Customer Ratings & Reviews

So far, over the last 10 years or so, I've owned 3 mid-range mesh systems - an Orbi, and two Linksys Velop systems. Setting up the Zen was by far the simplest of the lot. Take it out of the box, plug it in, download the app, plug it into your existing router and off she goes. No fuddling with IP or Mac addresses, it's all self contained. Place the other two units within 10-15 feet of each other, and your mesh system communicates itself into existence. 10 or so minutes later, you can place the devices in their final destinations. Once you do that, there's a button on the app to "optimize" your system for its best performance. As I said before, my prior systems worked well to keep 40 or so devices scattered around the home will connected. It's a busy place, and gets busier all the time. Besides phones, laptops, and tablets, just about everything you buy has an app nowadays. There's cameras, thermostats, robot vacs, air cleaners, etc, etc. This is a home on 2 levels, 1000 square feet on each. So the triad systems can pretty much handle the load. However, last year, I purchased a robot lawn mower, and that's where the weaknesses started to show. To set it up, you need to walk it around the perimeter of the property, That's when I started to notice the gaps in coverage. Luckily, the bot works on a combination of GPS, Wifi, and internal cameras to position itself. The bot's app also gives you a first person view of where the bot is at any given time as well as progress towards the task. With my previous mesh systems, these functions would consistently drop out on me. However, with the Asus Zen, coverage was consistently strong throughout my property limits. I never really give much credence to quoted performance specs, as I've learned the hard way they're mostly overly optimistic. The robot was my real-world performance test. However, I also had another way of checking performance. I have Verizon Fios internet & tv, and with my package I have the Fios extender. The Fios and Zen are named separately, as I use the Fios basically for streaming content. But as such, I can easily compare the two at any given location, and the Zen just knocks the heck out of the Fios performance wise. If you're in the market for a mesh system, the Asus is definitely worth a look on your shopping list.

I recently upgraded my home Internet connection to 2 Gb Fiber and couldn’t wait to test my Asus ROG tower 2.5 Gbs NIC but my old router only had 1 Gbps interfaces. So I got the ASUS - ZenWifi BE5000 3 PRO Dual-band WiFi 7 Mesh 3-pack Router a few days ago and put it through its paces this weekend. This Asus system is pretty much 3 identical Mesh routers packed with the latest future-proof network technology. These units are not as big as some of the competitors, so they’ll blend in nicely. They include 2x 2.5 Gbps Ethernet ports. Moreover each unit has 4 internal antennas and 4 high power front-end modules that guarantee the multi-band 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz signals penetrate through walls and other obstacles. The setup is pretty straight forward, just plug the main unit in, then use the Asus Router App from your smart phone. It will automatically detect your WAN connection type, using AI and prompt you to create your Wi-Fi SSID. I ended up using the same Wi-Fi name and passphrase as my old router so I wouldn’t have to reconfigure over 30 devices on my new network, just make sure to power off your old router first so you don’t cause Wi-Fi conflicts. Next, the setup prompted me to plug in the additional satellites at about 3 feet away from the main unit. The status LED blinked for a few minutes until they connected and autoconfigured, then turned solid white at which point you can unplug them and move them at strategic locations in your house to maximize coverage and speed. The backhaul features MLO link over both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. Just be patient during the initial setup and also perform a firmware upgrade if available. The only missing feature is a USB 3 port that could transform this router into a NAS, but I guess that would probably increase the price, and this is not meant to be a high-end setup like the bigger tri-band units. The AsusWRT software platform is very well developed, intuitive, feature rich and offers tons of information such as network info, hardware status of all ports, CPU/RAM utilization, AIMesh and security reports, etc. There are also additional security and parental control features that are included for free, unlike the competitors. I ran most of the speed tests from multiple wired Windows 11 PCs, one being an ASUS ROG tower with 2.5 GbE and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity and a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Android phone that also supports Wi-Fi 7. The range coverage and signal strength is unbelievably good. With my 2 gigabit fiber ISP, I max out at around 2.3 Gbps with my wired gaming PC. With this ASUS ZenWiFi BE5000 PRO Wi-Fi 7 Mesh system I could not believe it when I got Wi-Fi downloads/uploads in the 1.9 - 2.1Gbps just like being plugged into Ethernet. Ping times were below 5ms which is quite good for Wi-Fi as well. In order to get those crazy WiFi speeds, I did have to be in the same room with the router, but still got around 1Gbps throughout the rest of the house. In conclusion I would recommend this ASUS ZenWiFi 7 Mesh system over its direct TP-Link competitors that are comparable in price and performance, for two important reasons - ASUS includes additional/advanced security features for free, and is not at risk of being banned in the US. ASUS also stands behind their products with a 3-year warranty.

