GT-AX11000

I have installed the ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 on July 28th, 2019, and so far, I can not praise this router enough. I am a computer system builder and have dealt with all sorts of home and small business networking scenarios over the last 10+ years and the Asus units are by far the easiest to set up and the best in features/performance with the right unit purchased. Installation: Installing the ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 was extremely easy. You do NOT need a computer with Ethernet connections to configure or set it up. It is an option, but if you own a tablet or smartphone, a simple app download will get you up in running in no time. I downloaded the Asus router app from the Google Play store. I powered down my ISP's modem, connected the router to it, and then booted the modem. I waited for it to establish a connection, then booted up the ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AX11000. I waited a few moments for the router to start communicating with the modem and then launched the Asus Router app on my Samsung S10 smartphone. The app found the router without issue, and after a couple of clicks and setting the signal properties and passwords, I was connected and online. It all took less than 5 minutes. Asus has really simplified the configuration and setup process. Shortly after connections where established, it found a firmware update, and I installed it. Once rebooted, I was back online and ready to go. Features: This router, as well as several other Asus higher-end models, has a FANTASTIC user interface with a slew of options to customize, control, and configure your network. This makes it super easy to monitor your internet/bandwidth usage. In my network, I have an online printer, 3 desktops, 4 smartphones, 2 tablets, and a smart TV all belonging to various family members. The Asus router app will show a complete list of all the devices that have been connected to it. If the device is online and connected to the router at that moment, you can see in real-time the amount of traffic that is being uploaded/downloaded to and from that device. If that device is turned off, it is added to the 'Offline' devices, but still available to be configured in the app. Once a device is connected, you will see it's standard ID name (example - Android 4.4, etc if it is an android phone). You can then rename that device so you can identify it easier. So for example, let's say one of your kids connects their phone to the wifi. You can rename it to 'Joey's Cellphone' and then not only monitor how much traffic is going to/from the phone, but you can limit the bandwidth it sends and receives, and even, with a simple tap of a button, you can turn off the signal entirely so the device no longer has access to the router/internet. You can also set up a schedule of when that device can receive a signal from the router. This is extremely handy if you want to limit a user's online time. If a family member has multiple devices, you can group those devices all together under a single user account, and turn access on/off for all that user's devices with a simple tap of the button. I do a lot of video and audio work, and one of my connected devices is a NAS (network-attached storage unit). One of the features of this router that I found useful was the 'IP Binding' feature. Wat this will do is, it will take a mac address of a certain device, and once that device is powered on/connected, it will assign a specific IP number to that device every single time that device connects to the router. It's somewhat like a static IP address, but without the hassle of all the extra configuration steps. This is helpful to me because, with my NAS, I have mapped network drives on my Windows 10 computer. If the network loses power in any of the devices, there is a chance when the NAS re-connects that it'll get a different IP number, which will force me to have to disconnect all mapped network drives from the NAS and re-map them with the new IP number. With IP Binding, the router will make sure that the NAS, as well as any other device I configure with it, will get the same IP number at all times. Signal Strength: This router has fantastic signal strength. I do not have my router places in the best of places. It's on the bottom shelf of my workstation on the second floor, with a few pieces of computer gear sitting next to it. I still receive 5 bars of 2.4Ghz signal all over the house, and I get a steady 3 or 4 bars of 5Ghz service. This is in a home with an outer wall and inner wall of solid concrete block from the foundation to the roof, with 6 inches of dead air space between them. So there is a lot that signal has to penetrate through in order to reach the devices. I have been online with this router for about 4 days now. In all my testing, I can not say I have run across any issues so far. Connected to my network at random times, I have 3 desktops, 1 laptop, 4 smartphones, 2 game consoles, a tablet, and a Kindle. With having Gigabit internet through my ISP, I have pushed this router pretty hard at times while testing it. My hardest test so far, I simultaneously had Netflix streaming on 2 devices, online gaming on another, doing large file transferring/downloading from the NAS AND internet on another. All devices combined were pulling from all 3 radio bands this router offers. I had no buffering or lag issues on any of the devices. So far, I have ZERO complaints about this router. I have been doing home and small business networking for over 10 years, and this is by far the best networking purchase I have ever made. I highly recommend this router at this point. If I hit any issues in the future, or it doesn't stand the test of time, I will come back to update this review!

