This tri-band router (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz) has been delivering dependable Wi-Fi to my entire residence for the previous couple of weeks. Video calls, film streaming, and gaming have been silky easy. Stability has been rock strong, with a single firmware replace that took a couple of minutes being the one downtime to date. The RT-AXE7800 blew away many of the competitors for velocity and latency at shut vary on each the 5-GHz and 6-GHz bands, and it turned in respectable outcomes over longer distances. Efficiency on the two.4-GHz band was common.
Vary is a weak spot of the 6-GHz band, as Wi-Fi 6E has restricted energy, so it tends to drop off sharply with partitions and different obstacles. However even with these limitations, the Asus RT-AXE7800 matched or bested most different Wi-Fi 6E routers I’ve examined, together with mesh programs just like the Nest Wifi Professional (7/10, WIRED Recommends) and Wyze Mesh Router Professional. It most carefully matched the efficiency of the costlier Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300 (7/10, WIRED recommends).
One attainable weak spot I discovered with the Asus RT-AXE7800 was file switch speeds, a check the place I copy a 2.2-GB file from one PC on the community to a different. It persistently took greater than 4 minutes to finish this switch, which was barely under common. The final system I examined, the Eero Professional 6E, averaged a minute and 14 seconds.
Value Management
There’s a lot to contemplate when shopping for a router, so let’s drill into who the Asus RT-AXE7800 is for. Mesh programs could also be tempting, however a single router usually makes extra sense for people with modest properties. The RT-AXE7800 provided sooner speeds throughout most of my 1,600-square-foot residence than the vast majority of mesh programs I’ve examined. It may’t compete on vary, however I had to enter my yard to really feel that.
Whereas the Wi-Fi 6E assist ought to solely tempt you you probably have units able to connecting on that 6-GHz band, it may show very useful if you happen to stay in a congested space. In smaller properties or house blocks the place your neighbor’s routers might trigger interference, connecting on that 6-GHz band may provide huge jumps in velocity and stability. For those who do business from home with a Wi-Fi 6E-capable laptop computer or telephone and sit near the router (ideally in the identical room), the Asus RT-AXE7800 is an efficient purchase.
Far too many routers and mesh programs these days require costly subscriptions if you’d like parental controls or community safety. The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300 is an efficient instance, the place it prices $170 a yr to get each. Asus offers strong parental controls, enabling you to schedule downtime, filter inappropriate content material, and block particular actions. There’s additionally AiProtection Professional powered by Development Micro to ship across-the-board safety, together with a firewall, safety scans, intrusion prevention, malicious web site blocking, and extra. Asus contains each without spending a dime for the lifetime of your RT-AXE7800 router, which is nice.
In case you have a bigger property, chances are you’ll want one thing from our Finest Mesh Wi-Fi Routers information, although it’s value noting that the AiMesh assist right here makes it straightforward to attach Asus routers to type a mesh. For those who do go this route and use the RT-AXE7800 as your important router, a wired backhaul is suggested, as you don’t need the routers utilizing your 5-GHz band to attach with one another.
People content material to attend a bit of longer for Wi-Fi 7 ought to contemplate a less expensive Wi-Fi 6 stopgap from our Finest Wi-Fi Routers information. Whereas the RT-AXE7800 is sort of dear, it performs properly, provides greater than equally priced Wi-Fi 6E options, and harbors no hidden charges.