Verdict: The ASUS ZenWiFi BE5000 Pro mesh system provides ample coverage at high speeds for a good price. The app is easy to use and the features are abundant. So far, we love it. Initial impressions. The three satellites are fairly small and will integrate nicely on shelves, tables, and décor. The quick start guide is really just a QR code. Instructions should be a tad better. Setup. I followed the instructions: reset the modem, plug the routers with all three being 3-feet apart, use the app to connect, and then setup the network. Zero issues with network setup; done in about 15 minutes. Updates were clunky though… for some reason, I had to update each mesh individually, instead of selecting “update” just once. App. The app is good: lots of features (maybe too many… a little hard to find things), strong management, security, and parental tools. You can manage devices individually, you can establish profiles for each user and manage them that way, or you can establish network-wide controls such as a “disconnected” schedule, which we are now using at night (10pm to 6am). It doesn’t look like the security features require a subscription, in which case, this is a strong selling point; we are using the Malicious and Infected Device Blocking. Speed & range. To maximize range, we have the wired station in the middle of the house, and the other two on opposite ends of the house, connected wirelessly (no wired backbone). WiFi speeds on the ASUS mesh were faster than an older mesh network we have (similarly priced when purchased), but slower than another older mesh network (purchased for three times the price)… so probably as expected. Range is good, with reach on the both floors and the basement, and into the yard. Again, range was better than one mesh, but not as good as the high-end mesh. Things I love: - WiFi 7 - Separate IoT network - Powerful app to manage devices, users, and the whole network - Fast speeds and great range, that are reliable thus far (but too soon to confirm) - It looks like you can grow this network by adding more mesh devices, which is fantastic given that the system is on the more affordable side - You can manage the priority of your bandwidth (streaming, or gaming, or productivity) Things I don’t like: - The speed test in the app was misleading… It showed me 800Mbps, implying that it is the speed of the WiFi signal, but really it’s the speed of the wired connection. I use two other apps to test the WiFi and both showed at 300Mbps, which is consistent with other observations. - Updates should be seamless for all the mesh devices, not having to manually click on an update for the first mesh, wait, and then click on the update for the second mesh, wait, and then click on the last mesh update, and wait. - Is AiMesh just branding? I don’t know where is the AI in this router. It works like any other mesh network!! Overall, this is a solid WiFi mesh system at a good price. I love ASUS computers, so I had high expectations, and this has not disappointed thus far.

I have had my fair share of mesh WiFi systems over the years. I live in a relatively large home (~3,400 finished square feet + 1,700 unfinished square feet). The ASUS ZenWiFi BE5000 seemed like such an appropriate upgrade, I was happy to try the system. This system is remarkably disappointing. Speed is mediocre compared to my previous mesh system by another company. My previous mesh system provided close to the gigabit internet speed (1Gbps) I subscribe to for my home and home office service. The Asus ZenWifi BE5000 maxed out at about 560Mbps. Very disappointing. Even my ISP was kind of surprised given how popular ASUS devices are. But, the real problem ... Connectivity is horrendous - not exaggerating. The setup of the Asus Mesh system was relatively straightforward and the app is reasonably easy to use. It took several tries to get the nodes connected ... and that's when the problems (lots of them started). I installed according to ASUS's best methods for placement, etc.. The two additional nodes were problematic from the start. They connect, disconnect, connect, disconnect, etc. They show a white light some of the time, a blinking blue light *most of the time* and I am constantly bombarded with warnings from my security system, Google Home devices, and other WiFi devices that have either lost connection or show connected with "No Internet Access." Profoundly disappointed, especially how much I generally like ASUS products. I wouldn't recommend this to my worst enemy.

