Awesome little mesh system. I didn’t expect any less from ASUS. I live in a 2,000 square foot home and this system covers my whole home perfectly. I paired them through a wireless backhaul and I haven’t lost any connection. I initially paired them through Ethernet cable just for the setup then I placed the node in its final location where it paired with the main router wirelessly. This takes advantage of my full internet speed provided by my internet provider. So happy I went with this mesh system and I highly recommend. Was easy to set up through ASUS App and I set mine up by splitting up the 3 networks, 2.4ghz, 5ghz and 6ghz. I have about 30 devices connected to them and running simultaneously. Combination of wireless security cameras, iPads, media streaming devices computers and PlayStations. Right now that all the kids are out on summer break this system is getting put to the test. So far no negative speed impacts or connectivity issues. Will update my review as I have it longer and if any issues arise.

UPDATE: 6ghz transmitting to my devices couldn’t not be achieved from the nodes only from the main router after I did the software update on the mesh system. After much research from older threads this is what I found. Fix from MKFlyers2K from zentalk.asus.xxx “ASUS' firmware is poop. Any deviation will make 6GHZ not work!

1. Download firmware 3.0.0.4.388_23759 for your version, install that firmware on ALL the ROUTERS!

2. On node unit, turn off via switch.

3. On MAIN Unit, Factory reset via WPS method. Turn off unit. Push and HOLD WPS button with unit off then click on unit, one light will come on then another. Once that light goes off turn off unit and let your finger off the WPS button. Turn the unit back on.

4. On NODE Unit(s), do the same. But first do step(5)

5. Setup main router. Whatever you do, do NOT use/enable SMART CONNECT. Do NOT use anything else other then WPA2 for your 2.4 and 5ghz signals. I dont know why, but these settings have to be as I described. You can mess with pretty much any other setting, but I dont know if that will kill your 6ghz signal at your node. Trail and erro come into play. Also the firmware is VERY finicky. So if 6ghz stops working you may have to repeat the steps above. Again, I dont know why, but that was my experience. ONCE YOU DO ALL OF THAT DISABLE AUTO FIRMWARE UPDATE!

6. Ready for some fun now? Because ASUS' firmware is literal CRAP, do whatever you have to do to get your node to link up to the main router. Once you do the node will be in the spot where you want it or you can place it where you want it. Keep in mind, if you are using a WIRELESS backhaul the 6ghz might not work because it MIGHT be used has your backhaul. Other than that ENJOY your 6ghz on the node now!” Following this fixed all my issues too. Probably reason for some of the bad reviews for these units. Benefited me because I was able to buy some really good used like new units from Amazon. Hopefully this helps some of you.

Revision #2: All of these are now DEAD in less than a year. All 3 died in sequence, I'm assuming from bad firmware updates even though I turned that to auto-off. Probably forced security pushes. I'm not even bothering to try and reset and resurrect them AGAIN. Chalked it up to a really bad purchase and bought the Orbi to replace it all. If negative stars were possible, this would the the winner for that category. In decades of networking experience, I've never seen a product this bad, particularly in recent years.

Revised to 1 star from 3: After a year of owning these, I'm downgrading this mesh system to a hard DO NOT BUY. Not only did their updates brick 2 of the units as described below, I've now had multiple instances of the units requiring hard resets and complete reconfiguration. They are not reliable at all. In addition to the full resets, they have extreme difficulty coming back online after any type of power outage requiring multiple on/off cycles and prayers to have them reconnect. Yanking out the entire system now and replacing with Orbi.

As a network admin, I've owned many mesh systems since their inception and this is the most finicky one I've ever owned. Yes, it has a lot of control features with I appreciate along with wired connections and backhaul which is great if you have a wired house. When it works, it is great. But, when it doesn't...

