ASUS RT-AX1800HP WiFi 6 Router
RM388.00 (on sale)
Pros
- Long high-gain antennas
- Affordable
- Easy to set up
- Wide area coverage
- Good signal through walls
Cons
- A little warm after long use
The new ASUS RT-AX1800HP router will definitely keep you well connected anywhere inside your house.
I have a small home. It is a double storey landed house in Subang Jaya but the floor area isn’t that big. Walking from my living room to the kitchen takes only a few steps. Like I said, it is a small and cosy home. But I do need a good WiFi connection around the house. My older router that came in as a standard with my Unifi doesn’t seem to be doing a great job in providing fast and stable connection throughout the house. That being said, I opt to use the ASUS ZenWiFi AX Mini XD4 router/AiMesh system and that worked flawlessly.
Ever since I made the shift to ASUS’s router and AiMesh system, I never look back. And now I have another ASUS monster router in my hands for review. With this, I would like to thank ASUS Malaysia for providing me with the new ASUS RT-AX1800HP router review unit for me to play with.
I have tested and reviewed a few of ASUS’s routers and AiMesh systems. I have tested the ASUS RT-AX53U, the ASUS ZenWiFi AX Mini XD4 which I’m currently using and the ASUS ZenWiFi AX Hybrid XP4. The Mini XD4 and the Hybrid XP4 are basically ASUS’s AiMesh system.
You have probably heard of Mesh networking setups that some of the service providers offered in their home internet package. An AiMesh system is ASUS’s answer to that as an independent Mesh network system and you can easily install it yourself at home. And I bet everyone knows what a router is. It is the hardware that connects to the modem and provides the WiFi connection to your devices at home or in the office.
The ASUS RT-AX53U and the ASUS RT-AX1800HP is technically a router. It looks like a router and it works like a router. But do you know what all of them have in common? The answer is simple, AiMesh!
Most people don’t know that ASUS’s newer basic looking router such as this ASUS RT-AX1800HP is also an AiMesh system. What this means is that you can connect the ASUS RT-AX1800HP to any other AiMesh enabled routers to extend the WiFi coverage area around your house. So it is not just a high-gain powerful WiFi 6 router on its own, it is also an AiMesh system, and that’s a huge advantage.
As I mentioned, my house isn’t that big. But when I use a normal router, I couldn’t get any stable connection when I’m upstairs in my mancave near the back of the house. My modem and router is located in the living area downstairs up in front. So within that distance and some walls in between, I often get a drop in WiFi connection.
Hence why I need a Mesh network system in my house. Since I already have the Mini XD4 at home, all I need to do is connect the new ASUS RT-AX1800HP to my router and get it ready for setup. The setup process is very easy and simple. ASUS’s own router management app made everything extremely easy and fast. I just need to turn on the router and the app will connect to it automatically via WiFi connection. And I just need to set up my login details right from the app itself along with the SSID and WiFi password. All done in less than 15 minutes.
Now, the next thing to do is to test the new ASUS RT-AX1800HP coverage area. First of all, the ASUS RT-AX1800HP router comes with four longer-than-usual antennas at the back. When I point all the antennas 90-degrees upward, it looks like a very serious nasty router. I like it. My confidence level shoots up just like my adrenalin because I was excited to test it out.
Now, the ASUS RT-AX1800HP comes with a high-gain WiFi 6 router that supports MU-MIMO and OFDMA technology for better efficiency and throughput. The coverage area is said to be 30% more than the other WiFi 6 standard routers with lower latency seamless connection with your devices. To test the coverage, I first stand in-front of the router. Obviously I get the full bar on my phone’s WiFi. Speed test maxed out at 100mbps since that is my speed limit at home.
Then I moved further towards the kitchen and I didn’t see any signal drop, still at full bar with maxed out speed of 100mbps. Impressive so far. Then I move outside towards my porch and the road upfront. Here I notice only one bar drop while it still retains the full internet speed. I stepped further towards my neighbours’ house and the signal was still strong but dropped to 2 bars. Speed is still good around >90mbps. I won’t go further at this point but I will head upstairs instead to see if the connection drops when there are wall obstructions.
Nope. It doesn’t drop as much. I still get a full bar from the master bedroom at full speed. Maybe because the room is located right above the router on the lower floor. Then I head over to my mancave near the back of the house. The signal dropped a bar but the connection and speed still maxed out. This time I am impressed with the overall performance of the ASUS RT-AX1800HP router. This is probably all thanks to the high-gain longer-than-usual quad antennas that came with it.
The four antennas at the back play a huge role in providing a stable and fast WiFi connection in any location. I feel that ASUS have found a sweet spot when it comes to router connectivity and performance. And best of all, I can connect this ASUS RT-AX1800HP to my existing Mini XD4 to use it as an AiMesh network system to extend my WiFi coverage at home.
But then, I don’t need to do that with the new ASUS RT-AX1800HP router. The power of the quad antennas are sufficient enough to provide me with an extremely stable and fast WiFi connection at home. If I have a bigger house, I will get another ASUS RT-AX1800HP router and pair both of them up to work as an AiMesh system for a much better coverage.
The ASUS RT-AX1800HP router is powered by a MediaTek based quad-core SoC. Around the back, there are 4 LAN ports and a single WAN port. The AC/DC input is right next to the WAN port and the power button is there as well. There is also the hard reset button and the WPS button for quick connection for it to work as a basic router.
The ASUS RT-AX1800HP can work with most local ISPs including Unifi, Maxis Fibre, TIME Fibre and more. But I think you may need to upgrade the firmware first before you can set it up with some of the local ISPs. Somehow, I don’t need to do that.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a reliable, wide coverage and fast router, you will not go wrong with the new ASUS RT-AX1800HP router. In terms of speed, it is really good for me but if you need a faster WiFi speed, you may need a true gaming router like any of those ASUS ROG routers. However, I love the wide coverage by the ASUS RT-AX1800HP router. When I’m playing PUBG Mobile, I constantly get lower pings and latency from the server as low as 20-30ms. That is a good connection for me.
I can still get a strong signal wherever I am in the house. And this is just from the ASUS RT-AX1800HP router, without it being connected to any of my Mini XD4. I can be outside at the porch, at the back lawn outside the kitchen area, upstairs in my mancave and even on the street outside, the connection is still strong. Hence why I said that I love the overall coverage. The quad high-gain antennas does its job in providing the wide coverage and I’m grateful for that.
But if you have a bigger house, you can always get another set of ASUS RT-AX1800HP router to Mesh it up together and create a much wider WiFi coverage, anytime you want. If you have a much bigger house, get another set of the same router. The possibilities can go on and on from here. That is the beauty of ASUS’s AiMesh system, an advantage that many people don’t know. So if you’re looking for an affordable Mesh network for your home, look at ASUS.
The ASUS RT-AX1800HP is up for sale at ASUS’s official Lazada store. You can check it out right now.