In its current state, the Asus BE5000 Pro Mesh Wifi product is easy to set up, has excellent performance, and will fill the needs of most users right out of the box. However, I needed to use what many would consider an “advanced setting” and I just could not get it working the way that I expected it to. It was still usable and I’m sure there’s nothing wrong that can’t be fixed by a firmware update, so it’s likely that within a short time the router will be fully compatible for all usage scenarios. The version that I tested was a “3-pack” of a router and two satellite nodes, although I believe that they are actually identical and any one of them could be installed as the main router. Compared to the conventional routers that I’m used to having with all the antennae and row of LEDs, these are just small, plain white boxes with a single multi-color LED to indicate status. On the back are two Ethernet ports and a power button. There is also a reset button on the bottom that I ended up using a couple of times, and a button to support WPS. I also installed the Asus Router app on my smartphone. This app makes the setup process very easy compared to setting a router up in the “old days”. After connecting the router to my cable modem and powering it on, the app was able to identify it and start the setup procedure. One of the first steps is to assign your own network name (SSID) and connection password. If you are replacing an existing router, you would assign the same name and password as for that router so that all your devices can find it and connect without having to make any changes to them. In my case, I wanted it to operate for now as a separate network so gave it a unique name that I can always change later after gaining enough confidence in it. Also early on you assign a name (default: “admin”) and password for logging into the router to control it at a later time. At some point early on it is time to connect the router with the satellite mesh nodes. They do not have to be in their final locations, and in fact it’s better to have them reasonably close by so you can watch the LEDs. After powering them on, it’s necessary to wait until they discover the mesh network and make the connection to it. As with some other setup operations, this took a surprising amount of time so be patient. I was waiting for the LEDs to turn blue and had just about given up when first one then the other finally did so. From there it is just a matter of time when various things are being set up and optimized, as well as a reboot of the router, and everything was up and running and connected to the Internet. I repositioned the nodes to get what I thought was full coverage of the house (one on each floor plus the basement) and went around running some basic speed tests in each area. The throughput was very impressive, and in at least one area was better than I’d ever seen from our old router. We are an older couple who have relatively modest performance requirements, although we do have a surprising number of devices that may be connected at various times (e.g. thermostat, garage opener, tablets, watches, smartplugs, security cameras, video doorbell, etc.) and I’m sure this router can handle the traffic. There is no online gaming going on here but I do have one important streaming requirement and the router performs well for that. Also, on the subject of smart household devices, some of the older ones may not be compatible with the WiFi 7 protocols that the router uses, and for those it can provide a secondary network with its own SSID that maintains the older standards. By default this uses your same SSID name with “_IoT” appended to it (“Internet of Things”). Of course, in order to use it, you’ll have to know how to reconfigure the devices in question. So far I’ve had no need for this feature. For most people, this is all that would have been necessary and would be worth a 5-star review. However, due to the specifics of my network infrastructure, I’ve always preferred to configure my WiFi routers as “Access Points” (AP mode) instead of operating as true routers. Although this is supported according to the documentation, I was unable to get it operating successfully in that mode and have opted to leave it in its default mode of operation. This is probably something that will be fixed in a future firmware update, and overall this will serve the needs of 99% of users right out of the box.

This is not the quality I expect from ASUS, I’ve used their products many times in the past and unfortunately this is my first bad experience. And for a more expensive pro model I did expect better results. My main problem are the nodes, they were hard to connect and almost seemed unresponsive during setup. After setup both continue to disconnect from the main router. My non-pro ASUS mesh system previously used never did this. I registered my product with ASUS and requested support, when submitting a ticket the response was “you need to reach out to Best Buy for support on this product” What!? And of course after reaching out to Best Buy Geeksquad, those guys told me “my ISP was the reason my nodes were disconnecting from the main router” again WHAT!? To me this seems like a product to avoid as well as Best Buy and ASUS on this one.

