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Earlier in 2020, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) filed the necessary paperwork to enable the next generation of Wi-Fi 6 networks. The FCC voted to use parts of the 6GHz band for the new version of Wi-Fi. Asus is taking full advantage of that fresh slice of spectrum. At the company’s ‘Meta Buffs’ event, ASUS announced the GT-AXE11000, its first router to support Wi-Fi 6E.
The company introduced the Wi-Fi 6 ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000. It’s a flagship-class tri-band gaming router and will be available for purchase in December 2020. Like its older cousin, the ROG Rapture GT-AX11000. The new router is equipped with 8 antennas that are configured in a flashy, gamer-approved arrangement. The additional of the ‘E’ in the model number indicates that it supports the new Wi-Fi 6E standard.
ASUS is well established in the home-networking space. and was the first to launch a Wi-Fi 6 router. ASUS explained that it is, ‘…delivering the wider bandwidth and increased 160 MHz channels of Wi-Fi 6E…’ ahead of other manufacturers.
The ASUS GT-AXE11000 pricing details aren’t available, yet. You can expect this router to cost somewhere between $400 and $500 dollars, though.
Whats the best part about Wi-Fi 6E?
Wi-Fi 6E’s most advantageous feature is that it lets devices access a massive chunk of bandwidth within the 6GHz band. At 1200 Mhz, the channel bandwidth is over double that of the 5GHz band. This will increase overall bandwidth while also reducing latency. Those channels will be enjoyed a somewhat-exclusive swath of spectrum, at least until WiFi-6 costs come down. This is because the new channels aren’t using any frequencies that are in use by legacy Wi-Fi devices.
VR gaming will see huge gains from the new technology because they require a lot of bandwidth.
It takes some serious processing power to be able to deliver the kinds of performance that Wi-Fi 6E promises. To that end, the ASUS GT-AXE11000 has a 64-bit CPU quad-core 1.8GHz ARM CPU and 1GB of RAM. The router is capable of 4X4 MIMO (Multiple In Multiple Out) and features a 2.5Gbps LAN port. The GT-AXE11000 also supports WAN aggregation, allowing you to combine internet connections coming from up to 2 Ethernet WAN ports. That will make for some pretty fast internet speeds. Don’t expect it to come anywhere close to the new world internet speed record, though. ASUS’s new router makes use of the latest type of 6GHz RF power amplifier. This will help the GT-AXE11000 provide better coverage and signal strength.