********* Updates ********* 3/31/2019 - New firmware 3.0.0.4.384_5977. Haven't had chance to use for too long yet but issue with device list has been fixed, and it seems now I can just restart Node without restarting router then node in the specific order. Still no second 5GHz band usable to Smart Connect. - Added Advanced feature section as I got to use some of those features. 3/13/2019 - Update second 5G band direct connection section (only connects to router but not node). - Update Setup section, as for me reboot router and node order makes difference. - Added Router/Node switch Section 2/26/2019 - After 3 weeks of experience, o Update AiMesh and stability sections, now up from 3 stars to 4 stars features. See detail in corresponding sections. o Discovered that second 5GHz band can be used as separate SSID in AiMesh mode. (forced dual band section) o ASUS support very disappointing. o Simplified conclusion ********* ********* ********* Outside of the price, the specs on this router is currently unbeatable. Just to list a few amazing features that this router offers: 1. Wifi 6 support 2. AiMesh feature 3. VPN Fusion feature 4. Extensive customization options 5. Gamer’s optimization (I cannot comment on this feature as I do not use this feature). ********* ★★★★★ Features ********* +++++ Speed +++++ The router performance is great. In proximity to the router, I can get 500-600 Mbps Wifi internet download speed with 2016 Macbook Pro as well as Ipad Mini 4 on my 1Gbps service. Even at distance when connected to 5GHz band, I can get upper 300’s Mbps download at least 30 ft away from the router. +++++ Range +++++ Our 3800 sqft two story house needed 3 Orbi Mesh system or 3 Eero Pro system to cover end to end with adequate speed. A single GT-AX11000 covers most of our home except one end of the basement, likely due to concrete wall. To put into the objective number, Orbi was fast and I could get 200+ Mbps Wifi download speed throughout my home, but very unstable. So I moved onto Eero. Eero got very stable system without a hiccup, running for months, but there were areas where my speed went down to 80's or even lower Mbps for download. A single GT-AX11000 can get me 200+ Mbps throughout the house where the signal is reachable as long as connected to 5GHz band. With AiMesh, most part of house I get 300+ Mbps and the worst area where I have no AiMesh Node, I still get 200+ Mbps. Though AiMesh to other Mesh network system I had are not directly compared here because I only got 1Gbps service recently and previously had only 400 Mbps service and also I did not have Ethernet back-haul option before. Nonetheless, I’m happy with coverage. +++++ Advanced Features +++++ Although there are many features that I do not use or don't know how to use, lately as I set up more smart home device/home automation system, I've been impressed by what this router offers as otherwise, it could have got a bit more work. 1) Static IP: Ax11000 allows single toggle button to each of its connected devices to get Static IP, which is based on MAC address of the device and handled by router side, so even after reboot of the router, this feature remains. If needed, even laptop/tablet can use this so going out of network and back is hand-free. 2) VPN Server: Fairly readily set up to remotely log into home network. 3) Free DDNS: This is run by ASUS and let you point to your home network router by NAME.asuscomm.com. This allows remote accessing of home devices easy as we do not have to worry about ISP changing your IP address and reconfigure VPN access etc. ********* ★★★★☆ Features ********* +++++ WIFI 6 support +++++ This is certainly one of the main reasons to choose this router. The potential gain of WIFI 6 (802.11ax) standard is huge including speed boost, battery saving, and more simultaneous device connection. However, in order to see these benefits, supporting client device is needed. Recently, Samsung announced their latest phones to feature these, but I currently don’t own any client device. Also, Ax standard is still a draft version, so final version may have additional features that this router may not support (who knows). Basically, this is the future proof but not yet testable at the time. +++++ Setup +++++ As a standalone router, set up was easy. As an AiMesh system, the initial set up was also easy enough. However, once I change some parameters, the router goes offline and I must reboot the router and node manually. These should be automatic. Also, in my case default setting of AiMesh did not work so well. [3/13/2019] As part of other home network change/upgrade, I occasionally need to turn of Mesh Node. But when I do so, in order to get solid network back, I have to restart