I bought these to use as additional mesh nodes with an existing ASUS mesh network. All these did was lock up. Despite multiple reset attempts these never worked and I returned them. I like ASUS products, but I’ve never been so frustrated and disappointed by their equipment prior to this. I had been trying to extend my current WiFi 7 network but again just lockups with these. I went back to my older ASUS WiFi 6e nodes for the time being as extenders.

Need a new wireed/wireless router? Well you can not get a better one than this one (IMO). Here are some highlights and some lowlights on this unit. Good: 1. Mesh network helps get rid of dead spots in your house 2. Having newest version of wifi protocol makes it easy to secure and adds longevity to the system ( as in it will work for a decent amount of time with future updates) 3. Small in size, makes it easy to hide or at least make it stand out less in the location you choose 4. Strong signal strength and data flow 5. 2 rear data ports for connecting printers/desktops/etc to a dedicated data line to avoid wireless interference. 6. Easy to setup with tablet or phone, making the direct connect to computer a thing of the past 7. QOS, DMZ, and other items that make it conform to your needs. Like more security, making a kids network with parental restrictions and a guest network that does not connect to your SSID and let them see your devices 8. Firewall, remote access, and other admin controls that assist in keeping your networked locked down and less likely to get a DDOS. 9. Ability to restrict or block IP's, MAC's, and devices 10.Seems to auto switch to closest mesh device as I walk through the house, making sure I am always connected Bad: 1. When setting up the device(s), you have to have them close together to get them to link up. 2. Some menus are buried in not so easy to find places. Making the ? option used more than normal 3. When ever a setting is changed, it will knock you off the network until it has restarted. 4. Quick guide needs more info on setting up, and dedicated language sections. It is hard to read with they are all on same page 5. If you have a existing wireless setup, be prepared to have this interfere with its signal and kick you offline sometimes. So set it up with the intent of not using the other in the process. I am glad I got it and look forward to creating my own mini network hub at home.

I was a little hesitant to try the ASUS ZenWiFi BE5000 Pro mesh system. I have been fairly happy with my current setup but realized it was time to seek its replacement. I have to admit it has great coverage for my home….maybe a little too good since I can still be connected to my internet well beyond my house. Setup was fairly simple but the updates that needed to be installed were a little less streamlined and fast. I was able to get things up and running fairly easily though and so far no real issues. The app was easy to use and navigate. WiFi 7 was exactly as expected. My speeds seemed to be faster than expected and its use range is huge for me. I wish that they would address the update method because like I mentioned it isn’t the best setup having to update each mesh individually. Ultimately I think this is a great option for most users at a great price point and would fit most people needs. Playing with the app helps you customize the features to your needs. Asus has been hit or miss with me as far as computers I have received but generally it’s a great brand…and totally worth it to try this system

This ASUS Zen Wi-Fi is advanced but user friendly. Setup was very easy, just three initial steps - reboot modem, plug in & power on the main unit, then download the app and follow the setup. I had all 3 nodes connected in a matter of minutes. The 2 satellite nodes connected on the first try with no problems. Each of the nodes has 2 2.4GHz ethernet ports for wired connections. If your home layout affords it, you can connect the nodes via ethernet cable. Doing this improves available Wi-Fi bandwidth by eliminating the need for the nodes to communicate by Wi-Fi. After getting the nodes positioned and connected and my devices connected, I found the connections to be very fast and stable. The signal strength is strong in every area of my home and there are no dead zones and no dropped connections. The app and router have many good features but there's a few that standout for me. You can dedicate a network to be the default 2.4GHz IoT (Internet of Things) network, keeping smart home device connections (which are notoriously less secure) separate from your phone, laptop, tablet, etc., keeping them more secure. There's AI Protection that scans your network and gives security insights - you can actually block malicious sites, trackers, and ads across your entire network, meaning everything connected - your phone, computer, even smart TV! In addition, it does a router and Wi-Fi security check, prompting to change default passwords, checking password strength and disabling WPS among other things. The other feature I really like ASUS calls QoE (Quality of Experience). It allows you to choose prioritizing applications and tasks. The router will actively analyze, manage, and prioritize data flow based on the setting chosen- AI Balance, Streaming, Work-From-Home, Gaming, Office. This is a terrific mesh system for the price. It's very user friendly and the built in AI technology gives so much more control and features than my old router that it makes my old router (which is only 2 years old) seem like it's obsolete. I highly recommend this ASUS Zen mesh system without any reservations at all.

