The Asus RP-AX58 is a Wi-Fi 6 range extender that plugs into an AC outlet to bring wireless connectivity to areas that your router can’t reach. It’s simple to install, it can be paired with an Asus AiMesh router to form a mesh network, and its throughput performance is very good based on our testing. At $99.99, it’s right in line with the cost of other range extenders, but you’ll get better signal range with our Editors’ Choice winner in the category, the TP-Link RE715X.Design: Ready to Extend Wi-Fi 6 SignalsAt 5.9 by 2.8 by 3.4 inches (HWD), the RP-AX58 is not quite as bulky as the RE715X (6.2 by 4.2 by 1.3 inches), but it is slightly deeper. It has a white finish with grillwork on the back, the bottom, and the sides. On the front is an LED indicator, which blinks white during bootup and is solid blue when ready to be connected to the router. The LED changes to solid white when the extender is connected to the router with a strong signal, solid yellow when the signal to the router is weak, and solid red when it can’t detect a signal to the router.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The right side of the extender holds Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) and Reset buttons, and you’ll find a 1GbE LAN port on the bottom edge. The two-prong plug on the back is positioned near the bottom so the extender doesn’t block the second outlet in a two-outlet electric receptacle. However, like most modern extenders, the RP-AX58 doesn’t provide a pass-through AC outlet, so you’ll need an extension cord or power strip if the outlet has two devices besides the extender plugged into it.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The extender uses two internal antennas to transmit over the 2.4GHz and 5GHz radio bands. As an AX3000 device, it can hit maximum (theoretical) data rates of up to 574Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and up to 2,402Mbps on the 5GHz band, for a total of approximately 3,000Mbps. It is mesh-ready, which means you can use it as a mesh node when paired with an Asus AiMesh-compatible router. It can also be pressed into service as an access point or as a media bridge if you set it up with a wired connection to your router.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The RP-AX58 is a Wi-Fi 6 extender that provides coverage of up to 2,200 square feet. It supports 160MHz channel transmissions, WPA3 encryption, 1024 QAM, wired backhaul to the router, MU-MIMO data streaming, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), and beamforming.The RP-AX58 can be installed and managed using the Asus Extender mobile app or the web console. When you launch the app, you’ll see a network map in the top panel and the extender in another panel. Tap the extender’s panel to access its settings screen, where you can edit the extender’s name, SSID, and password credentials. If your router is an Asus router, you can also access its settings by tapping the router icon in the network map.
(Credit: Asus)
Other information displayed on the extender’s settings screen includes MAC and IP addresses, the firmware version, and the port number. Here, you’ll also find buttons for restoring the device to its factory settings, rebooting the extender, changing the administrator name and password, and accessing the web console. The web console provides additional options not in the app, such as letting you view system logs, configure LAN settings, and run diagnostics.Testing the Asus RP-AX58 AX3000: On-Point ThroughputYou can install the RP-AX58 using its WPS button or with the above-mentioned mobile app. I plugged the extender into an outlet in the same room as my router, downloaded the app, and tapped Setup Extender. Following the on-screen instructions, I connected my phone to the extender’s SSID, selected a room for the device, and tapped Next. I selected the SSID of the router I was extending, created a new SSID and password for the extended network, and tapped Next. The app needed a few seconds to create the new network, after which I relocated the extender to an outlet that was halfway between the router and the area that required a stronger signal.The RP-AX58 turned in solid scores on our 2.4GHz throughput performance tests. Its score of 100Mbps on the close proximity test was faster than the D-Link Aquila Pro AI AX3000 E30 (99Mbps) and the Netgear AX1800 EAX15 (65Mbps) but not quite as fast as the TP-Link AX3000 RE715X (106Mbps). The RP-AX58 scored 70Mbps on the 20-foot test, besting the E30 (69Mbps) and the EAX15 (37Mbps) but not the RE715X (71Mbps). Each extender scored 14Mbps on the 40-foot test, except for the EAX15, which scored 15Mbps.
On the 5GHz close-proximity test, the RP-AX58’s score of 401Mbps beat the EAX15 (354Mbps) but couldn’t quite catch the other two. On the 20-foot test, the RP-AX58 matched the D-Link E30 with a score of 260Mbps and beat the Netgear EAX15 (171Mbps), but it came up short against the TP-Link RE715X (264Mbps). On the 40-foot test, the RP-AX58’s score of 147Mbps was faster than the Netgear EAX15 (132Mbps) but slower than the D-Link and TP-Link models.We use an Ekahau Sidekick 2 Wi-Fi diagnostic device and the company’s Survey mobile app to test wireless signal strength. This combo generates heat maps that show the extender’s 2.4GHz and 5GHz signal range throughout our test home. (Note: Ekahau is owned by Ziff Davis, PCMag.com’s parent company. For more, read about our ethics policy in the Editorial Mission Statement.) The circle on the map represents the location of the extender, and dark green areas indicate the strongest signals. Lighter green and yellow areas represent gradual signal degradation, and gray indicates a very weak signal or no measurable signal.
A 2.4GHz coverage map for the Asus RP-AX58 AX3000 Dual Band Range Extender (Credit: Ekahau)
As illustrated on the maps, the RP-AX58 delivered relatively strong 2.4GHz and 5GHz signals to the target areas on the right side of the house, but both signals were much weaker on the opposite side of the house.
A 5GHz coverage map for the Asus RP-AX58 AX3000 Dual Band Range Extender (Credit: Ekahau)
Verdict: An Easy Way to Boost Wi-Fi CoverageIf your current router needs help broadcasting Wi-Fi signals to the far corners of your home, the Asus RP-AX58 AX3000 Dual Band Range Extender can help. Simply plug it in and use the Asus Extender mobile app to link it to your router, and you’re ready to go. The RP-AX58 performed admirably on our throughput tests and delivered solid Wi-Fi signals to its target area, but you’ll get better all-around performance for the same price with our top pick for range extenders, the TP-Link RE715X.
Asus RP-AX58 AX3000 Dual Band Range Extender
The Bottom Line
The Asus RP-AX58 is a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 range extender that you can use to extend your router’s reach or to build a mesh network. It offers good throughput, but its signal strength could be better.
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