router first and wait until it is fully up, then turn Mesh Node on. Otherwise, system acts up. +++++ AiMesh +++++ This is another major reason why I chose this router. AiMesh feature allows ASUS routers to act as true Mesh system. Advanced users can potentially implement Mesh like system using Access Point and/or Repeater mode of routers, but this requires lots of tuning like selecting proper Channel to avoid conflict, selection of Roaming parameters etc. Dedicated mesh system is simple but lacks customization option. AiMesh allows us to buy new and the latest, feature rich router and turn that into new router then use older routers to be satellite node to cover better range of house. This is a brilliant concept. For this reason, I have purchased two ROG GT-AX11000 routers. Initially by default setting, I had constant drop out of AiMesh node (satellite). This was fixed by making node into Ethernet mode where default setting was AUTO mode. The latter mode supposed to automatically choose the best connection either Wireless or Ethernet backhaul. In my case, I found out it tried to switch to Wireless but signal was too weak (as I intentionally placed in the area with weak signal), and then disconnects and instead of reconnecting to Ethernet, node went offline. Ever since the change, not a single event of node drop. +-+-+- Stability +-+-+- I have HEOS speaker network system. Originally when I got HEOS speakers, I thought it was the HEOS that was faulty system as some speakers kept disappearing from the App device list. But later I found out, it was the Orbi mesh network issue. This is because after switching to Eero mesh network, I had never had this issue once again. After fixing AiMesh node into Ethernet backhaul mode, this got better; however, I still experienced occasional sudden, device not connected to internet. After doing online research, I eventually changed setting to disable MU-MIMO, universal beamforming and airtime fairness options on both 5GHz and 2.4 GHz bands, and also enabled quality of service in media/internet surf mode. Ever since these changes, the Wifi went rock solid without any drop out. I had 7 solid days without a single reboot. As I do other home network upgrading, I have to turn them off every once and awhile. So mid-term stability is rock solid with appropriate setting, but figuring these on my own were not easy, and I don’t expect everyone get as lucky. ********* ★★★☆☆ Features ********* +-+-+- Many customization options +-+-+- Stand-alone router system has advantage over Mesh system for more sophisticated customization options to the advanced users. AX11000 has nothing short in terms of these options. This is great for advanced users, but for trouble shooting, too many options make impossible to figure out exactly what’s causing the problem. I think ASUS should make default setup so network stability is the highest priority then let user play around to get more optimized, faster speed. +-+-+- AiMesh Forced Dual Band +-+-+- In tri-band systems, AiMesh uses second 5GHz band for dedicated Wireless back-haul. This makes sense as keeping solid connection between the router and node is crucial in mesh network system, and Mesh system like Orbi uses this technology as well. However, what does not make sense is when I have the connection set to Ethernet mode (not AUTO), I see no reason to keep blocking the band. Basically, the router and node are now appears as dual-band system, which we can buy for cheaper price. There is a rumor on Internet forum, this may be reverted in future firmware update. [3/13/2019] It turned out the second 5GHz band is usable by disabling hidden SSID option. If you try to change the name to match Smart Connect SSID, you get an error though. Also, this band is only accessible on main router and not on Mesh Node. +-+-+- Router/Node switch +-+-+- In an ideal world, transition from router to node connection should be smooth and user shouldn’t even notice when the switch happened. In my case, this is a mixed experience. Sometimes device sticks to the original router or node despite the other is closer and even experienced a complete device disconnect when transition is happening. This sensitivity; however, is configurable by user in AiMesh. One need to change RSSI setting. I changed mine and it seemed to work better. However, I wish ASUS implement something so that RSSI value is automatically adjusted based on day to day statistics or at least suggest user to change RSSI values. This is probably one of the most important parameter to adjust to get optimal Mesh experience. ********* ★★☆☆☆ Features ********* ----- VPN Fusion ----- Another great feature on paper by ASUS. This feature allows individual device to go