ASUS ZenWiFi XD6 Review

Designed for high-performance WiFi 6, the ZenWiFi XD6 is a dual-band WiFi system with AX5400 support. It is currently available for purchase for RM1499 for the twin pack, which according to ASUS has a coverage area of up to 5400 square feet.

The ZenWiFi XD6 is an excellent choice for those who want more than just strong WiFi coverage from their router. Because of the high-speed AX5400 WiFi 6 radio, it is capable of delivering a fast WiFi connection throughout the entire coverage area, which is particularly advantageous. In reality, the total system capacity can reach up to 5400Mbps in some cases.

The ZenWiFi XD6 is distinguished by its minimalistic and contemporary design, which makes it stand out from the crowd. In spite of my preference for black on the ZenWiFi XT8, I think the white color on the ZenWiFi XD6 is also quite attractive. The fine-brushed metallic finish, as well as the golden logo, really add to the sense of luxury of this piece.

Performance

The WiFi performance of the ZenWiFi XD6 is excellent, whether used individually or as part of a mesh WiFi system. Because of the powerful WiFi radio and extremely stable operation of each unit, each unit provides excellent coverage. As a matter of fact, I believe that ASUS should sell the ZenWiFi XD6 as a standalone router, as it will be an excellent choice for those looking for an aesthetically pleasing and high-performance router.

We will test only one ZenWiFi XD6 unit at a time to determine how good the actual WiFi performance of each unit is before moving on to the mesh WiFi speed test. ZenWiFi XD6 units are available for purchase here.

I can easily get over 800Mbps on my iPhone 12, which supports the WiFi 6 technology when I’m only a short distance away. When testing on an older device that does not have WiFi 6 technology, expect a slower response time.

Despite the fact that it is only a dual-band system, the ZenWiFi XD6 performs admirably as a mesh WiFi system. The strong signal coverage provided by each unit of the ZenWiFi XD6 ensures that the network operates at a fast and reliable speed throughout the entire WiFi coverage area.

When I run a speed test with my laptop connected over WiFi to the mesh node, I am able to get close to 500Mbps out of my Gigabit Internet connection, which is impressive. However, I must manually select the 160Mhz mode in order to benefit from the faster speed because the system appears to prefer the 80Mhz mode by default.

The ZenWiFi XD6 uses 802.11k/v to assist devices in making roaming decisions by providing them with roaming assistance. In practice, it works flawlessly on all of my modern devices. Walking around my house, my iPhone is able to automatically switch to the faster network, which is convenient.

As a result, because AiMesh does not support 802.11r, the ZenWiFi XD6 is unable to provide fast roaming with a latency of less than 100ms. However, according to ASUS, this is done on purpose in order to support the most recent and more secure WiFi encryption method, WPA3, which is not compatible with 802.11r fast transition.

Specifications

Model Name

XD6 (W-1-PK)
XD6 (W-2-PK)

Network Standard

IEEE 802.11a
IEEE 802.11b
IEEE 802.11g
WiFi 4 (802.11n)
WiFi 5 (802.11ac)
WiFi 6 (802.11ax)
IPv4
IPv6

Product Segment

AX5400 ultimate AX performance : 574+4804 Mbps

AX technology

Yes

Data Rate

802.11a : up to 54 Mbps
802.11b : up to 11 Mbps
802.11g : up to 54 Mbps
802.11n (1024QAM) : up to 500 Mbps
802.11ac (1024QAM) : up to 4333 Mbps
WiFi 5 (802.11ac) (1024QAM) : up to 4808 Mbps
WiFi 6 (802.11ax) (2.4GHz) : up to 574 Mbps
WiFi 6 (802.11ax) (5GHz) : up to 4804 Mbps

Antenna

internal antenna x 6

Transmit/Receive

2.4 GHz 2 x 2
5 GHz 4 x 4

Processor

1.5 GHz tri-core processor

Memory

256 MB Flash
512 MB RAM

Boosts speed

OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access)
1024-QAM high data rate
20/40/80/160 MHz bandwidth

