@@tacoeatinmonkey Most new mesh systems can handle the gigabit speeds. The advantage this has is the great wireless backhaul speeds. Is that worth $900? that's a personal preference kind of thing.
Mesh systems are really gaining popularity recently. I hope other brands start ditching their subscription based features and follow example set by Asus in providing users with rich customization experience for free.
I too got very excited about the power supply for a bit there! Haha. Would love a comparison with all the 6Es by best value and best speed. Also I think a quick network diagram overlay would really help when you're explaining the setup. And you can reuse it too since the network setups are similar. Great video. Loving these. Keep it up!
@@landpetim runnin 10gbe on cat5e its completely fine at short distances however is not certified which i think is what you are referencing like i would never be able to certify cat5e runs for my clients offices for 10gbe i need 6 or 6a but for 2.5 and 5 pahhh cat 5e is more than sufficient that said most included cables throw them away and order some cheap cat 6a (real) patch cables ii dont know your vendor however its extremely likely you have cat 6a patch cables not cat7 fyi cat 7 is not used never used was certified in 2002 but never needed as cat 6a is far superior and well fiber is cheap. just my 2 cents i see this misinformation all the time
What speeds are you paying for? And how would you compare to the Amplifi Alien? I still have a week to return and wondering if this is better for me. I also have a S22u and other 6E devices. But is 6E the game changer?
I haven’t played with amplifi alien. I’m currently on the 940 down and 880 up plan (for the video) which they may have just upped to 1000/1000 (still need to verify this) 6E is definitely better but at the end of the day it depends on your usage, might not be any more useful to be faster than a certain point.
Thank you. I bought the XT12 based on your review. The 6E version is not available in the UK. But given that this device is new, it would be good to see more videos about what different settings can do. I turned on ethernet backhaul and turned off QoS on mine and that just doubled the speed. Intelligent piece of device - it now uses one 5G band for near devices and one for the ones further. Still curious to learn what else I can tweak.
Enjoy the channel. So I am also looking at the Asus Wi-FiZen lineup. My house is about 3500 ft.² and I’m looking at three current available ones. Asus XT8, ET8 and ET12 all backhaul wired. Which would you recommend?
Thanks! That's a bigger place, I would go for the ET12 if money was no object but I do think the ET8 would work as well. I just answered your other comment but it would be better if I read this first since you provided a picture of your scenario.
I have an ET8 system with some 2.5G switches and cat8 cables. I like how it runs and I love the ASUS app and web interface. Also am satisfied with Asus phone support. The only problems I have and I don’t know if it is my network or the TV station or the TV provider is that live TV often pauses and I assume buffers. This never happens though with streaming services like Netflix. Do you know what this might be due to and what the fix might be?
If you use it as an AP (disable the router function) can both 2.5gb ports be used for LAN? I would love to use one 2.5gb port for backhaul and the other for a gaming PC in two different rooms. Basically using it like a switch. The 1 gb ports can be used for other devices like my Shield TV and printer. I plan to run an OPNsense router/FW that has 2.5 GB ports.
Lol, i was going to do a review on the S22 ultra but have so many router videos that I’m trying to test and release that it pushed back the S22 but I think I did record myself unboxing it. I’ll have to check lol
I prefer to cover it since I'm posting it publicly, which is different from buying a used one. And I just like to take the precautions just in case. Now, even if someone has the MAC address, it's still going to take a lot of work to try to do something with it. New is typically preferred but I wouldn't rule out getting a used one, someone really has to have I'll intent and do a lot of work which may not even be successful. If you do get a used one, it's always best to do a factory reset as well just in case. That's my two cents
i've heard comments that using 6ghz as the wireless backhaul limits the distance the units can be apart as it has lower penetration that 5ghz - do you have thoughts on this? I've previously used the Google Nest system but it's decided to brick itself so looking for a rock solid, wireless backhaul replacement. It seems it's between this and the Orbi equivalent but I really don't like all the added extras they make you pay for with Orbi
In theory, that is true, 6GHz does support shorter range but if they’re about 40 ft away with not many walls, this thing will fly. This et12 and the orbi RBKE963 are my favorite routers. They both have advantages over the other so the simple answer is if you need a 2 pack, get this, if you need a 3 pack get the Orbi. Both are amazing, can’t go wrong. In terms of looks, this asus is the winner
6 ghz has short range. You should try to place it in close line of sight. I have it in middle of my house on both floors so you still get max speeds without range drop off. In reality with 6 ghz, mesh system is a must vs a single powerful router. I personally think it will need at least 3 nodes for 2000 sq feet full house coverage.
I was waiting for a review on this guy. Do you think it's worth over the ET8 if you're doing wired backhaul and don't care about the extra 2.5G port? I don't know if it's because of regulations over the 6GHz band but I can't find either the ET8 or the ET12 here in Europe.