through specific VPN service using a single router/network. Previously, I had my old router set up to connect to VPN and devices that I want to connect to the VPN had to switch to the router. This feature can be a 3 stars because I was able to get this working with some VPN service such as Express VPN, but not others. However, those that do not work on this router works on ASUS Merlin firmware installed another router, so I believe it is not VPN server side issue. Basically, I see VPN connected on both server side and router menu; however, internet becomes inaccessible. To make it even worse, it affects entire network rather than just the device I associate with the VPN. Since this is one of the feature ASUS advertise, and I see as relatively unique to only some of ASUS routers, I hope to see this fixed. ----- Devices disappearing from Network List ----- [Update 3/31/2019] Firmware 3.0.0.4.384_5977 has resolved this issue. ----- AiMesh Node not configurable ----- It makes sense for some features to be non-selectable/configurable on AiMesh node as the purpose of mesh system is to make one change and reflect to all as a whole system. However, some feature like “light” on node should be individually configurable. ----- Aesthetics ----- It looks like a giant spider. ********* ★☆☆☆☆ Features ********* ----- ASUS Customer Service ----- I have submitted my issues on the Ax11000 soon after I received the first router. ASUS occasionally sent me email saying they are still working on then referring to special tech, which sounded a good customer care. However, they were all templated e-mails and most likely just to buy a time. After 3 weeks of wait, the response was very disappointing without any content that’s useful. ********* ALTERNATIVE CONSIDERATIONS ********* The main reason to choose this router is its WIFI 6 support. Currently, there are relatively limited options for WIFI 6 compatible routers, but many more are on its way. So why did I choose this over the other options? Noteworthy alternatives are ASUS AX88U, Netgear RAX120 and TP Link Archer AX11000. Vs. ASUS Ax88U Ax88U is cheaper and also supports AiMesh. But it's a dual band, lacks VPN fusion feature and theoretical speed rating is 6000. So technically, ROG Ax11000 is better in all the specs. However, when used in AiMesh with Ethernet back-haul, I am losing a band anyways with current firmware, so Ax88U is likely to give the same performance with cheaper price. Vs. TP Link Archer AX11000 This router also has 11000 speed rating. Furthermore, TP Link announced AiMesh equivalent OneMesh feature. Up on reviewing online, I just saw ASUS router gets higher rating in general and longer support from the company. But prior to current purchase, I've never had ASUS or TP Link router, so I just went with what I read. Also another feature I wanted was VPN Fusion but TP Link had no mention about this type of technology. Vs. Netgear RAX120 Out of all system, I think this was the biggest alternative option for me. RAX120 has multigig LAN ports up to 5Gbps whereas, ROG GT-Ax11000 only has one 2.5 Gbps LAN port. However, RAX120 is 6000 speed rated with dual band. Netgear does not have direct competitor technology of AiMesh but has Orbi like Extenders with Ethernet back-haul option, but I felt conceptually AiMesh sounded better with more flexibility. For instance, if times comes and I really need 5Gbps or even 10Gbps LAN port, I can purchase next generation ASUS router with such feature and use both AX11000 as AiMesh node. Vs. Other AX Mesh systems Orbi, TP Link, and Arris will have Wifi 6 Mesh systems this year. I like and need Mesh system at home, but if we can get the Mesh functionality with more option/flexibility why would I choose more restrictive system? (Other than simplicity). ********* Conclusion ********* On paper, ROG Ax11000 is undoubtedly the best router on the market including what's coming in near future. As a single router, this deserved 5 stars for sure. In AiMesh mode, I had originally struggled due to network stability issue. I was lucky enough to solve this on my own with internet search; however, ASUS tech support was no help. I would have returned the devices if I couldn’t have solved the issue. Since default setting did not work smoothly, I expect there will be others having the same or some different issues, and may consider this device may be unusable in AiMesh mode. So I’d give 4 stars for AiMesh setting because set up can be very tricky but once one figures out, it works better than other Mesh system I owned in the past. In the future, I hope VPN Fusion feature to be fully functional, third band to be optionally opens up in AiMesh mode and node to be configurable at least to some extent.

