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Even though Wi-Fi 6 is still making its way into homes and offices, routers and access points with the updated Wi-Fi 6 E standard are becoming more popular in stores. The E stands for “enhanced,” and all it does is add a 6GHz band to your Wi-Fi router. This should make your Wi-Fi better and faster.
We are going to look at the Asus ZenWiFi Pro ET12 AX11000 Tri-Band WiFi 6 Mesh WiFi System, which comes in a 2-pack and is great for mid-sized homes. Each unit has the same number of ports and plugs, so you can use either one as your main router. You can buy more units to add to the Mesh network, which is something that bigger homes will need.
Asus ZenWiFi Pro ET12 Specifications
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Wi-Fi Technology | 802.11ax |
| Wi-Fi Speed | AX11000 tri-band |
| Wi-Fi Coverage | Up to 6,600 sq. ft. |
| Antennas | 6 internal antennas |
| Processor | 1.8GHz quad-core CPU |
Design and Features
Most routers are just boring black boxes, but the ET12 mesh routers are anything but boring, even though they are still black. The two routers are 240mm tall, 155mm wide, and 155mm deep. The top of each router is made of shiny, clear perspex that holds the router’s eight antennae and some status lights that change colour. Each router has its own power source and cable, so you’ll need a lot of space to set everything up.
As mentioned, the ET12 supports tri-band Wi-Fi 6E with a top speed of 11Gbps. It also offers top-of-the-line wired connectivity with a pair of 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports, one for your broadband connection and one for connecting a device like a gaming laptop or console that needs a fast, lag-free connection. You can buy this Asus ZenWiFi Pro ET12 from its official website
Asus ZenWiFi Pro ET12: Performance
During the two weeks we used ZenWiFi Pro ET12, it worked almost perfectly. The Zenfone 8 we use to test 6GHz connection on all Wi-Fi 6E routers wouldn’t stay connected to the 6GHz band on this router, which was a problem. By default, the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands are set up to use the same SSID, while the 6GHz band uses a different SSID. When the phone tried to connect to 6GHz, it would say there was no internet link and shut down.
A Windows 11 computer with a 2×2 Wi-Fi 6E card had no problems connecting. This went on for a few days while I waited to see if the router just needed time to get better. With a quick Google search, we found that some people said to turn on and then turn off Smart Connect for all three bands. I don’t know why this worked, but it did. After that, nothing went wrong with 6GHz.
Price and availability
A single ET12 router from Asus in the US costs $479 and should be able to cover up to 3,000 square feet. This means that a single router alone should be fine for most small and medium-sized homes. If you need more Wi-Fi coverage for bigger homes or buildings, you’ll have to shop around online to find a 2-pack from a third-party seller for about $900.
Final Words
The Asus ZenWiFi Pro ET12 has a price tag of AED 2,499, which is significantly higher than average; however, this is to be expected given that it provides the highest possible level of WiFi connectivity. In addition to having outstanding hardware capabilities, Asus also supports almost all of the software options that a power user could ask for in terms of their home networking.
Asus ZenWiFi Pro ET12 review: The good and The bad
The Good
- Top-of-the-range Wi-Fi performance
- Great for larger homes and offices
The Bad
- Expensive
FAQS
The ZenWiFi Pro ET12 has both a 2.5G LAN port and a 2.5G WAN port, so you can get full 2.5 Gbps speeds from an ISP that is compatible with it all the way to your wired devices that are also compatible.
ASUS ZenWiFi supports a router and up to nine nodes for best performance with a wireless connection, which is usually enough to cover the whole house.