Et12 gets more range than ET8 but I don’t think it’s worth it over the ET8 if you’re doing wired backhaul unless you really like the design or you have more WiFi 6E devices
I have a big house 5500+. How does this compare to the Netgear Orbi 6E? Is this one better? I just got starlink satelite internet, probably only 100mbps. Also, are many devices not compatible with 6E? Or is it still faster than wifi 6? Sorry for all the questions just now learning this.
The Orbi comes as a 3 pack (covers 9K Sq ft), this ASUS comes in as a 2 pack (covers 6 sq ft), granted you could add more. They both have excellent range. If you have a ton of walls, I would go with the Orbi, otherwise the ASUS should be fine. Few devices use wifi 6E and wifi 6E has short range and great questions.
I do have a lot of walls. If many devices don’t use 6E should I just go with orbi WiFi 6. Or is the range a lot better with 6E? Thank you so much for your help
Once 6E devices become more readily available and you have 5-10 of them connected to 6ghz, do you think that will impact the backhaul since you will be sharing the 6ghz (client and backhaul)?
If you're concerned about backhaul speeds, I would check the Deco XE200 for a similar price that has better wireless backhaul speeds granted not as good range as this ET12. Deco also has less options compared to Asus. However even with your wifi 6e devices connecting to the 5GHz band yields amazingly good results.
Your review is very helpful. Can you try mixing older models in the messh like an ax92u with et12 as the main router. It would be interesting to see how they perform as well as will be helpful for people who are upgrading.
Thanks! Unfortunately, I don't have the AX92U to compare. I tend to buy the newer stuff coming out. I will say whole heartedly, this is either the best or second best mesh system I've tested period. It's between this and the Orbi RBKE963, it's a tough decision since they are both amazing.
Tough choice, they're both amazing. Depends on your scenario really, the easy answer is if you need 2, get the asus, if u need 3, get the Orbi cause you cant go wrong with either one. Orbi is better in some parts and Asus is better in other parts.
There is almost 1GB difference (on your chart) between a wired backhaul and wireless backhaul. Could you use MoCA adapters with this mesh for a wired backhaul? Speeds would be interesting to know
@@randomuser6225 no problem. In theory no, but you never know since they are also relying on coax cables in the walls that can possibly be split, you may lose some speed there.
Great review like always 👏. Do you also plan to make a review of Asus ZenWifi pro xt12, which im looking to replace my mesh system made of asus rt-ax92u?
@@landpet LOL...I was getting ready to ask if you'd planned to review the Eero Pro 6E...and I see that you are. Can't wait to see that, as I think I've decided to go with Eero (not sure if I'll go with Eero Pro 6 or Eero Pro 6E yet) because I want something rock solid in terms of stability, and don't need a ton of configuration options.
I have a 7500 square foot house on a 3/4 of an acre lot and am in need of a more range and a more stable mesh system. I had the medium level Orbi and I didn't want to pay for parental controls. I have an Asus RTX3000 router with three nodes and it fails to assign ISPs. Driving me nuts. I'm willing to buy a higher end Mesh system, but don't know if I should go Orbi 963 or go for this new Asus setup. Any advice would be helpful.
Thanks for the review. Can you also test Asus Pro XT12? Which one is better under the same test use case? I have read that ET12 range is not that great compare with XT12. It would be good to hear what you think. Also which router is better in terms of performance between Netgear 963 and Asus Pro ET/XT12? Thanks.
I haven't played with the XT12, not sure if I will play with that one just yet. I may just skip it, still undecided on it. ET12 has great range as you saw in the video and so does the Orbi RBKE963. I'm going to do a comparison between 6 wifi 6E mesh systems of which the Orbi and ET12 will be included sometime this month. Trying to finish up the eero's among a few others, have lots to do lol. In a nutshell, Orbi is great so is the ET12. Can't go wrong either way. Design wise ET12 is way nicer in my opinion but they both have amazing performance. If you had a bunch of devices, I would go with the Orbi since it's a quad band. I might opt for the Orbi for Wireless Backhaul as well, again cause of the quad band but the ET12 did amazing well and off the top of my mind, the ET12 gave better numbers at the far range tests compared to the Orbi.
@@landpet Thanks for getting back. For your ET12 test, did you test the wireless connection through a few wall? As you know the 6E range is not that great so means that you won't be using 6E in most of the cases, hence I thought XT12 would be better for most users. If you have a open plan house then I would agree with you that ET12 would be a better option. Am looking for your comparison between Orbi and ET12. Thanks.
@@landpet OK. I think the ET12 would not be the best option for most people as there is more walls to go through for this router. Therefore I think the XT12 would be a better option to buy as it will use the 5GHz bandwidth for the wireless backhaul. If you are wired setup then the ET12 would be better.
Great thanks for the advice. Love the channel. Keep up the testing, I appreciate a lot of time and effort goes into your videos and it really helps that you do these tests so we can buy the right product first time.