Update July 8,2021: 8 months of 24/7 connections to over 53 devices. Not a single problem. Took the router from the desk it was sitting on the basement and put it on top of a 6’ ladder, now Wi-Fi in the whole house, so I haven’t gotten the Asus node (don’t need it yet). For peace sakes I do have it to automatically reset twice/week around 4am, you set it up in admin settings. It was able to tell me the exact websites any device visits at any particular time, so I was able to catch kids wondering around the internet during school hours. Solid Router!!! Virtual school, teleworking and gaming worked as it should. My gaming ping is always under 40ns (anything under 60ns is good) I would buy again and definitely recommend. The lifetime “WTF” What The Fast subscription is embedded on the router, it really does work, for pc gaming it’s a most. Using a power house of a router running pfSense for my home network security. Unless you are an IT professional the upkeep for the true benefits of pfSense are not worth it in a home network. pfSense is an amazing free router software when paired with enterprise components is awesome, but my needs of Wi-Fi mesh for a happy wife instead of individual Wi-Fi access points made me pair my amazing router with the Orbi mesh solution. So far it has been amazing. Now 2 1/2 years later we are wanting Wi-Fi 6. Awesome Wi-Fi 6 mesh solutions are gonna cost you. 3 main things I wanted to accomplish inside a $700 budget for upgrade. 1-Home network Security 2-Powerful Wi-Fi 6 mesh 3-Play online gaming with true open NAT This router is fenomenal. It comes with free lifetime Trendmicro security with more than capable parent controls. I can assign individual ip to a devices and create profile. Now son has 3 devices under son. I can then assign to son OpenDNS home DNS service and keep him safe without me having to do anything else. I can use google DNS for game consoles and so on. My internet of things (IoT’s) are connected on the guest Wi-Fi with the 2.4ghz channel restriction so it won’t hog my other 2 bands. I can also put the guest network or in my case IoT’s network on a bandwidth restriction. Ok, now the awesome parts of security. I can put all IoT’s through a VPN and all personal computers and gaming console out. Split VPN works phenomenal on this router. Individual DNS per profile. Time schedule per profile. I can see all websites people go on my network. I can see traffic and bandwidth per ip and even apps. So far for home routing network this is pretty good. I know that having to trust Trendmicro with your information can be uncomfortable, but you can fix that by having your personal phones and computers use a VPN on the device itself. So I’m running router level VPN for all IoT’s and device lvl VPN while keeping game consoles and streaming devices of the VPN’s and this router doesn’t even blink. With Trendmicro All my IoT’s are protected like I had an IT guru working for me. Next is the Wi-Fi mesh. My hose is 2 floors plus the basement. Is around 3,900 sq ft counting the basement. I had an Orbi on basement and the other on the 2nd floor. This way it would cover my whole house. I tried many single access points but it would always sacrifice one floor the best was in the middle but even then the outermost parts of the house signal was very bad, or not good enough to FaceTime. So I got Wi-Fi extenders and it got boring havin to change from one SSID to another. That’s why we went to mesh. This router does what I want for my home security so far so good, how about MESH. It’s rated for 5000 sq ft so I thought my house is only 3,900 sq ft it should work, but if it doesn’t I can always get this router as primary router and then get another Asus router for my mesh needs. The second router would become a node. So you an get this and add on to it later as you need it. So with a $700 budget I’m down $400 so this gives me some space for another aimesh capable router form Asus. I put this router in the worst place in the hose. Not the middle but on one side of the far left wall in the basement. Only one device fails to connect on the 2nd floor far right wall, a lamp switch. If I use a laptop, no problem but a small $5 Alexa switch don’t have the power to reach that far away router. I have Wi-Fi in the whole house. Basement and 1st floor I see over 1,000 Mbps connections and on 2nd floor drops down to 300Mbps. If the connection is 1,000 in Wi-Fi my true speed is 500Mbps which is half, but my internet connection is only 300Mbps so internet is not a problem for more than 3/4 of my house. I can easily FaceTime anywhere in my house with any device with this single router. Router assigns best band per device so my laptop can change form 2.4ghz to 5ghz as needed but IoT’s are restricted. So no need to get another router for mesh, in my case. So I’m gonna get a 2.5Gb switch (Qnap for about $100) since this router comes with a 2.5Gb port now I can easily upgrade my internal home network to 2.5Gb with out changing lan cables. If you are a true online gamer you have heard of network bloating. Do a speed test turn on adaptive QOS and input 95% of your service bandwidth. I scored A+ A+ A+ in dslreports bloating test report. I tried to fix that problem with pfSence but running multiple VPNs always interfered with the boating part. All and all I think I got my money’s well worth. The router has very good hardware and the software is truly geared for home security and gaming. This is exactly what I was looking for and what I would have expected at this price point. This router does 3 guest networks so you can separate IoT’s even more or leave IoT’s one one and give your guest a totally new one with no restrictions on bands. It has features only found on Buisness class routers it’s just worded different for their intended costumers. Split VPN is called VPNfusion and multiple SSID’s is like virtual lans for Wi-Fi only found on enterprise access points and DDRT software. So far I’m loving this router, I’m just afraid that it will flip over and chase me up the stairs. Future proof, signal strength, security, and gaming capable, this router is well worth it. I was forced to put it in the basement because it looks horrendous. I did not buy for looks I bought it for it’s features which in my case far exceed the Asus XT8 which looks amazing but can’t do everything I can. In the future I can use this router as primary and add-on a single XT8 zen router by Asus as a node, those look good and also have a 2.5Gb port. If you want to future proof your network you have to start thinking 2.5Gb because Wi-Fi 6 has over 3Gb bandwidth so your Wi-Fi will be faster than anything connected through wires. At least with 2.5Gb it won’t be too far apart.