Within the first 2 months of use, Asus pushed an OTA firmware update that required me to fully reset one of the units to factory settings and completely bricked the second unit so badly I had to send it back to the manufacturer. I had to completely rebuild the network settings from scratch since both died. While they covered the bricked unit for the issue, I had to pay $25 for shipping which was ridiculous as it is was their error. After another OTA update, it broke things again although it was recoverable with hard restarts. After that, I disabled the auto-update feature.

Then, I added a third unit for more robust coverage in an exterior area. It was an absolute PITA to add the third unit. It would not add no matter how I tried, from App to Web interface, including hard wiring it into one of the other units. I finally got it to add by doing a full factory reset on the unit and then adding it through the Web Interface while hard wire connected to the primary controlling unit.

Given that I'm a seasoned technology professional with networking knowledge, I would not recommend these units to anyone without robust tech skills. I'm committed because of course they died the first time after my return window had passed, but I would not recommend if I was buying this again. The firmware/app issues are just too unreliable.

Update after 1 year:

One of the two units died. Totally dead--it wouldn't turn on or anything (not the power adapter). It was less than 1 year old and Asus replaced it quickly, so I'm happy about that--although if this happened after the warranty ended I would not be happy. The replacement was actually a new 2-pack, so now I have an extra router, which is cool, so if another dies I'm still in good shape, but if not my mesh network is even better. Other than that, the units have worked very well and I've had no problems. I think I've only had to reboot them once due to a connectivity issue, whereas modem/router combos provided by ISPs have seemed to require reboots on an almost weekly basis.

Original review:

There were some reviews indicating issues, which worried me a bit, but I experienced none. I'm glad I got an Asus router (lots of options to fiddle with and I can use my old repeater as an AiMesh node). I had it all set up within minutes. After I verified speed and coverage I turned the WiFi radios off on my AT&T BGW-XXX modem/router combo and set this unit's SSID and password to my old one and all (several dozen) devices around my house connected to this with no issue. I'm getting speeds above 500 Mbps in most rooms of my house with pings between 18 and 35 ms. This is a speed increase of 10x in some areas of my house.

Over the weekend I took delivery of the new Asus Zenwifi 6E (ET8) system. I replaced the (unwanted love child) Linksys MX5300 wifi 6 system I've fought with for the last two years. The overall rating is minus a star for the TERRIBLE customer support and documentation.

Pros of the ET8 system:

• Setup of the main router was not very painful. I plugged it in and used the mobile app to configure.

• Coverage (as measured by me) is way better than the Linksys system it replaced. The six Router and mesh units I have working now replaced seven Linksys units. The Linksys still had weak connections even with 7 nodes.

• For the most part the plug and play of the mesh worked (more on this later).

• Speed is basically ~20% faster than the Linksys system for wifi 6 devices.

• The mobile and especially the Web app are outstanding, very configurable.

• Price

Cons of the ET8 System

- Documentation, phone support, Asus product specific web site is horrendous

- One of the units I received with DOA

I am an OLD networking type having worked at two networking companies, so YMMV. In my installation I have to cover (including the garage) four levels and more than 5000 sq feet. I received the 4 units on Saturday afternoon and tore into the packaging. I looked at the quick start documentation supplied and it was useless. Downloaded the mobile app and got started. For the most part the app was very good and I had the router up and running in under 10 minutes. OK cool, the first part is done. Then I tried to optimize the first unit (there's a button on the GUI mobile page), it brought my cable modem down, which I thought was strange. After bring everything back up, I tried it again with the same results. Note to self, stay away from that function for now. Next was to get the mesh up. I plugged the other three devices in and only two showed up in the app. I configured the two that were discovered and it went well. I struggled with the other unit for the rest of the evening. I updated the firmware of the existing mesh and had a great time with the outstanding web app. One of the things I really like about the Asus is almost everything is configurable (especially look under the professional tab in wifi), a far cry from the Linksys where you can't do much of anything.