Yes you should be able to mix because they both support AiMesh. If you had some lying around, you could expand the network that way as well but I typically recommend using the same mesh model number.
I'm getting low wifi speeds when I use a plugged-in backhaul. My network is 1gb, and the router and node are probably about 50' from each other with a few walls between them. Would it increase my speeds if I unplugged the backhaul? Wondering if there are some settings that are not correct.
For internet speed tests, it depends on the device you're testing with. I typically get around 700 down and 300 up on my iPhone, well I forget what I got on this router but I mentioned it here. Are you getting speeds like that or something much slower? Most of the speed tests I showed were local speed tests in this video. If you're getting something much slower, and you're close to the router, I would check the cables or a switch if you are using a switch.
I think you should also post some kind of usage reviews with multiple different types of devices and how it holds up for first few weeks. I got this Mesh Router, and it's keeps dropping clients off the Wi-Fi. Tried updating firmware and resetting to factory defaults but still keeps dropping connection to 6e enabled phone, to a shield tv or any other random device. Seems like this a known issue with Asus
I've ran this for over a month probably closer to two months since then (not consecutively) and there's been no drops. Here are some things to check: Make sure your router is in an open area (not tucked behind stuff, placing it higher up also helps and at least a few feet away from other electronics), if you have a modem/router combo, make sure the router portion of that is disabled since they will both be emitting wifi signals.
Don't know where you are getting your information, but Cat 7 cable is NOT necessary for 2.5Gb circuit, see IEEE 802.3bz . Cat 5e is good up to 100 meters, my house is not that large. And if you are looking ahead, Cat 6 is good up to 5Gb and Cat 6a up go 10 Gb. Cat 7 is a waste of money today.
Love your videos, I just wanted to save some verizon fios customers some heartache when it comes to this router. I am only speaking for the setup in this comment. On June 2 my Asus Pro ET12 came my setup is. I went from my verizon ONT straight to the 2.5GB Wan, and I plugged my switch into one of the 1GB ethernet ports and my computer is hard wired into the switch. I have verizon 900/800 network. I went into the Router and did a speed test and I got 912 down and 29 up. yes you read that correctly. I hooked my older Netgear router in place of the new Asus router and ran the same test and got 910 down 940 up. I went to multiple forums and found out that this is an issue with these ASUS Routers and Verizon Fios so now I am returning this router. If someone has a fix for this please let me know but as of now, everyone with Verizon Fios is having this issue when using this router connected to the Verizon ONT.
It’s all fabulous tech and you did a great review except that not all client vendors (laptop/tablet/phones/TVs/etc) have put WiFi 6e chips in their devices - Apple being the most notable. Probably sometime later this year but for people with existing devices they shouldn’t upgrade this now. Might want to skip WiFi 6e if you aren’t looking to change your devices in the next two years and just wait for WiFi 7 which is going to be a much greater change. The one thing you did not mention that is important to note is that if you are in an apt complex or any area with a dense usage of WiFi it might be best to get a 6e router because you avoid all those other bands as long as you have the devices that can use it…basically android based devices currently.
you hardly have any good midrange ~$250 wifi 6e routers now, even from Asus. Wifi 7 being mainstream will be years away even after its official release.
I have a 2400 sqft home from my Internet connection to my office is about 2 rooms apart. I had 4 Google wife pro mesh points set up spaced through the house and still cant get 200MB in my office. I have a 5 gig connection . Would this routers be able to easily push past tthe 200MB in office?
If you don’t mind spending the money, you should get the Deco BE85, it has the best chance of pushing it. I don’t know how your home is structured with walls, etc but I want to say it can easily push 200 and much more with the TP Link Deco BE85, best mesh system I’ve tested to date. Insane wireless backhaul speeds
can't remember, there should be a reset button on it I would imagine that you would need to hold for a set amount of time like 10 to 15 seconds. That's typically the way of resetting these routers
Hi, I am always having problem with it and I have to restart it in order to have it work again. The software is up to date. Now I am traveling and it disconnect again and I can’t connect to my home devices. Is there a way to restart it again remotely by mobile App?
According to the specs, cat5e is capped to gigabit speeds. Granted you’re not the first to say it can go faster, I will have to try it one of these days.
I believe it does. I'm not using at the moment to check but if any router supports VLANs, it has to be ASUS. ASUS provides the most options from any router I've tested.
Whenever I plug an ethernet cable into the extra 2.5G port on the satellite router, the satellite router begins to flash red, indicating that it's not connecting to the attached device. I'm running 2.5G as wired backhaul currently, and I ultimately want my computer to connect to the satellite router using the other 2.5G port. Anyone have a similar problem or know the solution? All the devices I've tried plugging into the satellite router had 1G ethernet ports (printer, desktop, macbook), and maybe that's the issue. But I didn't want to drop more money on a 2.5G adapter for one of the computers before I knew it would work. Thanks in advance.