Operating Frequency

2.4 G Hz / 5 GHz

Ports

RJ45 for Gigabits BaseT for WAN x 1, RJ45 for Gigabits BaseT for LAN x 3

Button

WPS Button, Reset Button

LED Indicator

Power x 1

Power Supply

AC Input : 110V~240V(50~60Hz)
DC Output : 12 V with max. 2 A current

Package content

ZenWiFi XD6
RJ-45 cable
Power adapter
Warranty card
Quick start guide

Product Weight (g)

435 g

Remark

Content may vary in different regions and packages.

AiMesh

AiMesh : Yes
Primary AiMesh router : Yes
AiMesh node : Yes

Router APP

ASUS Router APP : Yes

Game

Game Boost/acceleration : No
WTFast : No

Alexa

Support Alexa skill : Yes

IFTTT

Support IFTTT : No

AiProtection

AiProtection : AiProtection Pro
Router Security Assessment : Yes
Malicious site blocking : Yes
Two-Way IPS : Yes
Infected Device Prevention and Blocking : Yes

Parental Control

Parental Control : Yes
Parental Control Customized Internet schedule : Yes

Traffic Control

Adaptive QoS : Yes
Bandwidth Monitor : Yes
Bandwidth limiter : Yes
Maximum Bandwidth limiter rule : 32
Traditional QoS : Yes
Maximum Traditional QoS rule : 32
Traffic Monitor : Yes
Real-time traffic monitor : Yes
Wired Traffic Monitor : Yes
Wireless Traffic Monitor : Yes
Traffic Analyzer : Yes
Website history : Yes

Wireless

IPv6 : Yes
MU-MIMO : Yes
UTF-8 SSID : Yes
Guest Network : Yes
Maximum Guest Network rule : 9
Guest Network Connection time limit : Yes
Guest Network Encryption : WPA/WPA2/WPA3-Personal, WPA/WPA2-Enterprise
WPS : Yes
Wi-Fi MAC address filter : Yes
Maximum MAC filters : 64
Wireless scheduler : Yes
Airtime fairness : Yes
RADIUS Server : No
Universal beamforming : Yes
Explicit beamforming : Yes

WAN

Internet connection Type : PPPoE, PPTP, L2TP, Automatic IP, Static IP
Dual WAN : Yes
WAN Aggregation : No
3G/4G LTE dongle : No
Android tethering : No
Port forwarding : Yes
Maximum port forwarding rule : 64
Port triggering : Yes
DMZ : Yes
DDNS : Yes
Let’s Encrypt : Yes

LAN

DHCP Server : Yes
IGMP snooping : Yes
IPTV : Yes
LAN Link Aggregation : Yes
Manually assign IP address : Yes
Maximum manually assign IP address rule : 64

VPN

VPN Client L2PT : Yes
VPN Client OVPN : Yes
VPN Client PPTP : Yes
VPN Server IPSec : Yes
VPN Server OVPN : Yes
VPN Server PPTP : Yes
VPN Fusion : No

USB application

HDD hibernation : No
Safely Remove disk : No
AiCloud : No
Download master : No
AiDisk : No
Media Server : No
Time Machine : No
Samba Server : No
FTP Server : No
Shared Folder privileges : No

Verdict

In addition to providing excellent WiFi coverage and fast WiFi speeds, the ZenWiFi XD6 is a fantastic mesh WiFi system. This resulted in extremely good performance when used as a mesh WiFi system in conjunction with ASUS’s improved AiMesh 2.0 software, which significantly improved the system’s stability and consistent performance.

ASUS continues to demonstrate its superiority in its ASUSWRT firmware. The ZenWiFi XD6 is packed with a slew of features and customization options that are not available on many other mesh WiFi networks. When it comes to those looking for a great WiFi experience with fast speed in their larger home, I would recommend the ZenWiFi XD6.

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