ASUS ZenWiFi Mesh WiFi System ZenWiFi AC (CT8, WiFi 5) & ZenWiFi AX (XT8, WiFi 6)
76% External
Product Gallery
Product Overview
The ASUS ZenWiFi AX (XT8) and AC (CT8) include two WiFI 6 / WiFi 5 routers in a ready-to-deploy mesh configuration for maximum coverage at high performance.
The ZenWiFi AX achieves up to 6.6 Gbps maximum throughput across one 2.4 GHz band and two 5 GHz bands. The two stylish ZenWiFi nodes communicate over a dedicated 4x4 WiFi 6 backhaul at speeds up to 4804 Mbps without interfering with the clients. Features such as MU-MIMO and OFDMA ensure that each WiFi 6-compatible device gets its share of bandwidth even in highly congested network envrionments.
The ZenWiFi AC features a pair of AC3000 routers that deliver maximum throughput up to 3 Gbps. Each router has four vertically positioned and two diagonally positioned internal antennae, resulting in a clean design that fits in any interior decor while ensuring optimal coverage and performance.
Ratings
What we found**
Pros
- Excellent Wi-Fi performance
- Easy to set up and use
- Comprehensive app-based controls and customizations
Cons
- Nothing in particular
What external reviewers found***
External score 76% (not directly comparable across industries)
Pros
- Excellent Wi-Fi 6 performance
- Excellent throughput performance
- Excellent mesh performance
- Excellent performance
- Good value for money
Cons
- Lacks Wi-Fi 6
- Lacks anti-malware tools
- Lacks AES 256-bit encryption
- No 2.5Gbps WAN port
- Privacy policy isn't very clear
- No power-saving idle mode
Price Comparison
Specifications
AC | AX | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Connectivity | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Antennae | 6x internal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ports | 3x 1Gb LAN + 1x 1Gb WAN + 1x USB 3.1 Gen 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wireless Connectivity | IEEE 802.11a, b, g, n, ac + IPv4, IPv6 | IEEE 802.11a, b, g, n, ac, ax + IPv4, IPv6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dimensions | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Size | Depth | 7.5 cm | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Size | Height | 16.15 cm | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Size | Width | 16 cm | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 730 g | 716 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Function | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Processor | 1.5 GHz quad-core processor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Security | WPA2-Personal, WPA-Personal, WPA-Enterprise , WPA2-Enterprise , WPS support / IPSec Pass-Through, PPTP Pass-Through, L2TP Pass-Through, PPTP server, OpenVPN server, PPTP client, L2TP client, OpenVPN client | WPA3-Personal, WPA2-Personal, WPA-Personal, WPA-Enterprise , WPA2-Enterprise , WPS support / IPSec Pass-Through, PPTP Pass-Through, L2TP Pass-Through, PPTP server, OpenVPN server, PPTP client, L2TP client, OpenVPN client | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
WAN | Internet connection type : Automatic IP, Static IP, PPPoE(MPPE supported), PPTP, L2TP | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Performance | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Memory | Capacity | 256 MB RAM | 512 MB RAM | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Storage | 128 MB Flash | 256 MB Flash | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Production | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Availability | 2020-01 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Debut | 2020 CES |
Related Products
ASUS RT-AX86U 4x4 WiFi 6 Router
69% External
ASUS RT-AX86U is a powerful dual-band WiFi 6 wireless router designed for gaming. An upgraded version of the best-selling RT-AC86U, featuring the classic black chassis with gaming-inspired red accents, the RT-AX86U applies powerful WiFi 6 technology wi...
ASUS RT-AX82U 4x4 WiFi 6 Router (AX5400)
74% External
ASUS RT-AX82U is a high-performance dual-band WiFi 6 gaming router. Unveiled at the same time with the RT-AX86U, it delivers WiFi 6 speeds up to 5400 Mbps and features a futuristic design with Aura RGB dynamic lighting effects. The RT-AX82U is packed w...
Xiaomi Mi AIoT Router AX3600
Xiaomi Mi AIoT Router AX3600 is the company's first router that supports WiFi 6. Powered by Qualcomm's quad-core processor, the AX3600 features six-channel quality signal amplifiers and an independent AIoT smart antenna, offering a combined spe...
Huawei WiFi AX3 (Pro) WiFi 6 Router
Huawei WiFi AX3 is a WiFi 6 Plus router with a clean, modern design. It is available with either a 2-core or a 4-core processor; the latter adds support for Huawei Share and Huawei HomeSec features but is otherwise identical. The WiFi AX3 is able to de...
ASUS RT-AX89X 8x8 WiFi 6 Router
The ASUS RT-AX89X is an 8x8 dual-band WiFi 6 router that provides 1024-QAM for fast wireless connections. It can deliver a combined networking speed of 6 Gbps: 1148 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band and 4804 Mbps on the 5GHz band. Theoretically, therefore, it i...
Xiaomi Mi Router AX9000 (2021)
Xiaomi Mi Router AX9000 is the company's first Tri-Band WiFi 6 router. It comes with a Qualcomm 6-core processor and is slotted to be Xiaomi's flagship in 2021. With one 4GHz and two 5GHz bands, the Mi Router AX9000 is able to feature a theoret...