I have a 10Gb switch which my computer plugs into that. I'm able to take advantage of the 2.5Gb. If you plug your computer to the 2.5Gb LAN (assuming your 2.5Gb WAN connection is connected to the main router 2.5Gb LAN port) connection, it should work. ONT (modem for fiber optic) -> Router -> Unmanaged 10Gb Switch -> connects to my computer among other devices along with the satellite.
@@landpet Thanks for the reply. I do have the 2.5G WAN port of the satellite router connected to the 2.5G LAN port of the hub router. But when I plug my laptop (1G port via adapter for now) into the 2.5G LAN port of the satellite router, I get no signal.
Update: I picked up the USB-C to 2.5G ethernet adapter by Plugable, and that seems to have solved the issue. I can now use the 2.5G LAN port on the satellite router, but only with this adapter. So, my hypothesis is that, for some reason, the Asus firmware is currently unable to allow the 2.5G LAN port on the satellite access point to create a successful handshake with any 1Gb device.
Orbi has one 10Gb port and one 2.5Gb so it provides at least the same benefits of this Asus. Orbi can handle internet speeds up to 10Gb where this Asus can handle internet speeds up to 2.5Gb port. They both support the 2.5Gb wired backhaul so your LAN can go as fast as 2.5Gb assuming you had all right stuff to sustain those speeds
I bought the Asus ET12 Pro after watching this video and it's been the most expensive mistake I've made! The system is extremely unstable and crashes if any of the protection features are switched on! The reviewer clearly doesn't test these systems long enough so he wouldn't know about this issue. I'm now stuck with going back and forth with Asus support trying to get a full refund. Asus support aren't even able to understand why this keeps happening due to the very poor error reporting of this router. It doesn't even generate any logs when the crash happens. Stay well away from this system!
Mesh routers don't work if their no way to bring back deleted devices connected to the mesh and its useless if the customer service is useless not to mention how it Damages you're previous router is all up selling
You can bring back deleted devices, you just go to the device and reconnect to the mesh or you can forget the network or reset and reconnect which will prompt for the password. Not sure I understand why it damages the previous router.
Just bought the set and love it. I find the pair work perfectly and was easy to setup. Looks really smart in operation. Thanks for the review 👍
Great to hear!
Is it worth the $900 if you only have 1 Gb speeds?
@@tacoeatinmonkey Most new mesh systems can handle the gigabit speeds. The advantage this has is the great wireless backhaul speeds. Is that worth $900? that's a personal preference kind of thing.
noob question....if i dedicate the 6ghz for my wireless backhaul....doesn't that mean i can never access wifi6e with my devices?
Mesh systems are really gaining popularity recently. I hope other brands start ditching their subscription based features and follow example set by Asus in providing users with rich customization experience for free.
I agree
On top if you do not like it they provide open system, so you can Install customer stuff like merlin
I too got very excited about the power supply for a bit there! Haha.
Would love a comparison with all the 6Es by best value and best speed.
Also I think a quick network diagram overlay would really help when you're explaining the setup. And you can reuse it too since the network setups are similar.
Great video. Loving these. Keep it up!
Nice! The comparison is coming this month for all the WiFi 6E’s.
@@landpet awesome to hear that. We have been looking at a few and trying to decide. Great to hear u will be releasing your thoughts soon.
That cable at cat5e isn't "limiting". Cat5e is rated for 2.5GbE for that very short distance.
I haven't heard that, from what I read, cat5E is limited to gigabit speeds.
@landpet well, more, or better sources of research may be in order.
@@landpetim runnin 10gbe on cat5e its completely fine at short distances however is not certified which i think is what you are referencing like i would never be able to certify cat5e runs for my clients offices for 10gbe i need 6 or 6a but for 2.5 and 5 pahhh cat 5e is more than sufficient that said most included cables throw them away and order some cheap cat 6a (real) patch cables ii dont know your vendor however its extremely likely you have cat 6a patch cables not cat7 fyi cat 7 is not used never used was certified in 2002 but never needed as cat 6a is far superior and well fiber is cheap. just my 2 cents i see this misinformation all the time
great review, thanks for giving the maximum speeds from local server testing, exactly what I wanted to know.
Thanks!
What speeds are you paying for?
And how would you compare to the Amplifi Alien? I still have a week to return and wondering if this is better for me. I also have a S22u and other 6E devices. But is 6E the game changer?
I haven’t played with amplifi alien. I’m currently on the 940 down and 880 up plan (for the video) which they may have just upped to 1000/1000 (still need to verify this)
6E is definitely better but at the end of the day it depends on your usage, might not be any more useful to be faster than a certain point.
Thank you. I bought the XT12 based on your review. The 6E version is not available in the UK. But given that this device is new, it would be good to see more videos about what different settings can do. I turned on ethernet backhaul and turned off QoS on mine and that just doubled the speed. Intelligent piece of device - it now uses one 5G band for near devices and one for the ones further. Still curious to learn what else I can tweak.
