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If you live in an average-sized single-floor apartment, traditional wireless routers are an effective choice for setting up a home network. However, the same cannot be said if you live in a larger multi-story home that could use more planning to ensure coverage for every room.
The best ASUS mesh WiFi systems seek to eliminate the internet dead zones in your home – all without the hassles and frustrations of extenders and repeaters. The ASUS ZenWiFi series of wireless routers give you a range of mesh WiFi options so that you can find the one that best fits your bandwidth needs, the decor of your home, and the construction of your building.
Mesh WiFi gives you high-speed WiFi in every room
The speed of your home wireless network depends on many factors. What level of service does your internet provider offer? How many devices are connected to your network? What wireless standard does your router use?
One of the biggest factors, though, is the distance between your device and the wireless router running your home network. All routers have an effective range—you’ll enjoy the fastest and most stable connections when you’re close to them. That’s why a router that served you well in an apartment or a smaller home might be struggling to reach all the rooms of a new, larger location.
Repeaters or range extenders can help to eliminate internet dead zones in your home, but often with a penalty to performance and convenience. A mesh WiFi network is a much cleaner solution. Put simply, the best ASUS mesh WiFi systems use multiple units, spaced throughout the house, to manage a single network. Behind the scenes, the routers determine in real time which node offers the best signal to your device. They communicate with each other wirelessly or through a wired Ethernet connection (called a backhaul) o that you can ensure that every room has reliable internet.
Fast speeds and effortless style, all in one package
Your home is your refuge, the place that you decorate with elements that fit your style and personality. A wireless router works best when it’s placed in the rooms where you spend the most time on your devices, so it’s important to pick a router that fits the look of your home. If you hide it in a closet or the corner of your basement to keep it out of sight, you may not get the wireless performance that you’re hoping for.
That is why ZenWiFi mesh systems feature understated designs that meld effortlessly with a wide range of interior decor, whether contemporary, minimalist, or modern. The antennas are tucked inside smart, unobtrusive shapes that never look out of place. Depending on the model, you’ll also find black-and-white color options for easy coordination.
The ZenWiFi series rewards close inspection with elegant design details. Their metal-like coating with a brushed finish offers a pleasing texture that fits in easily with your decor and other devices. And the concentric-circle design on top of the unit reflects the calm and peace of mind that you enjoy in a well-designed space.
These design elements offer practical benefits, as well. An overheating router might offer lower performance or need to be rebooted more often, so ASUS implemented specially designed vents behind the tall vertical lines on the side of ZenWiFi mesh routers. These vents allow for plentiful airflow to the circuitry and heatsinks inside, giving you quiet yet effective thermal performance for reliable operation—all in a design that you won’t mind having out on an end table.
Ready for any home layout
With a single traditional router, you generally have to place it near the center of your home and hope that it has the range to reach every room. The best ASUS mesh WiFi systems give you the flexibility to set up the best mesh WiFi network for the layout and shape of your home. Here are some tips for getting the most out of your system.
As with any other router, it’s best to position the units away from concrete walls, large metal objects, and other obstructions that might degrade signal quality. If your home has multiple floors, place the nodes high and close to stairs for better cross-floor signal coverage.
Arrange the ZenWiFi system strategically to get house-wide WiFi connectivity. For best
performance, the optimal distance between mesh nodes is no more than 30-45 feet. If possible, make sure that there’s a clear, obstacle-free line of sight between the nodes. Remember that it’s easy to expand a mesh WiFi system with additional units, so if you renovate your basement or build an addition, you can make sure that you can get high-speed wireless connectivity there, too.
The ZenWiFi AX (XT8) offers award-winning performance
For today’s smart homes, plentiful bandwidth is crucial. Your smart speakers, security systems, smartphones, laptops, and other devices all need reliable connections to perform their work. Perhaps your loved ones all enjoy watching videos from TikTok or YouTube from the comfort of their own devices—not to mention high-resolution 4K content from Netflix, Disney+, or other streaming services.