My old home router/modem combo was 9 years old, and when Frontier came out to upgrade my line (FIOS) they informed me that my router/modem will be holding me back As I have bought several Asus small products like headphones, I thought that I would give their wi-fi system a chance I was replacing a mesh system, so I chose the corresponding mesh system for full house coverage Unboxing was uneventful with the product protected with as little waste as possible I was anticipating a major headache setting this one up, since I have made this house "smart" with IoT products such as cameras, climate, pool, and even my sprinklers, but this was completely avoided By naming my SSID the exact same and security protocols the same, the connected devises immediately connected After connecting (which took literally a few minutes) I ran a few speed tests from both my hardwired computer and from wireless devises, and this thing was blazing fast. With an upgrade to my line speed, but router was no longer the bottleneck Walking around the house with my cellphone on the network, I watched my connection and I had full coverage from every part of the house (it is 2 stories). I also had a few items that were hardwired (such as the pool automation) and they too worked perfectly Over the past few days before I wrote this review, the speeds seemed to hold even during evening internet "rush hour". Even movies watched on my phone were smoother with less buffering taking place So...if you router is over 8 years old, this is a sound investment for the future and will help you preserve your internet connection. Also, do not be afraid of the upgrade process

ASUS has always made really good routers. There's a reason ASUS routers have been PC Mag reader's choice pick for the past 13 years. And the ZenWiFi BE5000 Pro isn't going to do anything to change things. Setup is surprisingly easy with the Asus Router app. Just plug in your router and the app finds it and walks you through setting up your router and nodes. Once the nodes are set up, you can place them to maximize your coverage, which by the way is really, really good. We have two floors and a bonus room upstairs and the BE5000 give us full coverage throughout the house and handoff between nodes is seamless. As for speed, the BE5000 supports WiFi 7 dual band WiFi at up to 5000 Mbps. While transferring files across my network, I got pretty close to claimed speeds. The BE5000 is loaded with features. If security is your concern, ASUS Network Security provides has you covered. Parental controls are pretty impressive, as well. You can create an SSID for your kids that allows you to manage the kid's screen time and access. I'm very happy with the BE5000. It has tons of tech and features baked in, but it excels in the 2 areas I care the most about--speed and security. If you just want a fast, feature-packed router with excellent coverage, the ZwenWiFi BE5000 is a great choice.

The ASUS ZenWiFi BE5000 PRO 3-pack is a serious upgrade for anyone ready to embrace Wi-Fi 7. Setup through the ASUS Router app is intuitive for most users. Covering up to 6,800 sq. ft. across three nodes, dead zones become a thing of the past even in multi-story or thick-walled homes. Each node runs a 1.5GHz quad-core processor with 512MB of RAM, keeping traffic moving smoothly across a network that can handle up to 200 connected devices. Speed-wise, the dual-band setup delivers up to 5,000 Mbps combined 688 Mbps on 2.4GHz and an impressive 4,323 Mbps on 5GHz. Features like Multi-Link Operation (MLO) and 4096-QAM (4K-QAM) give it roughly 20% better data efficiency than Wi-Fi 6, which translates to noticeably smoother 4K streaming and low-latency gaming. I noticed no noticeable speed drops when watching 4K streaming video on my TV close to the main base module. However, not everything was perfect, namely the spotty connection with the extenders. I was plagued with frequent connection problems with my desktop computer and gaming computer located in other rooms when the extenders would frequently drop the wifi connection. Hopefully this can be fixed with a firmware upgrade. Overall, this is a very solid mesh wifi extender system and with wifi 7 only recently getting more mainstream I think this mesh system will have a long shelf life.

