ASUS ZenWiFi AX Hybrid XP4 AX1800 Mesh WiFi6 System
The ASUS ZenWiFi AX Hybrid XP4 is a solid mesh system that can deliver more than enough speed for most families. Its powerline backhaul enables a reliable connection even through thick walls. The only problem is that for most people, the powerline connection isn’t strong enough in many homes and can result in instability.
The ASUS ZenWiFi AX Hybrid XP4 is a mesh Wi-Fi system that uses broad strokes to solve a very specific issue. Nevertheless, the software ASUS packs in works well and the hardware remained reliable through hours of experimentation.
ASUS ZenWiFi AX Hybrid XP4 Feature:
Whole-Home Coverage
The ASUS ZenWiFi AX Hybrid XP4 system includes a pair of ASUS AX1800 WiFi routers with built-in 1300 Mbps HomePlug AV2 powerline networking. It features unique technologies that give you superfast, secure and reliable WiFi connections– inside or outside your home!
Suitable For Overcoming Thick Walls
The ASUS ZenWiFi AX Hybrid XP4 combines WiFi and powerline technologies, providing the ideal solution for homes with thick or metal-reinforced walls that cause WiFi backhaul problems. Backhaul data for the mesh network can be sent via powerline over your home’s electrical wiring, so home devices can connect at full AX1800 WiFi 6 speeds. The HomePlug AV2 MIMO standard is almost 2X faster than the previous standard.
WiFi 6 True 8K Streaming
ASUS ZenWiFi AX Hybrid XP4 puts your WiFi into top gear! With a total bandwidth of up to of 1800 Mbps, it’s up to 1.4 X faster * than WiFi 5 routers
Instant Guard Makes Public WiFi Secure
ASUS Instant Guard uses the power of your ASUS ZenWiFi AX Hybrid XP4 to add rock-solid VPN security to any public WiFi connections you use. It helps protect your private information for instance credit card details, business data, emails and more.
Flexible Network Naming
Uniquely, ZenWiFi lets you choose how you name your WiFi networks: a single name for everything, or separate names for each frequency band. The choice is yours!
Make the Internet a Safer Place for Everyone
AiProtection Pro with Advanced Parental Controls is free for life. It gives you total peace of mind, and you can keep an eye on everything that’s happening on your network via the mobile app.
Smart Looks for Smart Homes
ASUS ZenWiFi AX Hybrid works perfectly with smart-home services- including Alexa skills.
ASUS ZenWiFi AX Hybrid XP4 Spec:
| Model Name | ASUS ZenWiFi AX Hybrid XP4(1-PK) XP4(2-PK) |
| Network Standard | IEEE 802.11a IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11g WiFi 4 (802.11n) WiFi 5 (802.11ac) WiFi 6 (802.11ax) IPv4 IPv6 HomePlug AV2 MIMO IEEE 1901 IEEE 1905.1 IEEE 802.3ab IEEE 802.3z |
| Product Segment | AX1800 ultimate AX performance : 1201 Mbps+ 574 Mbps AV1300 HomePlug AV2 MIMO : 1300 Mbps |
| Data Rate | 802.11a : up to 54 Mbps 802.11b : up to 11 Mbps 802.11g : up to 54 Mbps WiFi 4 (802.11n) : up to 300 Mbps WiFi 4 (802.11n) TurboQAM : up to 400 Mbps ———————————– WiFi 5 (802.11ac) : up to 867 Mbps WiFi 6 (802.11ax) (2.4GHz) : up to 574 Mbps WiFi 6 (802.11ax) (5GHz) : up to 1201 Mbps |
| Antenna | Internal antenna x 4 |
| Transmit/Receive | 2.4GHz 4×4 5GHz 4×4 6GHz 4×4 |
| Processor | 64bit 1.2 GHz quad-core processor |
| Memory | 256 MB Flash 512 MB RAM |
| Ports | RJ45 for Gigabit BaseT for WAN x 1, RJ45 for Gigabits BaseT for LAN x 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 x 1 AC Power Jack with PLC x 1 |
| Package content | ‧Router (ASUS ZenWiFi AX Hybrid XP4) ‧RJ45 Ethernet cable ‧Power core ‧Quick start guide ‧Warranty Card |
ASUS ZenWiFi AX Hybrid XP4 Performance
In the location for my speed tests, or rather, the final power outlet, ASUS’ software reports a backhaul connection of 611Mbps. This is quite good compared to some of the speeds some other reviewers and customers have been reporting but it took some trial and error to find these results. As always, I tested the ASUS ZenWiFi AX Hybrid XP4 on my gigabit Cox internet connection with as high as 940Mbps download.
| Device | Living room (router) | TV room (node) | Bathroom |
| ASUS Zenfone 8 | 538Mbps 553Mbps | 231Mbps 254Mbps | 250Mbps 243Mbps |
| Galaxy S20 +523 Mbps 436Mbps | 243Mbps 214Mbps | 240Mbps 248Mbps | |
| LG G8 | 437Mbps 456Mbps | 237Mbps 245Mbps | 239Mbps 243Mbps |
Generally, the results in the first location were in line with what I would expect from an AX1800 system, if not a bit on the low side. Speeds connected to the node were reasonably solid and plenty for 4K streaming and web browsing.
Using an Ethernet directly connected to the node revealed very similar results so there’s no significant loss using the node’s Wi-Fi. Directly connected, I got 238Mbps down using the powerline backhaul. Once I had set the preferred connection, it’s worth noting as well that ping times did not suffer and I didn’t see any packet loss.
Switching to Wi-Fi, speeds were higher at 568Mbps. Obviously, if you had a strong Wi-Fi connection to the node like I do, you could stick with a cheaper mesh system. The fact of the matter is, if you need it, the powerline backhaul works and delivers lots of performance for most people.