On top of all that, there may be someone in your home who relies on a high-speed connection for conferencing for work or for competing in online games. If this sounds like your home, the ZenWiFi AX (XT8) will deliver the plentiful bandwidth you need in an easy-to-deploy mesh WiFi system.
This award-winning tri-band system is perfect for a home of power users. Since it has two separate 5GHz bands, the ZenWiFi AX offers 6600Mbps of aggregate bandwidth, and it can use one 5GHz band for a dedicated backhaul and the other to communicate with your devices. For even more reliable performance, you can use a wired Ethernet backhaul as well. The ZenWiFi AX is one of the best mesh WiFi routers for larger homes, as well. Just two of these units give you whole-home coverage for 6+ rooms.
The ZenWiFi XD6 brings mesh networking to a broader audience
Perhaps your bandwidth needs are more modest—you and your loved ones primarily connect to the internet for basic web browsing and social media, and when you do stream a movie or show, you tend to watch it together. Or perhaps existing built-in Ethernet wires in your home make it easy to set up a wired backhaul, making a third wireless band more of a luxury than a necessity. In either scenario, the ZenWiFi XD6 offers the performance you need at a great price.
This dual-band mesh WiFi system offers up to 5400Mbps of aggregate throughput. Through its 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands, it offers both high performance and extended range. Its two nodes are great fit for homes with 4+ rooms. Depending on your region, you may also be able to grab a ZenWiFi XD6 equipped with wall mounts that make it easy to position the nodes right where they’re needed.
Older construction is no problem for the ZenWiFi AX Hybrid (XP4)
Older homes with thick or metal-reinforced walls might need a specialized solution for wireless networking. The ZenWiFi AX Hybrid (XP4) is the best mesh WiFi solution for these buildings. Even in a home with thick stone walls, reliable high-speed internet connections can still be a reality.
The key trick up the ZenWiFi AX Hybrid’s sleeve is a wide array of backhaul options. As with the other ZenWiFi systems, you can use a wireless or Ethernet backhaul, but with this system, you can also use powerline networking.
With HomePlug AV2 support, you can use the existing electrical wiring in your house as network backhaul—giving you the stability of wired Ethernet with the convenience of a wireless connection. Through the AC power outlets in your home, you can make sure that your nodes can connect to each other and get wireless networking coverage to every room.
Easy setup, easy security
Whichever ZenWiFi system you choose, the setup process is a breeze. The free ASUS Router app takes care of all the technical details—just connect one node to your modem, plug both units in, and follow the steps in the app. Flexible naming options will let you name your WiFi networks as you prefer: a single name for everything or separate names for each frequency band.
These ZenWiFi systems also enjoy robust AiProtection network security features. Right out of the box, your router will help block malicious websites from compromising your devices and data. Thanks to a lifetime subscription to automatic upgrades from Trend Micro, your router will always have an up-to-date list of restricted URLs and servers, too. And with Instant Guard virtual private network (VPN) tech, you can enjoy that same level of protection when you’re away from your home. After an easy setup process, a couple of taps are all it takes to establish a secure connection when you’re out in public and connected to free WiFi networks.
The best ASUS mesh WiFi systems
For larger homes, homes with multiple stories, or buildings with thick and dense walls, a traditional wireless router might not have what it takes to deliver a reliable, high-speed signal to every room. While wireless repeaters and extenders are an option, they’re often frustrating to use on a daily basis. For most people, a mesh WiFi system just makes more sense.
ZenWiFi mesh wireless systems make it easy to set up a home network that delivers the bandwidth you need to every floor and every room. They offer an elegant style that coordinates easily with your home decor. And the free and easy-to-use ASUS Router app offers hassle-free setup and robust security options. If you’re struggling with internet dead zones in your home, upgrade your home network with a ZenWiFi mesh WiFi system to enjoy high-bandwidth, reliable wireless connectivity in every room of your house.
