Over the years, the TUF Gaming series has built up an excellent reputation for featuring quality products. And now, the brand has added a Wi-Fi router into the well-established series. The ASUS TUF gaming AX3000 router is built with the latest Wi-Fi 6 (the next-generation wireless technology) and has a ton of flexibility when it comes to its bandwidth and user management. It is also equipped with a dedicated “Gaming” LAN port that provides top priority to your gaming needs via a wired connection. Let's take a closer look at the TUF gaming router from ASUS.
Sleek and futuristic design
When it comes to design, products made by ASUS do not usually disappoint. You can expect something that looks sleek but not too overly complicated. That has been the standard throughout the TUF range, and the Wi-Fi router continues the established trend.
This range usually favors black as its primary color, and that is also continued with this router design, although missing are some of the colored highlights that crop up for extra flair on other entries in the range.
The ASUS AX3000 is somewhat similar to the ASUS RT-AC88U, in terms of how the case looks (just with a color difference). It may remind some of a sports hood, on account of the way the device has many sharp angles with 4 adjustable antennas that point upwards.
The design offers an attractively sculpted box with angular curves forming from the top and growing out from the sides in terms of body shape. Ultimately, this router should complement the typical gaming setup well, especially if you already own products from the TUF range.
For an extra dose of sophistication, it comes with a matte finish and a service that is soft to touch. The iconic TUF Alliance logo is embedded on the top of the device in gold/silver. In terms of measurements, we are looking at 265 x 177 x 189 mm with the antenna. All things considered, a pretty small package and one that certainly won't be taking up much space on anyone's desk or shelf. If desired, this device can be mounted on a wall or ceiling using the two provided mounting holes. It also has rubber feet on its underside to provide the extra grip, preventing it from moving side to side due to accidental knocks.
Now moving the attention to the top of the device, there are 8 LED indicators right near the front side. These lights show the user the status of the device. On the left, it spots a WAN LED indicator, which is followed by 4 LEDs. Each of these indicators represents 1 LAN Ethernet port. You'll then find that the last 3 LED indicators show the 5 GHz network status and the 2.4 GHz network status, and an LED for power status. The router's antennas are not designed to be removed, which may annoy some people.
The back of the router features a power port, power button, a USB 3.1 Gen 1 port, 1 WAN port, as well as 4 LAN ports, including a dedicated gaming LAN port to connect your gaming device. ASUS claims that connecting to this dedicated port offers gamers a faster and more stable wired gaming experience without lag and disruptions.
Ultrafast Wi-Fi 6 with the latest OFDMA and MU-MIMO technology
The ASUS TUF gaming AX3000 router comes with some decent specs with a 1.5 GHz tri-core processor and 512 MB RAM. It supports the latest Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) standard, featuring 160 MHz bandwidth with the latest OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) and MU-MIMO technology to deliver excellent Wi-Fi capacity and efficiency. It can achieve networking speeds of up to 574 Mbps (2.4 GHz band) and 2404 Mbps (5 GHz band).
In terms of performance, the ASUS TUF gaming AX3000 router is quite a beast. The ASUS AX3000 provides excellent coverage for large homes, and extensive testing had generally found no issues in terms of connectivity. With 160 MHz channels, we get the fastest Wi-Fi yet, delivering multi-gigabit low latency connections, great for multimedia entertainment and gaming needs. The OFDMA feature also allows the router to partition channels into smaller subchannels, allocating the appropriate amount of spectrum to each connected device to deliver optimal quality of service and user experience.
For its price range, the performance is reliable, and you could probably find some more expensive options that don't perform just as well. And like any other router, the Wi-Fi performance will drop the further away the connected device is from the router, but even more distance tests still produced respectable results.
Excellent features built for gamers
- Operates the Next-Gen Wi-Fi Standard: Offers network with next-gen Wi-Fi 6 technology, providing up to 2.5x faster speed than the 802.11ac dual-band routers featuring OFDMA and MU-MIMO technology.
- Ultra-Fast Wi-Fi: AX3000 supports 160 MHz bandwidth, boasting a total network speed of 3000 Mbps – 574 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band, and 2404 Mbps on the 5 GHz band.
- Powerful Mesh System: AiMesh technology allows you to establish an even stronger mesh Wi-Fi system with other ASUS AiMesh compatible routers, ensuring a stable and seamless standard of coverage.
- Easy Port Forwarding: Built for gamers in mind, the AX3000 allows gamers to team up with friends easily, eliminating frustrating and complicated manual configuration.
- Commercial-grade network security: AiProtection Pro, powered by Trend Micro, protects all the connected devices on your network and provides advanced parental controls. Great for families, protecting them from malicious attacks and infections.
Final thoughts: ASUS TUF Gaming AX3000 Router
To conclude the review, the ASUS AX3000 gaming router is a very dependable device that is compatible with a good lot of devices. Its wireless performance does not disappoint, and neither does the design, performance, or price.
It is built for gamers; thus it comes with all the features that will fulfill your gaming needs. If you're looking for a gaming router that provides decent coverage for the modern Singapore home, while having many connected devices trying to access the internet simultaneously, you might want to consider the ASUS AX3000 gaming router.
