ASUS RT-BE58U review: cheaper and speedier, even with the lack of 6GHz
Table of Contents
The future of networking continues to expand as we work our way through 2025, with WiFi 7 routers offering the pinnacle of performance when it comes to speeds and connectivity. With plenty more channels and uncongested lanes, along with quick switching, they can be a great way to get the most out of every device on your network – without interference, and at the best speeds.
Today, we sit down with one of ASUS’s latest WiFi routers, the ASUS RTBE58U – a great WiFi 7 enabled device that displays excellent value for money. The ASUS router in question hits shelves at a more budget-friendly price point – especially if you’re looking for the latest version of WiFi technology. That said, compromises have been made with the RTBE58U, and we’re here to see how the obvious lack of features impacts the performance of this router.
All being said, we’ll be putting the router to the test and checking out its feature set and performance on our network. Here’s how it did.
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- Standard: Wi-Fi 7
- Frequency Bands: 2.5 GHz, 5GHz
- Max Speed: 28.8 Gbps
- LAN Ports: 3x 1Gbps LAN, 1x 1Gbps WAN/LAN, 1x 2.5Gbps WAN/LAN
- WAN/LAN: 1x 2.5Gbps, 1x 1Gbps WAN/LAN
- CPU: 2.0GHz quad-core
- Memory: 256MB Flash and 1GB RAM
- USB: 3.2 Gen 1×1
- Dimensions: 238 x 193 x 59mm
- Weight: 461g
If you’re looking for a WiFi 7-capable router, the ASUS RT-BE58U is a rather good value option to go for. With a price just above $100/£100, it is a fast and effective option with some great controls on board. That’s if you don’t want the 6GHz frequency that you might expect from the latest generation. But many don’t need it, and there’s still plenty of fast connectivity onboard, including plenty of ports to connect up to, or some impressive wireless range.
- Easy to set up
- Lots of controlability from the app
- Plenty of security and control features
- Great value for the connectivity
- Amazing speeds for the majority of users
- Lacks 6GHz frequency to give it the next level speeds
- Could do with a second 2.5Gbps port
- Surprisingly bulky
Design
The RT-BE58U is another one of those low-key ASUS routers, one of those that doesn’t look like anything too special and could be one provided by your ISP. Well, apart from the four massive antennae sticking out from the back. But for the most part, the black box just sort of exists and doesn’t warrant a second look – not compared to the more intimidating GT-AXE16000 WiFi 6E from ROG.
ASUS RT-BE58U (BE3600) underside angled, Image by PC Guide
ASUS RT-BE58U (BE3600) underside, Image by PC Guide
ASUS RT-BE58U (BE3600) angled, Image by PC Guide
ASUS RT-BE58U (BE3600) box, Image by PC Guide
ASUS RT-BE58U (BE3600) left side, Image by PC Guide
ASUS RT-BE58U (BE3600) lights, Image by PC Guide
ASUS RT-BE58U (BE3600) rear, Image by PC Guide
With dimensions spanning just 238x193x59mm, it doesn’t take up a whole heap of space where you decide to set it up – and it’s lightweight. At just 461g, it’s not too hefty either – and I didn’t think of it being able to carry out such fast connectivity as you might expect from a WiFi 7 and Gigabit router.
The same can be said about its design, with a black body and build, it is certainly not a gaming router. Instead, it opts for a stealthier design, reminiscent of the Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500. What it does bring over from the brand’s more gaming-focused design is the rather large vents, even adding heatsink-like ridges on top, but being made of plastic, I’m not sure it’s going to help much. Opening up the router to plenty of air can certainly help with keeping the components cool, considering the throughput that it can handle.
The front houses the status lights, while the back features the rest of the interesting parts. With five total RJ-45 ports, it combines a 2.5Gb and a range of 1Gb ports, with two of them being flexible between LAN and WAN.