Next morning I exhausted every option, reset the device (three times), linked the main router through a cable to the DOA unit etc. So I called support, ARG. Support ran me through their checklist, everything I had already done. They had me update the firmware manually didn’t fix the problem. BTW I read the release notes on the firmware update and it had nothing about the problem I was having. Long story short, they said I should send it in for repair. I told them it was new out of the box and to send a replacement, but they don't have stock on hand? They're the manufacturer!. I called Amazon and they sent out a replacement that arrives today.

I’ve been living with it for two days and so far so good (of course except for the DOA device and the coverage needed.). I will post an update when I get the new device and the updated mesh up and running.

Update:

I received the replacement ET8 and plugged it in, it was immediately recognized and was added to the mesh. However things aren't so rosy. When adding the additional node, it brought down the router and when restarting I had to go through part of the initial set up again. I've had one outage in the two days it's been up, a random reboot happened but since then it has been for the most part solid. I have also decided to add the ZenWiFi Pro AXE11000 as the main router. I've noticed some weak spots and poorer coverage in areas of the house especially the garage and think the additional antennas of the AXE11000 will help. My next update will be when those arrive and I have them installed.

Last update.

I received the ZenWifi Pro ET12 two pack yesterday. Having previously installed the ET8 I had a good idea what I was in for. Actually the installation was easier than the ET8, these units are beasts. Used the phone app (and later the web app) to configure. Both the router and node came up easy. I repurposed the ET8s as mesh nodes and they joined easily.. No more dead spots in the house and after the firmware updates it so far has been rock solid. I have 40 various devices connected. I did a speed test, for reference, I have a gigabit coming into the house and tested at the router, and getting the full Gig. The mesh under my Linksys wifi 6 was ~300 megabits at the nodes, under the ET8 ~600 and change. With the new ET12s I'm getting constantly over 700 megabits. I plan on stressing the system today but so far I'm happy with the results. BTW, I should have bought the ET12s out of the gate but thought I could get away with the ET8s, my mistake. Also for reference I am running a router and 5 node mesh with again a mix of ET8s and ET12s.

I recently cut the cord on cable TV and upgraded to 1Gbps (fastest I can go in my area) service to my house. I started out the with typical all-in-one modem-router provided by my ISP but I was having the typical 1st world problem of coverage, lack of flexibility/control, and stability - so I used the money I "saved" on my cable bill to splurge on Mesh WIFI. It was between the Zen and Netgear's Orbi and I ultimately picked Zen - I can't imagine going wrong with either, but the Zen was a bit more "affordable" and I used the "extra" money to pick up a pair of MoCA 2.5 adapters (Hitron HT-EM4) to backhaul the paring mesh node by wire vs. wireless.

I've had them now for several months to see how they would break in and I'm still very pleased with the outcome. The installation was really way too easy - the mobile app install, setup, and configuration UI is really good - kudos to ASUS on the quick guide, the app, and thinking through the setup - everything just worked out of the box.

I have an IT background but I'm not a network engineer by any stretch, I'm familiar enough with the concepts & practice to use some of the more technical features, and was impressed with the flexibility that's available between the "easy" options to protect less technical consumers. QoS for instance can be as functional as picking a category that Zen then interprets by application type to prioritize traffic for you OR you can drill down to MAC level to prioritize traffic explicitly by device with a few more clicks. Nice.

One particular feature that saved the day is the ability to break away from the default DNS gateway - again you can functionally choose from a list of common DNS services or manually set the primary & alternate gateways by IP addresses. My ISP's gateway kept dropping, so having this handy to centrally configure my own DNS gateway settings was fantastic.

There's also some great diagnostic tools, to include speed test that runs from the router on the wire - which I made use of when I switched to my own modem and discovered that the support rep that activated my new modem missed a step and hadn't increased the modem to my subscribed speed (by binding channels). It was a simple mistake, but was easy for me to find with a few clicks on the mobile app. You can run a similar test from your end-device, but it adds in a bunch of extra factors that muddy the number. I was able to use the speed test on the router to show Support the results a close to modem as you can get.