Hey there, fellow gamers! So, I recently got my hands on the ASUS ROG Rapture WiFi 6 Gaming Router, and man, it’s a game-changer for my online gaming sessions! First things first, this router is all about speed. With WiFi 6 technology, it’s like my internet got a turbo boost. I’m talking faster and more reliable connections, reduced lag, and smoother gameplay. It’s like the difference between riding a bicycle and zooming down the highway in a sports car. Seriously, no more frustrating lag spikes ruining my gaming experience! Setting up this bad boy was a breeze. The user-friendly interface and step-by-step instructions made it a piece of cake. I had it up and running in no time, and I didn’t need a degree in rocket science to figure it out. It’s perfect for tech-savvy gamers and even those who are a bit less tech-inclined. Now, let’s talk about range. The ASUS ROG Rapture WiFi 6 Gaming Router has some serious reach. I can game in my bedroom, the basement, heck, even out in the backyard, and still enjoy a stable and fast connection. No more dead zones or weak signals killing my gaming vibes. It’s like having my own personal gaming hotspot. One thing I love about this router is its gaming-focused features. It’s like it was tailor-made for us gamers. The Game Boost feature prioritizes gaming traffic, ensuring a smooth and lag-free experience. Plus, with the built-in WTFast game accelerator, I can connect to game servers lightning fast, giving me that competitive edge. It’s like having a secret weapon for dominating the virtual battlefield. In terms of design, the ASUS ROG Rapture WiFi 6 Gaming Router looks pretty sleek. It’s got that cool gamer aesthetic with RGB lighting and all. I mean, who doesn’t love a router that adds a touch of style to your gaming setup? It’s like having a mini light show while you’re busy fragging your opponents. Okay, let’s keep it real. This router isn’t the cheapest option out there, but you definitely get what you pay for. If you’re serious about your gaming and want top-notch performance, this bad boy is worth the investment. It’s like having a personal internet powerhouse in your gaming lair. In conclusion, the ASUS ROG Rapture WiFi 6 Gaming Router is a game-changer for us gamers. It delivers lightning-fast internet speeds, excellent range, and gaming-focused features that enhance the overall experience. Get ready for lag-free battles, seamless connections, and dominating the virtual world with this router by your side! Disclaimer: This review is based on my personal experience with the product, and I didn’t receive any compensation or incentives for writing it. So yeah, this is just me sharing my honest thoughts and excitement about the ASUS ROG Rapture WiFi 6 Gaming Router.

I bought this router on Nov. 4th, 2019, here on Amazon. I wanted to use it for a while before posting a review. This is a great router if you have DSL or pick up a Wi-Fi signal from somewhere. First, this has a very huge administration page if you like to make a lot of adjustments to your router. For me it was a little intimidating at first, but I grew to like it. Secondly, and the reason I took off one star. I access the internet by tethering my phone (Samsung S20 Ultra) to the USB port on the back of the router. Around a week ago Sprint moved me over to the 5G network. The router USB hub only works for 4G LTE/CDMA according to ASUS. Now it is having problems staying connected. I contacted ASUS about this and got and apology, but they have no future plans to upgrade the USB ports for 5G at this time. This is a very expensive router not to have foreseen the need for 5G. I did reset my phone to 4G, but I am not happy about this. I will probably try to resell this router or give it to a family member. Prior to the 5G rollout this was a great router, and I was very happy with it. I feel that ASUS needs to allow for future upgrades of this kind with this large of a price tag. This is just my opinion and yours may vary. Update: after extensive conversations with Sprint Advanced Technical Support, there are problems with the Samsung S20 series of phones and 5G. Supposedly Samsung is aware of this and are working on a software update. Also, although the USB ports on this router are hardware, there is software for them that can be updated for 5G. Hopefully ASUS will address this issue in the new future. Update -1/21/2022 -- Spoke with ASUS support yesterday, (what is now almost 2.5 years later since I purchased this router) and they still do not know if the USB 4G LTE ports will be updated to support 5G. Again, very disappointing for this price. Update - 11/06/2022 -- Unfortunately, around 6 months ago the router began to disconnect 2-3 times a day. I could unplug the cable or turn the router off/on, and it would correct itself. Then a couple of days ago the red light came