Xiaomi AX6000 Review – Top Best Budget Wi-Fi 6 Router

Xiaomi AX6000 Review, Specs, features, Price

Xiaomi Mi Router AX6000

Announced on on December 28th, at the Xiaomi Mi 11 conference, the long-awaited flagship router product finally arrived as scheduled. This is the Mi Router AX6000. It is almost the same in appearance design as the previous generation, but although it has the same ID design, you can feel the huge progress of this generation “from 3600 to 6000” in terms of numbers.

Xiaomi AX6000 Hardware

The Xiaomi AX6000 runs MiWiFi ROM based which is based on popular open source OpenWRT framework, powered by a snappy Qualcomm IPQ5018 processor along with a 1.0GHz Network Processor Unit (NPU). It comes with 512 MB RAM and 256 MB of internal storage.

Comparing the CPU parameters of the two, the official website gives different ones. The AX3600 is a quad-core a53, and the frequency is 1.4G. The price is great, but the parameters of the new AX6000 are a bit ambiguous compared the AX6000 dual-core a53 CPU which operates at a lower frequency of 1.0GHz.

According to Xiaomi its capable of supporting 248 devices simultaneously. Most none power users will mainly benefit from improved bandwidth, but Xiaomi enthusiastic fans already using Xiaomi home appliances will definitely find this router very useful to control and manage all of their devices under the same user friendly Eco system platform.

Mi AIoT Router AX3600 (Previous Model)

Xiaomi AX6000 Interfaces

On the back of the AX600 you will find 4 network ports. Xiaomi router AX6000 is equipped with one 2.5GbE WAN/LAN adaptive network port, along with three LAN ports surpassing the standard Gigabit Ethernet ports found in traditional routers.

Xiaomi added a new 2.5GbE Ethernet port that can better serve the needs of users for feature broadband upgrades in the years ahead. Another change compared to the previous AX3600 model is the all in one reset and mesh button that was also added and the new labeling of the ports is greatly improved and more clear to understand in a user standpoint.

The Less Positive

According to the official product specifications the AX6000 router comes with one 2500M WAN Ethernet port, while the rest remaining three LAN ports are 1Gb type, which raise some questions about this poor selection of Ethernet ports.

If the only the input WAN port is capable of reaching 2.5Gb at best, then the throughput of other devices connected to the other 1Gb ports will be able able to reach a maximum throughput of 1Gb. The point here, is that having a high through WAN port will not help you achieving real transfer speeds closer to 2Gb or above it.

Under Xiaomi AX6000 Settings, you will find a WAN port option for toggling between 1Gb/ 2.5Gb and also specify the preferred port rate.

Xiaomi AX6000 – IoT Connectivity

The new predecessor of Xiaomi AX3600, the AX6000 featured a total of 7 external Antennas, includes 1 IoT which is dedicated to the Internet of Things products. It comes with x2 2.4GHz antennas, and x4 5GHz antennas to ensure a wider signal coverage and further enhance wall penetration performance.

Build With X6 Built-in Amplifiers

Integrated with a 6-channel external signal amplifier. At the same time: 2.4GHz band and 5GHz band are equipped with 2 and 4 external high-performance signal amplifiers (PA power amplifier + LNA low noise amplifier). The power amplifier effectively enhances the signal transmission power, so that the signal transmitted by the router can be transmitted further, and the low noise amplifier can improve the signal receiving sensitivity, so that the router can receive weaker signals.

Xiaomi AX6000 Extra Security

As a new generation Wi-Fi6 router, Xiaomi AIoT router AX3600 supports WPA3 encryption protocol, which greatly improves the security of the router. The Xiaomi AIoT router AX3600 also supports the IPv6 protocol. IPv6 has a larger network address space. As more and more resources are deployed on a global scale to support IPv6 access.

Xiaomi AX6000 Materials

The router is made of ABS material, which has a strong sense of plasticity and poor touch. From the side, the router body is triangular. If you think about it carefully, the different generations of Xiaomi routers are completely different in design and there is no continuity you are wrong. It’s not as compact in size compared to the AX1800 with the tower shaped style design. Some users would find it problematic placing the device in crowded places such as a shelf or on a table, but the high level specs justifies the device size.

More Bandwidth

Xiaomi states that the router can supply up to 574 Mbps speeds on the 2.4 GHz frequency and up to 4804 Mbps on 5 GHz. The Xiaomi router AX6000 supports Wi-Fi 6 enhanced technologies, and further supports 4×4 160MHz high frequency bandwidth, which is doubled again compared to the current mainstream Wi-Fi 6 4×4 80MHz bandwidth.

It is also the world’s first to support the most advanced 4K QAM high-speed transmission technology to date, further compressing the data density, allowing the amount of data transmitted at the same time to increase by 20% compared to the previous generation of 1024 QAM.

The AX6000 router also supports OFDMA technology (Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access) which allows it to send data to multiple terminal devices using only one transmission.

Wi-Fi 6E Support

Thanks to the AX6000 Wi-Fi 6 Enhanced technology support its possible to utilize 4×4 160MHz bandwidth to provide a wider channel to make your WiFi faster. Compared with the current mainstream WiFi 6 4×4 80MHz bandwidth, the bandwidth of this current version is doubled and also offers multi-device connectivity. 160 MHz channel utilization capability increases bandwidth to deliver greater performance with low latency.

Xiaomi AX6000 Software

The AX6000 router can be used to connect and manage all of Xiaomi smart products trough ‘Mi Home‘ (mobile app that can automatically detect Xiaomi IoT devices, enabling users to configure and operate them with one click of a button. 

