--- title: "ASUS RT-AX55 AX1800 Dual Band WiFi 6 Router review" description: "ASUS RT-AX55 AX1800 review: a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router with four gigabit LAN ports, AiMesh and free AiProtection. Specs, setup, limits and who it suits." canonical: https://vettedten.com/us/tech/wifi-routers/asus-rt-ax55/ language: en-US updated: 2026-11-14 score: 8.9 --- # ASUS RT-AX55 AX1800 Dual Band WiFi 6 Router review > **Our verdict:** The best wifi router in 2026 is the ASUS RT-AX55 AX1800 Dual Band WiFi 6 Router. It tops our ranking with 8.9 out of 10. No. 1 of 10 in our [wifi routers ranking](https://vettedten.com/us/tech/wifi-routers/) · Updated November 2026 · [How we rank](https://vettedten.com/how-we-rank/) **8.9 out of 10** · Best Choice The ASUS RT-AX55 is a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router rated AX1800, with four gigabit LAN ports and free security software. It suits small homes and apartments on plans up to gigabit. Why it's here: - Wi-Fi 6 with OFDMA and MU-MIMO for many phones and laptops at once - Free lifetime AiProtection Classic security - AiMesh support lets you add ASUS nodes later - Four gigabit LAN ports and a simple app setup Keep in mind: - Dual-band with no 6 GHz band, and speeds top out near 1.8 Gbps - Gigabit WAN port caps wired speed on faster fiber plans - Older design, with weaker range in large homes [Check price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08J6CFM39) ## Why the ASUS AX1800 scores 8.9 - How happy owners are: 1st of 10 - How many rated it: 1st of 10 - How new it is: 10th of 10 ### Why No. 1 beats No. 2 The ASUS RT-AX55 AX1800 Dual Band WiFi 6 Router (8.9) beats the NETGEAR Nighthawk Dual-Band WiFi 7 Router (RS200) (8.4) because it leaves owners clearly happier and has been rated by more owners. No. 2 is the newer design, but not by enough to close the gap. ## About the ASUS AX1800 The RT-AX55 is a 2x2 dual-band Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) router. ASUS rates it at about 1,800 Mbps combined: up to 574 Mbps on 2.4 GHz and up to 1,201 Mbps on 5 GHz. It uses 1024-QAM, OFDMA and MU-MIMO, plus Target Wake Time and BSS Coloring. Devices need Wi-Fi 6 support to get those benefits. It has four external antennas, a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor, 256 MB of RAM and 128 MB of flash. On the back are one gigabit WAN port and four gigabit LAN ports. It is a router only, with no built-in modem. Tech Advisor found no USB port and no 160 MHz channel support, only 80 MHz. AiProtection Classic, powered by Trend Micro, is free for life, according to ASUS. AiMesh is also supported: a firmware update lets the RT-AX55 work with other compatible ASUS routers as one whole-home system. In the app, you can see connected devices and throttle or block them. Tech Advisor found the Family tab limited, with no URL block or allow lists, and QoS only on or off. Port forwarding and VPN setup need the browser control panel. The box holds the router, one RJ45 cable, a power adapter, a quick start guide and a warranty card. ### Key specs - Wi-Fi standard: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), 2x2 dual-band - Rated speed: Up to 574 Mbps (2.4 GHz) and 1,201 Mbps (5 GHz) - Wired ports: 1 gigabit WAN, 4 gigabit LAN - Antennas: 4 external - Processor and memory: 1.5 GHz quad-core, 256 MB RAM, 128 MB flash - Dimensions: About 9.1 x 5.3 x 2.2 in (230 x 134 x 56 mm) - Weight: About 13.2 oz (374 g) - Power adapter: Output 12V, 1A max - Security: AiProtection Classic, free for life - Mesh: AiMesh with compatible ASUS routers ## What owners report about the ASUS AX1800 The owner reviews and threads for this exact model that we could open were too thin to report a pattern, so we leave out what owners say. ## Who the ASUS AX1800 suits Buy it for a small or mid-size home or an apartment where the router sits fairly central and most devices are phones, laptops and streaming boxes. It handles plans up to gigabit, since the WAN port is gigabit. If you already have an ASUS router, AiMesh lets you add it as a node later. Tech Advisor found upstairs rooms usable