Customer Ratings & Reviews

I’m impressed with this router. After hooking up the GS-BE18000 and getting some basic setup done, I updated the firmware. I don’t do this with a lot of equipment unless I’m experiencing some sort of problem, but anything related to network security should be updated frequently. The setup process was simple. I plugged it into my wired network and powered up. I had some issues getting the app to work, so I connected my laptop via ethernet and followed the included instructions. Initial options for network setup include options to act as a primary wireless router, a wireless repeater, a wireless access point, a media bridge, or an Asus AiMesh node. I wanted this to act as an access point for my existing network, so that’s the way I set it up. You’re given the option to combine or separate your 2.4ghz, 5ghz, and 6ghz WiFi signals into different SSIDs, and also provided an opportunity to set up an IoT network for all your smart home devices. This device replaces an existing access point in my living room, which is central to my home and connects a variety of both wireless and ethernet devices. The GS-BE18000 includes a total of eight 2.5Gb port with one dedicated to the WAN connection and two specified as high-priority “gaming” ports. I used remaining ethernet ports to a PC media server and gaming rig, PlayStation 5, and the TV itself. Enough ports are provided that you could easily use this to set up at your gateway to distribute ethernet across your home. Wireless range is better than average. It’s got a higher reach than the relatively new TP-Link Deco it replaces, but it’s not astonishingly good. Wireless connections seem solid and it’s fast enough that it saturates my gigabit internet. While it’s got a very “gamer” centric appearance, it’s not overwhelming, and the giant RGB logo can easily be set to a dim color or shut off completely. It’s a lot more classy-looking sitting on an entertainment center than one with a half-dozen antennas sticking out of it, and you’d have a hard time making it look out of place. There’s also a USB 3 port on the back that can be used for a variety of functions, from media storage to a time machine backup location to a samba share. You can also use this port to connect a phone for cellular access to the router, should the need arise. In the configuration interface, it’s easy to get lost. There are so many different configuration options available that it’s almost staggering, but at the same time, little of it is necessary to get successful functionality out of the device. It’s easy to set up NAT for outside access, or assign specific IP addresses to specific devices, for example. It also features things like Alexa integration, which I’ll admit is a little beyond me. I can’t fathom a situation in which I’d want to tell Alexa to manage something on my router, but if you’re the kind who likes to be able to turn a guest network on and off with your voice, Asus has you covered here. You can also set parental controls and family groups if you want to restrict hours or usage, and there appear to be content filters available as well, though I haven’t tested any of this. The amount of features, both gaming and otherwise, that have been crammed into this device is very impressive, and I’m looking forward to digging deeper into it when I have more time. But for now, it’s been a very solid addition to my home network, and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a reliable device with good performance.

I've paid little attention to most of the wifi routers I've had before. All of my previous ones were provided by my ISP when they were setting up my internet for the first time. Only recently have I started to care about the features of a router, the ease of use when you want to change settings, the reliability of the signal, things like that. So take my input with a grain of salt. I'm not a major power user. There's a number of features this router has that I didn't use, and didn't know how to use. I like to game, I like to stream shows, I like to stream myself playing games to my friends in Discord, and I have an external storage drive connected to my router so I can access the storage from whatever device I feel like. My use case isn't particularly heavy. With that said, I have to say, I was impressed with this router. It's easy to set up. You do need to download and install an app, but you don't need to make any sort of account on it to access the features the router has. You can also use the web GUI things to access the same features you can in the app, so whatever you prefer, you have plenty of options for controlling things. That said, I believe the app may be the only way to update the firmware on the router, and from some of the other reviews, it seems the update is necessary for it to function properly. As for the router's functionality, well, it's a wifi router. It has a strong signal everywhere in my apartment (although it's only a 1 bedroom), the speeds are consistent on every device that doesn't have issues themselves, and the wired connection I have has been rock solid. You can set up a VPN through a variety of servers - I have yet to test this, although I want to. I'm a little worried about doing something wrong or messing something up though. As it's a gaming router, you can prioritize the signal for your gaming devices, to avoid high ping and such. You can set it up to work with Alexa, adjust firewall settings, control which frequency signals it'll broadcast, have a separate network for guests, stuff like that. The app allows you to see a number of things in real time, like the router's CPU and RAM usage, the devices connected to the network, network traffic. You can adjust the color of the RGB light on the front of it, as well as make it change colors, have a breathing pattern, or be turned off entirely. You could certainly buy a more affordable router and get a good experience, but I think this is still a great option if you want a high-end router whose settings you can tweak and customize to your needs and liking. I don't anticipate I'll need a new router for a long time, even if I upgrade to gigabit internet, and that's more than enough for me.