Oppo 5G CPE T1 WiFi 6 Router
Oppo 5G CPE T1 is a 5G WiFi 6 router that allows the user to create a WiFi 6 network at home with access to the Internet via 5G network. It also has three wired Gigabit connections, one among them is WAN-capable. The Oppo 5G CPE T1 accepts a nano SIM o...
Oppo 5G CPE Omni 5G WiFi 6 Router
Oppo 5G CPE Omni is a premium 5G WiFi 6 router that creates WiFi 6 network with 10Gbps wired connection while accessing the Internet via 5G. In an elegant chassis, Oppo packs a versatile router powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X55 5G modem and IPQ...
Oppo 5G CPE T1a WiFi 6 Router
Oppo 5G CPE T1a is an upgrade over the original 5G CPE T1 5G WiFi 6 router. It uses the same Qualcomm Snapdragon X55 5G modem but now supports more 5G frequency bands. The router's overall performance as well as management console is improved. As trade...
Launch Comparison
Clear List
3rd-Party Review Videos
External Reviews
cnet[1]
Reviewer score 79%The Asus ZenWiFi AX is an excellent mesh router. It nearly managed to match the best-in-class performance of the Netgear Orbi Wi-Fi 6 version. At $450, this is still a splurge, but if you're looking for the best value, it's worth it.
Find the original article here.
Pros
- Excellent mesh performance
- Excellent Wi-Fi 6 performance
- Good value for money
Cons
- Privacy policy isn't very clear
pcmag[2]
Reviewer score 83%The Asus ZenWiFi CT8 is an excellent choice for an 802.11ac mesh-based Wi-Fi system. It installs in minutes and delivered excellent speed and coverage throughout our test home. It comes with a lifetime AiProtection subscription that gives you robust parental controls and liftetime malware protection.
Find the original article here.
Pros
- Excellent throughput performance
- Strong parental controls
- Easy to install
Cons
- Lacks AES 256-bit encryption
pcmag[3]
Reviewer score 79%The Asus ZenWiFi AX XT8 is an excellent all-around choice for folks who want the latest in their homes. The platform ticks all the boxes: easy and fast mesh networking, Wi-Fi 6 support, and robust security tools to keep your family and data online. All that under the hood makes it a pricey system, but still not quite as expensive as some of the other mesh systems we've tested.
Find the original article here.
Pros
- Easy and fast mesh networking
- Easy to install
- Supports 802.11ax and 2.5G
Cons
- Lacks anti-malware tools
techradar[4]
Reviewer score 70%The Asus ZenWiFi AX supports tri-band Wi-Fi 6 on the 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz bands, with a total speed of 6600Mbps (6.6Gbps) That's far beyond the speed of most current routers that use 802.11ac wi-fi, and even faster than many new Wi- Fi 6 routers as well. Each router also has a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port for high-speed Internet connections. The Asus Router app and set-up procedure aren't quite as straightforward as other mesh systems, but it provides an impressive range of features.
Find the original article here.
Pros
- Excellent performance
- Good parental controls
- Easy to set up
Cons
- App doesn’t explain what’s going on
- Dynamic DNS
tomsguide[5]
Reviewer score 65%The ZenWiFi AX runs without a problem for a week, distributing emails, music, videos and the occasional gaming session. The two years of warranty coverage that Asus provides is among the best in the business and blows away Netgear's 90-day policy. It's easy to turn on the system's QOS software to set priorities for gaming, file transfer and other activities.
Find the original article here.
Pros
- Excellent performance
- Two-year warranty
- Easy to set up
Cons
- Lacks Wi-Fi 6
- No power-saving idle mode
trustedreviews[6]
Reviewer score 82%Asus ZenWifi AX is set up and configured through the smartphone app. System comes as two devices, giving you a main router and a satellite that you can place elsewhere. Each rounded cuboid satellite (160 x 75 x 161.5 mm) is identical, down to the slightly confusing array of ports on the rear.
Find the original article here.
Pros
- Excellent throughputs
- Easy to set up and configure
- Excellent parental controls
Cons
- No 2.5Gbps WAN port
User Reviews
Comments
Please login before adding comments.
References
- ^ Asus ZenWiFi AX review: This Wi-Fi 6 mesh router hits the sweet spot. [cnet]. https://www.cnet.com/reviews/asus-zenwifi-ax-review/. 2020-03-01. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
- ^ Asus ZenWiFi AC (CT8) Review. [pcmag]. https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/asus-zenwifi-ac-ct8. 2021-03-03. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
- ^ Asus ZenWiFi AX (XT8) Review. [pcmag]. https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/asus-zenwifi-ax-xt8. 2020-06-04. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
- ^ Asus ZenWiFi AX (XT8) review. [techradar]. https://www.techradar.com/reviews/asus-zenwifi-ax-xt8. 2020-08-24. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
- ^ Asus ZenWiFi AX (XT8) review. [tomsguide]. https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/asus-zenwifi-ax-xt8. 2021-02-23. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
- ^ Asus ZenWifi AX Review. [trustedreviews]. https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/asus-zenwifi-ax. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
This page contains affiliate links to third-party merchants such as Amazon, eBay, and Rakuten. When you make a purchase using the supplied links, we will receive a commission.
These key takeaways ("pros" and "cons") and summaries are identified from third-party reviews. They may differ from the original texts.
<
>
x