This tri-band router (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz) has been delivering dependable Wi-Fi to my complete residence for the previous couple of weeks. Video calls, film streaming, and gaming have been silky easy. Stability has been rock stable, with a single firmware replace that took a couple of minutes being the one downtime to this point. The RT-AXE7800 blew away a lot 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 methods just like the Nest Wifi Professional (7/10, WIRED Recommends) and Wyze Mesh Router Pro. It most carefully matched the efficiency of the dearer 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 beneath common. The final system I examined, the Eero Pro 6E, averaged a minute and 14 seconds.
Price Management
There’s a lot to consider when buying a router, so let’s drill into who the Asus RT-AXE7800 is for. Mesh methods could also be tempting, however a single router usually makes extra sense for folk with modest properties. The RT-AXE7800 supplied quicker speeds throughout most of my 1,600-square-foot residence than nearly all of mesh methods 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 support ought to solely tempt you you probably have units able to connecting on that 6-GHz band, it may show very useful for those who dwell in a congested space. In smaller houses or residence blocks the place your neighbor’s routers could trigger interference, connecting on that 6-GHz band may supply massive jumps in velocity and stability. If you happen to 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 methods 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 supplies stable parental controls, enabling you to schedule downtime, filter inappropriate content material, and block particular actions. There’s additionally AiProtection Professional powered by Pattern Micro to ship across-the-board safety, together with a firewall, safety scans, intrusion prevention, malicious web site blocking, and extra. Asus consists of each without spending a dime for the lifetime of your RT-AXE7800 router, which is nice.
You probably have a bigger property, chances are you’ll favor one thing from our Best Mesh Wi-Fi Routers information, although it’s value noting that the AiMesh help right here makes it simple to attach Asus routers to kind a mesh. If you happen to do go this route and use the RT-AXE7800 as your most important router, a wired backhaul is suggested, as you don’t need the routers utilizing your 5-GHz band to attach with one another.
Of us content material to attend slightly longer for Wi-Fi 7 ought to contemplate a less expensive Wi-Fi 6 stopgap from our Best Wi-Fi Routers information. Whereas the RT-AXE7800 is sort of dear, it performs properly, presents greater than equally priced Wi-Fi 6E options, and harbors no hidden charges.