I am super impressed with this router. Not only was it fast and great for Lan, but it was also great for Wi-Fi as well. My kids always insist on plugging their consoles in directly. I personally like to be plugged in directly for myself, but I run my cable out of the way. My kids do not, so the cables they use are across the floor. I set this up and disconnected them and so far, they have not complained about lag. It has a few Lan ports and a couple are dedicated just for gaming. This seems to keep the speeds up. Other routers I would have to set my PC to have priority. If I did not, if wife would hop on and start a movie I would get mad lag spikes. So far, I have not gotten that. My favorite future with this though is that the antennas are inside. My last couple routers have antennas on the outside and those are always somehow getting bumped and even broken. The router was easy to setup. I just scanned the QR code for my iPhone, downloaded the app and followed the instructions. I will admit that it wanted me to scan a QR code on the router (this same QR code is also on a sticker that has the default passwords). However, for some reason I would then get a message that would say unable to connect. Did this a couple times for each QR code. I then selected to manually connect and that worked for me. This just had me go to my phone Wi-Fi settings and connect. From there I was able to continue with setting up. It notified me of a firmware update, and so I updated that completed setting up. The app itself has a few options, and it recognized I had a phone and allowed me to prioritize phone for gaming. you can also change the color of the logo as it is RGB so a very nice touch. Doing a speed test with my phone, I got just under double the speed for download compared to my other router and the same speed for upload. I ran this a couple times, as well as ran it a couple times with my other router and then reran it a couple more times. Hopefully I can show a picture from each. The picture was the lowest number I got with this router and the highest number from my other router. But download I got on the lowest end 631 Mbps and upload was 10.9 Mbps, and for my older router I got, 361 Mbps for download and 11.2 Mbps for the upload. Overall, I am pleased with this router and recommend if you are a gamer and live in a place that has other gamers as well.

