Jeg er inde i en stime, hvor jeg ikke kan blive tilfreds med den router, som jeg køber. For et år siden købte jeg en D-Link router, som jeg havde en masse problemer med, når jeg talte via Skype. Jeg kunne godt ringe op, men når opkaldet blev taget i den anden ende, så fungerede det ikke.

I starten af i år købte jeg derfor en ny router. Faktisk købte jeg et sæt, hvor den ene kunne agere router, mens den anden kunne være en del af et mesh setup. Det har kørt uden problemer. Ja, det vil sige, at nu har jeg igen fået et problem. Denne gang skyldes det, at den VPN udbyder, jeg benytter, har besluttet at nedlægge den oldgamle protokol, som disse nye routere kan bruge. Det betød, at jeg var nødt til at sætte mig ind i VPN teknologi og muligheder. Samtidig ville jeg også gerne kunne bruge de 2 ASUS dimser, som jeg købte tidligere på året.

Nu er jeg så gået all-in og har købt en monster router fra ASUS. Ja, køn er den ikke, men den virker. Og den har et hav af funktioner. Derudover kan den sættes i mesh system med de andre ASUS dimser, så jeg har prima dækning i huset. Nu virker det hele, og jeg har kontrol over, hvilke enheder der bruger VPN og hvilke, der ikke gør, hvilket jeg ikke kunne gøre tidligere. Derudover er der indbygget skanning af trafikken, hvilket jeg også er et plus.

I've never been completed satisfied with the purchase of my new D-Link router. Skype still doesn't work, and the connection is not stable. I'm not blaming D-Link because I haven't contacted them, and that is stupid. I had hoped that a new firmware would solve my problems, but that hasn't happened yet.

In one of the many news mails I receive, I found a review of a Netgear mesh system. Of course, it awakens my curiosity, and I start looking into mesh systems in general. Quickly, I find that Netgear systems are expensive if you want new technology. Instead, I find ASUS mesh systems, which cost a third of the Netgear systems, but they still use the newest technologies. Furthermore, I find the ASUS system on sale, and all of a sudden, I find it difficult not to buy a set.

When I want to get new electronic equipment, I always start by investigating which new technologies would benefit my needs. In regards to wireless systems, I want the newest technology - of course within a reasonable price range. I decided that the wireless mesh system should be Wi-Fi 6 system, and it should be a tri-band system with one 2.4 GHz band and two 5 GHz bands. That way, one 5 GHz band can be used as backhaul between the two devices. I also need the system to be able to create an L2TP connection to a different network. I also want to be able to disable Smart Connect. That way, I can create separate networks for 2.4 and 5 GHz, respectively. The reason for that is that I've experienced devices that are unable to maintain a stable connection with Smart Connect enabled. Finally, I want to be able to connect at least two wired devices to the Wi-Fi nodes.

ASUS ZenWiFi AX XT8 matches all my demands and then some. The devices are identical, which some reviewers don't like, but I think it's a great idea. It is possible to have multiple internet links connected, and it's even possible to have a 4G dongle connected and use that as, for example, a secondary connection. If you already have your house wired, you can use the wires as backhaul between the nodes. The system also has a built-in security package, which is free, but I haven't tried it yet.

Until now, I only have positive things to say about this mesh system. Everything works, and my connection is more stable than with the D-Link router. I still need to explore a couple of things like the security package, but from my point of view, the system is approved.