The Asus ZenWiFi BE5000 Pro is a powerful mesh system with great coverage and blazing speed. Starting with setup, after unpacking the BE5000 Pro you first locate the control node. If you’ve installed other mesh systems, this will seem odd, as they generally are all peers – any node can serve as the control (plugs into the modem). It is well-labeled, so at least this step is simple. Next, download the ASUS app an create an account. Plug the control node into the modem and locate the other nodes fairly close by to allow them to communicate easily. From here, it should be a simple matter of opening the app, scanning the QR code on the control node, naming your network, and adding a password. But it’s not that simple, or at least it wasn’t for me. For reference, I am running the app on an iPhone with the latest version of iOS. After scanning the QR code, I received an error message that the app was unable to set up my network. Multiple attempts generated the same error, so I went to the browser-based interface. Since this is a second network in my home, this involved running trcert to identify the proper address, signing in using the provided credentials, and manually entering my new network name and password. If this already sounds confusing, then you would be calling support by now. After updating the administrative login information (always do this when you set up a new router), I returned to the app. It took several minutes, but the nodes recognized each other and my network was up and running. Immediately, the app informed me that the nodes required firmware upgrades (very common) and instructed me to click to update. Another error. I had to go back to the browser interface and to the ASUS support site to find the proper firmware update, downloaded the update, extract it from the compressed download, and update the nodes. Because I was unable to get the app to apply the update automatically, I had to update each node individually. Again, if this sounds confusing, you will be on the phone with support for this. Once everything was updated I placed the nodes where I wanted them in the house. It took several minutes for them to come back on-line and reconnect, but I was able to see all the nodes from the app and use the app to automatically optimize the connections. Once set up and ready, then mesh network works great The WiFi 7 connection is almost as fast as being connected via a cable, with no lags and no drops. The mesh system ensures that physical objects, like closed doors or metal items placed in front of the control node, do not impact connectivity. In addition to WiFI 7 speed, the BE5000 Pro has a number of really nice features. It is simple to set up a system-wide VPN through the browser interface. You can easily add an IOT network for your cameras, smart thermostat, and other devices. This will isolate your home network from attack in case of a device breach. Overall, this is a great mesh system with plenty of coverage area and blazing speed. I trust that Asus will get the app issues sorted out soon, as it really is the only downside to an otherwise outstanding product.

I was previously using a single router in a centralized location of my 2300 square foot 2-story home. While that is usually good enough to handle our Wi-Fi needs, our connection and speeds start to suffer the further we get from the router. This is especially impactful when we spend time on our front or back patio. This mesh router from ASUS solved those issues for me! Pros: - The app was user-friendly and assisted me with getting things set up just the way that I wanted. There are many options that you can toggle, including parental settings which I plan to tweak for my children. - While you will want to connect the two additional hubs while in close proximity to the primary hub, you can then find a more distant location that helps enhance the overall coverage that you will experience. The Wi-Fi speeds I am able to achieve from long distances dwarf the speeds I have had with any other Wi-Fi systems that I have used in the past thanks to the Wi-Fi 7 protocols. - The hubs are not that large and can easily be placed on any table or shelf without looking like too much of an eye-sore. Cons: - None Keep in mind that this system is designed for high-speed Wi-Fi so depending on your ISP package, you may not benefit from it greatly. But if you have a high speed package from your ISP that warrants the need for fast Wi-Fi speeds in your home, this is a terrific option. Especially if you are attempting to extend your range up to an advertised 6800 square feet. I have very much enjoyed the improvements that this system has brought to my home!