No problem, lots to tweak with Asus
Enjoy the channel. So I am also looking at the Asus Wi-FiZen lineup. My house is about 3500 ft.² and I’m looking at three current available ones. Asus XT8, ET8 and ET12 all backhaul wired. Which would you recommend?
Thanks! That's a bigger place, I would go for the ET12 if money was no object but I do think the ET8 would work as well. I just answered your other comment but it would be better if I read this first since you provided a picture of your scenario.
I have an ET8 system with some 2.5G switches and cat8 cables. I like how it runs and I love the ASUS app and web interface. Also am satisfied with Asus phone support. The only problems I have and I don’t know if it is my network or the TV station or the TV provider is that live TV often pauses and I assume buffers. This never happens though with streaming services like Netflix. Do you know what this might be due to and what the fix might be?
I would try a reset on the device that's lagging.
Should I opt for the et12 or xt9 I know that one is 6 and 6e. Just want to know which is the better experience period?
If you use it as an AP (disable the router function) can both 2.5gb ports be used for LAN? I would love to use one 2.5gb port for backhaul and the other for a gaming PC in two different rooms. Basically using it like a switch. The 1 gb ports can be used for other devices like my Shield TV and printer.
I plan to run an OPNsense router/FW that has 2.5 GB ports.
Is it possible to buy an additional one later on and extend the mesh system to a total of three of these ? Thanks for the video!
Yes
@@landpet Great!
ohhhh you have the nice blue S22 ultra, wish you made an unboxing of it to show off the color.
Lol, i was going to do a review on the S22 ultra but have so many router videos that I’m trying to test and release that it pushed back the S22 but I think I did record myself unboxing it. I’ll have to check lol
@@landpet oh man excited to see more router reviews though.
I ve noticed you guys cover the MAC address for the reviewed routers. Would the same concerns be an issue when buying used routers on Amazon?
I prefer to cover it since I'm posting it publicly, which is different from buying a used one. And I just like to take the precautions just in case. Now, even if someone has the MAC address, it's still going to take a lot of work to try to do something with it. New is typically preferred but I wouldn't rule out getting a used one, someone really has to have I'll intent and do a lot of work which may not even be successful. If you do get a used one, it's always best to do a factory reset as well just in case. That's my two cents
i've heard comments that using 6ghz as the wireless backhaul limits the distance the units can be apart as it has lower penetration that 5ghz - do you have thoughts on this?
I've previously used the Google Nest system but it's decided to brick itself so looking for a rock solid, wireless backhaul replacement. It seems it's between this and the Orbi equivalent but I really don't like all the added extras they make you pay for with Orbi
In theory, that is true, 6GHz does support shorter range but if they’re about 40 ft away with not many walls, this thing will fly. This et12 and the orbi RBKE963 are my favorite routers. They both have advantages over the other so the simple answer is if you need a 2 pack, get this, if you need a 3 pack get the Orbi. Both are amazing, can’t go wrong. In terms of looks, this asus is the winner
@@landpet thank you
6 ghz has short range. You should try to place it in close line of sight. I have it in middle of my house on both floors so you still get max speeds without range drop off. In reality with 6 ghz, mesh system is a must vs a single powerful router. I personally think it will need at least 3 nodes for 2000 sq feet full house coverage.
I was waiting for a review on this guy. Do you think it's worth over the ET8 if you're doing wired backhaul and don't care about the extra 2.5G port?
I don't know if it's because of regulations over the 6GHz band but I can't find either the ET8 or the ET12 here in Europe.
Et12 gets more range than ET8 but I don’t think it’s worth it over the ET8 if you’re doing wired backhaul unless you really like the design or you have more WiFi 6E devices
@@landpet what if you’re not doing wired backhaul?
@@tacoeatinmonkey It's a personal preference at that point but yes at that point it's worth considering.
I have a big house 5500+. How does this compare to the Netgear Orbi 6E? Is this one better? I just got starlink satelite internet, probably only 100mbps. Also, are many devices not compatible with 6E? Or is it still faster than wifi 6? Sorry for all the questions just now learning this.
The Orbi comes as a 3 pack (covers 9K Sq ft), this ASUS comes in as a 2 pack (covers 6 sq ft), granted you could add more. They both have excellent range. If you have a ton of walls, I would go with the Orbi, otherwise the ASUS should be fine. Few devices use wifi 6E and wifi 6E has short range and great questions.
I do have a lot of walls. If many devices don’t use 6E should I just go with orbi WiFi 6. Or is the range a lot better with 6E? Thank you so much for your help
@@macyrae81 he just answered your question dummy. 6ghz has shorter range than 5ghz, 5ghz has shorter range than 2.4ghz.