TLDR: Great router that has nearly everything under the sun, including gaming mode for your gaming devices. However, like other reviews have said, it requires a firmware update (available as of 07/2025) to remain stable. Once the firmware is installed, it’s a rock-solid option for Wifi 7 households. I ordered the Asus ROG Strix GS-BE18000 based on two main factors: Lots of 2.5gbps ports, and fast Wifi 7 with newly-released AFC (automated frequency coordination). One of those factors was great, the other in a work-in-progress (more later). I’ll start with the design: I personally like the squared off “shoebox” look with not-so-subtle RGB lighting. It really fits the ROG Strix gaming theme that the brand is known for in gaming circles. Having internal antennas makes the router look more like furniture and less like a spider (my previous AX11000 is guilty of the later). The router has 7 LAN ports and 1 WAN port, all operating at 2.5gbps. This is a logical step-up from previous gen routers if you don’t need the higher-end 5 and 10gbps ports, all while keeping costs down. My only gripe with the design is that the power cable has an ugly, large wall wart plug rather than a normal plug with power brick, making it hard to hide behind furniture and/or fit into a backup power supply with close plugs. Poor oversight there, tbh. Performance wise: I’m very happy with near-and-moderate range speeds on Wifi 7. I have an internet plan that maxes out at approx. 1.5gbps. My near (within 15 feet, no walls) nearly maxed out my plan speeds on my laptop and phone (phone was marginally faster). At moderate distance (20-30ft + a few thin walls), I was able to maintain about 900mbps download and full upload speeds (40mbps). However, moving beyond that distance, or introducing things like exterior walls slowed the speeds down dramatically. At about 35ft, but through several thin walls and an exterior wall, I was only getting about 300mbps/40mbps. Both of my devices maintained the Wifi 7 connection though without reverting back to slower Wifi standards. Once you activate gaming mode, and point the router to the gaming device, it will intelligently steer additional bandwidth to that device, and well as work some magic to reduce Ping times for faster responses. In my testing, it was easy and straightforward to set up, even if my games didn’t feel too much difference. If you’re a competitive gamer, or even a pro gamer, this feature might mean the difference between a win and a loss though. Just food for thought. AFC impact: This feature should allow for location info to be sent to a server that then dictates how much power the 6Ghz band can use, thus impacting speed and range. It’s not active by default, but it’s easy to do in the “Wifi” menu of the router’s software interface. Enabling it the first time ended up with a ‘connection to server error’. I re-enabled AFC and this time it worked, but came back with low-power mode (the default power mode of the router), rather than Standard Power Mode (which is actually the higher power mode). There’s nothing I could find to override the mode, so that’s that. In my limited use, AFC didn’t benefit me. Maybe it will someday, as it updates it’s results daily. Other features that I liked about the router are Asus’s great software interface and plethora of options and customization (including the RGB lighting, which is also defeatable). VPNs, guest networks, IoT networks, VLANs, port forwarding, built-in security and custom DNS servers are all awesome to have even if you don’t use them now. Setup was excellent. I was able to setup the router using their preferred method of scanning a QR code, downloading their app, then searching and finding the router and proceeding to setup. You have the option of fast or advanced setups, and if you opt for fast you can be said and done within 5 minutes. Give the router a name and change the admin password, then change the network name and give it a password…and you’re done. Smooth! The setup also provides you a quick and easy way to scan for available Asus AI-Mesh nodes to create a mesh network. I didn’t use that here, but I have in the past and it works so easily. Overall, I feel like this is a great router for a one- or two-story home up to about 3500sqft that doesn’t sprawl too far side-to-side. It’s strong enough to cover that size home without dead zones without the need for a mesh network. At release, I feel like $500 is a pretty steep price, but it’s not unheard of for upper tier routers these days. And the Wifi speeds and the plethora of 2.5gbps ports will be future proof for at least the next 10 years for the average consumer. I’d definitely recommend this to my friends or family, especially if they could get it on sale.

