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ASUS RT-AX1800S  Router Review

Reviewed Jul 22, 2024 at 10:27am
Test bench update Apr 30, 2025 at 04:25pm
Tested using methodology v0.8.1 
ASUS RT-AX1800S
7.1
Apartment/Condo 
6.9
Multi-Level House 
7.6
Speed 
6.6
Range 
 0

The ASUS RT-AX1800S is a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router with 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. It features four 1Gbps LAN ports and a 1Gbps WAN port. It's compatible with ASUS' AiMesh, which allows you to use other ASUS routers as additional mesh access points.

Our Verdict

7.1
Apartment/Condo 

The ASUS RT-AX1800S is decent for a single-story home or condo. It delivers good top speeds and is suitable for high-speed downloads and 4k video streaming. Still, it lacks DFS (Dynamic Frequency Selection) support, so its speeds may be slower if you live in a congested wireless environment like an apartment building.

Pros
  • Good top speeds.
Cons
  • Lacks DFS support, so it can't avoid more congested channels.
6.9
Multi-Level House 

The ASUS AX1800S is adequate if you live in a multi-level house. It delivers good top speeds suitable for downloading large files quickly when you're close to it, but it's a standalone router and slows down when you're far away from it. It supports AiMesh, so you can pair it with compatible ASUS devices to improve its coverage.

Pros
  • Good top speeds.
  • Compatible with AiMesh devices to create a mesh network for better range.
Cons
  • Lacks DFS support, so it can't avoid more congested channels.
  • Range is just okay.
7.6
Speed 

This router delivers good speeds suitable for an internet connection of up to ~600Mbps. However, it doesn't support DFS (Dynamic Frequency Selection), so it can't access DFS-only channels, which would help its speeds in congested wireless environments.

Pros
  • Good top speeds.
Cons
  • Lacks DFS support, so it can't avoid more congested channels.
6.6
Range 

This router has an okay range, but it's a standalone unit, so depending on your home's size, layout, and construction, you might experience dropouts. It supports AiMesh, so you can pair it with compatible ASUS devices to improve its coverage.

Pros
  • Compatible with AiMesh devices to create a mesh network for better range.
Cons
  • Range is just okay.
  • 7.1
    Apartment/Condo
  • 6.9
    Multi-Level House

  • Performance Usages

  • 7.6
    Speed
  • 6.6
    Range
  • Changelog

    1.  Updated May 01, 2025: We've converted this review to Test Bench 0.8.1. This includes a new test result for our Test Configuration box.
    2.  Updated Jul 22, 2024: Review published.

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    Differences Between Sizes And Variants

    The ASUS RT-AX1800S has no variants. Here's a photo of our unit's label.

    Popular Router Comparisons

    The ASUS RT-AX1800S is a budget dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router. Like most ASUS routers, it has useful software features, like AiMesh, which allows you to connect compatible ASUS routers as access points in a mesh network.

    Performance-wise, it provides decent signal strength throughout a multi-level home, but it's not nearly as fast as other Wi-Fi 6 routers in its price category, like the TP-Link Archer AX20 or TP-Link Archer AX21.

    If you're looking for more options, check out our recommendations for the best Wi-Fi routers, the best Wi-Fi 6 routers, and the best routers for streaming.

    Test Results

    perceptual testing image
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    Category:
    All
    Design
    6.8
    Dimensions
    Height
    8.07" (20.5 cm)
    Width
    9.33" (23.7 cm)
    Depth
    5.91" (15.0 cm)
    Depth With Cables
    6.85" (17.4 cm)
    7.1
    Network Ports
    WAN Port Speed
    1.0 Gbps
    LAN Port Count
    4
    10 Gbps Ports
    0
    2.5 Gbps Ports
    0
    1 Gbps Ports
    5
    10 Gbps Ports (SFP+)
    0
    USB Ports
    USB-A 3.0 Ports
    0
    USB-A 2.0 Ports
    0
    USB-C Ports
    0
    USB-C Speed
    N/A
    In The Box

    • Ethernet cable
    • Power adapter
    • User documentation

    8.0
    Wall/Ceiling Mount
    Mount Type
    Screw Head Slot

    This router has a pair of screw head slots on the bottom, so you can easily mount it to your wall or ceiling.

    Wi-Fi
    6.6
    Interior Long Range
    See details on graph tool
    Lowest Speed
    82 Mbps
    Average 5GHz Speed
    180 Mbps
    Average 6GHz Speed
    N/A
    Test Configuration
    Standalone

    It's a standalone router, so the mesh satellite position line on this graph isn't applicable.

    7.7
    Interior Short Range
    See details on graph tool
    Highest Speed
    650 Mbps
    Average 5GHz Speed
    440 Mbps
    Average 6GHz Speed
    N/A
    Test Configuration
    Standalone

    It's a standalone router, so the mesh satellite position line on this graph isn't applicable.

    6.3
    Wi-Fi Specifications
    Wi-Fi Version
    Wi-Fi 6 (ax)
    6GHz Band
    No
    Multi Band
    Dual Band (2.4 / 5)
    DFS Channels
    No
    Wi-Fi Coverage
    Indoor Coverage - Same Story
    Indoor Coverage - 1 Story Above
    Broad Coverage

    Comments

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    1. Update: We’ve converted this review to Test Bench 0.8.1. This includes a new test result for our Test Configuration box.

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