What is an Extendable Router?
What is an Extendable Router?
Have you ever searched for a solution to eliminate internet dead zones or extend WiFi coverage? Some people try and fix these problems with a cheap WiFi repeater or WiFi extender. However, these barebones devices often fail to deliver the performance and convenience you expect, requiring you to replace that whole setup with a brand-new router or buy an extra WiFi extender down the road. You might be better off purchasing an extendable router in the first place.
AiMesh is the key tech that makes so many ASUS routers extendable. AiMesh-compatible wireless routers can be connected to create a whole-home mesh WiFi network. When you renovate a basement, build an addition to your home, or move to a newer and larger one, you’ll be ready to extend your network easily with AiMesh. And all along, you’ll enjoy easy management tools, comprehensive security and a rich feature set.
Worry-Free Extendable Network
Extendable routers provide one single, seamless WiFi network for the whole home. When it’s time to extend your network, you can simply add another unit to the mix. This system doesn’t require you to switch networks as you move about. The routers in your network will work in tandem to determine which one delivers the best signal to each connected device, and they will seamlessly transfer the connection to each other without any direct input or interaction on your part.
A regular router and a WiFi extender are much less convenient. You may need to switch your WiFi off and on every time you move around your house just to stay connected. In some scenarios, even when you are closer to the main router, your device could still be connected to the WiFi extender, which may be sending a weaker signal because it’s in another room.
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a happy user enjoys the seamless roaming experience in the entire home with extendable routers 
Extendable Router Network
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an unhappy user needs to switch WiFi off and on every time when moving around your home 
Traditional Router with A
WiFi Extender
Take Control Your Home Network
- ALL ON ONE APP
- SECURITY FOR
EVERY DEVICE
Easy Setup and Centralized Management
If you’re worried about setting up an extendable router network, don’t be. The highly rated ASUS Router mobile app makes it easy. Setup is a breeze, and it gives you easy tools to manage your network and monitor all connected devices. You can effortlessly optimize your home network, such as finding the best location to put your node by checking the network topology. A WiFi extender might have a standalone app—if it has one at all—so it can be more difficult to set up and to determine the optimal device placement.
Download ASUS router app
Commercial-grade Protection Anywhere
ASUS AiProtection leverages updates from Trend Micro™ to automatically shield your home network by blocking malicious sites and detecting and isolating infected devices, while Instant Guard gives you a one-tap secure VPN server, adding rock-solid security to any public WiFi wherever you are. Most competing WiFi extenders come with basic WPA2 or WPA3 security without any advanced features. And most importantly, they lack the ability to be centrally controlled.
Rich, Advanced Features in Your
Entire Home Network
The value of an ASUS extendable router even goes beyond WiFi extensions. You get comprehensive commercial-grade security and network features in your entire network — without paying a subscription fee.
*Features vary by model. Please refer to specification pages for full details.
Advanced Parental Controls
For parents, advanced controls let you effortlessly monitor your kids’ online activities, set reasonable limitations on their screen time and even customize settings for each connected device all on one app.
Lag-free Mobile Gaming
If there’s a smartphone gamer in your household, they’ll appreciate the seamless roaming experience when roaming around the home, plus one-click Mobile Game Mode. For competitive online gamers, ASUS gaming routers optimize game traffic every step of the way for many types of gaming.
Comprehensive VPN Features
ASUS routers support PPTP, L2TP/IPSec, OpenVPN and the latest WireGuard security protocol to enable a variety of VPN scenarios. With a built-in VPN server and VPN client, you can enjoy your favorite streaming services or games from anywhere.
Adapt to Future-proof WiFi Technology
ASUS developed the first extendable router and AiMesh technology in 2017. Since then, most ASUS routers have been extendable and AiMesh compatible, including the upcoming world’s first WiFi 7 router. You can rest assured that these routers are compatible across WiFi generations. When upgrading to future-proof WiFi technology, you can repurpose your older extendable router a network node to strengthen your home WiFi signal — which reduces e-waste, too.
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2017 ASUS’ 1st Extendable Router
ASUS RT-AC68U
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2018 World’s 1st WiFi 6 Router
ASUS RT-AX88U
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2021 World’s 1st WiFi 6E Router
ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000
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2023 World’s 1st WiFi 7 Router
ASUS RT-BE96U
| Extendable Router | Regular Router + WiFi Extender |
|
|---|---|---|
| Roaming | Seamless, time-saving experience | Inconvenient and time-consuming |
| Setup and management | Hassle-free, one app for all | Multiple time-consuming apps required |
| Network security | Centrally controlled commercial-grade protection at no extra cost | Basic security and no central control capabilities |
| Parental Controls | Advanced features for every connected device |
Not included |
| Gaming features | Seamless mobile gaming experiences, advanced game boost features | Not included |
| VPN features | Built-in comprehensive VPN features | Not included |
Choose The Best Extendable Router for You
A traditional router or a WiFi extender might meet your needs today, but an extendable router will make sure that you can get the WiFi connection you need down the road. Whether you‘re shopping for a gaming-first router, an all-purpose performance router or a budget-friendly option that’ll get you started, ASUS has the best what you’re looking for.
