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2-Pack Asus ZenWiFi AX6600 Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System (White) $151.89 + Free Shipping
$152
$330
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Amazon [amazon.com] has 2-Pack Asus ZenWiFi AX6600 Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System (White) for $151.89. Shipping is free.
Product Description from Amazon:
Now $154.43
Product Description from Amazon:
- Banish WiFi Dead Zone—Tri-band mesh WiFi system with unique antenna placement delivers strong WiFi to every corner of your home providing total wireless speed of 6600Mbps
- Next-Gen Wi-Fi 6 Technology— With OFDMA and MU-MIMO ZenWiFi AX enables more efficient stable and faster transmission even when multiple devices are transmitting data at the same time
- Hassle Free Control – 3 steps setup and easy management with ASUS Router App
- Always Up-to-date Protection— The lifetime free network security powered by Trend Micro makes sure your privacy on connected devices is protected
- AiMesh Supported– Mix and match ZenWiFi with AiMesh-compatible routers to form powerful and flexible whole-home WiFi system
Now $154.43
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Community Notes
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Amazon [amazon.com] has 2-Pack Asus ZenWiFi AX6600 Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System (White) for $151.89. Shipping is free.
Product Description from Amazon:
Now $154.43
Product Description from Amazon:
- Banish WiFi Dead Zone—Tri-band mesh WiFi system with unique antenna placement delivers strong WiFi to every corner of your home providing total wireless speed of 6600Mbps
- Next-Gen Wi-Fi 6 Technology— With OFDMA and MU-MIMO ZenWiFi AX enables more efficient stable and faster transmission even when multiple devices are transmitting data at the same time
- Hassle Free Control – 3 steps setup and easy management with ASUS Router App
- Always Up-to-date Protection— The lifetime free network security powered by Trend Micro makes sure your privacy on connected devices is protected
- AiMesh Supported– Mix and match ZenWiFi with AiMesh-compatible routers to form powerful and flexible whole-home WiFi system
Now $154.43
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Community Reviews
The ZenWiFi XT8 is a tri band mesh system that stands out for wireless backhaul, especially when nodes are separated by walls or floors. Its dedicated second 5 gigahertz band keeps mesh traffic off the client band, which should hold up better than 6 gigahertz in longer or obstructed runs. That makes it a stronger fit for wireless mesh than ET9 in tougher layouts, while wired backhaul removes most of the range concern. Merlin firmware is available for XT8 V1, and the main caution is that used units should be tested carefully.
Common Questions (4)
No. The XT8 is a tri-band system with 2.4GHz plus two 5GHz radios, and the second 5GHz band is reserved for wireless backhaul. That makes it a better fit than 6GHz-based mesh when nodes are farther apart or separated by walls and floors.
Yes, when the nodes are not close together. The XT8's dedicated 5GHz backhaul has more range than the ET9's 6GHz backhaul, while the ET9 is a better fit if the nodes are close or you can use wired Ethernet backhaul.
6GHz can drop sharply with obstructions: one wall at about 15 feet cut throughput from roughly 1100 Mbps to about 500 Mbps in one setup. With two walls, 5GHz is the safer choice because 6GHz range is shorter and degrades faster through barriers.
Yes, Merlin firmware is available for the XT8 V1. The Merlin build is linked from the main Merlin site.
AI-generated summary based on comments from the community. Updated ago
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How to decide which to get: If the mesh nodes will be relatively close to each other OR you could use wired backhaul (connect them with ethernet), the ET9 is a good choice. Otherwise, if you must use wireless backhaul and the nodes will be relatively further apart (and you'd need to use wireless backhaul), the 5ghz band is better and the XT8 is the solid pick. Another bonus for the XT8 is the 2nd 5ghz band is reserved exclusively for wireless mesh traffic. Whereas on the ET9 the 6ghz mesh backhaul band is also shared with 6ghz clients.
Good luck and enjoy!
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How to decide which to get: If the mesh nodes will be relatively close to each other OR you could use wired backhaul (connect them with ethernet), the ET9 is a good choice. Otherwise, if you must use wireless backhaul and the nodes will be relatively further apart (and you'd need to use wireless backhaul), the 5ghz band is better and the XT8 is the solid pick. Another bonus for the XT8 is the 2nd 5ghz band is reserved exclusively for wireless mesh traffic. Whereas on the ET9 the 6ghz mesh backhaul band is also shared with 6ghz clients.
Good luck and enjoy!
They both have 5Ghz and 6Ghz, so why the difference you mention?
If I'm placing them on different floors, would the XT8 be better?
