ASUS - ZenWiFi XD5

ZenWifi XD5 will get the job done. Dual-band's not ideal, but with few devices, it'll suffice. Update firmware, use QoS, and place the mesh node strategically. You'll see improved speeds and stability

Hi everyone, I recently decided to upgrade my home network with a mesh WiFi system. After doing a lot of reading (especially on Tweakers), I went with the Asus ZenWiFi XD5. My setup: • ISP: KPN (Netherlands) • Modem: Sagemcom F 5359 • Plan: 1 Gbit up/down • Wired speeds are just shy of 1 Gbit, which is fine I installed the XD5 last night (main unit + 2 satellites), and setup was super easy. In the Asus app, I set the bandwidth to 160 MHz and ran speed tests in various parts of the house — both before and after the switch. Here’s where it gets interesting (and a bit disappointing): test results (download/upload in Mb/s): • Living room (close to modem): • Old KPN router: 700–800 • Asus XD5: 300–500 • First floor: • KPN: ~400 • XD5: ~200 • Attic: • KPN: 10–20 • XD5: ~300 So the attic performance improved dramatically (which is great), but the speeds downstairs — especially in the living room — dropped quite a bit. I was expecting to maintain the higher speeds I used to get close to the modem, but that’s clearly not the case. My questions: 1. Is this typical behavior for mesh systems? 2. Are these results decent overall, or should I consider returning it and going for something like the TP-Link Deco BE25 (WiFi 7)? 3. Are there any settings I can tweak to improve performance, especially on the ground floor? Any tips, advice, or personal experiences would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Well, i ditched the asus. I’ve tried everything. Setting it to AP mode. Changing the location. Different cable etc etc. it’s giving me 200mb instead of the 800 now. Unbelievable. Ordered a set of TP-Link Deco BE25 with WiFi 7. Reading some positive things about this one.

Mesh itself is fine if you have enough of an unpopulated airspace so that the backhaul isn't competing with a whole apartment complexes wireless interference. I will say though that all of the one's I've tried have had absolute garbage software and die after a year or two. I've had Asus XD5's, Netgear Orbis, and a TP-Link setup. I just bought 3 Eero's just because I haven't had a chance for them to die on me yet. The Asus was my previous mesh set up and it worked fine until it just stopped handing out DHCP on wireless. Factory resets and firmware downgrades didn't change anything. If I had the time, I would go on ebay and get some more enterprise grade gear. Cisco WLCs and Aironet APs have lasted forever when I install them at work. Just a bit more complex to wire and setup at home.

Asus xd5. I’m a big fan of Wireguard vpn for sharing video services like YouTube tv and Netflix . I was a Google Wi-Fi gen 1 before this.

Agreed. I’ve had my Asus ZenWifi AX3000 for several years at this point. It’s a great mesh WiFi system. I had my PS5 hard wired to my main device and I’ve never had any issues. I got my PS portal a couple weeks ago and the first couple of days was tough. It was struggling with remaining connected and I experienced a lot of lag/drops in frame rate when playing games like Final Fantasy 7 remake or Hogwarts Legacy. After reading through other posts on Reddit, I started playing around with the settings of my Wi-Fi router. One of the most important things, which I cannot stress enough, is learning what Dual band connect/ Smart connect is! If you are experiencing lag or poor connection on your PS portal despite having fast internet and a decent router definitely check if smart connect is turned on. Once I turned it off, my router showed two networks (2.4 and 5g). Connecting directly to the 5G network, greatly improved the performance of the PS portal.

I've been running an Asus XD5 setup with wired backhaul for a couple of years now and it has been solid and basically trouble free. No idea how it would handle extreme environments though or how it works without wired backhaul. But my main primary router is the utility room in the garage where it will get into the 90's in the summer and it is fine with that. If you are already familiar with the Asus routers it would be easy to setup for you. While it has a lot of the options of their upper end routers there are some missing features from what I've read but none that I would ever use.

How are you getting on with the BT10? I'm in a similar position as you but I use a Three 5G ZTE MC888a BB router. I used to have all ASUS mesh (Asus DSL RT82/XD5 wireless BH) and it was excellent but sold it when I changed my setup (stupid me). I've tried the TP-Link BE9600 and X60 packs and weren't impressed with their range/cover/stability so I'm back to my M5 and X20 dotted around and they've been very stable, albeit d/l's suck in places of the house. I was considering the BD4 3 pack with a XD5 for the loft but noticed this setup is not tri or quad......my goal is a decent spread d/l , I don't mind if I have multiple units but require wireless BH, with the main until configurable as router mode so I can setup the main ZTE in bridge. Thanks

I was using ax86u in db box and xd5 in second bedroom of a 4 room flat and it gave me flatwide coverage. Switched to tp link eb810v x2 setsfor 10gbps and it works well too

I had Netgear (with an external firewall and generic access points) before they acquired Orbi, then tried Orbi which did not have enough info/options. Then went to at least 4 different types of AX Asus units for the longest time (10+ years with plenty of options and info but started to become unstable), then recently switched to Gryphon AX due to the need for parental controls for kids. I am thinking of going to Unifi next in a year or 2, as I miss the options/info that Asus provided, and get more with Unifi.

You can connect mesh nodes through Ethernet. OP has an Asus router, so they can buy more WiFi6 Asus Routers and connect them through Ethernet to set them up as AiMesh Nodes. My house network is set up like that, and I only have issues when streaming to my phone when going downstairs because it changes nodes, so it lags for like two seconds, and then goes back to normal. Other than that, it's a great experience all around.

It's called a wired backhaul mesh. Look it up. The point of using mesh nodes connected through ethernet is to keep the "seamless" transition between nodes without having any network degradation between them.