ASUS ROG Networking Upgrade Guide

Peter Donnell / 2 years ago

ASUS ZenWiFi AX Hybrid (XP4)

Who’s it For?

My house is like a faraday cage, and I’ve yet to find a single router solution that can provide WiFi throughout all of the rooms. The walls are extremely thick, and best I can tell, there’s a lot of steel on the central wall. It’s a real pain in the arse, and frankly, if you have a WiFi-absorbing house, you know my pains. I have multiple RJ45 cables spanning the house, which isn’t ideal as it can look untidy, and limits wired devices to certain locations. With the latest WiFi 6 speeds, the new XP4 promises to deliver fast WiFi, but to get around signal issues, it comes with two routers, which you can place far apart. Either at opposite ends of your property or even one upstairs and one downstairs.

However, the XP4 does a little more, as it uses the HomePlug AV2 MIMO standard, meaning it pairs with the other router over your powerlines. Much like this WiFi extender plugs you can get, this is basically a powerful pair of routers that use that sort of technology too, so even if each router can’t see each other over the WiFi, they can still sync up. It’s pretty clever really.

Don’t be fooled though, this is not just a gimmick router, as it’s still packing the same high-performance chipsets, meaning it’ll handle 8K video streaming, online gaming and more with ease. It’s also pretty good value for money, making this one of the most consumer-friendly options ASUS currently makes and it’d be an impressive upgrade for the stock router you get with the likes of BT or Virgin here in the UK.

What ASUS Had to Say

“The ZenWiFi AX Hybrid system includes a pair of ASUS AX1800 WiFi routers with built-in 1300 Mbps HomePlug AV2 powerline networking. It features unique technologies that give you superfast, reliable and secure WiFi connections – inside or outside your home! The ZenWiFi AX Hybrid combines WiFi and powerline technologies, providing the ideal solution for homes with thick or metal-reinforced walls that cause WiFi backhaul problems. Backhaul data for the mesh network can be sent via powerline over your home’s electrical wiring, so home devices can connect at full AX1800 WiFi 6 speeds. The HomePlug AV2 MIMO standard is almost 2X faster* than the previous standard.”

Features

Depth: 208 MM
Protect Private Information with Just a Tap -The Instant Guard lets you configure a secure connection on your router with just one click, and for free
Banish dead zone with WiFi 6, Powerline, and Ethernet hybrid technology, which provide you providing the ideal solution for homes with thick
Intuitive Mobile App Control – An intuitive interface lets you easily adjust network and take only 3 steps to set up with ASUS Router App.
Lifetime free ASUS AiProtection Pro, powered by Trend MicroTM, with WPA3 and advanced Parental Controls to protect your home.
ASUS AiMesh Support – Create a flexible, seamless whole-home mesh network with AiMesh-compatible models.
Height: 71 MM
Width: 148 MM