Today is the age of mesh WiFi. So each year, we expect new offerings that can truly provide us with exceptional speed. This is where ZenWiFi Pro XT12 steps in, and we’re checking it out in our ASUS ZenWiFi Pro XT12 review.
Last year, ASUS quietly released their ZenWiFi Pro XT12, and it’s a highly notable product due to its excellent features. It’s something we’ve been excited to try, and we’re happy to share our experience with you.
ASUS ZenWiFi Pro XT12 Packaging
We’re starting this ASUS ZenWiFi Pro XT12 review by checking out its packaging and the contents ASUS included. We love how they presented their mesh WiFi since it arrived in a premium-looking cardboard box that’s tough and sturdy. It sports a nice white-silver theme that gives off an aesthetic and sophisticated vibe.
The front of the box showcases an image of the product. This area also displays the mesh WiFi’s name and a few of its key features.
Flipping the box, you’ll find more information about the Pro XT12 displayed. These include more of its features plus an illustration of how the product works. You can refer to this portion of the box if you want to see more details about the mesh WiFi.
Inside, everything is packed neatly, securely, and in an organised manner. Of course, you’ll find the Pro XT12 in here together with extras like an RJ45 cable and a power adapter. ASUS also included a quick start guide and a warranty card in the box.
ASUS ZenWiFi Pro XT12 Review – Design and Functionality
Like the ZenWiFi XT8, the Pro XT12 can be purchased as a single or 2-pack router. If you get the 2-pack variant, one will be used as the primary router while the other as a satellite in AIMesh WiFi setups.
This is where the similarity ends. So, we’ll look more into the product’s design and functions in this ASUS ZenWiFi Pro XT12 review.
The Pro XT12 sports a completely different shape and it looks more like a square tube than a mini toaster. ASUS packed all of the mesh WiFi’s components in a boxy-rectangular case and is something like a gaming console.
We love its premium-looking design, and we also appreciate ASUS for using high-quality materials to create a solidly-built product. Another thing we love is its transparent top section that has some cool-looking lighting for aesthetics.
It has multiple chunks of heatsinks to keep it passively cooled. This is a pretty good addition since, after a week of use, the Pro XT12 barely got warm.
Though we have to point out that the port selection is a bit limited here. The company removed their USB ports but replaced them with dual 2.5G Ethernet WAN and LAN ports instead.
Key Features of the ASUS ZenWiFi Pro XT12
Now, we’ll share the different key aspects of the product that makes it a crowd favourite. We’ll list down everything in this ASUS ZenWiFi Pro XT12 review so you can determine if the product’s for you.
High Capacity and Ultra-Fast Speed
With WiFi 6, the Pro XT12 can deliver up to four times the capacity and twice the speed of WiFi 5. That’s thanks to modern technologies like uplink and downlink OFDMA, BSS Colour, and 160 MHz MU-MIMO. This router also improves network efficiency for devices to receive all the needed bandwidth.
The ZenWiFi Pro XT12 is an excellent router if you have a lot of different networked devices.
More Streams and Bandwidth
Being a 12-stream router, the ZenWiFi Pro XT12 offers combined data rates up to 11,000 Mbps. It boosts the data transmitting and receiving capacity to a lot of devices simultaneously while eliminating dead zones. This router offers the ideal performance edge for busy home networks.
RangeBoost Plus
RangeBoost Plus is ASUS’ newest update of the RangeBoost technology, and this upgraded version improves coverage for all WiFi devices. To achieve this, the router uses a next-gen flagship Broadcom WiFi 6 chipset and a 64-bit 2.0 GHz quad-core processor.
Aside from better coverage, it significantly improves WiFi signal range by up to 38%.
Flexible Networking with AiMesh
ASUS AiMesh allows for the easy addition of nodes for better coverage. All you need to do is connect any AiMesh-compatible router.
We also tested this feature for this ASUS ZenWiFi Pro XT12 review and it worked seamlessly with other models.
Dual 2.5G LAN and WAN Ports
The Pro XT12 features 2.5G LAN and 2.5G WAN ports for full 2.5 Gbps speeds.
Versatile Backhaul Choice
With the Pro XT12, you can allocate the second 5 GHz band or wired Ethernet for backhaul connection between nodes. Another option is to choose the automatic mode for the product to select the best connection type based on your environment.
