@jamesn123
I switched off 802.11ax, WPA3 and protected frames 802.11w on Asus XT and there was a 3dBm drop in signal level and the range was almost identical. The reach of 802.11ax with 802.11w was about 3 metres better which would confirm your conclusion that it is only slightly difference! These test were done from indoors to outdoors through 2 red brick walls just outside my backgarden using iPhone 12 Pro Max.
I conclude that 802.11ax router range is only slightly better and probably not worth recommending for range improvements. But the Asus XT is great router for range on whatever 802.11 5Ghz standard as it beats everything else I have and have used. 😀
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Zen internet on FTTP (900Mbps down, 100Mbps up). SAT> IP (Apple 4K 2nd gen TV to LG C1 OLED UHD TV/Dolby Atmos Denon AVR, DacMagic Plus for Hi-Res audio), hosting own blog/forum (cluster), OPNsense & Zenarmor L4/L7 NGFW & DPI IDS/IPS, Asus ET12 Pro Tri-Band wifi, Linux, Gamer: Xbox Series X/i7 laptop, round-robin DNS over HTTPS, non-proprietary VoIP HD AMR-WB (G.722.2) and more... Beta tester Apple iOS/watchOS/tvOS/iPadOS/macOS.
Sky Router with WiFi 6 (IEEE 802.11ax)
