ASUS ExpertWiFi EBM68 Review – Plenty Of Bases Covered

Unboxing & Walkaround

Let’s start by unboxing the ASUS ExpertWiFi EBM68 first. The box features two compartments, the top of which houses two of the EBM68 routers, while everything else is stored underneath. Below are all the items laid out on the table:

• 2x DC power supply
• 2x Type C “Europlug” AC adapter
• 2x Type G AC adapter
• 2x Type I AC adapter
• Ethernet cable
• 2x wall mounting kit
• 4x dry wall anchor
• 4x dry wall screw
• Wi-Fi driver installation guide
• Quick setup guide
• QR code leaflet
• Wall mount guide
• Wall mount safety information
• Warranty card
• 2x ASUS ExpertWiFi EBM68 router

While ASUS has specifically marked the main unit for the setup process, both nodes feature the same I/O layout, with a 2.5GbE WAN port, three GbE LAN ports, and a USB 3.0 port for file sharing and USB network tethering. There’s also a WPS button and a pinhole reset button located down the bottom (not shown).

Specifications

ASUS ExpertWiFi EBM68

Full specifications available on the product website.

Operation Modes	Router, ASUS AiMesh, AP (Access Point) mode
Wireless Specification	802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6)
Antenna Topography	6 internal antennas
Operating Frequencies	2.4GHz (574 Mbps) 5GHz-1 (2402 Mbps) 5GHz-2 (4804 Mbps)
Backhaul Channel Support	Yes (5GHz-2)
Bandwidth Modes	20 / 40 / 80 / 160 MHz
Throughput Rating	AX7800 (574 + 2402 + 4804 Mbps)
Signal Modulation	1024-QAM
Processor	1.7 GHz quad-core
RAM	1GB
Onboard Storage	256MB
WAN	1x 2.5GbE RJ-45 (per unit)
LAN	3x GbE RJ-45 (per unit)
Auxiliary I/O	1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (per unit)
Wireless Security	WPA/WPA2/WPA3-Personal, WPA/WPA2-Enterprise
Web Protection	ASUS AiProtection Pro VPN support
Control Interface	ASUSWRT (web) ASUS ExpertWiFi app (mobile)
Wall Mount Support	Yes
Dimensions	167 x 77 x 186 mm
Weight	808g

Performance

To test our router speeds, we use the open-source iperf3 command-line tool and connects the router to our bench rig (which acts as the server in this test) via a Gigabit LAN cable. Then, we use a Wi-Fi 6-capable laptop to begin sending data through Wi-Fi to monitor the speeds. Since this process is done entirely on the same network, we don’t have to deal with variables outside of our control, as testing network speeds on websites like Speedtest.net may be subjected to disruptions from ISPs or the servers that we’re sending data to.

We did four runs in this case: 2 meters and 10 meters from the router (with a direct line-of-sight), each tested on 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands. Note that the “5GHz-2” is not tested as this band is dedicated for backhaul connections between mesh nodes. We’ve also manually set the channel for each band to stay on the least-used channel to avoid performance drops caused by signal interference.

In the best-case scenario, the EBM68’s 5GHz band with 2m distance has clocked 684Mbps on average over a minute – but we’ve seen the speeds touching 900+Mbps briefly. Surprisingly, moving our laptop further back didn’t drop the speed all that much despite a significant drop in signal strength (from around -30dBm to -60dBm), clocking 605Mbps in this run. As for the 2.4GHz band, the router has clocked a respectable 154Mbps in close proximity, and 91Mbps of speeds in the further distance.

Management

As a business-centric router, ASUS has provided plenty of controls to the IT admins that will be assigned to manage the organization’s network. Setting it up is a relatively simple process – you can even set it up via phone through the ExpertWiFi app (though it did took us a few tries to work). Once configured, you’ll be greeted with the dashboard page that shows all the metrics, including client list, DNS benchmarks, system load, and cable connection status.

The ExpertWiFi EBM68 also comes bundled with ASUS’s own AiProtection Pro security suite courtesy of Trend Micro, no subscription required. In this menu, you get a quick overview on all the recommended settings to apply in order to increase network security. It definitely makes managing network easier for less experienced users, and I think seasoned IT admins will appreciate the easy-to-understand interface.

Of course, you can still monitor the network through the phone, and most of the features you can find on the ASUSWRT interface has been carried over to this app (the QR code is provided on the main unit). Here, you can also set up additional nodes (up to 12 of them) if your space demands greater Wi-Fi coverage, though in our cases we don’t have to do so as the satellite routers managed to pair with the main unit seamlessly with zero user interaction.

The Good

There are a lot of good things to speak about for the ASUS ExpertWiFi EBM68. Starting off, setting up the network turns out to be easier than I expected – while the classic LAN connection would’ve saved time for someone who already has the know-how, having a phone app for the setup process should make it easy for less experienced users to get things going.

For more experienced users, you’re going to find a lot of features you can tap into in order to maximize this router’s potential. Things like VLAN, VPN, QoS, DDNS are all configurable here, and you get to access the bundled AiProtection Pro security solution to keep malware out of the network at no added cost. Business users can use the “Self-Defined Network” feature to set up guest Wi-Fi for customers, while 2.5GbE WAN should help futureproof it to provide higher speeds over high number of concurrent connections.

Some notable features include USB tethering – if your WAN is down for whatever reason, you can hook up your smartphone’s mobile hotspot to keep things going; meanwhile, AiMesh support means you can pair it with existing ASUS routers to further expand the signal coverage. Speaking of which, it’s plenty solid as far as signal strength goes, which managed to stretch past several rooms’ worth of distance.

The Bad

As far as routers/mesh systems go, the ExpertWiFi EBM68 ticks a lot of boxes, and we have not much to complain about in general. Sure, we can say it would be nicer to have Wi-Fi 6E support for the extra 6GHz band for high-speed use cases, but this is the router that’s going to see tens if not hundreds of devices connected to it, so speed isn’t of the highest priority here.

That being said, adding 6GHz and making this a quad-band router will certainly add costs, so the current implementation of tri-band should be sufficient in reasonably-sized businesses and offices. In cases where less users are actively hitting the network, it’s still reasonable to use full-fat 160MHz bands for high-throughput uses. Besides, there’s also a trio of LAN ports on each node if speed and latency is what you’re after.

While setting this mesh system is easy, if you’re using some of the advanced management features you’re going to need to learn a lot of things to make sure you didn’t hit the wrong switch. Or you can hire a professional to do the hard part for you, which is what businesses and offices are for, right?

Verdict

So, business owners and IT managers, the price you’re looking at for a 2-pack package of ASUS ExpertWiFi EBM68 is RM2,588 – unsurprisingly, it’s pricier than your regular consumer Wi-Fi 6 router/mesh systems. However, for the price you’re getting quite a lot of features that will suit commercial use cases very well, while the ease of setup and the degree of controls available definitely sweetens the deal.

With that, the ASUS ExpertWiFi EBM68 is awarded the coveted Gold Pokdeward.

Many thanks to ASUS Malaysia for providing the ExpertWiFi EBM68 router for this review.