The first mass Mesh systems did not indulge in a lot of functionality. These were quite ordinary routers that only made it easier to establish connections between themselves and combine into one network. Now, if we do not take into account the very basic models, they all add a lot of features, and improvements in standards greatly increase capabilities. Also, with Wi-Fi 7, it makes much more sense to have a gigabit connection at home. What will please the ASUS ZenWiFi BQ16 Mesh system and how Wi-Fi 7 adds meaning to the high-speed channel - we will consider in today's review.
Package contents
The standard ASUS ZenWiFi BQ16 comes with two identical routers of quite modest size, so anyone interested should expect a rather large box. It will also contain two matching power supplies and one traditional Ethernet cable.
Since the design does not provide for non-standard installation or fixation solutions, the kit does not require additional accessories. In general, routers in most cases require practically nothing else, so we have a classic delivery in this case as well.
Design and usability
Historically, conventional routers have remained in traditional forms with external antennas, while Mesh systems hide them and can have different housing options. ASUS ZenWiFi BQ16 adheres to this principle, so we get two large white "towers". There are no very noticeable decorative elements here, because the router should not attract much attention. Actually, that's how it is, except for one small nuance.
On the front side under the logo there is a bright status indicator, which can easily play the role of a night light, if, for example, it shines in the bedroom. But by turning it off, the appearance of the device immediately becomes "calmer". Unfortunately, the settings do not provide a schedule option, allowing you to turn off the indicator at night. And to see all the other design details, you will have to look closely.
The case is visually divided into three parts - front, back and center. The front surface is solid. There are a lot of perforations and all the ports on the back. This is also combined with the central part with perforations for cooling, on top you can see the rather old centric pattern of ASUS Zen devices, and closer to the bottom - a large, relatively new company logo.
The dimensions of the ASUS ZenWiFi BQ16 case are larger than it might seem on the marketing renders — 214×174.2×72 mm. Each of the devices also weighs relatively decently — 1.3 kg. That is, the "box" is quite large, compared to what the manufacturer had before. But in general, this is expected, because most devices of the new Wi-Fi 7 standard have significantly increased in size.
The main thing is that the appearance is simple and easy to place in the interior. The antennas hidden in the case are a nice bonus for the design. Perhaps in some cases the user will be dissatisfied with the lack of installation options, because there are no wall or ceiling mounts, for example. However, this is unlikely to bother the vast majority of owners of such systems.
Functionality
ASUS ZenWiFi BQ16 is a representative of powerful Mesh systems for covering a large area with a local network. We are talking about four ranges at once, which the manufacturer estimates at 740 m² (or half as much for one device), which is more than we are used to seeing from home systems with two access points. And it is clear that this is Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), also with a BE25000 class. The cost , of course, is "touching" - 32,239 hryvnias for one router and 50,149 hryvnias for a set of two (official price at the time of preparing the review).
Actually, why was the rather large size of the devices mentioned: 12 antennas and 16 interface modules are hidden inside. At the same time, each of the two nodes has one USB 3.0, two 10-gigabit LAN ports and three more regular gigabit connectors. One of these ports is designated as WAN. All this is supported by a 4-core processor with a frequency of 2.6 GHz, 2 GB of RAM and 256 MB of Flash memory.
Of course, there is support for OFDMA, 4096-QAM modulation, 320 MHz bandwidth and MLO. All this supports the operation of the 2.4 (4×4, up to 1,376 Mbps), 5-1 (4×4, up to 5,764 Mbps), 5-2 (4×4, up to 5,764 Mbps) and 6 GHz (4×4, up to 11,529 Mbps) bands. In this case, the connection between nodes is established not only in, for example, a separately allocated 5-2 GHz, which the system will close for the user, but MLO from both parts of 5 and 6 GHz, which allows you to significantly speed up the operation of the local network.
Moreover, if the user is upgrading the local network from not very old ASUS routers with AiMesh support, then the predecessors do not necessarily have to be hidden in a distant cupboard if they can somehow be useful (for example, to extend the network to distant rooms or floors of the house). It is noted that AiMesh now also works with artificial intelligence, but the manufacturer does not provide details.
With the USB port, you can also connect a storage device, printer, cellular modem to the network, set up TimeMachine for Apple computer users, create a server, etc. There are still ASUS AiCloud 2.0 functions for creating your own cloud storage.
In general, ASUS ZenWiFi BQ16 has router, access point and AiMesh modes. Smart Home Master allows you to create up to three SSIDs, there are guest networks, separate options for parental control or IoT devices. The slightly modified menu resembles the one in the administrative panel of the manufacturer's professional solutions, but the general logic is clear and accessible.
In all other respects, the feature set corresponds to the updated ASUS routers with Wi-Fi 7, which we have seen not so long ago. There is VPN support, AiProtection protection supported by Trend Micro, parental controls with AdGuard integration, adaptive QoS, traffic analysis and monitoring, integration with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, and other familiar ASUS features. The design of the administrative panel will be familiar to users of routers from this manufacturer.
The smartphone app also generally leaves fewer settings, but the basic necessary little things are in place.
