Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 Review
Wi-Fi6E comes to wireless routers
Verdict
Bringing 6GHz networking to routers, the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 delivers throughputs that can equal Gigabit Ethernet. However, standard 2.4GHz and 5GHz network speeds are no better than on cheaper routers, making this more of a niche choice at the moment.
Pros
- 6GHz is fast
- Security and parental controls
- Dedicated gaming mode
Cons
- Wi-Fi Radar hit and miss
- Expensive
Availability
- UKRRP: £478.99
Key Features
- Wi-FIThis router is a Wi-Fi 6E model, adding a 6GHz network into the mix for the fastest transfer speeds.
Introduction
Wi-Fi 6E is the fastest form of wireless, adding a super-fast 6GHz network that’s free of the interference the other bands suffer from. While the first Wi-Fi 6E router I reviewed was super expensive, the Netgear Orbi RBKE963 mesh system, the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 is cheaper as it’s a standalone gaming router.
An excellent interface, tonnes of configuration options and fast 6GHz performance make this router stand out, but it’s not the fastest 2.4GHz/5GHz router that I’ve seen.
Design
- Antennas everywhere
- Lots of ports
More wireless networks generally mean more antennas. Here, on the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000, there are eight antennas spread around the router’s body. You’ll need a good amount of desk space to fit this router.
Rather than placing the ports on one edge, they’re spread around three: the power input and switch are on one side.
Next, there are the Ethernet ports. There are four Gigabit Ethernet ports, plus a faster 2.5Gbps Ethernet port for newer devices, and a Gigabit Ethernet WAN port for the internet. That’s good enough to cope with all UK internet connections at the moment, and you can also use the 2.5Gbps port for the WAN connection. That said, the Orbi RBKE963’s 10 Gigabit Ethernet port is totally future proof.
There are then two USB 3.2 ports for sharing storage or printers.
Features
- App or web configuration
- Dedicated gaming options
- Full parental controls
Configuration of the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 can be done through a web browser or the ASUS app. Either way, the initial steps take you through configuring your networks securely. It doesn’t take long to get the router working.
Once done, you can start to manage the more advanced features. My first step was to turn off the RGB lighting, rather than configuring it. It might look fancy in photos, but I’m not a fan of having my router light up in different colours.
The wireless networks have high specifications. The 2.4GHz network has four streams with a total bandwidth of 1148Mbps; the 4-stream 5GHz network has a total of 4804Mbps of bandwidth; and the 4-stream 6GHz network a total of 4804Mbps.
Asus has built a Wi-Fi Site Survey tool into the router. It’s designed to show you which networks are around you and which channels they run on so that you can find the best channels with the least interference. That’s the idea, but it proved unreliable in my tests and often didn’t show any data.
As this is a gaming router, there are several options to improve games performance. Games Radar lets you check the ping status of games. There’s also a Boost option (available in the app or via the button on the front of the router) that prioritises gaming traffic.
It’s not quite as comprehensive a set of tools as DumaOS provides on the Netgear Nighthawk XR1000 gaming router. With Netgear’s software, you can even lock online gaming to specific regions.
Asus has built-in network security, called AIProtection, which is powered by Trend Micro. This provides malicious sight blocking and can block infected devices and cyber attacks.
In addition, there are full parental controls, which allow you to create profiles for each member of your household, assigning devices to them. For each profile, you can set up age-appropriate web filtering, plus set schedules for when they have to be offline.
Performance
- Fast on the 6GHz
- Slow 2.4GHz networking
- Average 5GHz speeds
Of course, the stand-out feature on this router is its 6GHz channel. To test, I used an Intel Z690 motherboard, with Wi-Fi 6E built-in. I used a laptop with a 2.5Gbps Ethernet adaptor as the server and then ran the TamoSoft Throughput Test. On average, I saw throughputs of 915Mbps, which is about the same speed as Gigabit Ethernet. The Netgear Orbi RBKE963 was slightly faster in the same test.
Next, I moved to the 5GHz band. I saw throughputs of 612.09Mbps at 2m, which was only slightly behind the Netgear XR1000. Moving to 5m away on the second floor of my house, the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 gained the lead with a throughput of 387.99Mbps. 10m away on the second floor, the two routers had similar performance, although the Orbi RBKE963 did better, showing the power of mesh systems.
Moving to the 2.4GHz band proved more problematic. There is a lot of interference around my house. At 2m, I saw decent throughputs of 114.7Mbps, but this dropped to 87.16Mbps on the first floor and just 17.12Mbps on the second floor.
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Should you buy it?
If you want a gaming router with the latest Wi-Fi technology, this one is powerful and fast, particularly on the 6GHz band.
If you want better overall coverage, a mesh system makes more sense, or you can get cheaper routers if you don’t care about 6GHz.
Final Thoughts
Although the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 can’t be considered cheap, it is good value considering it uses the latest version of Wi-Fi. If you can use 6GHz networking, then this router could be for you. Just be aware that 6GHz works best in the same room or at a limited range. That’s why the Netgear Orbi RBKE963 could be a better choice for some people, as each satellite helps push the range of the 6GHz network.
If you don’t care about 6GHz networking but want a gaming router, the Wi-Fi 6 Netgear Nighthawk XR1000 did well in my performance tests and is cheaper. Otherwise, check out the guide to the best wireless routers.
How we test
Unlike other sites, we test every wireless router we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Used as our main wireless router for the review period
We throughput test all wireless devices using the same equipment in the same locations so that we have accurate comparisons
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FAQs
Yes. Although it has the same headline speed as the 5GHz network, less interference makes this network faster, although range is shorter.
This prioritises gaming traffic automatically, so you should see less lag when playing online games.
Trusted Reviews test data
Full specs
Jargon buster
Wi-Fi 6
One of the latest wireless standards that allows for faster speeds and better coverage when paired with compatible routers.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