- PERFORMANCE ROUTER
- GAMING ROUTER
- ROG GAMING ROUTER
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ASUS RT-AXE7800
- WiFi 6E
- Tri-band AX7800; 2.4 GHz 2x2, 5 GHz 4x4, 6 GHz 2x2
- AiProtection Pro, Advanced Parental Controls, Instant Guard, VPNs
- 2.5 Gb Port, USB Port
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ASUS RT-AX59U
- WiFi 6
- Dual band AX4200; 2.4 GHz 2x2, 5 GHz 3x3
- AiProtection Pro, Advanced Parental Controls, Instant Guard, VPNs
- Wall mount, dual USB ports
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ASUS RT-AX58U
- WiFi 6
- Dual band AX3000; 2.4 GHz 2x2, 5 GHz 2x2
- AiProtection Pro, Advanced Parental Controls, Instant Guard, VPNs
- USB Port
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ASUS RT-AX55
- WiFi 6
- Dual band AX1800; 2.4 GHz 2x2, 5 GHz 2x2
- AiProtection Classic, Parental Controls, Instant Guard, VPNs
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ASUS RT-AX53U
- WiFi 6
- Dual band AX1800; 2.4 GHz 2x2, 5 GHz 2x2
- AiProtection Classic, Parental Controls, Instant Guard, VPNs
- USB Port
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ASUS RT-AX89X
- Dual Band WiFi 6
- 12-stream AX6000 Dual Band WiFi 6 (802.11ax) Router
- supporting MU-MIMO and OFDMA technology
- AiProtection Pro network security powered by Trend Micro and Adaptive QoS
- Dual 10G ports
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ASUS RT-AX88U Pro
- WiFi 6
- Dual band AX6000; 2.4 GHz 4x4, 5 GHz 4x4
- Mobile Game Mode, Gaming port, Open NAT, Gear accelerator
- AiProtection Pro, Instant Guard, VPNs
- Dual 2.5 Gb Ports, USB Port
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ASUS RT-AX86U Pro
- WiFi 6
- Dual band AX5700; 2.4 GHz 3x3, 5 GHz 4x4
- Mobile Game Mode, Gaming port, Open NAT, Gear accelerator
- AiProtection Pro, Instant Guard, VPNs
- 2.5 Gb Port, Dual USB Ports
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ASUS RT-AX82U
- WiFi 6
- Dual band AX5400; 2.4 GHz 2x2, 5 GHz 4x4
- Mobile Game Mode, Gaming port, Open NAT, Gear accelerator
- AiProtection Pro, Instant Guard, VPNs
- USB Port
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TUF Gaming AX6000
- WiFi 6
- Dual band AX6000; 2.4 GHz 4x4, 5 GHz 4x4
- Mobile Game Mode, Gaming port, Open NAT, Gear accelerator
- AiProtection Pro, Instant Guard, VPNs
- Dual 2.5 Gb Ports, USB Port
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TUF Gaming AX4200
- WiFi 6
- Dual band AX4200; 2.4 GHz 2x2, 5 GHz 3x3
- Mobile Game Mode, Gaming port, Open NAT, Gear accelerator
- AiProtection Pro, Instant Guard, VPNs
- 2.5 Gb Port, USB Port
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TUF Gaming AX3000 V2
- WiFi 6
- Dual band AX3000; 2.4 GHz 2x2, 5 GHz 2x2
- Mobile Game Mode, Gaming port, Open NAT, Gear accelerator
- AiProtection Pro, Instant Guard, VPNs
- 2.5 Gb Port, USB Port
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ROG Rapture GT-AXE16000
- WiFi 6E
- Quad-band AXE16000; 2.4 GHz 4x4,
5 GHz-1 4x4, 5 GHz-2 4x4, 6 GHz 4x4 - Triple-level Game Accelerator, VPN Fusion
- AiProtection Pro, Instant Guard
- Dual 10 Gb Ports, 2.5 Gb Port
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ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000
- WiFi 6E
- Tri-band AXE11000; 2.4 GHz 4x4, 5 GHz 4x4, 6 GHz 4x4
- Triple-level Game Accelerator, VPN Fusion
- AiProtection Pro, Instant Guard
- 2.5 Gb Port
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ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 Pro
- WiFi 6
- Tri-band AX11000; 2.4 GHz 4x4, 5 GHz-1 4x4, 5 GHz-2 4x4
- Triple-level Game Accelerator, VPN Fusion
- AiProtection Pro, Instant Guard
- 10 Gb Port, 2.5 Gb Port
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ROG Rapture GT-AX6000
- WiFi 6
- Dual band AX6000; 2.4 GHz 4x4, 5 GHz 4x4
- Triple-level Game Accelerator, VPN Fusion
- AiProtection Pro, Instant Guard
- Dual 2.5 Gb Ports
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ROG Strix GS-AX5400
- WiFi 6
- Dual band AX5400; 2.4 GHz 2x2, 5 GHz 4x4
- Mobile Game Mode, Gaming port, Open NAT, Gear accelerator, VPN Fusion
- AiProtection Pro, Instant Guard
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ROG Strix GS-AX3000
- WiFi 6
- Dual band AX3000; 2.4 GHz 2x2, 5 GHz 2x2
- Mobile Game Mode, Gaming port, Open NAT, Gear accelerator, VPN Fusion
- AiProtection Pro, Instant Guard