Recent updates to local wireless network standards have had a significant impact on everything. Router cases have become noticeably larger, the range has improved, the speed has increased, and… the price has gone up. Wi-Fi 7 has appeared on the market not so long ago, but, logically, it has already begun to replace its predecessors. In today’s review, we’re going to take a look at the ASUS RT-BE58U. This is one of the manufacturer’s basic routers, but it has much more to offer than we’re used to seeing in similar older variants.
Package contents
Yes, I’ve just mentioned a lot of updates, but they don’t apply to the package (and the router doesn’t need much). The box with the new product also contains a matching power supply with a pair of interchangeable “spouts”, as well as a traditional Ethernet cable.
Actually, such models have never offered additional mounts, stands, or anything like that before, so the box contains only the most necessary things.
Design and usability
The cases of the new models are now larger than they were, say, in the days of Wi-Fi 5(ac). For example, the RT-AC58U was really small, with dimensions of 192×125×30 mm. Now the ASUS RT-BE58U has grown to 238×193×59 mm. The weight is not so important for a router, but it has also increased by more than 100 grams to 468. Of course, this doesn’t cause any major inconvenience, but it’s a little harder to hide the router in small niches in the furniture or “lose” it in the interior.
Four tall antennas also add to the massive appearance. They are tall and flat. Just like last time, they are fixed to the case and can be moved in different directions, but they cannot be removed or replaced. Against the backdrop of modern Mesh systems, external antennas already look like a rudiment. But from a practical point of view, it is unlikely that routers are often placed in “visible” places in the home, and in such a way that they interfere with the antennas.
The body itself has been redesigned to meet the new standard. It again resembles something either from the world of supercars or space fiction. At least, such associations arise in my imagination. And if we recall again the “ancestor” RT-AC58U, which was supposed to be stylish, then with newer standards the manufacturer is clearly trying more to attract the attention of the audience of gamers and demanding users.
The plastic case is available in black only. It is almost entirely matte, with gloss only in the decorative “radiator” on top. At the same time, all sides have a lot of slots for better cooling, but I wouldn’t call the case completely transparent either. And the indicators are neatly arranged on the “bottom step” in front, and do not interfere at all, even in the dark.
There are no installation options for this model, so there are only four rubber feet on the bottom, without wall or ceiling mounts or “legs” for vertical position. We won’t scold the manufacturer for the lack of variability, although for a small number of users it will probably be a small drawback.
If we look at the overall picture, ASUS RT-BE58U remains a classic basic router in the lineup. The only thing is that its dimensions are larger than those of its predecessors. Otherwise, it’s a quite ordinary router with a practical appearance, without unnecessary design accents or additional lighting.
Functionality
Despite the fact that the model is far from being a flagship, the capabilities of the ASUS RT-BE58U are really good. In addition to Wi-Fi 7, the router also has a lot of additional functionality, fast WAN, connectivity, and more. The 2 GHz quad-core processor is complemented by 1 GB of RAM and 256 MB of storage.
ASUS RT-BE58U has two standard bands – 2.4 (2×2) and 5 GHz (2×2). However, they are designed for 688 and 2882 Mbps, which corresponds to the BE3600 standard. The available interfaces also include a fast 2.5-gigabit WAN, four standard gigabit LAN ports (also available as WAN), and one USB 3.2 Gen 1 port. The latter supports work with cellular modems, which can be useful in conditions of power outages. Or it can be used for storage devices or a printer. You can also combine port operation with different types of connections.
At the same time, the router supports familiar features such as Beamforming, OFDMA, 160 MHz bandwidth, and 4096-QAM modulation. The calculated coverage radius is 185 m², and the operating modes include “router”, “access point”, “repeater”, “media bridge”, and the ability to join the AiMesh network. In the latter case, the device can act as both a primary and an access point.
At the same time, the router allows you to create several networks. The main one can be divided into ranges, or you can leave Smart Connect on and the router will independently determine the best option for each gadget. Additionally, there are guest, children’s, IoT, VPN, and MLO networks. You can set different rights and restrictions for each.
Of course, ASUS RT-BE58U will offer built-in security, parental control, traffic analysis, and adaptive QoS. You can work with USB drives not only on a local network but also create your own cloud storage. There are also options for VPN connections. And for those users who have Amazon Alexa-enabled gadgets, some triggers have also been left. You can connect Google Assistant through the mobile app. Such features are not new to ASUS routers, and the new models have not abandoned them.
The administrative panel hasn’t changed its appearance at all, so owners of the manufacturer’s previous routers won’t have to search for the necessary items for very long. And as usual, the app for managing the router from a smartphone will offer a few less configuration options, so you’ll still have to use a browser for the finer points.
Застосунок ASUS Router:
In action
The administrative panel is unchanged, and the process of setting up the new router will be familiar to those who have used ASUS routers in recent years. The basic steps can be performed from both a smartphone and a PC. The only thing that caught my attention was the suggestion to create a separate network for IoT devices by default. I don’t remember this option when I first connected previous routers.
The process shouldn’t take more than 5-10 minutes, and everything is ready to go. For testing, we had at hand the new ROG Zephyrus G16 (review to come later) and the ASUS Zenbook S 16 (we met it earlier). And since the router has one faster Ethernet port, we used the ROG Strix SCAR 18 (also familiar to us) to help us.
At the time of the speed measurements, the provider showed more than 600 Mbps download and 750 Mbps upload. In fact, the wired connection through the router did not differ much – 638/749 Mbps. The 2.4 GHz band at a distance of 3, 6 (through a wall) and more than 10 meters (through two walls) showed the expected 183/170, 96/95 and 59/53 Mbps. Predictably, 5 GHz had much better results in the same locations: 568/690, 543/658 and 456/534 Mbps.
The speed between client devices with a wireless connection in the 2.4 GHz band was not very fast – an average of almost 50 Mbps regardless of location.
The data transfer measurements between one wired and one wireless client are, of course, higher, averaging 271, 132, and 50 Mbps in different locations. What’s more, the maximum was 318 Mbps near the router, which is not bad for a 2.4 GHz router.
Between 5 GHz wireless clients, of course, the numbers are even more interesting. In the same locations in the room, we saw average speeds of 546, 463, and 232 Mbps, with a peak of up to 749. Here, too, it should be borne in mind that the client’s ultrabook and gaming laptop may not be the best for testing. But they are representative, because, in fact, users also have hardly ideal gadgets and conditions for speed measurements.
The results with one wired and one wireless client are still the most interesting in this range. The average speed under these conditions reached 1235, 1143, and 534 Mbps. The peak speeds reached 1436 Mbps next to the router, and at the maximum distance they were 686, which was considered a good result not so long ago.
Since the router is equipped with only one high-speed port, the “ceiling” for wired connections will still be limited to only one gigabit. This is what the test with two wired clients demonstrated.
The rest of the time, the router successfully served a three-room apartment and up to a dozen clients simultaneously. There were no problems with the connection in any case, even taking into account the fact that not all of them support Wi-Fi 7. At the same time, the new standard will even be able to bypass outdated Mesh systems to some extent, which may come as a pleasant surprise. Of course, there are many additional conditions and dependencies on a particular room, router location, etc. But the capabilities of the new devices can really impress.
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