ASUS ZenWiFi BD4 Review: Dual-Band Wi-Fi 7 Keeps Costs In Check

Getting internet throughout your home without running cables everywhere is a hassle. Mesh internet systems like the ZenWiFi BD4 offer great speed, coverage and reliability. ASUS have bundled three units into one package for their ZenWiFi BD4 3-pack, for one of the best priced WiFi 7 mesh systems available. 

Mesh internet routers are now more the norm than stand alone routers. At $599, the triple-pack includes a dual-band router with two access points. 

The three-pack system offers a lot of bang for buck blanketing up to 600m² around your home with WiFi 7 capable of speeds up to 3600 Mbps – all without running cables. 

I plugged in the ASUS ZenWiFi BD4 triple-pack a month ago, and it’s been a rock solid system – here’s how it went. 

What’s in the box?

The box comes with everything you need to get up and running.

You get the main router and two access points, with the router sporting a very important ‘I’m the main unit start with me’ sticker. 

There’s three power supplies, with international adapters for each one. Each adapter also supports 100/240V @ 50/60Hz, so you can safely take your router system with you if you move overseas. 

There is only a single ethernet cable – for connecting the router to your NBN connection, however the router and both access points include dual 2.5G Ethernet ports with auto detection, so a couple of spare cables would have been nice. 

In the grand scheme of things though, ethernet cables are cheap and plentiful so this is a mere quibble – but it is inconvenient.

Design, Setup and Features

The ZenWiFi BD4 mesh system comes in a choice of two colours – black or white, with a small footprint that lets the router fade away into the background. 

Unlike a lot of routers, there’s not a load of flashing lights to draw attention. There’s a single LED status light on the front that lights up and sometimes pulses depending on if the unit is starting up, connecting, or just working. 

Setup is simple, you’ll need the ASUS Router app – which is available for Android and iOS, which makes this all very easy. There’s QR codes linking to the ASUS router app on the side of the box and the quick setup guide, which you can just use your phone camera to get the direct links. 

If you’re setting up your router with the NBN, you’ll need to contact them to bump your connection – or, your ISP may have an option to kick your connection (Like Aussie BB) in their app. 

Once kicked, your connection should establish fairly quickly when you plug the router in. 

The app guides you through the setup, with a QR Code you can scan on the back of the router automatically letting the app what the default SSID of your router is before looking for it. 

Once the router is connected, the Initial setup involves putting both the mesh devices nearby – within 1-3 metres before completing your setup – which may involve a Firmware update.

You can configure your network as you want, with support for both IPv4 and IPv6, you can also setup DHCP entries to maintain static IP’s across your network and write firewall rules to maintain your application setup. 

During initial setup, a separate iOT network is automatically created when you set up your ZenWiFi BD4 

You can set up a separate Guest connection, with a number of Smart options available including a Kids Network, VPN Network or another Multi-Link Operation (MLO) or iOT network.

Having these separate networks will allow for you to maintain more control, keeping your smart home devices on the iOT network, or the kids on a network with scheduled times and throttling built-in so it doesn’t affect WFH or other more pressing network needs. 

The router VPN options also let you setup a network with a VPN connection built-in, including options for popular VPNs like SurfShark, NORDVPN and more – but it also supports OpenVPN and I was able to apply my PIA OpenVPN settings very easily to a standalone VPN network. 

Connection and Speed

At 9, for a 3-point mesh system which can cover 600m² around your home with WiFi 7, you’re doing pretty well – though not everything is included. 

The ASUS ZenWiFi BD4 system uses only dual-band Wi-Fi 7 (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz), eschewing the 6GHz band – which generally is a lot quieter with fewer systems using it.

This lack of 6GHz support can make it a little more busy on these bands – which we can see using the NetSpot WiFi HeatMap Analyzer app, around our house. 

The good news is that even in red areas, the download and upload speed is still good. On a 1000Mbps connection, I was able to average around 450-500Mbps in the red areas, and over 800Mbps on the green areas.

To achieve this stable connection using only the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, ASUS uses four internal antennas, with four high-power front-end modules that can boost signal when handling heavy traffic.

The router also includes MLO which can switch between the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands dynamically to improve stability of your connection – though it’s only available as backhaul when the access point connects directly to the primary router. 

Final Thoughts

The main takeaway for the ASUS ZenWifi BD4 three-pack is that it offers fast, reliable internet with a good range of configuration options – with an easy to use app that almost anyone can set up.

With a main router and two additional access points included in the 9 price tag, the coverage around your home is excellent. 

The ZenWifi BD4 is missing the 6GHz band which can hamstring you a little in busier areas, but the beam-forming and MLO offset this a lot by providing a dynamic network that can cater to your needs.

You can find the ZenWifi BD4 at a range of retailers. You can head over to the ASUS website to check it out.