The short version

Key points

  • The router has one gigabit WAN port and four gigabit LAN ports.
  • It handled the reviewer's 2Gbps down and 500Mbps up fibre NBN connection, although each wired gigabit connection is limited to around 940Mbps in real-world use.
  • 5GHz Wi-Fi 6 testing reached about 680Mbps down and 600Mbps up, while 2.4GHz measured about 139Mbps down and 90–93Mbps up.
  • Coverage extended through a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home and into the backyard, with 250–300Mbps measured in the furthest bedroom.
  • Features include WPA3, AiMesh, adaptive QoS, parental controls and lifetime Trend Micro network protection.

Wired performance and NBN compatibility

The RT-AX54HP is a dual-band AX1800 router with a gigabit WAN port and four gigabit LAN ports. A single wired device can therefore reach around 940Mbps in real-world conditions, rather than the full theoretical gigabit rate.

The review tested the router on a fibre NBN connection rated at 2Gbps download and 500Mbps upload. It handled those rates without reported problems, although a single gigabit connection remained the limiting factor. The router is not a modem, so it is suited to NBN fibre or cable services where an NBN modem or NTD is already provided. It cannot connect directly to an NBN fibre-to-the-node or VDSL line.

Wi-Fi 6 speed results

The AX1800 rating combines a theoretical 1,200Mbps on 5GHz with 574Mbps on 2.4GHz under ideal conditions. The router uses a 2x2 configuration and supports 80MHz channels, but not 160MHz channels.

In gigabit local-network testing, results were approximately 900Mbps download and 970Mbps upload, with some variation. Using a Wi-Fi 6 laptop on 5GHz, testing reached about 680Mbps download and 600Mbps upload. The 2.4GHz results were approximately 139Mbps down and 90–93Mbps up. Older Wi-Fi 5 devices also improved in the same room, reaching around 400–500Mbps.

These results were below Asus’s headline theoretical speeds, but provided a practical ceiling of roughly 800Mbps for this type of Wi-Fi 6 device, depending on conditions and client hardware.

Coverage and busy-home performance

The router was positioned centrally, although close to a wall, in a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home. The test found strong and reliable coverage throughout the house, including living areas, corners and the backyard.

In the furthest bedroom, approximately 15 metres away and separated by two walls, 5GHz speeds measured around 250–300Mbps. The review reported no dead zones in the home. Results will vary with building materials, layout and placement; the test location was a central, well-serviced area rather than a basement.

The router supports Asus AiMesh, allowing another compatible Asus unit to be added later for broader whole-home coverage. Its external antennas can be repositioned, and the router can also be wall-mounted.

Features, setup and limitations

Setup was completed in a few minutes using Asus’s familiar interface. Wi-Fi 6 features, MU-MIMO, WPA3 encryption and adaptive QoS are included. QoS can prioritise activities such as gaming and streaming, while parental controls can apply limits and filters to children’s devices.

The router also includes lifetime Trend Micro network protection, which is intended to block malicious sites and help protect against infected devices. The effectiveness of this feature was not independently tested in the review.

There is no USB port, so the router cannot directly share a USB storage device or printer, and it does not provide a direct 4G backup connection. It is also dual-band rather than tri-band.

TechManPat’s conclusion

I think the Asus RT-AX54HP is a good pick for an average household, particularly when available for $129 Australian, which was the sale price at the time of filming. It offers fast and reliable Wi-Fi 6 performance, strong coverage and straightforward operation. The lack of USB, tri-band capability and a built-in modem limits its flexibility, but I was impressed by what it offered for the money.
Source note

This knowledge-centre summary is based on the linked TechManPat video and reflects the information available when it was published. Check current pricing, availability and policies before acting.