Product: ASUS ROG Rapture GT6 WiFi 6 Tri-Band Gaming Mesh Routers
Type: Wi-Fi Router
Price: ~ $1299 AUD
Availability: Out Now
Link: ASUS ROG Rapture GT6

The WiFi Mesh system has become popular in recent years, and it’s not hard to understand why. No matter the wireless router, speed, and reliability begin to drop off after a certain distance like those WiFi signal strength lines disappearing one after another on your phone the further you get from your hardware.

The WiFi Mesh system is a brilliant solution to the idea of adding a ‘signal boost’ somewhere in the mix. Essentially you have two WiFi routers in one or one split into two or more.

With a mesh system like the ASUS ROG Rapture GT6, you connect to a single WiFi network, and depending on where you’re located, you’ll simply connect to the closest box without any perceivable loss in performance. To maintain a solid WiFi signal in most houses, you need at least two WiFi boxes, which makes the solution on offer with the ASUS ROG Rapture GT6 simple, powerful, and ideal for all gaming and non-gaming-related tasks.

Range-wise, the ROG Rapture GT6 is phenomenal, offering up to 540 square metres of coverage - and in our speed tests, the results were impressive no matter what room we were in.

The Initial Setup

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One look at the ROG Rapture GT6, and you’ll immediately notice that it sports a more striking design than what you’d find in the Nests and Orbis’ out there. It’s stylish, available in black and white, and in addition to sporting ROG branding, features an eye-catching dose of RGB lighting and some translucent touches on the top and underneath.

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Range-wise, the ROG Rapture GT6 is phenomenal, offering up to 540 square metres of coverage - and in our speed tests, the results were impressive no matter what room we were in.

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Routers aren’t usually something you’d consider ‘easy on the eyes,’ but throw in internal antennas and a compact and robust build - and the ROG Rapture GT6 is the best-looking WiFi setup we’ve seen. The bold angular might not be for everyone, but that’s ok. This is backed up by some impressive performance for a mesh system, too - where it more than earns its ROG branding, perfect for gaming or streaming on any device. ‘For Those Who Dare’ is written on each unit, and we’re inclined to agree.

As we saw with the ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AXE16000 Gaming Router we reviewed earlier in the year, setting up the ASUS ROG Rapture GT6 via the ROG-themed mobile app was a breeze - and super easy thanks to the QR code system and the simple UI.

Setting up a new or updating an existing home network is never as simple as you’d hope, and without any setbacks or issues, the ASUS ROG Rapture GT6 was up and running in a few minutes. The app also doubles as a handy way to monitor traffic, like uploads and downloads, and look at all the connected devices. Which in 2023 means mobile phones, laptops, PCs, and consoles like the PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series X.

For those that might not be into the whole “router with RGB lighting” thing, you can also turn lighting on or off via the app. Or customise them to suit your setup via ASUS’s powerful AURA lighting suite. As a Mesh system, the ROG Rapture GT6 uses ASUS’s AiMesh technology that uses a dedicated band (or backchannel) to maintain a solid connection from the central unit to the extender.

This is joined by a single 2.4GHz band (rated up to 574Mbps) and a pair of 5GHz bands (rated up to 4804Mbps), capable of delivering exceptional performance no matter if you’re streaming or playing some Diablo IV with a friend on the road to hitting Level 100.

Net Code

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What makes something “For Gamers” or worth slapping on a ‘Gaming’ label? The answer is performance and reliability, though no rule or certification exists to make the ROG Rapture GT6 a ‘Gaming’ Mesh Router system. As an ASUS ROG product, the ‘Gaming’ side is implied, and it’s safe to say that the ROG Rapture GT6 more than lives up to this promise.

The 160 MHz channels can deliver sustained multi-gigabit performance across several connected devices - but there’s more to it than that. The impressive speeds make it one of the best mesh systems you can get, even if you only stream movies and TV shows or check emails on your phone.

ASUS ROG Rapture GT6 WiFi 6 Tri-Band Gaming Mesh Routers

• Model Name: ROG Rapture GT6
  
• Network Standard: WiFi 6 (802.11ax), IPv4, IPv6, Backwards compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi
  
• Data Rate: 2.4GHz AX: 2x2 (Tx/Rx) 1024 QAM 20/40MHz, up to 574Mbps, 5G-1Hz AX: 4x4 (Tx/Rx) 1024 QAM 20/40/80/160MHz, up to 4804Mbps, 5G-2Hz AX: 4x4 (Tx/Rx) 1024 QAM 20/40/80/160MHz, up to 4804Mbps
  
• Antenna: Internal antenna x 9
  
• Transmit/Receive: 2.4GHz 2x2, 5GHz-1 4x4, 5GHz-2 4x4
  
• Processor: 1.7GHz tri-core processor
  
• Memory: 256MB Flash, 512MB DDR4 RAM
  
• Ports: 1 x 2.5 Gigabit WAN Port, 3 x Gigabit LAN Ports, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 Port
  
• What's In the Box: ROG Rapture GT6, RJ-45 Cable, Power Adapter, Quick Start Guide, Warranty Card
  
• Product Weight (g): 880

The ROG Rapture GT6 mesh system has notable features not outlined in the specs above, making it a dream to use. With the simple app interface, you can set priorities for the data types it’s dealing with - emphasize gaming devices or media streaming or even make things like web browsing a lower priority. You can drill down into QoS and NAS settings, and there’s even a free built-in VPN that ensures safe and secure browsing and connects to the fastest servers possible for low-latency gaming. There are also inbuilt security tools, parental controls, and more.

As mentioned in the introduction, the range you get with the ROG Rapture GT6 is incredible, over six rooms in a typical household (a large one, to be exact) thanks to ASUS RangeBoost Plus technology that sees a 38% increase in coverage over other mesh systems.

Performance and Conclusion

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Although wireless, one of the best features of the ROG Rapture GT6 is that in addition to a 2.5 Gbps WAN port, each unit has three gigabit LAN ports (with the option to aggregate to get a single 2 Gbps connection), so depending on the positioning you can connect consoles or a PC via an ethernet cable and still have access to all of the high-end customisation features.

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The impressive speeds make it one of the best mesh systems you can get, even if you only stream movies and TV shows or check emails on your phone.

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Ultimately when it comes to the home network, you want things to be seamless. No interruptions to service, latency, or having to worry about other devices impacting a stream or download. What makes the ROG Rapture GT6 brilliant is that it lives up to this promise; whether it was playing games, downloading updates on Steam, or watching the latest season of Black Mirror on Netflix - everything was smooth.

And although there is a difference in the actual speed you’ll get the further you are from ‘home base,’ it’s not noticeable - the ROG Rapture GT6 will make the most out of your NBN connection while leaving ample room to run a home server or Plex system. Regarding its gaming chops, it’s second to none for WiFi mesh systems - so if you’re after a small, compact, and stylish solution - this is it.