Before choosing a mesh Wi‑Fi 7 system, make sure your internet plan is actually fast enough to benefit from one. Anything under 2 Gbps probably won’t justify the upgrade. But if you do have high speeds, this system is definitely worth considering. One thing to note: while it’s rated for Wi‑Fi 7, the max speed caps at 5000 Mbps or 5 Gbps. So if you’re chasing true 10‑gig performance, this won’t be the right fit. For everything else, though, it’s extremely powerful and has consistently delivered blazing‑fast speeds throughout my home. Setup wasn’t bad overall. It took a little troubleshooting, but I had everything up and running in about 45 minutes on my own. The app is genuinely helpful—parental controls, timers, multiple network management, all the modern features you’d expect. Each router also includes two 2.5‑Gbps Ethernet ports, which makes hardwiring consoles or other devices super easy. I’ve had zero issues with multiple devices connected at once; the system handles handoffs and coverage seamlessly. If you’re looking to boost your home’s speed and expand coverage, this system checks all the important boxes. It’s not the absolute top of the line, but it’s more than strong enough to be satisfying. My only recommendation is to make sure its speed limits and features match what your home actually needs.

The ASUS Zen WiFi BE5000 PRO is a great option for those wanting to expand their WiFi coverage. Set up is straightforward using the ASUS app. It will walk you through the process with possibly some speed bumps along the way. I have used several mesh systems over the years and the BE5000 Pro is right on par with other routers. Nothing particularly special about it, but it does the job well. I have a two story home and always had trouble getting a signal in one of the upstairs bedrooms and the back porch. With this mesh system I am getting a great signal and about 400 mb down in areas where I previously had no signal. I pay for 1.2GB internet and I get that if I am next to the main router, but it degrades as I walk around the house, of course. I still get very good speeds around my property and overall I am happy with the router. It is important to realize that with any WiFi router you will see speed degradation as you are in various parts of your house. This is normal unless you are connected to an ethernet cable 100% of the time. The main issues I have had with other mesh systems is the nodes would just randomly disconnect. Haven't had that issue with this router and it seems like a solid system. I recommend this router and it will certainly get the job done!

I have been watching Wifi Mesh networks evolve over the last few years. They’ve matured into much more stable configurations thanks to the implementation of dedicated antenna to carry the backhaul traffic and are well suited for homes that do not wish to run ethernet through the walls. This new Wifi 7 ZenWifi mesh system seemed like it might fit nicely to solve for some Wifi dead zones I was experiencing. These are the smallest Wifi 7 devices I’ve seen on the market. A closer inspection reveals that the small size is possible because they lack a 6Ghz Antenna and the supporting hardware. No 6Ghz is the bad news. The good news here is that these are much easier to hide in plain site thanks to their diminutive size. Each of the three units is identical except for a removable sticker that is placed on the front of the main unit reading (in grammatically incorrect English) “Hi! I’m Main Unit, Start with me.” Each unit is white, with the Asus logo on the front bottom center above a very large LED light that is used to flash status codes in a default brightness setting my wife referred to as being “as bright as the sun.” It’s a great thing that the Asus app can be used to dim or disable the LED light. Each unit has two ethernet ports, and a press-button power button allowing the device to be physically toggled on/off while remaining plugged in. Physically setting these up requires a standard A/C plug. Start with the Main unit and pay special attention to the port used for the ethernet cable from the modem which must be connected to the second ethernet port on the device. The ethernet ports are not labeled but when looking at the back of the unit they are ordered left to right. The ethernet cable included in the box is unlabeled but given the poor performance experienced I think it might be Cat5 which would be odd considering the device supports 2.5Gb ethernet. My internet plan is 2Gb and I saw an immediate improvement in performance after replacing the included ethernet cable with a Cat6a cable. Once the main unit is powered on, connect to the Asus phone app where the Asus app will walk through creating the first Wifi network. Pro tip - keep all of the units in the same room for the initial setup then move them to the remote rooms. Note that each device will need a Day-0 firmware update. During the initial setup in the app the Asus wizard prompted for creating the primary SSID, then it asks about enabling a dedicated iOT network. Presumably this iOT network would be limited to 2Ghz and have all the fun iOT networking tweaks applied including network isolation. Choosing yes, allows a network to get created, the Asus Admin Console showed that the wizard created a Guest network on the same subnet with a dedicated SSID and not a true IOT isolated VLAN. Though the admin console suggests there’s a wizard for doing so. Once you have two SSIDs created you are unable to add a third SSID. The Asus admin console includes a decent amount of firewall and configuration options available to geek out with but out of the box everything worked as expected. My only complaint here is that on the mobile app devices within the app are identified by IP or Mac address and not by device name which makes it hard to sort out which device belongs to our children in order to turn them off when they are misbehaving. 