Once 6E devices become more readily available and you have 5-10 of them connected to 6ghz, do you think that will impact the backhaul since you will be sharing the 6ghz (client and backhaul)?
If you're concerned about backhaul speeds, I would check the Deco XE200 for a similar price that has better wireless backhaul speeds granted not as good range as this ET12. Deco also has less options compared to Asus. However even with your wifi 6e devices connecting to the 5GHz band yields amazingly good results.
great review! Any plans on reviewing TP Link's Deco XE75 next? It looks like a great offering under $300
Thanks and Of course
yeah, I don't usually like TP-Link's WiFi routers soooo much (unless I can put OpenWRT on them) but the X75 is making me think about getting a set...
Your review is very helpful. Can you try mixing older models in the messh like an ax92u with et12 as the main router. It would be interesting to see how they perform as well as will be helpful for people who are upgrading.
Thanks! Unfortunately, I don't have the AX92U to compare. I tend to buy the newer stuff coming out. I will say whole heartedly, this is either the best or second best mesh system I've tested period. It's between this and the Orbi RBKE963, it's a tough decision since they are both amazing.
I see you've reviewed this AND Orbi 6E Mesh - which would you chose between these two?
Tough choice, they're both amazing. Depends on your scenario really, the easy answer is if you need 2, get the asus, if u need 3, get the Orbi cause you cant go wrong with either one. Orbi is better in some parts and Asus is better in other parts.
There is almost 1GB difference (on your chart) between a wired backhaul and wireless backhaul. Could you use MoCA adapters with this mesh for a wired backhaul? Speeds would be interesting to know
Yes you can but the MoCA itself might be the bottleneck
@@landpet thanks for the response. Would even the 2.5gbps MoCA adapters create a bottleneck?
@@randomuser6225 no problem. In theory no, but you never know since they are also relying on coax cables in the walls that can possibly be split, you may lose some speed there.
Great review like always 👏. Do you also plan to make a review of Asus ZenWifi pro xt12, which im looking to replace my mesh system made of asus rt-ax92u?
Thanks! As of now, I haven’t planned on doing the XT12. The next on my list is the eero pro 6E and eero 6+
@@landpet LOL...I was getting ready to ask if you'd planned to review the Eero Pro 6E...and I see that you are. Can't wait to see that, as I think I've decided to go with Eero (not sure if I'll go with Eero Pro 6 or Eero Pro 6E yet) because I want something rock solid in terms of stability, and don't need a ton of configuration options.
@@Mhosborn ;
Is the XT12 even available for sale in the US yet?
Can this be used in AP mode like traditional Asus routers?
I have a 7500 square foot house on a 3/4 of an acre lot and am in need of a more range and a more stable mesh system. I had the medium level Orbi and I didn't want to pay for parental controls. I have an Asus RTX3000 router with three nodes and it fails to assign ISPs. Driving me nuts. I'm willing to buy a higher end Mesh system, but don't know if I should go Orbi 963 or go for this new Asus setup. Any advice would be helpful.
This ET12 and the Orbi 963 are both good but since you have a larger home. You need at least 3 nodes, so maybe the Orbi is the better choice for you.
How’s this compare to the BE63?
I like the way these look. What do the profiles (Preschooler, School-aged child, etc) look like?
Just various parental level settings for the different groups of things that can be restricted
Thanks for the review. Can you also test Asus Pro XT12? Which one is better under the same test use case? I have read that ET12 range is not that great compare with XT12. It would be good to hear what you think.
Also which router is better in terms of performance between Netgear 963 and Asus Pro ET/XT12? Thanks.
I haven't played with the XT12, not sure if I will play with that one just yet. I may just skip it, still undecided on it. ET12 has great range as you saw in the video and so does the Orbi RBKE963. I'm going to do a comparison between 6 wifi 6E mesh systems of which the Orbi and ET12 will be included sometime this month. Trying to finish up the eero's among a few others, have lots to do lol.
In a nutshell, Orbi is great so is the ET12. Can't go wrong either way. Design wise ET12 is way nicer in my opinion but they both have amazing performance. If you had a bunch of devices, I would go with the Orbi since it's a quad band. I might opt for the Orbi for Wireless Backhaul as well, again cause of the quad band but the ET12 did amazing well and off the top of my mind, the ET12 gave better numbers at the far range tests compared to the Orbi.
@@landpet Thanks for getting back. For your ET12 test, did you test the wireless connection through a few wall? As you know the 6E range is not that great so means that you won't be using 6E in most of the cases, hence I thought XT12 would be better for most users. If you have a open plan house then I would agree with you that ET12 would be a better option.
Am looking for your comparison between Orbi and ET12. Thanks.
@@dennisdiep7144 not many walls in between during the test, around 40 ft away from each other.