on Wi-Fi 6 devices but weak on older Wi-Fi 5 ones, and suggested an AiMesh node for bigger homes. Look elsewhere if your internet plan is faster than gigabit: the NETGEAR Nighthawk Dual-Band WiFi 7 Router (RS200) has a 2.5G internet port. Anyone who wants Wi-Fi 7 for the least money should look at the TP-Link Archer BE230. A large home with many devices is better served by a tri-band model with a 6 GHz band, such as the NETGEAR Nighthawk Tri-Band WiFi 7 Router (RS300). ## Questions about the ASUS AX1800 ### Is the ASUS RT-AX55 AX1800 a modem? No. It is a router only, with no built-in modem, so it connects to your existing modem or fiber ONT through its gigabit WAN port. ### How do I set up the ASUS RT-AX55 AX1800? Use the ASUS Router app on iOS or Android, which guides you through setup. Tech Advisor reported about two minutes to connect the modem and router, and a larger firmware update took considerably longer afterward. ### Does the ASUS RT-AX55 AX1800 support AiMesh? Yes. A firmware update lets it join other compatible ASUS routers as a whole-home mesh system, and ASUS says WPA/WPA2 Enterprise works only on a single router, not in AiMesh mode. ### Does the ASUS RT-AX55 AX1800 have a USB port? No. Tech Advisor lists none, and ASUS's spec page shows none, so you cannot attach a drive or printer to it. ### Is the ASUS RT-AX55 AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E? Wi-Fi 6. It is dual-band (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) with no 6 GHz band, so Wi-Fi 6E devices connect on the 5 GHz band. ## All 10 wifi routers, compared | No. | Product | Score | Badge | | ---: | --- | ---: | --- | | 1 | **ASUS RT-AX55 AX1800 Dual Band WiFi 6 Router** (this review) | 8.9 | Best Choice | | 2 | [NETGEAR Nighthawk Dual-Band WiFi 7 Router (RS200)](https://vettedten.com/us/tech/wifi-routers/netgear-nighthawk-rs200/) | 8.4 | | | 3 | [TP-Link Dual-Band BE3600 Wi-Fi 7 Router Archer BE230](https://vettedten.com/us/tech/wifi-routers/tp-link-archer-be230/) | 8.4 | | | 4 | [NETGEAR Nighthawk WiFi 7 Router RS700S, 19Gbps](https://vettedten.com/us/tech/wifi-routers/netgear-nighthawk-rs700s/) | 8.4 | Best Premium | | 5 | [NETGEAR Nighthawk Tri-Band WiFi 7 Router (RS300)](https://vettedten.com/us/tech/wifi-routers/netgear-nighthawk-rs300/) | 8.2 | | | 6 | [ASUS RT-BE96U BE19000 Tri-Band WiFi 7 Extendable Router](https://vettedten.com/us/tech/wifi-routers/asus-rt-be96u/) | 8.2 | | | 7 | [TP-Link Tri-Band BE9300 Wi-Fi 7 Router Archer BE550](https://vettedten.com/us/tech/wifi-routers/#tp-link-archer-be550) | 8.2 | | | 8 | [ASUS RT-BE88U BE7200 Dual-Band WiFi 7 AiMesh Extendable Performance Router](https://vettedten.com/us/tech/wifi-routers/#asus-rt-be88u) | 8.1 | | | 9 | [TP-Link Tri-Band BE19000 Wi-Fi 7 Router Archer BE800](https://vettedten.com/us/tech/wifi-routers/#tp-link-archer-be800) | 8.0 | | | 10 | [Amazon eero Max 7 WiFi Router](https://vettedten.com/us/tech/wifi-routers/#eero-max-7) | 8.0 | | ## How we score it Every score here comes from our ranking model; no editor sets the order. We haven't read the review sites for this guide yet, so for now it is led by owners. It ranks products by how happy owners are, holding back any product few owners have rated until more agree. How many rated it and how new it is only settle close calls, and value for money earns its own badge rather than a higher place. We compared 15 models for this guide before settling on these ten. Brands can't pay to be included or to move up. We last checked these picks in November 2026. [How we rank, in full](https://vettedten.com/how-we-rank/) ### Where these facts come from - [ASUS US: RT-AX55 product page](https://www.asus.com/us/Networking-IoT-Servers/WiFi-Routers/All-series/RT-AX55/) - [ASUS US: RT-AX55 tech specs](https://www.asus.com/us/networking-iot-servers/wifi-routers/all-series/rt-ax55/techspec/) - [Tech Advisor: Asus RT-AX55 review](https://www.techadvisor.com/article/722088/asus-rt-ax55-review.html) --- Canonical page: https://vettedten.com/us/tech/wifi-routers/asus-rt-ax55/ · Every guide: https://vettedten.com/llms.txt · For AI agents: https://vettedten.com/agents.md