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ASUS ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro Quad-band WiFi 7 Mesh Router - $449 + tax / free shipping - backordered until 10/31
$449
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This is the lowest price I've seen this for. Seems to be $600+ most everywhere else. $449 + tax and free shipping at Newegg. It says backordered until 10/31, but they did accept my order. I was on the fence between this and the TP-Link Archer BE900 (BE24000) and pulled the trigger on this one due to higher est. total throughput (30gbps vs 24gbps) and currently lower price at Newegg (BE24000 is ~$500 at its lowest that I can find).
WiFi 7 mesh - up to 30000 Mbps with Multi-Link Operation and 4096-QAM.
Up to 4000 square foot coverage
Twelve internal antennas and sixteen front-end modules
USB port ready for 4G LTE and 5G mobile tethering.
AiProtection Pro powered by Trend Micro, one-tap security scan, comprehensive VPN support, and site-to-site VPN.
https://www.newegg.com/asus-bq16-...6833320596
https://www.asus.com/us/networkin...-bq16-pro/
WiFi 7 mesh - up to 30000 Mbps with Multi-Link Operation and 4096-QAM.
Up to 4000 square foot coverage
Twelve internal antennas and sixteen front-end modules
USB port ready for 4G LTE and 5G mobile tethering.
AiProtection Pro powered by Trend Micro, one-tap security scan, comprehensive VPN support, and site-to-site VPN.
https://www.newegg.com/asus-bq16-...6833320596
https://www.asus.com/us/networkin...-bq16-pro/
Community Notes
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Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
This is the lowest price I've seen this for. Seems to be $600+ most everywhere else. $449 + tax and free shipping at Newegg. It says backordered until 10/31, but they did accept my order. I was on the fence between this and the TP-Link Archer BE900 (BE24000) and pulled the trigger on this one due to higher est. total throughput (30gbps vs 24gbps) and currently lower price at Newegg (BE24000 is ~$500 at its lowest that I can find).
WiFi 7 mesh - up to 30000 Mbps with Multi-Link Operation and 4096-QAM.
Up to 4000 square foot coverage
Twelve internal antennas and sixteen front-end modules
USB port ready for 4G LTE and 5G mobile tethering.
AiProtection Pro powered by Trend Micro, one-tap security scan, comprehensive VPN support, and site-to-site VPN.
https://www.newegg.com/asus-bq16-...6833320596
https://www.asus.com/us/networkin...-bq16-pro/
WiFi 7 mesh - up to 30000 Mbps with Multi-Link Operation and 4096-QAM.
Up to 4000 square foot coverage
Twelve internal antennas and sixteen front-end modules
USB port ready for 4G LTE and 5G mobile tethering.
AiProtection Pro powered by Trend Micro, one-tap security scan, comprehensive VPN support, and site-to-site VPN.
https://www.newegg.com/asus-bq16-...6833320596
https://www.asus.com/us/networkin...-bq16-pro/
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Community Reviews
The ASUS ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro is a pricey WiFi 7 mesh system aimed at homes that can actually use 6GHz, 10Gb ports, and multi link operation. It shines for fast local transfers, NAS use, and strong whole home coverage when paired as a router and node, with some setups reporting excellent throughput and stable wireless backhaul. The main catch is that WiFi 7 gains are strongest near line of sight, and the system can be complex to tune, with long reboots after settings changes. It feels best suited to power users with WiFi 7 devices and wired backhaul plans.
Common Questions (5)
It can cover a floor plan well in some homes, but the strongest WiFi 7 results usually need line-of-sight or multiple access points. For many houses, a router-plus-node mesh or multiple wired APs gives better coverage through walls than a single unit.
It makes the most sense if you already have WiFi 7 clients or plan to upgrade soon. Without WiFi 7, a high-end WiFi 6 tri-band system or multiple APs can be a better value, especially if your internet is 1Gbps or slower.
It is best used as a mesh setup with a router and node, since the hardware and software are built around multi-link backhaul and paired units. As a standalone AP, cheaper alternatives can make more sense.
Yes, applying Wi-Fi changes can still take several minutes and leave the network unavailable while it reboots. Examples include turning off Tx bursting or changing MLO/SSID settings, which can require repeated long reboots on the latest firmware.
