Page 4 - Performance Tests
For the tests, the ASUS ZenWiFi AX Hybrid wireless router was placed on the main floor of my colleague Aaron Lai's house. His media PC with a Gigabyte UD Pro 256GB SSD was connected to the router via a CAT5e cable on a Gigabit Ethernet connection. On the client side, a 2018 13" HP Envy 13 with an Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 network adapter card installed running Totusoft's LAN Speed Test application was used to transfer 500MB test files to evaluate real-world throughput. In our results, "upload" is defined as data transfer from the client to the server via the wireless router; conversely, "download" is defined as data transfer from the server to the client via the wireless router.
Since wireless channels are generally characterized by path loss, large scale fading, and small-scale fading, the router was tested in six different locations described above to comprehensively measure its true throughput performance. This includes a combination of line of sight and non-light of sight spots, different distance and positions relative to the router, as well as shadowing caused by objects between the laptop and the router. In order to overcome inconsistencies due to small scale fading, a relatively large 500MB test file was used. Furthermore, movement of people and objects within the vicinity of the devices during testing was eliminated whenever possible. As the ASUS ZenWiFi AX Hybrid is a mesh unit, the primary one was in his living room, where the single-unit routers sat, while the second unit was placed in an adjacent room and connected using the HomePlug AV2 power line backhaul. This should allow for better coverage on the other end of his house.
A brief description of the test locations is as follows:
- Location 1: Line of sight to router, approximately 2m distance
- Location 2: Non-line of sight to router, bedroom, one floor up
- Location 3: Non-line of sight to router, bedroom, one floor up, end of house
- Location 4: Non-line of sight to router, bedroom, one floor down
- Location 5: Non-line of sight to router, patio balcony, same level
- Location 6: Non-line of sight to router, attached garage, one floor down
Compared Hardware:
- ASUS ZenWiFi AX Hybrid (Single) (AX1800/AV1300)
- ASUS ZenWiFi AX Hybrid (Double) (AX1800/AV1300)
- ASUS ROG Strix GS-AX5400 (AX5400)
- ASUS ZenWiFi XD6 (Single) (AX5400)
- ASUS ZenWiFi XD6 (Double) (AX5400)
- D-Link DIR-X5460 (AX5400)
- TP-Link Archer AX6000 (AX6000)
- TP-Link Archer GX90 (AX6600)
- TP-Link Deco X90 (Single) (AX6600)
- TP-Link Deco X90 (Double) (AX6600)
Location 1 is usually where routers demonstrate the maximum upload and download speed. This is part of the test design, as this is the only location with direct line-of-sight, not to mention a very close proximity. In this case, the ASUS ZenWiFi AX Hybrid had very competitive upload speed in both configurations. Its download speed was the slowest among all models, but this was expected for its AX1800 speed rating. Results from Locations 2 and 4, which are almost just above or below the router, respectively, showed the antenna array strength when the laptop is above or below even if it did not have direct line-of-sight. It seems the ZenWiFi AX Hybrid's antenna array suffered minimal losses when you are directly above or below it. As with Location 1, the ZenWiFi AX Hybrid's upload speed in both configurations was consistently strong in Locations 2 and 4 -- scoring well within the ballpark of other tested models -- in our charts. Its download speed was noticeably slower than the competition, but do keep in mind it also has the lowest speed rating.
Location 5 is outdoors and separated by a sliding glass door, but is generally still close to the router. Despite the horizontal distance, its speeds remained very competitive. Speaking of which, Locations 3 and 6 are trickier regions, as they are the furthest away from the router and not directly above or below. Location 3 showed reasonably good upload and download speeds, but only in single configuration. In single configuration, the ZenWiFi AX Hybrid had very reasonable losses compared to Location 1 and competitive against other routers on the list considering its speed class. However, in dual configuration, we saw a significant performance loss. This is because the laptop was connected to the second ZenWiFi AX Hybrid, so the second ZenWiFi AX Hybrid was using the power line as backhaul to the main router. This means the overall speed was limited by the HomePlug AV2's 1300Mbps theoretical bandwidth, which in practice was closer to 130Mbps down and 100Mbps up in practice from our tests.
Location 6 was the furthest distance from the router while being one floor below. Both upload and download slowed by a good margin compared to its peak. Again, we saw a bigger performance loss when operating in mesh mode for as a result of the HomePlug AV2's limited bandwidth. However, it is important to note the upload speed with the second node active was higher than having only a single node. This was because the power line backhaul was not affected by the wireless signal loss, and produced the same result as Location 3. Fundamentally, the reason why the ZenWiFi AX Hybrid performed better with one node than two when the laptop is connected to the second node in any test is due to the wireless connection having more bandwidth than the power line. If the test location's walls were thicker or the routers were further apart, the power line connection practically guarantees a consistent backhaul regardless of environment, which ASUS has communicated in their promotional material accordingly.
Overall, the ASUS ZenWiFi AX Hybrid delivered good and reasonably consistent wireless throughput from short to long range as a single unit. Its performance was commendable, considering it has no external antennas. In single configuration, its peak download numbers of 528.02Mbps, while never dipping below 263.4Mbps at any location, was great especially considering its very modest AX1800 rating. Although its peak speed was not the fastest, its minimum speed was better than expected for its speed class, which shows a lot about its throughput consistency. Its mesh performance using a power line backhaul is limited by the HomePlug AV2's throughput, but this was expected. If you live in a large house with no CAT5e or better cabling, or your place has thick walls that cause serious signal attenuation, the ASUS ZenWiFi AX Hybrid's power line backhaul will ensure at least 100Mbps to anywhere you need according to our tests.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware
3. Configuration and User Interface
4. Performance Tests
5. Conclusion