There's a ton more features, to include functional - technical options for firewalls, IP routing, mode of operation, monitoring of inbound & outbound traffic in real-time, logging options, security features, family mode settings (sure wish I had that when my girls were growing up!) etc. I also have made use of the web-based interface built into the unit which affords more advanced features (and UI real estate) and both are well organized and visually enhanced - I was pleasantly surprised at the level of polish.

Although I ultimately got rid of my all-in-one cable company modem-router in place of a dedicated modem to front this router, I did discover for a few weeks that the Zen was able to coexist alongside my cable company's WIFI signal without any real issues.

There are a lot of options out there and I've only real-world testing this particular consumer level solution, but I have a bunch of gadgets from 4 computers, 5 smart TV's, a few Amazon Fires, a half dozen Echos, smart garage openers, cameras, mobile phones, etc. The Zen handles them all in 4k+ sq ft coverage area with options to manage & organize said devices. And.. I've worked from home since COVID and I'm in front of at least one computer nearly all day all the time for conference calls while at the same time running VPN tunnels to my company's secure servers and running remote terminal sessions, while family members are potentially streaming hulu - really happy how solid it's been.

Included in the box are a quick start guide and the associated hardware. The guide lists three different LED colors and related meanings. The LEDs glow all sorts of colors, but what do they mean? Well, it turns out that green means the router is "optimizing." Whatever that means... The trouble is, it optimizes about every 3 minutes. When it is "optimizing" it takes down Wifi and LAN, so that there is no internet access! EVERY THREE MINS! FOR OVER THREE HOURS! How did I find out what "green" means? I had to use my phone.

it took an hour to get the firmware updates to start - apparently, if you start them just after the last optimizing episode, the firmware update will interrupt this "optimizing." Firmware made no difference... constant bounces... The 35 smart light switches and security system, and smart TVs all reminding me via incessant messages to my phone that they could not find their mothers. How sad.

So we took the node offline to force a single router, and yet, with no related note, the router kept optimizing. What was it optimizing? No one knows. Let's get the manual! Surely there must be a manual online! NO THERE ISN'T!! No manual! Asus spent time making a really trick box, but there's no manual. Hmmm.. Search on the Asus page for "LED colors" and "optimizing" and nothing. Have to use Google.

This review/rant is related to the ZenWifi ET8, and NOT the older model. For some reason, Amazon is mixing the reviews together for these two router models.

This is so delightfully overpriced, yet so sadly poorly performing, there is nothing ZEN about this. It one wonder if Asus were intending a practical joke here? The guides, and the web interface pages and menus are so poorly written; they test the lengths of this English professor's generous patience....

Dear Asus, please accept this return with a plea that you release at least half-baked products? This router set isn't even remotely ready for use.

Finally able to write a review after having my ET8 for 2 weeks and its working great. I too experienced node disconnects randomly. I finally changed the Smart connect from its default value of "Dual-band Smart Connect" to "Tri-band Band Smart Connect". Now it hasn't disconnected for 3 days. I'm at peace with my router now.

I also was able to get "Instant Guard" working on my phone using a frontier modem router. You see I have my ET8 behind the Frontier modem router. I always disable WI-FI on the frontier and use the WI-FI on the Asus, This way any time my cable modem router is switched out I don't have to mess with the configuration on my ASUS router. OK, enough of the rambling, here's the secret if you want this setup.

1. Open mobile Asus web app on your phone.

2. Enable "System Settings" -> "Remote connection"

3. Configure the Frontier modem router "Firewall Port Forwarding" to the same settings you are given in Instant Guard web app "Instant Guard" -> "Set up VPN with port forwarding".

