And So It Begins... Asus Announces First 802.11ax Router

[David B]

Do any current devices support AX.

I dont think any smartphone does. Kinda useless if you can't connect it to anything

As far as I can tell, there is only one practical use-case for this router, but it requires getting two of them. Set up one as your main router, and set up another as a media bridge. This is of course assuming that the router supports media bridge mode.

 

[Dave in NM]

Isn't very short range however, like 2.4 was far, then 5 ghz not as far, now is this even harder to penetrate walls, etc. Nice gold accents like it. We don't even have the Blue Cave yet, and now this?

Lets say I want to buy this today.. when can i get it? Can't even get Blue Cave.

 

[RMerlin]

Do any current devices support AX.

No.

 

[WiFiNemesis]

I'm not familiar with 11ax standard, but it sounds to me like a standard that will be useless unless you are so close to your router that you might as well be connected via Ethernet.

Good ol' Wikipedia has a decent description. See especially https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11ax#Timeline.

Given the sordid history of the standard, you might conclude as I do that even announcing an 11ax-complaint product at this time is tantamount to consumer fraud.

Buy one. Return it. Repeat...

 

[thiggins]

Do any current devices support AX.

I dont think any smartphone does. Kinda useless if you can't connect it to anything

There are currently no AX devices. Like 11ac, 11ax is backward compatible with current Wi-Fi devices.

The question is whether there will be real, significant benefit for them from an 11ax router.

 

[RMerlin]

There are currently no AX devices. Like 11ac, 11ax is backward compatible with current Wi-Fi devices.

The question is whether there will be real, significant benefit for them from an 11ax router.

And due to how the technology works, I assume its full potential can't be tested either by running two routers in a bridge configuration, so it will be quite some time until we can even see how well 802.11ax works in a real world situation.

 

[thiggins]

I am de-emphasizing focus on achieving maximum throughput in current and future testing. Big numbers based on 4x4 or 8x8 APs have nothing to do with performance delivered to one and two stream clients.

The one place where the big numbers can help is in Wi-Fi system backhaul, IF systems are designed with the streams to achieve the higher link rates.

 

[System Error Message]

but the most important question is, will this router cost within $300 or many thousands?

 

[thiggins]

I expect first 11ax routers to list $400 - $500. The early adopter market has shown it will pay that.
Of course, it's possible for router makers to take a page from high-end smartphone makers and push up beyond that. Don't know if anyone will have the stones to go for $1000...

 

[David B]

And due to how the technology works, I assume its full potential can't be tested either by running two routers in a bridge configuration, so it will be quite some time until we can even see how well 802.11ax works in a real world situation.

So much for my theory. As I said earlier, I thought a bridge would be the only useful thing to use it for.

 

[RMerlin]

Those single-band, single-stream Azurewave SoC that seem to come straight from the discount bin at Alibaba need to disappear from the market... It's ridiculous how disconnected the router/AP market is from the client market. The average laptop today has a wifi SoC that's inline with router technology from 7-8 years ago.

 

[David B]

Those single-band, single-stream Azurewave SoC that seem to come straight from the discount bin at Alibaba need to disappear from the market... It's ridiculous how disconnected the router/AP market is from the client market. The average laptop today has a wifi SoC that's inline with router technology from 7-8 years ago.

In general, pre-built machines are behind in terms of hardware. Not just networking hardware.

 

[monk]

I don't understand

Their latest top motherboards have 802.11ad
https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/ROG-ZENITH-EXTREME/
https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/ROG-RAMPAGE-VI-EXTREME/

But instead of presenting ad router finally they do ax

 

[maylyn]

I don't understand

Their latest top motherboards have 802.11ad
https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/ROG-ZENITH-EXTREME/
https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/ROG-RAMPAGE-VI-EXTREME/

But instead of presenting ad router finally they do ax

More likely, the AD WiFi chips from Qualcomm are offloading to ASUS @ an attractive pricing AD chips are still able to perform AC/N modes.

 

[monk]

More likely, the AD WiFi chips from Qualcomm are offloading to ASUS @ an attractive pricing AD chips are still able to perform AC/N modes.

They use module below and 2 antennas, 1x1 for AD and 2x2 for AC
Do you think it can work in AC as 3x3?

https://wikidevi.com/wiki/Qualcomm_Atheros_QCA9008-TBD1

 

[pege63]

Am more interested about the support of the 802.3bz standard "2.5Gbps / Cat 5e, 5Gbps / Cat 6 cables" sence i have some MBs with that standards. You mean that the router support that, yes?

The standard also implements other nice features, including various Power over Ethernet standards PoE, PoE+, and UPoE, handy for rolling out Wi-Fi access points.

 

[maylyn]

They use module below and 2 antennas, 1x1 for AD and 2x2 for AC
Do you think it can work in AC as 3x3?

https://wikidevi.com/wiki/Qualcomm_Atheros_QCA9008-TBD1

Rephrasing what i have posted.

What i really meant is that more likely is that AC+AD WiFi module from Qualcomm to ASUS @ very attractive pricing. Thus it's on their current top tier Intel X299/AMD X399 flagship motherboard.

One isn't really needs to get a AD router in order to use it. Up to 2x2 AC and 1x1 AD on the built in WiFi module.

I stand corrected. Thanks for pointing out.

 

[sanke1]

I will happily let all the scapegoats do the Beta testing of this draft ax router.

The only thing worth considering is that it has 10gbe ports

 

[David B]

The only thing worth considering is that it has 10gbe ports

What kind of ethernet ports does the new AC86U have? I couldn't find it on the spec sheet. They listed the operating systems that the router works with though.

 

[RMerlin]

What kind of ethernet ports does the new AC86U have?

4 standard Gigabit Ethernet ports + 1 gigabit WAN port.