You can also use the Xiaomi’s second app, named ‘Mi Wi-Fi’ that gives you full control over the router operation. Options such as automatic disconnecting from from a local network, firewall settings, real time connection optimization, applying QoS restrictions / limitations on specific devices and much more.

Web Interface Access

Once connected, the router identifies an active internet connections you are automatically redirected to XIaomi main gateway portal. There you need to set your WiFi SSD names passwords. Depending on your specific needs, You can combine both bands together under a single SSD or configure them separately.

This AX6000 router edition is designed for the Chinese market. If you want to use the Web-access option, you will need to right-click on the browser and use Google Translate feature built-in popular browser such as Chrome browser.

Language Support

The AX3600 already has an official ROM in English that can also be applied to routers in Chinese edition, so we expect this to be the case also for this product. Soon or later, a manual upgrade will become available also for the AX6000, until then you can use Xiaomi ‘Mi Wi-Fi’ mobile application that offers a wide choice of 55 languages.

The Package

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Unboxing

Package Content:

• 1x Xiaomi AX6000 Router
• 1x Power adapter (12V – 2A)
• 1x User Manual
• 1x Cat 5e Ethernet Cable
• 1x US to EU converter Adapter (Not included in the package).

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Design [ New vs. Old]

Focusing on externals. The appearance of the AX6000 is almost exactly as the previous AX3600 model, with few minor changes. Xiaomi added a mesh/reset button and the hardware under the hood is completely different.

Hardware changes

Xiaomi decided to cut some costs with a slightly lower level CPU implementing the Quad-core Qualcomm IPQ5018 Chip based on the Cortex A7 ARM architecture in favor of a high speed throughput 2.5 Gb Ethernet LAN port and also a lower price tag. That said, The hardware specifications are still impressive and should be more than enough to connect and work with multiply devices at home or work. Other changes in specification you can find in the comparison specs & features table listed under ‘Xiaomi AIoT Router AX3600 vs. AX6000‘.

Externals

The new AX6000 router shell/housing is completely the same as the previous AX3600 mode. Its is relatively large in dimensions, with elongated horizontal type design, measuring about approximately 400 mm in length. Placing the unit on a small table might be somewhere challenging, But considering the fact it comes with 7 antennas its a bearable and very reasonable for the value you are getting as a customer. Xiaomi Could have done a better job by designing a simple wall mounting unit that can carry the router, but overall the general design is impressive and very solid with high build quality.

Status lights

The status operation status lights functionality remains exactly the same as in the previous AX3600 model. You have two indicator lights: Internet and system. If one of them turns orange it means you are facing a technical problem with the unit. The default normal state is when both LEDs light up in blue-violet (illustrated in the photo below).

Xiaomi AX6000 Router

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Xiaomi AIoT Router AX3600 vs. AX6000

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Performance

Instead of doing the usual bandwidth testing through Ookla Speedtest website , we placed our Xiaomi POCO X3 phone in three strategic locations in a 100 square meters apartment and checked two major parameters: available bandwidth and signal strength.

The three router units were placed in the exact same location and tested using ‘Wi-Fi Signal Strength Meter’ Android app. We connected the router units via Cat 6 Ethernet cables and all testing took place in rooms with open doors!

Testing signal strength in location no` 3

Measured near the end of the apartment. The AX6000 signal was much better with a wider bandwidth compared to the AX3600 Model.

Test Results:

The winner in terms of maximum coverage and signal strength was the AX6000 device. Right behind its “tail” you will find the AX3600 and AX1800 routers as second and third choice.

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Mesh Network Setup

According to Xiaomi prompt notification. For first time setup, the preferred range for setting a mesh unit is no more than 3 meters. After the pairing is completeed, you can place the mesh units almost everywhere across your apartment in places you have weaker reception. The benefit of using Xiaomi brand routers is that each device can operate independently as a router, or mesh unit.

To get optimum performance from you mesh system, you need to make sure is that you have some open space, without closed doors so the signal will not be blocked with minimum interference. That said, the router devices that we highly recommend are AX3/AX5/AX6 models and especially, the AX1800 model as our primary recommendation.

The pairing with a mesh unit usually takes about 1-2 minute. In our case, the AX1800 router is connected to the AX6000 router. After the linkage is complete, you can select the location of the mesh unit from a list.

A message notifying that the pairing process between the AX6000 and the AX1800 used as a mesh unit is successful.

After the paring with AX1800 unit is successful, you can see a detailed list of all terminal devices connected to the main AX6000 router unit, including the Mesh terminal unit IP address and MAC address.

According to our test, you can still gain improved performance if you place the mesh end unit in larger distances beyond 10 meters from the main router unit, in this case the AX6000 router which broadcasts the signal.

The reason we recommend using the Xiaomi AX1800 model is because of its economic design in a tower shape that you can easily place even on a small shelf. You can use 1 or 4 units to cover your whole apartment. Again, it depends how big is your apartment area is, but you get the point. The more end units you spread, the better coverage you will get.

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Final verdict

The AX6000 router is a super excellent product packed with an impressive set of features every gamer / family household member would love to use. Particularly heavy users, who consume a large amount of multimedia content that are looking for a good router capable of providing a robust stable WiFi connection for video and audio streaming applications.

Focusing on the low price tag, you will most likely will not find any better router in this category as well as price range packed with a total of six amplifiers, seven external WiFi antennas, including a very wide bandwidth range.

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Price & Where to Buy

The new Xiaomi Router AX6000 router is currently available on Banggood official store for a price of $136.99USD using a discount coupon code BGAINANAS and we definitely think its a great product worth considering on buying!