Yes, faster WiFi can matter even with a slow ISP because it improves local network traffic like NAS file copies. With WiFi 7 devices and 10Gb networking, it can also reduce the need for a separate 10Gb switch for wired NAS traffic.
AI-generated summary based on comments from the community. Updated ago
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I should've also talked about Wifi 7's increased ability to handle more devices, but I don't think most consumers will run into that currently.
If you have a device that can benefit from more than 500Mbs, you probably want pretty close to line of sight. I tested a Eero Wi-Fi 7 router (ISP supplied) in the next room (two pieces of drywall) and I got 800Mbs. If I moved the AP into the same room, I got my full 1Gbps (my full service).
The best I got through the same wall with Wi-Fi 6 was 480Mbs. But it's a PC with a decent external antenna.
I personally switched back to Wifi 6 as I don't want to use an ISP managed router and when I can be bothered, I'll run ethernet.
I will say, a friend lives in a new build apartment with really thin walls, and the new 6Ghz spectrum made a huge difference to his Wi-Fi, there was just so much noise in the 2.4Ghz and even 5Ghz bands, he could hardly get 300Mb/s with line of sight. I didn't really believe it until I went saw it. But we fixed his issue with a $100 6E router.
But yeah, I'd never spend $450 on a home router. I'm very happy with my Linsys MX4300 from Woot for $20 running OpenWRT.
Most people would be far better off with multiple APs - say 2 APs on both sides of the house - rather than one AP. That said, there's merit in the one-and-done approach, but just realize that especially Wifi7 speeds (and even 6, honestly) don't go through lots of walls well.
For most people that means they're best off, if they need WF7 for some reason, to get 2 x Ubiquiti XG WAPs ($199/ea) with an ethernet backhaul to their router. That implies they'd have a Ubiquiti controller too, so this isn't feasible for everyone, but that will give better results than this single unit will, if we're focused on WF7 speeds and coverage.
And I'd love for the downvoter to explain why, because the above is absolutely how wifi works.
You are not providing direct experience about this device on the post, I did.
And I don't disagree on the fact that it's too expensive, in fact I doubled down on that argument, it's too expensive.
It almost comes of as a rant on WiFi 7 and wall penetration of the 6Ghz bands and your thoughts on what's better for other people, I don't even know if you have experience with WiFi 7 mesh networks operating on 6Ghz and 5Ghz multi link, it doesn't sound like you do, at all.
I bought the paired BQ16 Pros, they come out paired out of the box, one is labeled as main and the other as node.
They are awesome and I have them working on wireless MLO backhaul using 2x 6Ghz bands and 1x 5Ghz band.
The node info says the signal strength of each band, which is awesome. Obviously the 5Ghz is the strongest but not by much. Unless you have proven experience using the 6Ghz, I'm going to trust my own experience and the YouTube channel I consulted reviewing this specific model in Router/Node configuration, which mentioned the signal strength is great even for 6Ghz.
I got no idea why this is being sold as a single unit being that the title says "mesh router" when you need 2+ devices to make a mesh. Simplest explanation I can think of is, this is sold as a single piece for those users that want a 3rd unit (2nd node), users like myself.
Considering this unit as a standalone AP (no nodes) and outside of a mesh network (the main focus of the software inside this unit) is simply dumb and a gross representation of its capabilities.
WiFi 7 is awesome and it's a home run when it comes to WiFi upgrades. 6Ghz is awesome right now since it's less congested with decent wall penetration (obviously not as good as 5Ghz and not remotely as 2.4Ghz).
MLO is soo awesome, my phone usually indicates 1 transmit link and when I run a speed test it dynamically establishes another link and then I go back to check WiFi info and I can see the second link, then it cuts off the unused link again.
It's so awesome, to be honest it doesn't sound like you've personally used or done any of this.
You are not providing direct experience about this device on the post, I did.
And I don't disagree on the fact that it's too expensive, in fact I doubled down on that argument, it's too expensive.
It almost comes of as a rant on WiFi 7 and wall penetration of the 6Ghz bands and your thoughts on what's better for other people, I don't even know if you have experience with WiFi 7 mesh networks operating on 6Ghz and 5Ghz multi link, it doesn't sound like you do, at all.
I bought the paired BQ16 Pros, they come out paired out of the box, one is labeled as main and the other as node.