How are these any better than using a regular ASUS router in a Mesh setup? Like an RT-AX88U. I'm currently using an old RT-AC86U which actually works fine though I'm sure I could benefit from faster speed. It's just one router on the lower floor of a two-floor house. My wife and I both work from home, with her on VOIP calls and me on Teams video calls (while doing other things on the PC) all at the same time, and the AC86 never hickups.Though soon I'm going to need WIFI in a farther away room upstairs, so might need Mesh.
They both have 5Ghz and 6Ghz, so why the difference you mention?
If I'm placing them on different floors, would the XT8 be better?
How are these any better than using a regular ASUS router in a Mesh setup? Like an RT-AX88U. I'm currently using an old RT-AC86U which actually works fine though I'm sure I could benefit from faster speed. It's just one router on the lower floor of a two-floor house. My wife and I both work from home, with her on VOIP calls and me on Teams video calls (while doing other things on the PC) all at the same time, and the AC86 never hickups.Though soon I'm going to need WIFI in a farther away room upstairs, so might need Mesh.
The 6ghz band does not have very much range. 5ghz has further range than 6ghz. So if the mesh nodes will be further apart, a system that uses 5ghz band for wireless backhaul (such as XT8) would be better than a system that uses 6ghz band for wireless backhaul (ET9).
If you're placing mesh nodes on different floors, which indicates there is at least one wall/floor between units, yes, I would recommend the XT8 over the ET9 (if using wireless backhaul). If you are connecting units via ethernet (wired backhaul), you could use either XT8 or ET9 as ethernet would be used for backhaul, not wireless. So wireless backhaul range is not a factor when using ethernet backhaul.
The XT8 and ET9 are examples of ASUS routers that have been purposefully built and designed to be used as part of a mesh system. For example all XT8 nodes will use a specific method to communicate mesh traffic wireslessly if using wireless backhaul (the 2nd 5ghz backhaul channel). This preserves the 1st 5ghz band for client use, so client speeds are improved.
Routers like the RT-AX88U are designed primarily as single-unit routers, with the added bonus of being able to operate as a mesh router or node (they are generally marketed as an "AiMesh extensible router" if they may be added to an ASUS AiMesh system). Mixing and matching AiMesh extensible routers can produce a functional mesh system but it may not work optimally. For more details on this see: https://dongknows.com/tips-and-ru...esh-combo/
If your current router/setup works for you, no need to upgrade. But it may be worth considering upgrading if (1) you are no longer receiving router/firmware updates from ASUS; (2) you are not receiving sufficient speed wirelessly when using your router; (3) clients disconnect or client slowdowns are observed. Hope that helps.
The 6ghz band does not have very much range. 5ghz has further range than 6ghz. So if the mesh nodes will be further apart, a system that uses 5ghz band for wireless backhaul (such as XT8) would be better than a system that uses 6ghz band for wireless backhaul (ET9).
If you're placing mesh nodes on different floors, which indicates there is at least one wall/floor between units, yes, I would recommend the XT8 over the ET9 (if using wireless backhaul). If you are connecting units via ethernet (wired backhaul), you could use either XT8 or ET9 as ethernet would be used for backhaul, not wireless. So wireless backhaul range is not a factor when using ethernet backhaul.
The XT8 and ET9 are examples of ASUS routers that have been purposefully built and designed to be used as part of a mesh system. For example all XT8 nodes will use a specific method to communicate mesh traffic wireslessly if using wireless backhaul (the 2nd 5ghz backhaul channel). This preserves the 1st 5ghz band for client use, so client speeds are improved.
Routers like the RT-AX88U are designed primarily as single-unit routers, with the added bonus of being able to operate as a mesh router or node (they are generally marketed as an "AiMesh extensible router" if they may be added to an ASUS AiMesh system). Mixing and matching AiMesh extensible routers can produce a functional mesh system but it may not work optimally. For more details on this see: https://dongknows.com/tips-and-ru...esh-combo/
If your current router/setup works for you, no need to upgrade. But it may be worth considering upgrading if (1) you are no longer receiving router/firmware updates from ASUS; (2) you are not receiving sufficient speed wirelessly when using your router; (3) clients disconnect or client slowdowns are observed. Hope that helps.
XT8 seems like a good option for me for Mesh then. If I don't end up needed Mesh, an AX88 is the same speed as as the XT8.
https://www.asus.com/us/networkin.../techspec/
https://www.asus.com/us/networkin.../techspec/
FYI, if I went with the RT-AX88U, I would buy another RT-AX88U if I ended up needing Mesh.
XT8 seems like a good option for me for Mesh then. If I don't end up needed Mesh, an AX88 is the same speed as as the XT8.
https://www.asus.com/us/networkin.../techspec/ [asus.com]
https://www.asus.com/us/networkin.../techspec/ [asus.com]
FYI, if I went with the RT-AX88U, I would buy another RT-AX88U if I ended up needing Mesh.
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