Asus ZenWiFi XT9

Affordable mesh system that doesn't disappoint

- NICK PEERS

IF YOU’VE STRUGGLED to extend your Wi-Fi signal to all corners of your home, you may have seen the appeal of a mesh network. This tech combines two or more devices to improve Wi-Fi coverage. Traditionally, however, there’s a trade-off between price and functionality.

Choose an entry-level system like Google Wifior Amazon eero, and you’re restricted to managing your network via an app while giving up advanced tools like VPN or server capabilities. At the other end of the scale are mesh systems with all the bells and whistles but huge price tags, such as Netgear’s Orbi AXE11000 system that we reviewed in May 2022.

Asus’s ZenWiFi XT9 places itself in the middle, with this two-pack setup costing under $500. The sacrifice in topline speed comes from opting for WiFi 6 rather than WiFi 6E (with an additional 160MHz channel in the 6GHz spectrum) but, elsewhere, Asus doesn’t cut corners. Like all ZenWiFi systems, you get a pair of powerful, feature-packed routers.