@@landpet OK. I think the ET12 would not be the best option for most people as there is more walls to go through for this router. Therefore I think the XT12 would be a better option to buy as it will use the 5GHz bandwidth for the wireless backhaul. If you are wired setup then the ET12 would be better.
What device would you recommend for 3000 sq ft 3 storey house with or without wireless backhaul and receiving fibre 2 gigabit line in?
This or the Orbi RBKE963.
Great thanks for the advice. Love the channel. Keep up the testing, I appreciate a lot of time and effort goes into your videos and it really helps that you do these tests so we can buy the right product first time.
Great review thank you 😊. Any idea where I can buy this device? It is out of stock everywhere. Thanks again for your review.
No problem! I think you’re right, just need to wait a bit until it’s back in stock
@@landpet in stock at B&H Photo in NYC.
Do you know if you can mix ET12s and ET8s on the same network and what reason would be for doing so? Thanks.
Yes you should be able to mix because they both support AiMesh. If you had some lying around, you could expand the network that way as well but I typically recommend using the same mesh model number.
Of course, 5GHz will be faster because 6GHz is used for backhaul so the speeds will be divided.
Has a brick but give them props for not making the brick part of the plug which takes up 3 slots on your power bar :)
lol
I'm getting low wifi speeds when I use a plugged-in backhaul. My network is 1gb, and the router and node are probably about 50' from each other with a few walls between them. Would it increase my speeds if I unplugged the backhaul? Wondering if there are some settings that are not correct.
For internet speed tests, it depends on the device you're testing with. I typically get around 700 down and 300 up on my iPhone, well I forget what I got on this router but I mentioned it here. Are you getting speeds like that or something much slower? Most of the speed tests I showed were local speed tests in this video.
If you're getting something much slower, and you're close to the router, I would check the cables or a switch if you are using a switch.
I think you should also post some kind of usage reviews with multiple different types of devices and how it holds up for first few weeks.
I got this Mesh Router, and it's keeps dropping clients off the Wi-Fi. Tried updating firmware and resetting to factory defaults but still keeps dropping connection to 6e enabled phone, to a shield tv or any other random device. Seems like this a known issue with Asus
I've ran this for over a month probably closer to two months since then (not consecutively) and there's been no drops. Here are some things to check: Make sure your router is in an open area (not tucked behind stuff, placing it higher up also helps and at least a few feet away from other electronics), if you have a modem/router combo, make sure the router portion of that is disabled since they will both be emitting wifi signals.
this video is underrated 🔥
Thanks!
Nice job. Thanks for sharing.
No problem!
Don't know where you are getting your information, but Cat 7 cable is NOT necessary for 2.5Gb circuit, see IEEE 802.3bz . Cat 5e is good up to 100 meters, my house is not that large. And if you are looking ahead, Cat 6 is good up to 5Gb and Cat 6a up go 10 Gb. Cat 7 is a waste of money today.
Love your videos, I just wanted to save some verizon fios customers some heartache when it comes to this router. I am only speaking for the setup in this comment. On June 2 my Asus Pro ET12 came my setup is. I went from my verizon ONT straight to the 2.5GB Wan, and I plugged my switch into one of the 1GB ethernet ports and my computer is hard wired into the switch. I have verizon 900/800 network. I went into the Router and did a speed test and I got 912 down and 29 up. yes you read that correctly. I hooked my older Netgear router in place of the new Asus router and ran the same test and got 910 down 940 up. I went to multiple forums and found out that this is an issue with these ASUS Routers and Verizon Fios so now I am returning this router. If someone has a fix for this please let me know but as of now, everyone with Verizon Fios is having this issue when using this router connected to the Verizon ONT.
Thanks! I had no idea, I use frontier ONT and it’s fine with that
@@landpet So I assume I can use a different Router and just run the ET12's as 2 access points? Can that configuration work ?
It’s all fabulous tech and you did a great review except that not all client vendors (laptop/tablet/phones/TVs/etc) have put WiFi 6e chips in their devices - Apple being the most notable. Probably sometime later this year but for people with existing devices they shouldn’t upgrade this now. Might want to skip WiFi 6e if you aren’t looking to change your devices in the next two years and just wait for WiFi 7 which is going to be a much greater change. The one thing you did not mention that is important to note is that if you are in an apt complex or any area with a dense usage of WiFi it might be best to get a 6e router because you avoid all those other bands as long as you have the devices that can use it…basically android based devices currently.
That's a good point. I don't explicitly say that.
you hardly have any good midrange ~$250 wifi 6e routers now, even from Asus. Wifi 7 being mainstream will be years away even after its official release.
Hi can you compare all new deco xe200 with asus et12 as they both are axe11000 mesh
I will for sure, I first need to make a review first before I get to the comparisons
@@landpet there is 100 usd discount for now on them
I have a 2400 sqft home from my Internet connection to my office is about 2 rooms apart. I had 4 Google wife pro mesh points set up spaced through the house and still cant get 200MB in my office. I have a 5 gig connection . Would this routers be able to easily push past tthe 200MB in office?
