An extendable router from ASUS gives your WiFi network room to grow

I’m stubborn about re-using my PC hardware. I never really replace my desktop monitors so much as add yet another monitor to my rig. When I build a new PC, I give the old one a new lease on life somewhere else in my home, perhaps as a media center PC. So when I upgraded to a next-gen WiFi 7 router this year, I immediately looked for a way to continue to get value out of my older WiFi 6 model. As it turns out, that was an incredibly easy process. Since both my new and my old units were ASUS extendable routers, I was able to use both to create one whole-home mesh WiFi network.

The key feature that makes basically any modern ASUS router extendable is called AiMesh. Not only does it allow me to blanket my entire house in a single, consistent WiFi network, but it also comes with commercial-grade security, advanced parental controls, and loads of extra features for my home network. Here’s why your next router should be an ASUS extendable router.

It’s the right time to upgrade to WiFi 7

If you’re building a new PC or purchasing a new laptop in 2024, the odds are quite good that it supports WiFi 7. Everything from the latest ROG Zephyrus G16 gaming laptop to the ROG Crosshair X870E motherboard is in on the new standard. That goes for your phone, too. It’s not just the high-end ROG Phone 8: mainstream smartphones from a wide range of manufacturers support WiFi 7, as well. If your wireless router is stuck in the past, you won’t get the most out of these devices.

That’s why so many people right now are looking for the right upgrade for their home or small business. For many, the raw speed boost that WiFi 7 offers over WiFi 6 and 6E is just too tempting to ignore, and that’s only the tip of the iceberg. With WiFi 7, you get a superior experience on the low-interference 6GHz band, more reliable connections and faster speeds through Multi-Link Operation (MLO), and so much more.

Perhaps your bandwidth needs are more modest, and it’s likely to be a couple more years before you have a selection of WiFi 7 laptops, smartphones, and other devices connected to your home network. There are still plenty of reasons why you should be tempted by a router upgrade right now, especially if your network is limping along with a dusty and dated WiFi 5 unit. A modern, feature-rich WiFi 6 router will give you more comprehensive security and better management tools for your network. You’ll almost certainly get more reliable coverage as well as a potential speed boost thanks to reduced throttling. And the prices on these routers are too good to ignore — especially if you catch a discount during the holiday shopping season.

The best way to upgrade your network

A single router in a centralized location often works fine in smaller homes and apartments, but once you start to throw multiple stories, dense building materials, additions, finished basements, outdoor patios, and attached garages into the mix, it can be hard to find one solution that provides reliable WiFi connections to every space. For these hard-to-reach rooms and spaces, many people find themselves hunting for a solution to extend their network. Repeaters or range extenders can help eliminate internet dead zones, but often with a penalty to performance and convenience.

Instead, we recommend creating a mesh network with two or more extendable ASUS routers. These routers work together using AiMesh to create a single network. They communicate with each other wirelessly or through a wired Ethernet connection (called a “backhaul”) so that you can ensure that every room has reliable internet.

After the system is up and rolling, the experience is completely seamless. You won’t have to switch networks as you move about your home or office. The units in your mesh WiFi network will work in tandem to determine which one delivers the best signal to each connected device and will pass them off seamlessly to each other without any input or interaction on your part. That adds up to one single WiFi network for your entire house. And if you ever need to extend your network even farther, you can simply add another unit to the mix.

If you’re worried about managing such a system, don’t be. The ASUS Router app makes it easy. Setup is a breeze, and it gives you easy tools to monitor traffic and optimize your network topology. It’ll provide you with the guidance you need to get started and keep your network up and running, all with just a few taps on your smartphone.

Above and beyond AiMesh

By itself, AiMesh support would be enough to establish an ASUS extendable router as a common-sense choice for most users. But that’s far from all that you get with our solutions.

You’ll enjoy peace of mind with comprehensive commercial-grade security through ASUS AiProtection. It leverages updates from Trend Micro to automatically shield your home network by blocking malicious sites, detecting and isolating infected devices, and giving you easy tools to keep your data secure while you’re away from your home network.

Our rich suite of parental controls gives you the options you need for protecting your family. Effortlessly monitor your kids’ online activities, set limitations on their screen time, and even customize settings for each connected device — because no two kids are the same.

