins like Asus TX-AX6000, which is a bit different from local version TUF-AX6000.
5) China version has wireless region defaul to China, but you can change to Asia region to be compliant to local regulation.
6) Some reports say that Asus Instant Guard VPN may not work with Asus China routers.

List of Asus China WiFi 7 router offerings. I tend to only recommend Asus China RT-BE88U (high-end), RT-BE86U (mid-high, vertical form factor), TUF-BE6500 (mid-end) and TUF-BE3600 (low end).
https://store.asus.com.cn/store/goods/list?categoryId=38

Cost from high to low.
ROG八爪鱼7路由器, ROG RAPTURE GT-BE96, triband. Very expensive, not recommended.

灵耀魔方Pro WiFi7 BE9400白色双支装 (Asus ZenWiFi BT8P, triband BE9400, no 6GHz band, dual 5GHz band)

ROG魔盒Pro WiFi7路由器, ROG STRIX GS 7 PRO (triband WiFi 7, BE12000, no 6GHz band, dual 5GHz band).

ROG 魔盒 初音联名, ROG STRIX GS7 Special version

华硕RT-BE88U路由器, 10G RJ45 port, 10G SFP+ port, quad 2.5G ports, quad 1G ports, dual band BE7200, flagship CPU

ROG魔盒WiFi7电竞无线AI路由器, ROG STRIX GS7, dual band BE7200

灵耀魔方Pro WiFi7 BE9400白色单支装

RT-BE86U路由器, 10G RJ45 port, quad 2.5G ports, dual band BE6800, flagship CPU

华硕灵耀魔方WiFi7 BE3600路由器白色双支装 (Asus ZenWiFi BD4 two-pack, dual 2.5G ports, 512MB RAM, low end CPU)

TUF小旋风Pro WiFi7 BE6500路由器 (TUF-BE6500, quad 2.5G ports, 1GB RAM)

华硕灵耀魔方WiFi7 BE3600路由器黑色单支装 (Asus ZenWiFi BD4 single pack, black color)

华硕灵耀魔方WiFi7 BE3600路由器白色单支装 (Asus ZenWiFi BD4 single pack, white color)

TUF小旋风WiFi7 BE3600路由器 (TUF-BE3600, one 2.5G ports, three 1G ports, 1GB RAM)

天选x初音未来联名路由器, RT-BE57U Special Edition

华硕RT-BE57 WiFi7路由 (256MB RAM only, not recommended, one 2.5G port, three 1G ports)

 

[xiaofan]

RT-AXE7800, cost effective WiFi 6E router (initial price at S$399 from Asus Singapore)
https://dongknows.com/asus-rt-axe7800-wi-fi6e-router-review/

High end quad-band Wifi 6E router -- Asus GT-AXE16000
https://dongknows.com/asus-gt-axe16000-rog-rapture-gaming-router-review/

Simple Youtube Review

 

[xiaofan]

GT-AXE11000: WiFi 6E counterpart of GT-AX11000, older BCM4908 CPU, single 2.5G WAN/LAN port
https://dongknows.com/asus-rog-rapture-gt-axe11000-wi-fi-6e-router-review/

Youtube review -- one year after the usage.

 

[xiaofan]

Asus ZenWiFi ET8 triband, WiFi 6E counterpart of the popular ZenWiFi XT8. It has the same weakness as the ZenWiFi XT8: using low end BCM6750 CPU (same as RT-AX58U/RT-AX82U) and it has only one 2.5G WAN port (not 2.5G LAN).
https://dongknows.com/asus-zenwifi-et8-wi-fi-6e-mesh-system-review/

On the other hand, Asus ZenWiFi Pro ET12 is a solid upgrade for existing ZenWiFi ET8 users, just like its WiFi 6 counterpart ZenWiFi Pro XT12. However, DongKnows recommends ZenWiFi XT8 and ZenWiFi Pro XT12, if you need to use Wireless Backhaul. Basically you need quad-band WiFi 6E mesh solution to really gain he benefits of 6GHz band if you need to use Wireless Backhaul.
https://dongknows.com/asus-zenwifi-pro-et12-review/

Asus Singapore has ZenWiFi Pro ET12 available at S$1249, same price as ZenWiFi Pro XT12.
ZenWiFi ET8 seems to be not available in Singapore yet.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Existing Asus XT8 thread: lots of good info there.
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/threads/maylyn-networking-asus-zenwifi-xt8.6177953/

Existing Asus ZenWiFi Pro XT12 thread:
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/threads/asus-zenwifi-pro-xt12-in-singapore-discussion.6737682/

 

[Deceased]

Can they share single SSID or still need to separate 6ghz still?

