ASUS' new speedy Wi-Fi 7 ZenWiFi mesh networking systems can deliver speeds up to 30,000Mbps
Wi-Fi 7 is the next big thing and ASUS is expanding its lineup of Wi-Fi 7 routers today with two speedy mesh networking systems. Meet the ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro and ZenWiFi BT10.
As you can probably tell from the photo above, the two mesh networking systems look very similar. Essentially, there are large white boxes, which is no bad thing since they look like they’ll blend into most homes quite easily.
The difference is that the ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro is a quad-band system, whereas the ZenWiFi BT10 is a tri-band system.
Naturally, the ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro offers a greater total bandwidth. ASUS claims up to 30Gbps of throughput and this is the breakdown.
- 2.4GHz - up to 1,376Mbps
- 5GHz - up to 5,764Mbps
- 6GHz (1) - up to 11,529Mbps
- 6GHz (2) - up to 11,529Mbps
The ZenWiFi BT10 loses the second 6GHz band, and its 2.4GHz network is only half as quick. Therefore, it has a total bandwidth of about 18Gbps.
ASUS claims a single ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro unit can provide coverage up to 4,000 sq ft and two can cover up to 8,000 sq ft. On the other hand, ASUS says a single ZenWiFi BT10 can cover up to 3,000 sq ft and two can cover up to 6,000 sq ft. In other words, a two-pack should suffice for most single-level homes here in Singapore.
The other crucial difference between the two is connectivity. The ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro has more ports. It has a 10Gbps WAN/LAN combo port, a second 1Gbps WAN/LAN combo port, one 10Gbps LAN port, and two 1Gbps LAN ports. The ZenWiFi BT10, however, loses the two 1Gbps LAN ports.
What's important to note is that with dual 10Gbps ports, the two mesh networking systems can use one of them for very fast wired backhaul transmissions.
Both mesh networking systems also have USB ports that support 4G and 5G tethering, so you can enjoy connectivity even if your fibre network suffers an outage.
This all sounds very exciting, but I must temper your excitement with the reminder that these speeds require compatible client devices. And as of now, that’s not a very big list. There are only a handful of high-end smartphones and ultraportables that support Wi-Fi 7. Hopefully, that will change soon.
Availability and pricing
ASUS says the ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro and ZenWiFi BT10 are both available now but did not disclose their prices. Given their specifications, we don’t expect them to come cheap.
No word yet on availability and pricing in Singapore, but we’ll update this article when we know more.