For years, I've been running a pretty solid Wi-Fi 6 setup and honestly, I thought I was set. But recently my network congestion started to become worse. Between my PC gaming, my wife's WFH video calls and kids streaming 4K content and the absurd number of smart home devices we've accumulated, seems like my old router was unable to take the burden. I notice random lag spikes or a bit of buffering on the living room TV. When i got to try out this future proof ASUS Strix Wi-Fi 7 monster i was really impressed. Unboxing this thing feels like an event. The packaging is premium, as you'd expect from the Republic of Gamers (ROG) line. But the router itself wow It’s big. Make sure you have the shelf space for it. It looks less like a piece of network equipment and more like a futuristic piece of alien technology. The unique angular black design with the signature ROG Aura RGB lighting is awesome and You can customize or turn off the lights, but I have to admit, having it subtly pulse in my office is pretty cool. The build quality is fantastic. It feels dense and well-constructed. Around the back, the port selection is where things get serious. You have Seven 2.5Gbps Lan ports and One 2.5Gbps Wan port. This is a massive step up from the standard gigabit ports on most routers and is a clear sign that this device is built for next-generation speeds, both wired and wireless. I was expecting a bit of a complicated setup given the number of features but I was pleasantly surprised I used the ASUS Router app on my phone and it guided me through the basics in about 10 minutes It recognized my internet connection, let me set my SSID, Passwords and updated its firmware. For anyone who just wants to get online, its that easy. Of course, the real fun is in the web interface. If you're a tinkerer, this is your paradise. The ROG-themed dashboard gives you everything from real-time traffic analysis to in-depth security settings. The "Game Boost" features are front and center, allowing you to prioritize gaming traffic with a single click. You can set up a dedicated gaming port activate a mobile game mode and fine tune QoS settings to an insane degree. It can be a little intimidating if you're a beginner, but the defaults are solid, and the most important features are easy to find. Performance is where the GS-BE18000 really justifies its existence. Wi-Fi 7 and MLO I recently upgraded my main PC with a Wi-Fi 7 card to really test this. Wi-Fi 7's headline feature is Multi-Link Operation (MLO), which basically lets a device connect to the 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands at the same time. The result isn't just raw speed its incredible stability I transferred a 100GB file from my NAS to my PC wirelessly, and the speeds were insane. It was faster than a wired gigabit connection. It’s mind boggling. Gaming This is where the magic happens. Before, I’d occasionally get those frustrating micro stutters or ping spikes, especially if someone else started streaming a 4K movie. With this router, that's completely gone. My connection to game servers feels rock solid. My ping in competitive shooters is consistently low and, more importantly stable. The router’s QoS is so effective at prioritizing my game data that it feels like I have a dedicated internet line just for my PC. My house is about 3,100 sq. ft. with a basement and a backyard. My old router left a couple of weak spots in the corners of the house. This Strix router covers every single inch with a powerful signal. I get blazing fast speeds on the 6 GHz band throughout the main floor, and the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands reach the patio and basement with no problem. The signal is just incredibly robust.To get the true benefit of Wi-Fi 7 and features like MLO, you need Wi-Fi 7 devices. As of right now (August 2025), those are still becoming mainstream. Your older laptops, consoles and most smartphones will connect just fine and will still benefit from the routers powerful hardware and better coverage, but they won't unlock those top tier Wi-Fi 7 speeds. The ASUS ROG Strix GS-BE18000 is an absolute awesome piece of engineering. It's a preview of the future of home networking. The performance is staggering, the feature set is exhaustive, and the stability it brings to a congested network is a game changer. This router is for the enthusiast, the hardcore gamer who demands zero compromises, with a gig internet plan and a home NAS, or anyone who wants to build a network that will be ready for the next five to seven years of technological advancement. It's an investment, for sure. But if you fit into that target audience and have the hardware to leverage its power, it's a phenomenal one. It has single handedly eliminated every network related headache I had before My home network is just smoother, faster, and more stable. For me, that was worth every penny.

If you have come across my reviews for other Asus products, you already know that I am a big Asus fan and usually very excited about when it comes to testing out Asus products, unfortunately this router did not fare the same. So, I have been testing out the new Asus ROG Strix GS-BE18000 Wi-Fi 7 router for a few days now and I was a little disappointed. While looking at the specs for this new router, it should have blown my current Wi-Fi 7 setup right out the water but instead my speeds were cut in half and I wanted to give this a fair shot and tired running test on multiple Wi-Fi 7 devices with wired/wireless connection with the same results. Fortunately, as I set up the router, which was pretty simple whether you’re using the Asus app or Web based setup, I was immediately guided to the new firmware update and did not encounter the infinite reboot issue that other users experienced. Over the few days I have tired everything from messing the MLO settings to QoS and even different scenario option which seemed to help a little but did not make an overall improvement. I understand that going wireless you do end up with speed degradation but even my wired connection suffered the same fate. This router offers some very impressive features such being able to connect a wireless USB dongle or phone to the USB port on the router to serve as backup in case your isp is down, which honestly my current setup does not offer. The router offers 7 muti-ports with 2 gaming ports, 20 gig wired capacity, a 2.0 Quad-Core processor, AI-Mesh Compatible, and honestly a really cool-looking router overall, but looks and specs don’t cut it if it can’t provide the speeds that I am paying for. Overall, as it stands as much as it pains me to say this, but I cannot recommend it at this time. I hope in the near future, after some firmware updates this router can be used to its full potential.