 

[xiaofan]

Can they share single SSID or still need to separate 6ghz still?

The reviews of ZenWiFi Pro ET12 show that you have two options.
1) 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz -- three SSIDs (default)
2) 2.4GHz/5GHz, 6GHz -- two SSIDs.

Same for reviews of Asus GT-AXE16000 shows that you have two options.
1) 2.4GHz, 5GHz-1, 5GHz-2, 6GHz -- four SSIDs (default)
2) 2.4GHz/5GHz-1/5GHz-2, 6GHz -- two SSIDs.

So you can not have single SSID as of now since 6GHz band will be a seperate SSID as per the Youtube reviews I have watched.

I am not so sure if new FW will bring the single SSID option.

Edit to add: one of the reasons may be that the 6GHz is only using WPA3 and not WPA2.

 

[xiaofan]

Asus router setup is pretty much the same across the WiFi 6/6E/7 offerings.

Web UI


Mobile App


Web UI (with more details, including more advanced settings)

 

[xiaofan]

For references.

DongKnows best WiFi 6E routers: Asus ROG GT-AXE16000 is one of them.
https://dongknows.com/best-wi-fi-6e-routers/

DongKnows best WiFI 6E mesh solutions: Asus ZenWiFi ET8 and ZenWiFi Pro ET12 are among the list
https://dongknows.com/best-wi-fi-6e-mesh-systems/

Long range 40 feet WiFi Speed comparison on the 5GHz and 6GHz band.

 

[TanRich]

For references.

DongKnows best WiFi 6E routers: Asus ROG GT-AXE16000 is one of them.
https://dongknows.com/best-wi-fi-6e-routers/

DongKnows best WiFI 6E mesh solutions: Asus ZenWiFi ET8 and ZenWiFi Pro ET12 are among the list
https://dongknows.com/best-wi-fi-6e-mesh-systems/

Long range 40 feet WiFi Speed comparison on the 5GHz and 6GHz band.

The GT-AXE16000's Wifi range is nearly best in class thanks to the RangeBoost feature. So one unit can pretty much cover an entire 3-room flat and also the corridor. If solid Wifi around the house is all you need, it's probably the one to get now.

But as mentioned in another thread, there are issues with ethernet speed thanks to the CPU limitations.

Tom's Hardware mentioned that and QoS issues in their review of the router.

Tom's Hardware Verdict​

The Asus GT-AXE16000 router has top specs across the board, with all the latest feature including the newest 6 GHz frequency. While the throughput impressed us, our network congestion testing left us thinking that this router needs to mature further due to weak QoS performance.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/asus-rog-rapture-gt-axe16000#:~:text=Tom's Hardware Verdict,due to weak QoS performance.

 

[xiaofan]

Weak QoS performance -- I think that is across the board for Asus consumer routers, I do not know if RT-AX89X (using Qualcomm IPQ8074 CPU) or the new WiFi 7 GT-BE96U (using BCM4916 CPU) will be the exception or not.

Actually wheneve people mentioned in this forum that their Asus router Internet speed can not reach gigabit (say only 300Mbps or 600Mbps), the first suggestion is to check QoS settings and then disable the QoS and test again. Then folloed by checking Ethernet cable.

 

[Chaos32]

Since the GT-AXE16000's QoS was tested in 2022 by Hardwarezone, would the subsequent firmware updates since then have rectified this?

Is there an optimum QoS setting for Asus routers overall short of disabling it?

 

[xiaofan]

Since the GT-AXE16000's QoS was tested in 2022 by Hardwarezone, would the subsequent firmware updates since then have rectified this?
Is there an optimum QoS setting for Asus routers overall short of disabling it?

There are two school of thoughts.

1) Just disable it, so as not to reduce the line speed.

2) Use QoS feature to have potentially better experiences for certain applications (eg: gaming, video conferencing), with sacrifices on the line speed.

Testing method to compare QoS and without QoS..
1) real life application testing
2) buffer bloat testing
3) simple test: check ping value variation while carrying out intended activities
4) simple test: check ping value variation while carrying out speed testing.

Based on my own testing (no gaming, no BT, not downloading much, occassional WFH and HBL with video or audio conferences, quite a bit of YouTube streaming), I do not need QoS at all. My Asus RT-AX86U router performs well enough in the tests.