There is also a handy USB port to connect up some extra storage, using tethering, and using other features. It also has a few buttons at the end: a power switch, WPS, and reset buttons. These surprised me with how satisfying they were to click, with the power button featuring a big depressive dip – while the other two offered a good amount of ‘clickiness’.
ASUS RT-BE58U (BE3600) plugged in, Image by PC Guide
ASUS RT-BE58U (BE3600) logo, Image by PC Guide
ASUS RT-BE58U (BE3600) USB and buttons, Image by PC Guide
ASUS RT-BE58U (BE3600) 2.5G port, Image by PC Guide
ASUS RT-BE58U (BE3600) accessories, Image by PC Guide
Other features
For the hardware, the ASUS router utilizes a 2.0 GHz quad-core processor, upping the core count to be able to provide a fast connection without causing any throttling – something you can keep an eye on in the dashboard. That’s also supported by 256GB of flash memory and 1GB of RAM, keeping all the network and processes ticking along nicely.
Going through the setup was rather simple, too. Using the ASUS Router app, it immediately picks up on the device once it’s been plugged in, or you can just scan the QR code on the bottom to connect to it. Then, if you have it plugged into the WAN, you can just easily go through the tooltips of getting it started.
That includes making sure you’re firmware is up to date and functioning as required. Then you can set up you’re various networks. Either just the one that allows for automatic switching between 5 and 2.4GHz, or a split option, along with an IoT guest network option to keep your devices separate and the network a bit clearer and free of congestion (all while adding a layer of security).
Once you’re through, there are plenty of controls you can take advantage of in the app, particularly if you want to set up parental controls, allowing for various profiles for each device to be set up – without being behind a paywall. Along with the options to set up a VPN for the whole network rather than per connected device.
Asus RT-BE58U (BE3600) web home screen, Image by PC Guide
Asus RT-BE58U (BE3600) app settings 2, Image by PC Guide
Asus RT-BE58U (BE3600) app settings, Image by PC Guide
Asus RT-BE58U (BE3600) app parental controls, Image by PC Guide
Asus RT-BE58U (BE3600) app home screen, Image by PC Guide
Asus RT-BE58U (BE3600) network optimization setup, Image by PC Guide
Asus RT-BE58U (BE3600) app system setup, Image by PC Guide
Asus RT-BE58U (BE3600) app setup connect, Image by PC Guide
Asus RT-BE58U (BE3600) app network settings, Image by PC Guide
Pricing
The pricing of the ASUS router is certainly on the lower side of things, especially with it being a WiFi 7 device. Now that the tech has been out for a while, it makes sense that the price has dropped, especially compared to the $500+ I first saw with the Nighthawk RX700S.
No, instead you can find the ASUS RT-BE58U for $149.99/£109.99. Not too expensive for a WiFi 7 capable router with a decent amount of connectivity and control beyond that. We also checked out how well it performed to make sure it was worth buying, too.
Performance
To test the router, I plugged it into our office network, capable of up to around 300MB/s. Plugging a PC into it and testing out the wireless connectivity with a Google Pixel 9 Pro, testing out just how far the signal reaches and what might interfere with it. Considering the noise and traffic in that scenario, it should give it a good test. Utilizing both WiFiMan and SpeedTest apps, I got the data and put it alongside our previously tested routers, although with a different phone, the results might not be directly comparable.