Works as intended and looks great! Download speeds are same as with my old router but the uploads speeds have increased 6-7x! Asus app also has impressive features.

This router works great. I purchased a competitor router and had to return it as I couldn't get anything to connect to it. While I was there, I picked this up. Setup was easy and only took a few minutes to have all of my stuff up and running. The range is pretty good too, I have a few items in my detached garage in my back yard and the signal is pretty strong with those items too. I run multiple computers, a couple TVs, and a few smart home hubs through this router and the connection is strong with everything.

Looking for a gaming router with cool LED and customizable features? Look no further. This Asus ROG router does the trick. Setup was a super cinch. Downloaded the app. Followed the step by step instructions and I was in. Software via Google play app was easy to use. Nice customizable features. Easy to navigate and look at the different features. Also modes like gaming, streaming, work from home etc are all easy to pick. LED affect is easy to use. I was getting full throttle withy LAN connection and via WiFi I was getting about 1.5GBE download. Gaming with heavy video and testing on 4K was no issue. Also restricted use was easy to toggle if you have kids. Overall nice additions to my network. I am running 2 GBE via fiber. So this router was able to handle almost full throttle. If you are looking for a gaming router with all.of these features. This will definitely fit your needs. Nice job ASUS. As always ROG puts out great gaming products that are attractive and functional at the same time.

Fastest speed and best router to have. The range, the speed and the looks are amazing.

ASUS GS-BE18000 Router setting it up was easy. Had to take time and pay attention to updating the Bios to the current version. No manual available on the website to explain some of the settings but found a workaround on that. Other than that this thing screams and have plenty of internet connections.

This router is a monster! Setup was fast and easy — the app walks you through everything step-by-step. I’m using it with multiple devices including a gaming PC, consoles, and smart home gear, and it handles everything without breaking a sweat. The Wi-Fi 7 speeds are insane — I’m getting over 2 Gbps on my compatible devices. The signal range is excellent, covering my entire house with zero dead zones. The design is sleek and very ROG-style, which fits perfectly with my setup. The interface is also great for advanced users — tons of customization for QoS, gaming modes, and network optimization. ✅ Pros: Super-fast Wi-Fi 7 speeds, strong range, easy setup, awesome app controls ⚠️ Cons: Pricey, but absolutely worth it for high-end performance

Been using for 3 weeks now and everything seems great but have had to restart it once with performance issues. Hopefully not a recurring problem. Also only getting around 1200 Mbps on my pixel 10 pro. Was expecting around 1800 with Wi-Fi 7. On a 2.5gb Internet plan

Using this in a Mesh AI setup to extend the range of the WIFI network. Setup was easy and working great.

Needed to upgrade to accommodate a new 2GB fiber connection; this did the trick. 2+ gigs on all wired ports with very, very fast tri-band wireless performance. No issues, no pauses, no downtime, no reboots - it just works.

This router has been pretty solid so far, setup was rather tricky, as I was unable to set up as a hard-wired AIMesh node.

This is a great gaming router and whole house setup for internet/wifi. I am running a hard wired access point router on the opposite side of the house and it is all working great! Very pleased with this purchase and upgraded from the Nighthawk 600 to never look back. Having the ASUS app to setup and access the router at any time for adjustments and speeds is very convenient. No regrets on this purchase!

All of what is written here is true- I went through the same steps that one of te reviewers went with isolating the AI issue and I di get it to work once I turned off that feature. The (good)? news is that that I instlled the new firmware todday (and performed the reccommended factoey reset). I reconfigured the wireless networks and and to reset and reconnect the ai mesh nodes. But the good news is that all of the featured benefits are working! They also powered the 6G network and it is much more powerful with the power added. What is a pain to handle? Yes! but all appears to work well now.

Love the speed. Takes up very little desk space. Perfect addition to my aimesh system.

Setup took a few tries. Make sure install the update when first configuring the router. Other than that, i do not have anything to complain about. Great router that will not need an upgrade in a few years.