Asus Zen WiFi ET8 Review: Best Home Network Solution
ZenWiFi’s ET8 mesh system is the company’s most advanced to date. Wi-Fi 6E technology is included in the system, allowing compatible clients to connect to it via the 6GHz radio range. In our tests, the ET8 consistently provided excellent signal and signal performance, was simple to set up, and came with lifetime anti-malware and parental control capabilities.
Cover an area of 5,500 square feet with a WiFi 6E signal
The ET8 is a two-piece mesh system that can cover up to 5,500 square feet of space. It comprises two nodes that are identical to the nodes used in the ZenWiFi AX XT8 system from the previous iteration. A 2.5Gbps WAN port, three 1Gbps LAN connections, a USB 3.1 port, and a power switch are located on the back panel. Two top-of-the-line mesh systems are currently available: Linksys Atlas Max 6E Tri-Band Mesh WiFi System (MX12600) and Netgear Orbi Wi-Fi 6 System AX6000.
A 1.5GHz quad-core CPU, 512MB of RAM, and 256MB of flash memory power for each node, which has six inbuilt antennas. Because the ET8 is an AXE6600 system, it can reach peak data speeds of 574Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 1,201Mbps on the 5GHz band. It comes with Protection Pro software, which provides free lifetime protection against harmful threats and employs a hybrid approach.
Do everything in the app:
For iOS and Android smartphones, the Asus Router mobile app provides a wealth of administrative capabilities. The app’s Home screen shows a network map with each connected node, as well as the LAN IP address and network name. It is unable to change all of the ET8’s settings. To establish VPN profiles or access more advanced settings like port triggering and firewall settings, you’ll need to use the web console.
Easy setup, Fast throughput:
It was simple to set up the ET8 for the first time. On our throughput performance tests, the ET8 system performed admirably. The 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz radio bands were used to measure speeds. The router node achieved a speed of 121Mbps in the close proximity test, aligning with the performance of the Linksys Atlas Max 6E router. It outperformed the Atlas by 11Mbps at a distance of 30 feet.
The Asus ZenWiFi ET8 router achieved 918Mbps in the close proximity test, compared to 929Mbps for the Atlas Max. The ET8 also outperformed the Atlas in the 30-foot test, scoring 371Mbps versus 258Mbps for the Atlas. Both nodes had no problem transmitting robust 2.4GHz and 5GHz wifi signals throughout the home.
Pros:
- Simple to set up, with high throughput.
- USB and multi-gigabit WAN connectivity
- Strong anti-malware protection as well as parental controls
- The signal range is excellent.
Cons:
- Expensive
- Some complex settings necessitate the use of a web console.
Conclusion:
The Asus ZenWiFi ET8 is a high-performance Wi-Fi 6E mesh system that provides reliable multi-band Wi-Fi throughout your home. It comes with free network security and parental control software and has a good array of I/O ports.