Router with better CPU tends to perform better. I can see some differences with buffer bloat tests and ping tests, between my RT-AX86U (good CPU) and RT-AX82U (weak CPU).

 

[BradenHeat]

nah, my own testing,

the qos is dog SH1at from asus, unless you specifically use bandwidth limiter, or use merlin custom.

it does work for some apps, but if bufferbloat for zoom calls, its still CAKE that takes the piece

my own view only, from all the routers ive run/ran through

 

[Chaos32]

There are two school of thoughts.

1) Just disable it, so as not to reduce the line speed.

2) Use QoS feature to have potentially better experiences for certain applications (eg: gaming, video conferencing), with sacrifices on the line speed.

Testing method to compare QoS and without QoS..
1) real life application testing
2) buffer bloat testing
3) simple test: check ping value variation while carrying out intended activities
4) simple test: check ping value variation while carrying out speed testing.

Based on my own testing (no gaming, no BT, not downloading much, occassional WFH and HBL with video or audio conferences, quite a bit of YouTube streaming), I do not need QoS at all. My Asus RT-AX86U router performs well enough in the tests.

Router with better CPU tends to perform better. I can see some differences with buffer bloat tests and ping tests, between my RT-AX86U (good CPU) and RT-AX82U (weak CPU).

Super informative as usual. Bit of a dilemma. Using Asus AX-6000 but was given a brand-new unit of GT-AXE16000. Thinking of looking for someone to wire up the place and using the GT-AXE16000 as a primary unit.

 

[xiaofan]

nah, my own testing,

the qos is dog SH1at from asus, unless you specifically use bandwidth limiter, or use merlin custom.

it does work for some apps, but if bufferbloat for zoom calls, its still CAKE that takes the piece

my own view only, from all the routers ive run/ran through

Yes, it depends on the use cases.

You have provided good info for people who are interested to use QoS with Merlin FW here.
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/...-rough-guide-for-starters-12-dec-2021.6658392

 

[TanRich]

I think the only time I turned QoS on was I was on SH 2Gbps plan and used with GT-AXE11000. Honestly didn't really make too much of a difference on the stock firmware. Like bros Braden Heat and xiaofan mentioned, QoS with Merlin firmware might be more useful.

Supposedly if you have multi gig plan, QoS is not a factor to consider anymore.

 

[loganrunning]

nah, my own testing,

the qos is dog SH1at from asus, unless you specifically use bandwidth limiter, or use merlin custom.

it does work for some apps, but if bufferbloat for zoom calls, its still CAKE that takes the piece

my own view only, from all the routers ive run/ran through

in my experience, for 1 use case, QoS was only useful for bandwidth limiting. on a 500Mbps plan, the % throttling (on unrestricted speed IP address) was not that noticible, max 300-320Mbps. This was on a RT-AC68U on Merlin, M1 500Mbps line, 2020-2022 during covid lockdowns. 6 users, comprising 4 WFH adults, 2 undergrads with online lectures and one providing online tuition via video call. no complaints, no reports of dropped connections esp for 3 on corporate VPN connections each with multi-participant zoom/teams calls.

my own view is, with 500Mbps and higher (ie sg conditions), if ISP has decent latency, and no ISP throttling, no bandwidth limiting needed, then the line speed is enough for most residential accounts and general useage, and therefore no need for QoS.

 

[alanchia67]

The reviews of ZenWiFi Pro ET12 show that you have two options.
1) 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz -- three SSIDs (default)
2) 2.4GHz/5GHz, 6GHz -- two SSIDs.

Same for reviews of Asus GT-AXE16000 shows that you have two options.
1) 2.4GHz, 5GHz-1, 5GHz-2, 6GHz -- four SSIDs (default)
2) 2.4GHz/5GHz-1/5GHz-2, 6GHz -- two SSIDs.

So you can not have single SSID as of now since 6GHz band will be a seperate SSID as per the Youtube reviews I have watched.

I am not so sure if new FW will bring the single SSID option.

Edit to add: one of the reasons may be that the 6GHz is only using WPA3 and not WPA2.

If single SSID means Smart Connect, yes all 3 bands can share the same SSID.
My current ET12 firmware is 3.0.0.4.388_23013-g3e1c174

 

[xiaofan]

If single SSID means Smart Connect, yes all 3 bands can share the same SSID.
My current ET12 firmware is 3.0.0.4.388_23013-g3e1c174

Good to hear that you can use single SSID for three bands (2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz) in Asus ZenWiFi Pro ET12.