Asus' flagship whole home Wi-Fi system, the ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro, is not only one of the best-performing Wi-Fi 7 mesh systems we've tested, but also one of the more feature-rich systems to hit PC Labs. In addition to dual 10Gbps Ethernet ports, three 1GbE ports, two speedy 6GHz radio bands, and a multifunction USB port that allows 4G and 5G mobile tethering, the BQ16 Pro comes with free network security and parental control software and a utility that makes it easy to create multiple networks. At $1,099.99 for a two-pack, it doesn't come cheap, but it's not as expensive as the Netgear Orbi RBE973S ($1,699.99 for a two-pack). The BQ16 Pro's stellar performance and robust feature set earn it an Editors' Choice award for high-end Wi-Fi 7 mesh network kits.
Design: Three-Node Coverage With Only Two Nodes
Asus sent us the ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro two-pack, which offers 8,000 square feet of coverage. By way of comparison, the Orbi 770 three-pack offers the same coverage for $999.99 and the TP-Link Deco BE85 three-pack provides 9,600 square feet of coverage for $1,499.99. If your house isn't that big, you can pick up a single ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro node, which covers 4,000 square feet, for $699.99.
The nodes have a white finish and stand 8.4 inches high, 6.8 inches wide, and 2.8 inches deep. Although they look identical, one of the pair is marked as the main router node. An LED indicator on the front bottom edge blinks green during startup, glows solid green during optimization, and is solid blue when ready for setup. It shows solid white when everything is working correctly, and solid red when the router has lost its internet connection.
The rear panel, which contains a large grille for ventilation, is home to all of the Asus node's ports, including a 10GbE WAN/LAN port, a 1GbE WAN/LAN port, a 10GbE LAN port, and two 1GbE LAN ports. A pair of 2.5GbE ports instead of the 1GbE ports would be more appropriate for a mesh system in this price range. You'll also find a USB 3.0 port for connecting an external drive or for 4G LTE/5G mobile tethering. Simply plug in your Wi-Fi-hotspot-enabled phone to maintain an always-on internet connection if you are experiencing an internet outage.
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The BQ16 Pro uses a 2.6GHz quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, and 256MB of flash memory. It's a BE3000 system that has 12 internal antennas for data rates of up to 1,376Mbps on the 2.4GHz band, up to 5,764Mbps on the 5GHz band, and up to 11,529Mbps on each of the two 6GHz bands. One of the 6GHz bands is for wireless backhaul, or you can use a LAN port for wired backhaul. Supported Wi-Fi 7 technologies include Multi-Link Operation (MLO), automatic band switching, Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) data transmissions, 4x4 MU-MIMO streaming, direct-to-client beamforming, WPA3 encryption, 4K-QAM, and 320MHz channel width.
The BQ16 Pro comes with free parental control and network security software powered by Trend Micro. The first app lets you create user profiles and manage internet activity with age-based web filters, and the second provides security scans to protect against phishing and other malicious attacks. It also offers Instant Guard one-touch VPN protection and Safe Browsing DNS filters. Additionally, Asus' Smart Home Master tool allows you to create separate Kids, IoT, and VPN sub-networks.
You can manage and install the BQ16 Pro using the web console or the Asus mobile app. The web console offers more advanced firewall and IPv6 settings and lets you view system logs, but the app is more convenient as it lets you manage things using your phone. It opens to a home screen with a network map and a panel that displays the LAN IP address. The home screen also contains a button that lets you prioritize bandwidth for specific applications such as gaming, web surfing, media streaming, and file transfers. Below the map are buttons for optimizing the system, adding new nodes, viewing real-time traffic charts, and viewing connected client information.
At the bottom of the screen are Home, Devices, Insight, Family, and Settings buttons. The first returns you to the home screen, while the Devices button opens a screen where you can view network node and client information, including upload and download speeds, IP and MAC addresses, signal quality, and total access time. Tap the Insight button to enable a remote connection to the network and to view security insights such as the number of blocked websites and infected devices.