on and stayed on (I call this "the red light of death). No ethernet internet, but the wi-fi works. I have T-Mobile Home Internet and no longer tether a cell phone for internet and the speeds are great per Speed Test. However, all my research indicates that once the red light comes on and stays on the router will have to be sent back to ASUS. Update - 11/08/2022 -- Hooray. I fixed the "red light/no internet" issue. I could not access the internet via an ethernet connection for 8 days. If anyone is having this issue and cannot connect to the internet, there is a fix. Go to the Microsoft Store on your phone and download the "ASUS Router app." I am guessing that I changed something in the settings for my router that my computer/router did not like. The ASUS GT-AX11000 has a very complex administrator setting system unless you are extremely savvy for these types of settings. I am still not sure exactly what happened, but I was able to apply new settings and update the firmware through my phone. Now the router works just like it did prior to the red light/no internet problem. Good Luck.

I had installed an ASUS RT-AC5300 in our home a while back. It claimed to have >3K sq ft coverage YET walls, counter-tops, nearby interference, etc. limits the theoretical max range of that Access Point (AP). After a while of the kids in the back bedrooms not getting higher-end bandwidth at the endpoints (iPhones, PS4s, PCs), I decided to spend the money and go for a full-blown mesh setup. I bought the GT-AX11000 specifically as the head of the AI Mesh among the APs. I work in tech, have a strong firewall (Fortinet Fortigate!), and needed a custom setup. I could NOT do the custom setup from the iPhone app (that is pretty cool otherwise), so I logged into the AX11000 with a web browser to setup it up as an AP-only (no routing, again, firewall already there). About a half-hour later, viola! AX10000 was online and set up exactly as I need it. And it is BLAZING fast! I backed up the settings and then factory reset the AC5300 then setup that up as the AI mesh client/child to the AX11000. That part was trivial and set up in five minutes via the mobile app. Then I updated the firmware for all nodes in the AI Mesh via the mobile app, for the win! Yes ASUS, you need to make it very easy to keep the AP's software up-to-date, so this is a great method on the mobile app. #SecurityFirst Bandwidth and performance now at literally any point in a single-floor, 4000 sq ft home is AMAZING!!! Back bedrooms went from 1s or 10s of Mbps (maybe just under 100Mbps on a good day) to, wait for it, 100s (yes, plural) Mbps on each and every device. My son backed up his laptop data to GDrive and the throughput was over 300Mbps, rock steady. I have a 500Mbps/500Mbps symmetrical fiber service and have speed tested the new AI Mesh wifi several times achieving near fiber-line speeds over-the-air. This is VERY EXPENSIVE ($1000+ with the two APs) but in my 20+ years in tech, this is probably the best SOHO wifi mesh system I have ever used!! I am officially a big fan of AI Mesh now! Kudos ASUS! 100% recommend this as a solution for a large home, shop, etc. You can add up to 9 APs to the mesh, so if you can afford it, go crazy!! The mobile apps will make it easy for non-tech-geeks to set it all up in most cases.

I purchased this router back in April of this year (2024) and wanted to wait to use it for a while before writing any review. We have Spectrum as a provider and we used their modem & router. It was a disaster because we couldn't even get close to the speed we were paying for. The last tech that came out suggested I buy a different router because theirs couldn't keep up. I purchased the GT-AX11000, and the difference was night and day. Our speed went from 247Mb to 874Mb immediately! We have a large home at over 5000 sq ft, with a finished basement, and this router gives us a great signal throughout the house. I have used this router hardwired in, and also over WIFI, and the speed didn't drop much on WIFI. We were still in the low 800's and high 700's, with no dropped packets. I was still running around 154 fps, and my ping was and is still extremely low. If anyone is looking for an exceptional router and sitting on the fence about this one, don't give it a second thought. This router is well worth the money. We haven't had a single issue with the router, and we have several phones, computers, cameras, and an alarm system all running through it with no problems when Spectrum is running right. Our problems since we installed this router, have been with the provider, and not the router. If you purchase this router, you won't be sorry. There are 4 of us in the house that are heavy gamers, and no problems. If this one ever goes down for whatever reason, and this one is still available, I will definitely purchase another one.