With any wifi replacement the most painful part of the process is resetting all of your IOT devices and moving them. After a few days of getting that part sorted this mesh system has resolved my wifi dead zones. While the lack of 6Ghz support is a bummer for the longer term, I’m happy to see Wifi 7 devices are not connecting with faster speeds, no longer bottlenecked by my Wifi 6 system from before.

The ASUS - ZenWiFi BE5000 PRO Dual-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 7 system is a three node system. It arrived boxed well. Set up: I didn't realize until after I started setting it up that there is one node that is marked as the main one to start setting up first. I had trouble getting the nodes to connect with each other so I reset them to factory default and started the setup again. The app seems good but it has many options that are not self explanatory. I found that using the Quick Internet Setup option under Settings provided the easiest setup of all methods. I connected all three nodes close to the main one that is connected to the modem and then let the Quick Internet Setup do its thing. It took care of the setup much more quickly and all three nodes were showing a white light which means they are connected to internet. I made sure the nodes had all updated to the latest firmware to make sure that did not cause any problems. Ethernet: My house is large so I have ethernet ports in the far sides of the upstairs and basement to allow better coverage. At this point, I moved the nodes to where the ethernet ports are located and connected them. The speeds seemed good at first but then I had some trouble with the nodes staying connected. After awhile I rebooted the nodes and tried again. When the nodes stayed connected, the speeds were good when close to the node but when I went into the next room, the signal was bad and the speed suffered greatly. I tried repeatedly to test the speeds and coverage. The coverage was better when the nodes were not connected to ethernet and were using Wi-Fi backhaul to connect but the nodes were too far away from each other to stay connected. Summary: I was disappointed with this system but it may be my house or something I was not doing correctly.

This router takes several minutes to get everything configured the first time so be patient, but afterwards everything worked great and connectivity is solid. I connected several devices to it with no problems. I have installed mesh networks many times and one important feedback point is that you need to follow the prescribed ‘Startup’ process versus try to 'force' the installation without understanding the proper sequence of steps, the proximity requirements for initial syncing and the LED color patterns. This includes initially turning off your internet modem then waiting about 30 seconds before powering it back up; this allows you to start from a ‘clean’ internet router that you will connect to the ASUS BE5000 mesh system. Remember to setup the ‘main’ node first. The nodes are basically identical but if you examine the main node, it has a sticker that identifies it as the one to connect to your internet router with the RJ45 cable. You will be looking for the LEDs on the front of the nodes to be solid white which will indicate they are fully connected. Once you see the LEDs turn solid white, go ahead and look in the ASUS Router app, then click on the Devices selection and you will see the nodes with their IP addresses. If you see ‘Update available’ on a node, select that and do the update. This unit has the latest technology, and I observed improved connectivity and super speeds due to the WiFi 7 capabilities. The app provides you with a lot of great security features so take some time to check out the options. I only needed about 2,000 square feet coverage in my single level house, but this mesh system is spec’d out at 6,800 square feet coverage if you have the included 3 pack. I was able to put one unit in my garage and one unit in the master bedroom which is on the opposite end from the garage. I placed the third node in the dining room which is in the middle. This placement worked out very well. It’s a good idea to put the main node in the middle and the satellites on either end. Remember that your initial setup requires the nodes to be close together and in the same room as your existing router for first time setup. All nodes have remained connected - great. I am very pleased with the solid setup, the large square foot coverage and the ability to use the app for your initial install and status. I highly recommend this excellent mesh system.