Review on ASUS ZenWiFi AX6600 XT8 2PK: Tri-Band Mesh WiFi 6 System for Whole Home Coverage, 5500 sq.ft, AiMesh, Lifetime Internet Security & More by Jason Lockwood

Summary: I read some Meshed Wi-Fi system reviews before deciding on this ASUS XT8 two-box system. Many "expert" ratings are of little help in hindsight. They tend to focus on data rate and signal strength, which, while important, are by no means the only criteria that determine utility. I would argue that uptime and reliable uninterrupted connections with multiple devices that move frequently are probably more important to most people. I am returning this item as it failed miserably according to my criteria. Details: I have a fairly large two story house. For several years, the Apple AirPort Extreme/Time Capsule has served my Wi-Fi needs well, although signal strength is weak at the furthest distances from the AirPort. My network should have 3-4 laptops, a desktop computer and some cell phones. My ISP is Suddenlink and my internet connection is 200Mbps (I live in Flagstaff, Arizona). Here are the issues I've encountered, in no particular order. 1. ASUS is not working well with my ISP. For example, advertised download speeds with two different apps are much slower than with an AirPort connection. In some cases, Speedtest incorrectly states that I am not connected to the internet. Perhaps I should have been concerned when the quick start guide told me to plug one end of an ethernet cable into the hub's WAN port and the other end into my "optical" modem's port. The? Optical modem? Not in my part of the world.2. My newest laptop frequently loses its Wi-Fi connection and takes a long time to reconnect. This can happen even if the laptop is close to a hub or node.3. No matter where I placed the node - even near a hub - the mobile app used for network administration (ASUS router) always reported that the node had a WEAK connection (and yes, it was written in all caps written). This was the case even when the reported numerical signal level was -11dBm (an extremely strong signal from what I've read). I allow remote login between some computers on my network. This means I can use Carbon Copy Cloner to do nightly backups of my wife's laptop (used for her work) to an external drive connected to my desktop computer. ASUS broke this backup over the network.5. Speaking of the mobile application used to configure and monitor the network, it also contains bugs. For example, my desktop didn't appear as a connected device even though it was clearly connected. (And yes, I know how to force the application to refresh the list of connected devices.) 6. In order to use some of the "features" advertised by ASUS like AiProtection, Adaptive QoS, etc., you have to agree to the transfer of data to a third party, Trent Micro. (However, it seems possible to stop the sharing afterwards by using the web browser GUI for the router). So it was a very frustrating and disappointing experience.