I owned this router for a year and while the product itself has the potential to be great, ASUS customer support is among the worst I have ever experienced. This was my third ASUS router having previously owned RT-AC87U, AX88U. This experience will likely have me steering clear of ASUS completely in the future which is a shame because the products themselves are great when they work. BACKGROUND: I'm an engineer by trade with experience in a variety of engineering sub disciplines. THE PROBLEM: My AX11000 was having issues on the 5GHz 2 band which I had dedicated solely to one device. Said device would work flawlessly on 5GHz 1 band but would constantly disconnect on the 5 GHz 2 band. After hours of modifying and retesting configurations, I came to the conclusion that there was likely a hardware issue with the 5 GHz 2 radio and reached out to ASUS customer service. CUSTOMER SERVICE CALL 1: Representative requested an explanation of the situation and then explained that I would need to send in the router for repairs which could take 2+ weeks. This was a big issue for me as I need the router to perform work from home. After 30 minutes of back and forth, they provided an option to put a hold on my credit card for the full value of a new unit (roughly $350) and offered to send a refurbished unit. This was not ideal either as I would be getting a refurb unit in exchange for my new unit (historically I have received items in worse condition than the item I sent back). At that point I opted to send them log files for analysis to be sure that this was indeed a hardware failure before sending in my device for exchange. I didnt receive any correspondence back, and got busy going on with my life. CUSTOMER SERVICE CALL 2: Months after the first call I reached back out to get things moving again. This time I was informed that 5GHz 2 band is only to be used for Aimesh wireless backhaul and that this is why I was having problems. I explained that nowhere on the packaging, the included manuals, product advertisement, or even in the user interface is this stated. I responded and said that if that is truly the case, this seemed like false advertising. I demanded escalation to a supervisor and a full refund for the product. I was then told that I would have to wait 48 hours to talk to a supervisor. 48 hours came and went and *spoiler* no one reached out. After all of this nonsense, I received about 15 emails over the course of a month from 8 (yes 8) different representatives. In almost all of the emails I was told that they were actively working to troubleshoot the problem and that my escalation call was 48 hours out. In those same emails they would then request the log files I had already provided, leading me to believe that these were all pre canned emails designed to waste my time and discourage me from seeking escalation. In one case, they provided a form for me to fill out that seemingly already had another customer's information in it (hopefully it was just nonsense info put in as an example). On the last correspondence, I was denied a refund saying that returning the device for repair was my only option even though I had previously been offerred an exhange for a refurb. Through all of this, I was never afforded an opportunity to speak with a supervisor as requested which is absolutely ridiculous. At this point ASUS had wasted HOURS of my time over the course of MONTHS and I was totally fed up with this nonsense. THE RESOLUTION: I reached out to Amazon and they offered to provide a partial refund on the device even though it was 1 year old. Thanks Amazon for your help, 5 Stars for your customer service! I ended up buying an XT12 on discount to replace the AX11000 and transferred over the exact configuration I had on the AX11000 - PROBLEM SOLVED WITH ALMOST NO DOWNTIME ON MY NETWORK. Unfortunately though between the restocking fee and the additional cost of the XT12 (which was still cheaper than another AX11000) I was out $120. IN SUMMARY: ASUS seemingly has zero regard for their customers, no perception of the value of time, and quite frankly should revise their return policy for networking equipment. The warranty is not worth the paper its written on in my opinion. I don't think I know a single person who would be willing to go without internet in their home for 2+ weeks, and in my case they didn't even care that I needed it for work (you know, to keep a roof over my head). I would think for most people, this would push them into a situation where they need to buy a new device. Other companies I have dealt with seem to have no problems sending replacement devices in advance (Miku, APC, Apple). I can't think of any good reason why that couldn't be an option that is offered by default by ASUS. Fortunately for me, I had the means to shell out the money to get this resolved but the fact that I had to do this to keep my home network up and running is absolutely ridiculous. BUYER BEWARE, PROCEED WITH CAUTION WHEN BUYING ROUTERS FROM ASUS!!