If there’s a gamer in your household, they’ll appreciate the edge they get with an ASUS gaming router. A unit like the ASUS RT-AX82U offers a dedicated gaming port that automatically prioritizes the traffic for any wired device connected to it — perfect for any gamer who relies on an Ethernet connection. Adaptive Quality of Service (QoS) tech lets you keep your network running smoothly by making it easy to prioritize the traffic that’s most important to you. OpenNAT breaks down the barriers between your game console and online servers by giving you a hassle-free way to create port forwarding rules. Perhaps you do most of your gaming on your smartphone? With Mobile Gaming Mode, you can minimize lag and latency for mobile gaming with just one tap in the ASUS Router app.

The latest ASUS routers also offer rich support for network segmentation. Through Smart Home Master you can set up multiple SSIDs for your different types of devices. That means that you can have one network just for your kids’ devices — and have the WiFi connection for those devices automatically shut off at bedtime. Smart Home Master also allows you to put all your IoT and smart home devices on their own network for optimal performance and security.

Do you make regular use of a VPN? Through Smart Home Master, you can configure an SSID just for VPN connections. Any time you want to connect a device through the VPN, simply switch to the VPN network.

Many ASUS extendable routers to choose from

Whether you’re looking to build a mesh WiFi network from scratch or upgrade your existing network by adding an extendable router, you’ll find what you’re looking for in the ASUS lineup. ASUS is the only brand that provides easy compatibility with its standalone routers and mesh WiFi systems across WiFi generations. If you have an existing ASUS extendable router, you can integrate it into your new mesh network.

We think that most people right now are best off selecting a WiFi 7 router, and the RT-BE58U is one of your most affordable yet feature-rich options for getting onboard with WiFi 7. As a dual-band router, it doesn’t offer access to the 6GHz band, but it offers a welcome boost in bandwidth over comparable last-gen options. It’s ready for your multi-gig internet connection with dual 2.5G Ethernet ports, and it’s equipped with a modern feature set including Smart Home Master and AiProtection.

Another easy route to upgrading your network to next-gen WiFi 7 tech is with the ZenWiFi BD4. A one-pack of the BD4 is quite affordable, and on its own provides up to 2450 square feet of coverage. That’s sufficient for a wide range of homes and apartments. If you already own an ASUS extendable router, you can use it in conjunction with the ZenWiFi BD4 to make sure you get a reliable signal even if you have a room that’s challenging for a standalone router to reach.

If you have a little more budget to play with, the RT-BE92U will future-proof your network with more advanced features. It unleashes the 6GHz band and all the latest WiFi 7 features that support it, like extra-wide 320MHz channels. AI-boosted Smart AiMesh intelligently leverages WiFi 7 Multi-Link Operation to optimize backhaul performance for supremely stable connections. And this router offers up to 20G of wired capacity so that you’re ready for next-gen networking.

If there’s a gamer in your household, take a look at the ASUS RT-BE86U. With bolstered bandwidth for both wired and wireless connections, it’ll make sure that your network doesn’t miss a beat, even when multiple users are engaged in data-intensive tasks like online meetings, 4K streaming, and competitive gaming sessions. The RT-BE86U should also be a very tempting choice for folks who currently use our popular ASUS RT-AX86U Pro router. Since both offer up to seven streams for enhanced throughput, you’ll make efficient use of both routers’ resources in such a network.

WiFi 6 routers are still very respectable choices. If you’d prefer to hold off on WiFi 7 for another year or two, but you need to upgrade your home network, you have plenty of options to pick from. If your bandwidth needs are modest and you live in a smaller home, don’t sleep on the very affordable ASUS RT-AX82U. It assures you reliable, high-speed networking with all the congestion-busting tech of WiFi 6, comprehensive security tools, and a rich network feature set. It even offers easy personalization options thanks to its full set of ASUS Aura RGB lighting effects.

Perhaps you’re interested in equipping your home with an extendable mesh network, but you’re either building the network from scratch or your current router isn’t compatible with AiMesh. Not to worry — we can get you started right out of the gate with a ZenWiFi mesh WiFi system. Out of the box, a ZenWiFi 2-pack will give you two nodes that you can use to set up a full mesh WiFi network. The ZenWiFi XT8 mesh WiFi system is a great all-around choice, as it offers plentiful bandwidth, mesh networking, and advanced network management tools all in one box. We offer many more ZenWiFi systems, including ones that support WiFi 7. To learn more about our latest options, click here.