Review Wi-Fi 6E Preview With ASUS' GT-AXE11000 ROG Rapture

[thiggins]

We're taking a look at whether Wi-Fi 6E is worth waiting for, using ASUS' first-to-market top-of-line GT-AXE11000 ROG Rapture.

Continue reading on SmallNetBuilder

 

[Deleted member 22229]

Open network anyone can connect ?? Can you explain that in more detail ?

 

[OzarkEdge]

Will 6E deliver a faster, dedicated wireless AiMesh backhaul? With sprinkles on top!

OE

 

[erick_e]

Open network anyone can connect ?? Can you explain that in more detail ?

In my experience with the AXE, WPA3 is not available yet to use with Windows. @avtella had a great description of why posted here. http://www.snbforums.com/threads/gt-axe11000-hits-the-fcc.65972/post-667426 Right now the AXE only works with Windows using OWE, which is point to point encryption without authentication. The traffic is encrypted but there is no way to prevent anyone with your network ID from accessing it, other than perhaps whitelisting MAC addresses. WPA3 does work with my S21 Ultra, but the connection is much slower than my AX.

 

[thiggins]

Thanks @erick_e . I'll update the article to include your WPA3 experience. Do you get lower link rate with WPA3 or just lower throughput? How much lower?

 

[thiggins]

Will 6E deliver a faster, dedicated wireless AiMesh backhaul? With sprinkles on top!

OE

6E does provide the advantage of increased mesh/repeater backhaul bandwidth. This is an application that doesn't require clients to support to support 6E.

Because of this, I had expected more 6E mesh systems to be introduced. But chip prices are still too high to make multi node systems commercially viable.

 

[thiggins]

Open network anyone can connect ?? Can you explain that in more detail ?

@erick_e explained it nicely.

 

[erick_e]

Thanks @erick_e . I'll update the article to include your WPA3 experience. Do you get lower link rate with WPA3 or just lower throughput? How much lower?

Both. iperf3 averages 1250/830Mbps down/up on 5Ghz and 280/340Mbps down/up on 6Ghz from my S21 Ultra to my QNAP TS-1277.

 

[thiggins]

If you switch the Ultra to using OWE does throughput increase?

 

[erick_e]

If you switch the Ultra to using OWE does throughput increase?

It does not. 295/430Mbps down/up using OWE 6GHz

 

[Alex Atkin UK]

I'm curious how much of a drawback upgrading older laptops to the AX210 is going to be as the antennas wont be tuned for 6Ghz.

Has anyone tried that yet? Or were these tests already doing that?

 

[thiggins]

I'm curious how much of a drawback upgrading older laptops to the AX210 is going to be as the antennas wont be tuned for 6Ghz.

Has anyone tried that yet? Or were these tests already doing that?

Sort of. I connected the STApal to the octoScope "5 GHz" antennas. octoScope has plotted the return loss for them out to 7 GHz and they handle the 6 GHz frequencies nicely.

Keep in mind these are single-band antennas. Wi-Fi devices typically use dual-band antennas, which could have higher loss at the higher frequencies.

So your existing antennas will work. You just might not get optimum signal.

 

[CBme]

Am I reading this correctly in that if you want to enable the 6ghz radio, there is no authentication at all so you are making your network publicly accessible? If so, I'm not sure why the product would even be released or who would buy it for this 'feature'.

 

[avtella]

it's not Asus or any router manufacturer's fault. Intel hasn't even officially enabled 6 Ghz in its drivers, it won't till the next driver is out after the Windows 21H1 update. To enable WPA3 on the 6Ghz band you need something called SAE-H2E (Hash to Element) it's not in the current Intel driver or Windows 20H2. Intel has a special intermediary driver that adds the feature right now but its NDA protected. Basically wait till May-June when W10 21H1 is out. They may release a fully functional beta driver for the 21H1 preview in the meantime....

 

[thiggins]

Am I reading this correctly in that if you want to enable the 6ghz radio, there is no authentication at all so you are making your network publicly accessible? If so, I'm not sure why the product would even be released or who would buy it for this 'feature'.

As noted earlier, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra connects using WPA3.

 

[sfx2000]

Interesting article...

It does suggest perhaps time to wait - as there are many client STA's that can support it (out of the 25 or so clients in my house, I have three - two iPhones, and a corporate laptop with the Intel AX201 card), and I would have to run WPA3 on top of that - which many of my clients do not support.

Having to spend $550USD for the privilege of having WiFi-6E - it's an easy decision...

Actually running WiFi-6 is pretty much the same decision - I've got a decent WiFi-5 (11ac-Wave1) solution that works - no MU, no OFMDA, no WPA3 - I see no obvious reason at the moment to do the upgrade to WiFi-6 or 6E

 

[ulaganath]

So its now 20H2 and still intel driver not supporting. Wasnt there any alternate client pci-e cards from 3rd party like rufus or killer wifi

 

[lso]

Excellent article! Minor typo in last sentence ("...GT-AXE11000 is to high a price..."); "to" should be "too".