They are awesome and I have them working on wireless MLO backhaul using 2x 6Ghz bands and 1x 5Ghz band.
The node info says the signal strength of each band, which is awesome. Obviously the 5Ghz is the strongest but not by much. Unless you have proven experience using the 6Ghz, I'm going to trust my own experience and the YouTube channel I consulted reviewing this specific model in Router/Node configuration, which mentioned the signal strength is great even for 6Ghz.
I got no idea why this is being sold as a single unit being that the title says "mesh router" when you need 2+ devices to make a mesh. Simplest explanation I can think of is, this is sold as a single piece for those users that want a 3rd unit (2nd node), users like myself.
Considering this unit as a standalone AP (no nodes) and outside of a mesh network (the main focus of the software inside this unit) is simply dumb and a gross representation of its capabilities.
WiFi 7 is awesome and it's a home run when it comes to WiFi upgrades. 6Ghz is awesome right now since it's less congested with decent wall penetration (obviously not as good as 5Ghz and not remotely as 2.4Ghz).
MLO is soo awesome, my phone usually indicates 1 transmit link and when I run a speed test it dynamically establishes another link and then I go back to check WiFi info and I can see the second link, then it cuts off the unused link again.
It's so awesome, to be honest it doesn't sound like you've personally used or done any of this.
The device was listed here as a single device for $450. What should our expectations be, exactly? Lots of devices are mesh and sold as qty:1. I merely stated that for many houses, to get good WiFi 7 (320, 6 ghz) speeds, you'll want line of sight, and for many USA houses that means 2 APs. Which is…exactly what you did! I'm not sure why you're disagreeing with me…
I have experience with 6 ghz; I own said XG device.
Ubiquiti's wireless capabilities are in another league compared to most other makes; are you suggesting Asus (a company not remotely known for networking, much less wifi networking) has some special sauce here?
The device was listed here as a single device for $450. What should our expectations be, exactly? Lots of devices are mesh and sold as qty:1. I merely stated that for many houses, to get good WiFi 7 (320, 6 ghz) speeds, you'll want line of sight, and for many USA houses that means 2 APs. Which is…exactly what you did! I'm not sure why you're disagreeing with me…
I have experience with 6 ghz; I own said XG device.
Ubiquiti's wireless capabilities are in another league compared to most other makes; are you suggesting Asus (a company not remotely known for networking, much less wifi networking) has some special sauce here?
Finally came up, I was wondering what the "bu-bu-but I know better than you" was all about.
Look, it's good your setup is cheap and you like it, but please stop parroting that you need "line of sight" with every WiFi 7 6Ghz device. It's just a lie, or maybe all the WiFi 7 6Ghz devices you have used are trash LOL. Who knows.
6Ghz works through walls too, just not exactly the same as 5Ghz. The wireless backhaul is working through several walls and the lowest 6Ghz band right now is -55dBm, the other 6Ghz band is -53dBm and the 5Ghz is -47dBm. I dunno, maybe these BQ16 Pros maybe really are that good.
No I don't think Asus has any special sauce and I do not recommend this BQ16 Pro to be used standalone, there's better and cheaper standalone alternatives, it should be used as a mesh setup (router+node) to be able to really use all its capabilities.
WiFi 7 (6 ghz) limitations are well known and have nothing to do with anything unique to Asus or Ubiquiti. To pretend otherwise is foolish. You even agreed with me - because you bought two of them - one doesn't have the coverage that two do, due to exactly this limitation.
[...snipping remainder...]
Dong's review - https://dongknows.com/asus-zenwif...ro-review/
And this is from the review: "It's worth noting that the router takes a pretty long time, up to a few minutes, to apply new Wi-Fi settings, such as turning MLO on or off, adding/removing a virtual SSID, and so on. During this time, the network is unavailable."
I am stunned it would take that long, considering the cost of the router. Would appreciate learning if the router still behaves this way when applying changes. Thanks.
Dong's review - https://dongknows.com/asus-zenwif...ro-review/
And this is from the review: "It's worth noting that the router takes a pretty long time, up to a few minutes, to apply new Wi-Fi settings, such as turning MLO on or off, adding/removing a virtual SSID, and so on. During this time, the network is unavailable."