Designed to Deliver Maximum Performance
With the latest Broadcom WiFi 6 chipset and processor, the Pro XT12 delivers maximum WiFi performance. Its external antennas are carefully located and angled for minimised interference as it maximises signal coverage.
Commercial-Grade Home Security
When connecting multiple devices to your home network, security is crucial especially when your network doesn’t have virus protection. By using the Pro XT12, you can enjoy lifetime AIProtection Pro for free which uses the newest WPA3 security protocol. It also comes with advanced parental controls.
Extra Security and Privacy Wherever You Go
Another feature of the Pro XT12 is the Instant Guard which gives one-click secure internet access via mesh WiFi. No matter where you are, you can use its encrypted data-tunnelling VPN technology to use your home network. You’ll no longer need web-based third-party VPNs.
Hands-free Help
The Pro XT12 works with Alexa Skills and Ok Google, allowing you to manage your mesh WiFi hands-free.
Effortless Management with ASUS Router App
With the ASUS Router app and its user-friendly interface, you can easily set up the Pro XT12. By using this app, your mesh WiFi will be up and running in no time.
Advanced Controls
The Pro XT12 has a web interface that lets you take advantage of the mesh WiFi’s capabilities. It provides access to at-a-glance status reports and comprehensive settings via a user-friendly dashboard. Here, you can configure QoS settings, VPN operation, port configuration, and others.
Specifications
Another important part of our ASUS ZenWiFi Pro XT12 review is its specifications. The product’s network standards are 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax, IPv4, and IPv6. Then, it comes with a total of 10 internal antennas.
ASUS used a 2.0GHz quad-core 64-bits processor for this product, while its memory is a 256MB Flash, 1GB RAM. Its operating frequency is 2.4GHz, 5GHz-1, and 5GHz-2.
It comes with a couple of ports that you can use such as an RJ45 2.5G BaseT for WAN. This mesh WiFi also has an RJ45 for 2.5G BaseT for LAN and two RJ45 Gigabits BaseT for LAN.
And lastly, the Pro XT12 measures 115 x 115 x 241mm (LxWxH) and weighs 1,500g.
Hands-on with the ASUS ZenWiFi Pro XT12
We’ll begin this section by discussing how the Router app worked. If you’re anxious to know how the Pro XT12 performed, don’t worry. It was extremely good.
ASUS made sure to give it the best features and hardware to give you an excellent WiFi that delivers. We’ll get to that shortly in our ASUS ZenWiFi Pro XT12 review.
Most of the product’s key features can be accessed via the app. Plus, it’ll show information related to all the connected devices like AIProtection, AdaptiveQoS, and Pro parental controls. You’ll also find guest WiFi, and you can change a few settings such as DNS address as well.
Its highlight feature is the AIProtection Pro. This features a free lifetime update for the parental control suite and network security. To note, the latter is powered by TrendMicro.
When it comes to the Adaptive QoS feature, it’s pretty helpful when you’re working from home. That’s because it optimises the network for enhanced performance based on your selected profile.
To see how well the Pro XT12 performs, we checked the wireless speeds that we could achieve over a 100mb fiber connection. Even when away from the router and blocked by two walls, we still received these impressive speeds.
Also, we activated all features and had several conference calls while streaming multiple 4K videos. To our surprise, it managed to saturate our connection even with all the devices connected to the WiFi network.
With these results, we can say that the RangeBoost Plus technology effectively provided ultra-fast network speeds. Together with its new 2.0 GHz quad-core processor, the mesh WiFi was able to deliver a smooth and seamless connection. ASUS really optimised the product excellently to handle even the most demanding and bandwidth-heavy tasks.
ASUS ZenWiFi Pro XT12 Review Summary
The Pro XT12 is the best mesh WiFi on the market today. It has all the advanced features, the fastest processor, and WiFi 6 technology.
This product delivers an impressive performance which we’ve seen during our tests for our ASUS ZenWiFi Pro XT12 review. If you need to further expand your coverage, AIMesh allows linking the Pro XT12 with other AiMesh-compatible routers. And with its user-friendly app, configuring settings is much easier compared to other mesh WiFi systems.
Overall, it’s a premium product and we highly recommend it to anyone needing faster network speeds and more coverage.
Visit ASUS’ official product page to know more about the ZenWiFi Pro XT12.
