Wireless network performance

First, let's look at the apartment that was used in our testing and how it is set up. You can see that the router is placed in the living room. With most wireless routers, the signal strength is not that good in places like the Kitchen and the Medium balcony.

Our testing was done using a fast 1 Gigabit Internet connection that is capable of uploads on the internet of up to 500 Mbps. We used an HP Spectre 13 laptop for all our measurements and several software tools.

To get a better idea of the performance offered by ASUS RT-AX58U, we compared it with

NETGEAR Nighthawk AX4 and TP-Link Archer AX6000. We analyzed the 2.4 GHz band first and measured the signal strength with NetSpot. As you can see below, we enjoyed good signal strength in all rooms.

Next, we used SpeedTest to measure the speed of the internet connection when connected to the 2.4 GHz band. ASUS RT-AX58U provided outstandingly fast downloads in all rooms.

The same was true when we measured the upload speed with SpeedTest.

Continuing our measurements on the 2.4 GHz wireless network, we used the PassMark Performance test to transfer data between two computers connected to the network. Except for one room, ASUS RT-AX58U was the fastest router in our comparison.

When we measured the upload speed, things were not as clear-cut, and ASUS RT-AX58U was outperformed in some rooms.

On the 2.4 GHz wireless band, ASUS RT-AX58U provides excellent speed that often beats its direct competitors.

For the next set of measurements, we analyzed the performance of the 5GHz wireless band, using Wi-Fi 5. We looked at the evolution of the signal strength, from room to room. The signal strength provided by ASUS RT-AX58U was similar to that of other wireless routers.

Next, we measured the download speed with SpeedTest in every room of our test apartment. ASUS RT-AX58U was a fast router but not the fastest in our comparison.

Uploads were fast too, but there was no clear winner in our comparison.

For the last measurements on the 5GHz wireless network, we used the PassMark Performance test to transfer data between two computers connected to the network. ASUS RT-AX58U delivered fast downloads in all rooms, without being the speed champion.

The same was true when we measured the upload speed.

To see the speed on Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), we used a desktop computer with an ASUS PCE-AX58BT network card. On it, when we ran SpeedTest, we measured 785.85 Mbps for the download speed, and 498.07 Mbps for the upload. These are excellent speeds which prove the potential of the Wi-Fi 6 standard and the advantage of switching to it.

NOTE: Do remember that the upload speed for our internet connection is capped at 500 Mbps.

On the 5 GHz band, ASUS RT-AX58U delivers great performance, similar to that of other Wi-Fi 6 routers.

Wired network performance

We measured the speed of the internet connection with a 1 Gbps Ethernet cable using SpeedTest. In this test, ASUS RT-AX58U was the fastest router in our comparison, as you can see below.

Then, we ran a network transfer between two computers, using the PassMark Performance test. This time too, ASUS RT-AX58U performed admirably well.

ASUS RT-AX58U delivers real 1 Gbps Ethernet connections, as expected from a modern wireless router.

USB performance

We connected a portable SSD to the USB 3.0 port of the router and made some data transfers on it. We measured a download speed of 567.55 Mbps, which is excellent for most users. However, more expensive routers deliver even better speeds.

ASUS RT-AX58U has a fast USB 3.0 port that you can use to connect fast storage to the router.

Extra features

The firmware on the ASUS RT-AX58U wireless router comes with plenty of advanced features:

• Integration with Amazon's Alexa and IFTTT - you can say things like "Alexa, ask ASUS ROUTER to upgrade the firmware" to perform different tasks. You can also automate tasks that might otherwise be repetitive or unable to "talk to each other."
• A comprehensive Router Security Assessment tool that verifies whether your settings are secure. When it finds problems, it proactively informs you and helps you fix things.
• Malicious Sites Blocking - an efficient cloud-based module that blocks malicious websites on all the devices connected to your network.
• Two-Way IPS - a two-way intrusion prevention system that protects all your network from spam, DDoS attacks, network attacks, and more. Additionally, it also scans the packets that are sent from your network to the internet.
• Infected Device Prevention and Blocking - if your network devices get infected and become zombies in malware networks, they are automatically blocked, and you are informed about this problem.
• Parental Controls - useful, cloud-based parental controls that can be used to set rules about internet access for children's devices.
• Adaptive QoS - an advanced Quality of Service feature that you can use to optimize network traffic, including but not limited to online gaming.
• Guest Network - you can enable three wireless guest networks with individual security and access settings, on each band.
• Traffic Analyzer - offers visual traffic statistics that give you a clear picture of how your network is used and by which devices.
• AiCloud 2.0 - it gives you the tools to create your own cloud storage service, using a hard disk connected to the router.
• IPv6 - support for IPv6 addresses that are going to replace IPv4.
• VPN - you can set the router to work as a VPN server, and you can also use it to turn your network-connected devices into VPN-enabled clients without additional VPN software required.
• Network Tools - for analyzing the network and identifying what's wrong. They are useful when you need to troubleshoot problems.
• DDNS - a service that allows you to connect to the router from the internet, even if your internet provider assigns you a dynamic public IP address.

The list of features available on the ASUS RT-AX58U is quite impressive, and it makes it stand out in the crowded market of wireless routers.

What is your opinion about the ASUS RT-AX58U wireless router?

Now you know our opinion about the ASUS RT-AX58U AX3000 dual-band wireless router and details about its strengths and weaknesses. Before closing this review, tell us what you think. Are you interested in purchasing this router? If you already own it, what has been your experience with it? Comment below and let's discuss.