If you don’t mind spending the money, you should get the Deco BE85, it has the best chance of pushing it. I don’t know how your home is structured with walls, etc but I want to say it can easily push 200 and much more with the TP Link Deco BE85, best mesh system I’ve tested to date. Insane wireless backhaul speeds
How do you do a hard factory reset on the et12? I'm stuck in a boot loop
can't remember, there should be a reset button on it I would imagine that you would need to hold for a set amount of time like 10 to 15 seconds. That's typically the way of resetting these routers
Hi, I am always having problem with it and I have to restart it in order to have it work again. The software is up to date. Now I am traveling and it disconnect again and I can’t connect to my home devices. Is there a way to restart it again remotely by mobile App?
In the system settings in the asus router app, there is an option to reboot
Thanks, but it needs to be restarted, it is totally off network.@@landpet
Excellent review.
Thanks!
cat 5e can handle up to 5gb... and I think up to 10gb
According to the specs, cat5e is capped to gigabit speeds. Granted you’re not the first to say it can go faster, I will have to try it one of these days.
sure can network techs in the chat have all been grumbling im sure haha i know i did also when i heard cat7 got to hand it to those online marketers
Hi ,do u have interest to test solar lights?if u do ,how can i contact u?
Email me a link at asklandpet@gmail.com
Milliseconds latency cyfers?
Can i connect 120 amazon echo dots to the ET12 PRO without it disconnecting them?
In theory yes but you may be better off with the Orbi RBKE963 since it’s a quad band. However I don’t have that many devices to test it out.
Does the ET12 support vlans
I believe it does. I'm not using at the moment to check but if any router supports VLANs, it has to be ASUS. ASUS provides the most options from any router I've tested.
Would you please review the new eero 6E pro
Yup, that’s next already finished most of the testing
@@landpet Thank you
can it support 5 gigs ?
no, up to 2.5Gbps max
If you plugged them in we could see how it lights up. Just sayin...
I have to agree
Whenever I plug an ethernet cable into the extra 2.5G port on the satellite router, the satellite router begins to flash red, indicating that it's not connecting to the attached device. I'm running 2.5G as wired backhaul currently, and I ultimately want my computer to connect to the satellite router using the other 2.5G port. Anyone have a similar problem or know the solution?
All the devices I've tried plugging into the satellite router had 1G ethernet ports (printer, desktop, macbook), and maybe that's the issue. But I didn't want to drop more money on a 2.5G adapter for one of the computers before I knew it would work. Thanks in advance.
I have a 10Gb switch which my computer plugs into that. I'm able to take advantage of the 2.5Gb. If you plug your computer to the 2.5Gb LAN (assuming your 2.5Gb WAN connection is connected to the main router 2.5Gb LAN port) connection, it should work.
ONT (modem for fiber optic) -> Router -> Unmanaged 10Gb Switch -> connects to my computer among other devices along with the satellite.
@@landpet Thanks for the reply. I do have the 2.5G WAN port of the satellite router connected to the 2.5G LAN port of the hub router. But when I plug my laptop (1G port via adapter for now) into the 2.5G LAN port of the satellite router, I get no signal.
Update: I picked up the USB-C to 2.5G ethernet adapter by Plugable, and that seems to have solved the issue. I can now use the 2.5G LAN port on the satellite router, but only with this adapter. So, my hypothesis is that, for some reason, the Asus firmware is currently unable to allow the 2.5G LAN port on the satellite access point to create a successful handshake with any 1Gb device.
Nice
It's very good
Why is having 2 x 2.5 Gb ports significant compared to the Netgear Orbi RBKE963 having 1 x 2.5 gb port? Can anyone provide some additional examples?
Orbi has one 10Gb port and one 2.5Gb so it provides at least the same benefits of this Asus. Orbi can handle internet speeds up to 10Gb where this Asus can handle internet speeds up to 2.5Gb port. They both support the 2.5Gb wired backhaul so your LAN can go as fast as 2.5Gb assuming you had all right stuff to sustain those speeds
I bought the Asus ET12 Pro after watching this video and it's been the most expensive mistake I've made! The system is extremely unstable and crashes if any of the protection features are switched on!
The reviewer clearly doesn't test these systems long enough so he wouldn't know about this issue. I'm now stuck with going back and forth with Asus support trying to get a full refund.
Asus support aren't even able to understand why this keeps happening due to the very poor error reporting of this router. It doesn't even generate any logs when the crash happens.
Stay well away from this system!
Mesh routers don't work if their no way to bring back deleted devices connected to the mesh and its useless if the customer service is useless not to mention how it Damages you're previous router is all up selling
You can bring back deleted devices, you just go to the device and reconnect to the mesh or you can forget the network or reset and reconnect which will prompt for the password. Not sure I understand why it damages the previous router.