I am stunned it would take that long, considering the cost of the router. Would appreciate learning if the router still behaves this way when applying changes. Thanks.
Yeah it still behaves like that, I can time it if you want. Last tweak I did was like a week ago, so latest firmware still has these long reboots.
Some setting changes are very annoying, for example I wanted to turn off Tx bursting off, on all 4 Wifi radios, and there's no way to do them all at once in a single reboot, I had to painfully go through 4 long reboots.
Then I wanted to rebalance the client disconnect to improve switching between nodes (it did help as expected), and that was another 4 long tedious reboots.
Once I got it setup everything has worked perfect and the devices are awesome, WiFi at my place is awesome, but that doesn't mean I'm not aware it's overpriced and pretty much paying early adopter prices.
So everything reviewers say is pretty on spot. They also mention it's got way too many options to configure for someone who has never done it. Some stuff you can leave as default but some you can't.
It's surprising but yes, this is one of the odd products with no favoritism and reviews call out the flaws and pros pretty consistently.
Let me know if you have any more questions.
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Yeah it still behaves like that, I can time it if you want. Last tweak I did was like a week ago, so latest firmware still has these long reboots.
Some setting changes are very annoying, for example I wanted to turn off Tx bursting off, on all 4 Wifi radios, and there's no way to do them all at once in a single reboot, I had to painfully go through 4 long reboots.
Then I wanted to rebalance the client disconnect to improve switching between nodes (it did help as expected), and that was another 4 long tedious reboots.
Once I got it setup everything has worked perfect and the devices are awesome, WiFi at my place is awesome, but that doesn't mean I'm not aware it's overpriced and pretty much paying early adopter prices.
So everything reviewers say is pretty on spot. They also mention it's got way too many options to configure for someone who has never done it. Some stuff you can leave as default but some you can't.
It's surprising but yes, this is one of the odd products with no favoritism and reviews call out the flaws and pros pretty consistently.
Let me know if you have any more questions.
By the way I'm currently using some ASUS XT8 mesh units. They're WiFi 6; compared to the BQ16 Pro set, the XT8 looks like a little baby mesh kit.
By the way I'm currently using some ASUS XT8 mesh units. They're WiFi 6; compared to the BQ16 Pro set, the XT8 looks like a little baby mesh kit.
I'm curious how much longer ASUS will provide firmware updates for the XT8. Just had a firmware update last week (and that's about 3 or 4 this year) so they seem to be actively supporting it for now.
I'm curious how much longer ASUS will provide firmware updates for the XT8. Just had a firmware update last week (and that's about 3 or 4 this year) so they seem to be actively supporting it for now.
Later on a I switched to hardwired Linksys and when I put them XT8s on eBay, I got 2/3rds of what I paid for them.
The device was listed here as a single device for $450. What should our expectations be, exactly? Lots of devices are mesh and sold as qty:1. I merely stated that for many houses, to get good WiFi 7 (320, 6 ghz) speeds, you'll want line of sight, and for many USA houses that means 2 APs. Which is…exactly what you did!
I have experience with 6 ghz; I own said XG device.
Ubiquiti's wireless capabilities are in another league compared to most other makes; are you suggesting Asus (a company not remotely known for networking, much less wifi networking) has some special sauce here?
1. Your $400 AP solution doesn't include the cost of a router or Gateway.
2. Ubiquiti doesn't have a reasonably priced Gateway with dual 10Gb ports so you're going to pay $200 more for a Gateway with a 2.5Gb LAN port. Now you're at $600 and your max Internet speed is 2.5Gb where the BQ16 Pro can do 10Gb.
3. Your XG APs are 3 band and 2x2 MIMO, they can only do 680Mb(2.4Ghz)+4.3Gb(5Ghz)+5.8Gb(6Ghz) whereas the BQ 16 has 4 bands and higher MIMO allowing it to do 1376Mb(2.4Ghz)+5764Gb(5Ghz)+11529Gb(6Ghz)+11529Gb(6Ghz). So even without the 6Ghz bands, the BQ 16 outperforms your Ubiquiti solution.
4. The price of the ASUS ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro right now is $399. Still expensive but, cheaper than the Ubiquiti solution and WAY better performance numbers both on the WAN and LAN side.
https://shop.asus.com/us/asus-zen...6-pro.html
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