The Adaptive QoS is a common feature available in all Asus routers and is one of the most easy-to-use QoS features among all home routers. For a wireless mesh, it’s important to note that the scores in the charts here are those of the best-case scenario, per the way I do my standard testing. Specifically: This feature is a huge optional time saver if you have many settings, such as IP reservation and port-forwarding entries. The standard set of network settings and features: These include IP reservation, Port-forwarding, VPN server, and some Alexa Skills. And you can even combine it with the GT-AXE11000 to turn your mesh into a gaming Wi-Fi system. In this case, the ZenWiFi Pro ET12’s cool-looking hardware will also fit nicely.

Each router looks like a large square tower topped with a transparent section. Through the clear plastic, you’ll note the eight internal antennas at the corners and sides in positions supposedly optimized for the coverage. What is your recommendation, please? Will I regret not going with ET12? Are there key points I’m not considering? From all of my reading, it seems that not considering the price, all of these systems would perform better than my current setup…and be somewhat future proof for few years. But I can’t figure out if these new systems can handle Wifi5 better. I think I am suffering from a severe case of too much information! 🙂 On 6GHZ, speeds were generally high and in line with some of the best mesh systems I’ve tested in this location, such as the remarkable Orbi RKBE963 system. If you’re looking for 6GHz Wi-Fi to transform your Wi-Fi experience, it’s not so straightforward.Overall, I think this router looks and feels like a premium device, and one-ups the design of something like an eero Pro 6E and Orbi RBKE963. It may even pass the AmpliFi Alien, depending on how you feel about underglow lighting. If, for example, you already have a high-end router like the ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000, you can use the ZenWiFi Pro ET12 nodes to expand your coverage. You can also use some slower and more compact nodes like the ZenWiFi ET8 to expand your mesh without giving up 6GHz connectivity. Per Asus’ naming convention, X is short for Wi-Fi 6 (802.11a x), and E is for Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax e). The letter T signifies that these are Tri-band broadcasters — they both have three Wi-Fi bands. The tech specs of the Asus ZenWiFi Pro ET12 are dazzling, starting of course with the Wi-Fi 6E support. Remember that your other devices will need to be capable of Wi-Fi 6E connectivity to get the best speeds, but older Wi-Fi standards are of course supported as well. Across the three bands offered by the unit – 2.4GHz, 5GHz and the newly introduced 6GHz – you can get speeds up to 11,000Mbps and cover more than 550 square metres, which should be more than enough for most people's needs. Coming to wireless connectivity, the ZenWiFi Pro ET12 is tri-band and supports one 6GHz, one 5GHz and one 2.4GHz band. If you are using a wired mesh method, you can have all three bands available for your clients or devices and this is the best option to use with this router. If you prefer meshing it wirelessly then the ZenWiFi Pro ET12 will try to connect the units over the 6GHz band as that will likely be the least crowded band.

Speaking of the price, there simply aren’t too many home users that need to spend this much money on a Wi-Fi solution. It can be tempting to go all out on a Wi-Fi system like this, but with so much speed available on cheaper systems, it can be hard to recommend spending this much money on a two-piece mesh kit. If I were to upgrade my routers to a multi-gig wired setup, could I run both units from a pair of ET12s in AP mode and combine them with, say, a GT-AX6000 in router mode? I realise the combo wouldn’t play nice in AIMesh, but I don’t need 6GHz support at the router location (nice-to-have at AP locations though!) and prefer manual control over channel numbers. As far as performance is concerned, the Asus ZenWiFi Pro ET12 was able to max out my Internet connection on 5GHz WiFi using my iPhone 14 Pro which is 600Mbps down and 100Mbps up. I could also connect to the 6GHz band using my Pixel 7 Pro but, as expected, the speeds remained the same. With the WAN supporting 2.5G, there is plenty of headroom even if your ISP supports Gigabit plus connections. Wi-Fi Encryption : WPA2-PSK, WPA-PSK, WPA-Enterprise , WPA2-Enterprise , WPA3-Personal, WPS support

ASUS ZenWiFi Pro XT12

The process of setting up mesh equipment like this is usually the same no matter what manufacturer you're dealing with. One unit plugs straight into your router, the other unit goes somewhere else in your home, and they both talk to each other to blanket all of your rooms in high-speed Wi-Fi. There's usually an app to guide you through everything as well, which is the case here too. QoS” stands for the quality of service, and it enables users to prioritize Internet traffic to support different applications or services.

It’s the second Asus home router I’ve tested with two Multi-Gig ports. (The RT-AX89X has one SFP+ port.) And that’s great!

This two-piece mesh system uses Wi-Fi 6E to keep speeds as high as possible, whether you have 6GHz devices or not.

As a standalone router, the ZenWiFI Pro ET12 did exceptionally well. The router delivered excellent coverage, rivaling that of the GT-AX6000. RJ45 for 2.5G BaseT for WAN x 1, RJ45 for 2.5G BaseT for LAN x 1, RJ45 for Gigabits BaseT for LAN x 2 If you like your home networking kit to look like it's been borrowed from the set of the latest Star Wars movie, then you'll love the look of the two units that make up the Asus ZenWiFi Pro ET12. I’ve been testing (and using) the ZenWiFi Pro ET12 for almost a month and, for the most part, am happy with it. I’ll continue to use it and will update this review if I run into anything worth mentioning.

Dual-band vs Tri-band vs Quad-band Wi-Fi: What’s the deal? Nice design, two Multi-Gig ports, no USB

ASUS uses its AiMesh platform with both the ZenWiFi line and its standalone routers. That means you can build a mesh with almost any modern ASUS system. The ZenWiFi Pro XT12 is a traditional Tri-band with an additional 5GHz band (the 5GHz-2). So it has 2.4GHz and two 5GHz bands (5GHz-1 and 5GHz-2). So, while this app is convenient and fun to use, it can cause issues if you mess around too much. AiProtection