Asus RT-BE58U (BE3600) Upload Speed 5GHz, Image by PC Guide
Asus RT-BE58U (BE3600) Download speed 5GHz, Image by PC Guide
Asus RT-BE58U (BE3600) upload speed 2.4GHz, Image by PC Guide
Asus RT-BE58U (BE3600) download speed 2.4GHz, Image by PC Guide
Asus RT-BE58U (BE3600) PHY upload 5GHz, Image by PC Guide
Asus RT-BE58U (BE3600) PHY download 5GHz, Image by PC Guide
Asus RT-BE58U (BE3600) PHY download 2.4GHz, Image by PC Guide
Asus RT-BE58U (BE3600) PHY upload 2.4GHz, Image by PC Guide
Asus RT-BE58U (BE3600) signal strength 2.4GHz, Image by PC Guide
Asus RT-BE58U (BE3600) signal strength 5GHz, Image by PC Guide
Asus RT-BE58U (BE3600) latency 2.4GHz, Image by PC Guide
Asus RT-BE58U (BE3600) latency 5GHz, Image by PC Guide
Asus RT-BE58U (BE3600) LAN Speed, Image by PC Guide
Asus RT-BE58U (BE3600) SSD speed, Image by PC Guide
Signal strength
Starting off with how well it transmits its signal, and if it can keep connected to devices at various ranges with the signal strength. Measured in negative dBm, on the 2.4GHz band, the router started off at -49 at 10ft/3m, dropping to -54 at 30ft/9m, and then -62 at 60ft/18m with a wall and obstacles in the way. It did lose signal at my furthest testing spot, though, and wasn’t capable of connecting at 90ft/27m with four walls in between and plenty more obstacles in the way.
Switching over to 5GHz does improve the signal capability. Starting off, it achieves a strength of -45, -50, -58, and then -87dBm at the respective distances. It does well in comparison with the rest of the tested routers in being able to reach far and wide with a strong signal.
Speed
At those same distances, I also tested the speed of the connection, both the PHY download and upload to the router, and then the internet speed from them. At 2.4GHz, it had a physical download of 162, 65, and 25Mbps, and an upload speed of 258, 162, and 48Mbps. At 5GHz, that turned to 960, 907, 408, and 16Mbps, and upload of 1134, 1020, 680, and 18Mbps.
As for the actual internet speeds this returned with, at 2.4GHz, it averaged a download of 53.7, 55.2, and 18Mbps, and the respective distances, with the upload returning 35.8, 13.6, and 0.5Mbps. That is rather slow in comparison to other tested routers, but it does make up for it at 5GHz.
At that higher frequency, it achieved a download of 257, 275, 266, and dropped off to 15.7Mbps. Whilst the upload was 289, 289, 210, and 4.1Mbps. The speed has no problem carrying on over Ethernet either, as it averages a 249.27Mbps download and 274.39Mbps upload speed.
File transfer
With a USB port on the router itself, I also checked the speed of it and was able to connect to the storage on it. It’s not exactly the method to connect up a NAS, but the USB 3.2 Gen 1×1 port should offer simple connectivity.
Running CrystalDiskMark on a connected SSD, it achieved a sequential read speed of 104MB/s and a write speed of 109MB/s, which does hold up against the rest of the options that also feature a USB connector. Certainly enough for doing any basic tasks since there are plenty of Ethernet ports, which are good for the usual faster work.
- Standard: Wi-Fi 7
- Frequency Bands: 2.5 GHz, 5GHz
- Max Speed: 28.8 Gbps
- LAN Ports: 3x 1Gbps LAN, 1x 1Gbps WAN/LAN, 1x 2.5Gbps WAN/LAN
- WAN/LAN: 1x 2.5Gbps, 1x 1Gbps WAN/LAN
- CPU: 2.0GHz quad-core
- Memory: 256MB Flash and 1GB RAM
- USB: 3.2 Gen 1×1
- Dimensions: 238 x 193 x 59mm
- Weight: 461g
Conclusion
ASUS’ RT-BE58U (BE3600) is a top choice for a WiFi 7 router on a budget. Coming in at just under the three-figure mark, it might seem expensive, but certainly not if you want a new router at the heart of your network. It opens up gigabit connectivity to plenty of your devices, and using the latest connection technology for it, although it does lack the 6GHz frequency for even better speeds, but it might not need it to do well, considering the Multi-Link Operation onboard.
Alongside that, the control capability from ASUS is rather substantial. With multi-network setups, parental controls, and easy mesh ability, the router is an effective and good value option when you don’t need the extra frequency.
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