4. Enable the web gui "VPN" -> "Instant Guard"

5. Then set the "Instant Guard" -> "Set up VPN with port forwarding" -> DDNS to the "xxxxxxxxx.asuscomm.com" that is displayed in the web gui "VPN" -> "Instant Guard" server IP address.

6. That's it!

7. Note to self: The Frontier modem Public IP Address is dynamic and could change overnight or when working with Frontier tech support. Whenever you leave home, tap connect in "Instant Guard" on your phone to make sure it says "You are protected". If it doesn't, check the Frontier public IP address. If it's changed you will have to set up port forwarding again in the Frontier modem router. Which would entail adding 3 lines (1 for HTTPS TCP VPN port 8444 and 2 for Instant Guard ports 500,4500" in Port Forwarding on your cable modem. Then delete the 3 lines with the old pubic IP address. You may get lucky and your cable modem router public IP address will be static.

That's all for now. I'll update this review If I come across anything else that may be useful.

Update: Make sure you have the latest firmware install.

11/27/2022

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How to stop Asus ZenWiFi AX 6600 (ET8) node disconnects.

1. Login to the web router interface,

2. Go to Advanced Settings,

3. Click on Wireless,

4. Click on the tab that says “Professional”,

5. Enable 802.11ax / WiFi 6 mode,

6. Enable WiFi Agile Multiband,

7. Do steps 5 and 6 for each band 2.4 GHZ, 5 GHZ, and 6 GHZ.

Here's the info on the WiFi Agile multiband:

Wi-Fi Alliance released Wi-Fi Agile Multiband for better Wi-Fi coverage and improved connection speed. Different from the roaming features provided by router companies, Wi-Fi Agile Multiband has much better compatibility for IoT devices.

This feature makes good use of network resources, balances bandwidth over loading, and rearranges clients to uncrowded bands. Wi-Fi Agile Multiband can also reduce the switching time when you walk from one AP to another AP. We've merged the Wi-Fi Agile Multiband feature into our ASUS Routers to provide you a brand new experience in a busy network environment.

7/25/2022 Last Update: I finally received a refund it been months and months of following up and hours of time spent. Their customer service is not the best.

7/21/22 Update: ASUS confirmed they now have both units as of 6/29/22. No refund in sight. However, yesterday they graciously extended my warranty by a month. Why would I need a longer warranty for a product they took back under warranty. I spent about $500 before Thanksgiving and never got a working product. Note: I purchased a new set. The new set is working fine, but still no refund on the original purchase.

The above is no joke, here is the email.

My name is Khori L, and I am contacting you from the ASUS Proactive Care team.

Thank you for your recent post repair survey submission. We have applied a complimentary 1 month standard warranty on top of your original warranty expiration date for the serial number below. Thank you for trusting ASUS with your repair.

Serial Number: M8IG4M202768xxx

Please take note of your case number for reference: N2201046xxx

++++++++++++ Update+++++++++++

5/18/22 Update: They just emailed "POP received, it will take about 30 business days to go. thanks

Please make note of your case number for future reference: N2201046655-0xxx"

==== Review====

I don’t like to leave critical reviews, but I believe it is warranted here.

This 2 pack was purchased in November 2021 and got them up and running just prior to Thanksgiving. Having used apple airport extremes and wired airport express units to create a covered network, I was very impressed with this product. Onboarding was easy. The app is well put together. I truly appreciate the viral and malware protections built in as well as the parental protections.

Kids playing x-box too late? Easy to set up limitations on a device by device basis.

Problem with the Mesh: For those new to building wi-fi networks, heres the dumbed down version. “Use one of these as your router by plugging the modem into it, then use another somewhere else in the house. They talk to each other and the second works as a high speed repeater and builds you a nice wireless network with much more coverage.”

So, one of my units never worked right. (The one I set up as a repeater.) Tech support had me change settings. That’s nice but changing settings did not help with the fact that the unit would power down and go off line.

So tech support had me factory reset. When I tried that it “died”, the thing “bricked”. It simply became unresponsive.