To create user profiles, tap the Family button. Here, you can assign age-based web filters, select which devices each member uses, create access schedules, and block specific website categories. The Settings button opens a screen where you can access WAN, LAN, Wi-Fi, QoS, AiProtection, and Parental Control settings. Here, you can also configure Instant Guard VPN settings, connect the router to your Alexa or Google accounts, and configure notifications such as when a firmware update is available or when a new device has joined the network.
Testing the ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro: Astonishing Throughput Speed
Installing and configuring the BQ16 Pro system is quick and easy. If this is your first Asus mesh system, you'll have to download the app and create an account, but I already had the Asus mobile software installed on my phone. I connected the router node to my modem using the former's 10GbE WAN port, connected my desktop PC to the router's 10GbE LAN port, and power-cycled my modem.
Once the modem was reset I powered up the router and the satellite node and waited a minute for both LEDs to turn solid blue. I tapped the + icon in the top right corner of the app, then tapped Set Up A New Network and ZenWiFi Series. I then selected the BQ16 Pro from the list and used my phone’s camera to scan the QR code on the front of the router node. After a few seconds, the router was identified, so I tapped Get Started, created a network name and password, and then an admin name and password. After several minutes, the settings were saved and the new network was created and optimized. I relocated the satellite node to my living room and was ready for testing.
The BQ16 Pro turned in class-leading scores in our combined throughput performance tests. The router node's score of 2,917Mbps in the close proximity test was the fastest we've seen from any mesh system to date. The Netgear Orbi 970 router scored 2,209Mbps in this test, while the Eero Max 7 router scored 2,149Mbps and the TP-Link Deco BE63 router scored 2,288Mbps.
At a distance of 30 feet, the BQ16 Pro router garnered 855Mbps, beating the Eero Max 7 (770Mbps) and the Deco BE63 (780Mbps) but not the Orbi 970 router (916Mbps).
The BQ16 Pro satellite node delivered an incredible 2,229Mbps in the close proximity test, blowing past the Orbi 970 (1,470Mbps), the Eero Max 7 (1,795Mbps), and the Deco BE63 node (1,922Mbps). In the 30-foot test, the BQ16 Pro node once again led with a throughput of 1,133Mbps. The Orbi 970 node managed 1,040Mbps, the Eero Max 7 node scored 1,062Mbps, and the Deco BE63 node scored 999Mbps.
To test wireless signal strength, we use an Ekahau Sidekick diagnostic device and the company's Survey software to generate a heat map that displays Wi-Fi signal strength throughout our test home. (Note: Ekahau is owned by PCMag's parent company, Ziff Davis.) The circles on the heat map represent the router and node locations, and the colors represent signal strength: Dark green represents the strongest signal, lighter yellow indicates a weaker signal, and gray represents a very weak or no measurable signal.
As shown on the map, the BQ16 Pro did a fine job of delivering a reasonably strong combined Wi-Fi signal to all corners of the house. (You can zoom in to see the square footage of the various rooms covered.)
Verdict: Wi-Fi 7 That's Worth the Expense
Blazing throughput, wide signal coverage, and two 6GHz radio bands are all good reasons to choose the Asus ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro for your next whole-home Wi-Fi network. It uses all of the latest Wi-Fi 7 technologies and is equipped with dual 10GbE networking ports as well as a USB port that supports mobile tethering to ensure your network is always connected to the internet.
Granted, $1,099.99 for a two-piece system is expensive, but these two nodes provide just as much coverage as some three-piece systems. We'd prefer to see a pair of 2.5GbE LAN ports instead of the two 1GbE ports, but that's a minor gripe and doesn't prevent the BQ16 Pro from earning an Editors' Choice award for Wi-Fi 7 mesh systems.
The Asus ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro is a pricey, powerful Wi-Fi 7 mesh system brimming with high-end features, including two 6GHz radio bands and two 10GbE networking ports.
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About John R. Delaney
Contributing Editor
