ASUS ZenWiFi AX (XT8)

Need speed on your home network ...this is it! – With the slow demise of my previous home Wi-Fi network, it was clear a new system needed to be purchased. Having decided on the appropriate replacement, this was duly ordered and setup. Unfortunately, for a number of reasons, this proved problematic and had to be returned to the seller (see my review of the Netgear Orbi AX4200). This then led me… Read more

to my second choice …an ASUS ZenWiFi XT8. Visually, this system consists of two identical units (which will later perform the functions of router and satellite). Unlike other systems, neither has a dedicated function so the role of router is determined solely by which device has a WAN Ethernet cable connected to it. The units are not particularly large being only around 16cm high, 16.5cm wide and 7.5cm deep. Available in white (which I bought) and charcoal, they’re fairly bland in shape (so should fit in with most home decor) with their six antenna all internally installed. You can neatly put these on a bookshelf and they won’t offend. Considerable thought has been given to keeping the units cool so ventilation vents are provided down the sides as well as the top and bottom. These won’t offend either and look like they were meant to be part of the styling. Also supplied is an ethernet cable (to connect to your router or NBN port) along with two wall plug packs fitted with just over 1.5 metres of cable to supply power to the units. As well, there is a Quick Start Guide which essentially directs you to download an app (Google or Apple) to your smartphone. Whilst operating, there is a small white LED lit on the front (assuming all operation is currently normal) of each unit. However, if you find this annoying, you can go into the settings and turn it off ...in which case you will only see a light if something has gone wrong (loss of internet etc)

Setting up was straightforward as the app leads you through the process. Apart from powering up, the only other requirement is both units must be kept within a couple of metres of each other. Once setup is complete, you can then move the satellite (the one that doesn’t have the Ethernet cable connected to it) to wherever else in the house you wish. If you move it too far away, it will alert you to a weak connection by the front LED glowing yellow instead of white. I had no problem maintaining a “Great” connection (as indicated in the app) with the satellite over four rooms away from the router unit. During setup, there are some basic non-technical questions asked with the most technical being what you want to call your network (SSD) and what password to use. 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz bands are used to provide WiFi with a third 5 Ghz band reserved for “back haul” use only (communication between the satellite and router). This is termed a tri-band system. Additionally, the system is a Wi-Fi 6 system employing the latest protocol to extend range and speed with those devices on your network which are capable of this. Our PC laptops are older and didn’t have this but our iPhones and iPads are just over a year old and did. When choosing any new home wireless system, I would recommend you consider buying a system with WiFi 6 protocol to lessen early obsolescence. WPA3 security is also included with this protocol which is a more secure version of the WPA2 protocol we have been previously using to secure username/passwords when logging into WiFi.

While essentially a “set and forget” system, there is a huge amount of settings and tweaks that you can action through the app (even more through the browser interface) and I really can’t imagine what else ASUS could have included. Most people (myself included) would not have any idea what many of these do but it’s good to know that if some special requirement was needed (and an expert was available to assist) you would be able to action this. Things I liked – 1) It’s about as unobtrusive in appearance as you could probably imagine for a device such as this (with one exception - see below ) 2) Blasts out a signal across my house (and backyard) which more than adequately meets my Wi-Fi needs. Only a fraction less range than a Netgear Orbi (see my review elsewhere on this) that I used for a short time prior to this 3) Thus far has proven to be 100% reliable with no drop outs and I have almost 50 Wi-Fi devices on my network 4) Comes with an included lifetime subscription to “Insight”. This is a security monitoring system provided by respected antivirus company Trend Micro. Not to be considered a replacement for security software on your individual devices but more an extra level of security for your network. ASUS claims it monitors and blocks malicious websites, provides two way intrusion prevention to protect from DDoS attacks (amongst others) and blocks any infected device on your network attacking other devices. I don’t know how well this would work ( it hasn’t recorded anything thus far except when I deliberately went to a “Virus Test” site to see if it worked – it did) but it doesn’t seem to have a downside and since it’s provided for life with no additional subscription (I’m looking at you Netgear with your $100 per year subscription), why not have it? 5) There are numerous graphs and other ways of monitoring data flow and CPU usage (there is a quad core 1.5Ghz Broadcomm processor at work here) on your network contained in the app making it easy to determine what device(s) may be hogging your resources as well as effective and extensive Parental Filters which can easily be set to work on individual devices (rather than globally impacting everyone on the network) 6) System is somewhat expensive (I bought it during a sale) but certainly gives you your money’s worth with a wealth of abilities along with latest technologies. Nb. If you would prefer a cheaper version (about $200 less), there is the CT8 model which looks identical but forgoes some features such as Wi-Fi6 etc resulting in lesser coverage and speed 7) Number of Ethernet ports on each plus a USB port for a printer or storage device (see photo below) 8) Three year warranty plus (based on past experience) good tech support from ASUS

What I didn’t like – 1) I bought “white” units rather than the charcoal as I felt these would better facilitate blending into my home décor with white shelving and light coloured walls. Unfortunately, ASUS thought the best match for these would be charcoal plug packs and charcoal cabling necessitating some judicious hiding of these (not completely possible) 2) High cost (as already mentioned) so do your homework and look around for sales. 3) The app is so well featured it is sometimes a little overwhelming. Unfortunately, ASUS unnecessarily adds to this by trying to give it some sort of “space theme”. The background is a star filled sky with part of the earth visible at the bottom of the screen. Some of the data is graphically presented inside a moving and rotating frame which I can only assume is meant to be some sort of space portal? None of this is required and a much simpler interface with a plain background would have been preferred.

Overall, I’m very happy with this system and the small number of things I’m not particularly happy with are well countered by the features and functionality. It's a big thumbs up here!

Nb. The wall mounting shown in the photo below was not included but was purchased separately as an optional accessory