In operation
The purchase of such a Mesh system should be preceded by certain requirements and expectations. It is unlikely to interest users who mainly browse social networks and work with a browser. However, for residents of large apartments or houses who need not only to cover a large area, but also to provide the entire apartment with really fast access, such a solution will be much more relevant and interesting. Especially if there is already a gigabit or even faster connection.
Almost all routers and Mesh systems have already simplified the initial setup to the minimum necessary for the convenience of the average user. ASUS ZenWiFi BQ16 also reduces the process to a few simple steps from creating a network and entering provider settings (if necessary). The second node will connect automatically, just turn it on next to the first, and then move it to the desired location. Other routers with AiMesh support can be added later via the administrative panel or application.
We conducted speed tests using two wireless clients — a new ASUS Zenbook DUO and ASUS Zenbook S 14, and the wired client was the ROG Strix SCAR 17, equipped with a 2.5-gigabit Ethernet port. Along with this, there is a gigabit channel. Of course, this is not exactly a laboratory option, but it still demonstrates certain user conditions. I will note right away that with the banal Speedtest there were relatively dynamic indicators. For example, measurements for review gave less download speed and an approximate maximum transfer. However, random measurements during further testing easily approached almost the maximum of 850-900 Mbps practically throughout the entire apartment in both directions. Of course, this is relevant only for clients with Wi-Fi 7 support.
Let's start with one router. We test Speedtest in three places: about three meters from the router and without obstacles, 6 meters through one wall, and more than 10 meters behind two walls. (In the last place we will install the second node later.) The Ethernet connection at this point gives the promised maximum. But the 2.4 GHz band does not really surprise with high speeds: from 196/178 Mbps next to the device, and to 67/64 Mbps at the place where the second node is installed (currently without one).
Both 5 GHz lines are already showing significantly higher speeds: from 712/944 to 457/776 Mbps in the same places. Usually, something like this could only be seen with flagship consumer routers of previous standards.
With the newer 6 GHz band, the speed is even higher: from 809/941 to 621/944 Mbps. And although the demonstrated speed is not the best possible option, I have not seen anything less. Under these conditions and with only one router, these are very poor indicators that not every representative of even the same standard will demonstrate at the moment.
Now let's try the same thing, but with two clients. In wireless mode, 2.4 GHz showed an average of 79 nearby, and up to 52 Mbps at a distance. Let's remember that currently this range is used mainly by IoT devices, for which this will definitely be enough. Therefore, probably, there are no complaints here. And if you leave one of the clients with a connected wire, the average measurements will be higher - 206 and 84 Mbps.
By switching to 5 GHz, you can expect to get significantly higher performance. Between two wireless clients under the same conditions and in the same places, we got an average speed of 881 to 597 Mbps. And yes, this (with very rare exceptions) exceeds the performance of devices of previous generations that came to us before this. Especially if we talk about the same with one wired client, which will increase the performance to an average of 1,890 and 1,165 Mbps (with a maximum of over 2 Gbps).
As for 6 GHz, it is difficult to comment on the measurements of this range in principle after using simpler devices. And although it did not surprise much at a distance, one can make an error on the clients themselves and the current conditions during testing. Thus, the data transfer speed of wireless clients varied between the average 1,801 and 588 Mbps, and with one wired one - between 2,367 and 1,343 Mbps. At the same time, one can envy the stability of the transmission in relative proximity to the router (let me remind you, this is +/- 3 meters without obstacles and 6 meters through one wall). That is, the average speed generally remained close to the maximum of the Ethernet port.
Now, behind two walls and about 10 meters away, we install a second router with "split" ranges, but with an MLO connection between the nodes themselves. Speedtest in this case, for some reason, again left more speed for data transfer, not for downloading. Although in fact, you can get higher rates, especially since we have already seen what the internal speed is capable of with one router in the same place. And the Ethernet connection gave the maximum. Perhaps there was some kind of automatic network optimization that took more time, or Speedtest itself had some difficulties... It is difficult to explain. And the results for 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz were 94/99, 409/932 and 433/935 Mbps, respectively.
Next, we leave the wired client with the first router, and the wireless client with the second. At 2.4 GHz, the average transfer speed was about 100 Mbps with a maximum of 181. At 5 GHz, it was 1,098 Mbps with a "jump" over 1,900 at the start. At 6 GHz, it was 1,800 Mbps (with a maximum of over 2,000), again with pleasant stability.
Later, leaving the automatic selection of the range for connected devices to the system itself within the same shared network, the same Speedtest allowed us to see higher than demonstrated indicators. For a more real example, downloading GTA V Enhanced Edition (105 GB), through a second router plus about 5 meters from the point itself, took only 18 minutes, which is an average of about 800 Mbps. This is taking into account the fact that Apple TV, a couple of laptops, smartphones were working in parallel on the network... And no one was bothering anyone.
And in general, stable operation and excellent coverage are felt well. If the user also has the opportunity to connect the Mesh system with wires and have an even faster connection, then the ASUS ZenWiFi BQ16 will make even more sense. Especially since there is a feeling that our fastest measurement results stopped the actual limitations of clients, not routers.