So I tired and tried to explain this to tech support telling them I needed to return it for warranty.

Problem: The only people you can talk to are not allowed to authorize this. They need lots of information. They wanted log files, then other files, then even more files and for me to fill out on line forms again and again.

I did all this explaining that getting the log files from the working unit did nothing for the DEAD unit. DEAD IS DEAD.

After working and working to get this escalated, the escalated team had to escalate again to an RMA team. I had to purchase a mail label and get it sent in.

The RMA station sent an email saying they received in and about 2 hours later another saying “Can’t be fixed we will reach out to confirm replacement.”

Wow, I knew that long ago. Glad it was done. It wasn’t.

A week later I tried to follow up but there was no return email. I had to start at the bottom again, then get the matter re-escalated. Then wait.

Another week later, and they have finally said “we can’t get a new one!” What? You are still selling them on Amazon, but you won’t replace?????

That means to me that EITHER, they cannot run their business well or they know these are bad units and don’t want to bother replacing.

They asked for my Amazon invoice and said they would work on getting me a refund of some sort. So here I am paying over $500 for a system in November 2021 and its now mid May 2022 and the best they can do is try to get me a refund but still no word on that. They have 1 of my broken products and my money.

Do you want to buy one of these now? I would not recommend it. Not after all this.

Muy buen router cumple con su propósito y excelente el wifi 6 recomendado para casas grandes y con muchos aparatos conectados

Even with the negative reviews I was very interested with this unit, and I must say, I don't regret my choice. This router is by far the best router I've ever own. It works flawlessly with the mesh functionality and wifi6 is a lot better than what I'd expected. Also, the router offers dns rerouting for ad blocking and a bon service to connect to your network from anywhere which are two very welcome functionality I wasn't expecting. Also, the design is very sleek and you can decide to turn the led off if you find it annoying.

Works for me no problem. Have had no issues so far, no drop offs no speed issues. Also I have a ton of smart gadgets all working and connected just fine. The 6E backhaul is a charm.

bisher hatte ich einen ASUS RT-AC68U Router, wollte nun auf Wifi 6E Upgraden.

Die deutsche Version ASUS XT8 kann nur Wifi 6, deshalb sollte es ein ASUS ET8 mit Wifi 6E sein, welcher aber nur für den amerikanischen Markt vorgesehen ist. (Warum, kann ich nicht sagen).

Da er aber auch hier auf amazon.de verkauft wird, habe ich ihn bestellt.

Habe ihn noch nicht lange, aber mit dem Router und dem Mesh bin ich vollauf zufrieden. Über 12m und eine Betonwand zeigt er immer noch eine "hervorragende" Verbindung an und bisher kann ich nichts negatives feststellen.

Einzig das Netzteil: Es ist nur für den US-Markt ausgelegt (deshalb nur 4 Sterne) und anfangs habe ich mich mit einem Adapter beholfen, jedoch ist mir das zu gefährlich, da sogar dann, wenn der Stecker halb herausgezogen ist, die Kontakte noch immer unter Strom stehen (siehe Bild).

Deshalb habe ich mir nun ein Ywcking 45W Laptop-Ladegerät für ASUS

(

https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B08NCRGYBF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

) gekauft und an den 1. Mesh-Router angeschlossen und läuft.

Nachher kaufe ich mir noch ein 2. Netzteil und dann habe ich zwar insgesamt 45€ mehr ausgegeben, aber wie ich finde, ist das Ergebnis den Gesamtpreis wert. Würde ich wieder kaufen.

The time machine function is not working, after multiple reformats and attempts at getting the external seagate hardrive to be the time machine. The et8's are dropping my connected devices every 15 or so mins, I changed ISP's thinking it was them, alas no its this ET8. Worth noting, the iPhone 12 pro won't connect to or see the SSID thats wifi 6. Not how I wanted to replace my apple time capsule...