Asus ExpertWiFi EBR63 Review: A Surprisingly Capable Wi-Fi 6 Router

I always believed the Asus RT-AX88U Pro would be my last Wi-Fi 6 router review. Then, the ExpertWiFi EBR63 happened.

Unveiled in the first days of 2023 and available almost a year later, this new router represents an entirely different product line of Asus, the ExpertWiFi. It'll be the first of many, including eventually those with the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard.

Here's the bottom line: Featuring Wi-Fi 6 and all Gigabit ports, the ExpertWiFi EBR63 has nothing new in terms of Wi-Fi or wired connection fronts. However, the new ExperWifi firmware has a lot of potential for advanced and business users.

At the current street price of $150, this little router is an excellent buy for anyone needing a standalone router with sub-gigabit bandwidth. It will be relevant for many years.

Asus ExpertWiFi EBR63: A little Wi-Fi 6 router that could

Out of the box, the ExpertWiFi EBR63 was surprisingly small, and at less than a pound, it was featherlight in my hand.

The white router comes with four non-detachable antennas folded on its top—you can open them 180 degrees outward. The router can be used in a traditional horizontal or vertical position or mounted on a wall, and the antennas can be arranged to fit all of them.

And that's the first thing to note about the new ExpertWiFi product line. Asus says its hardware will come in "pristine white" and well-thought-out shapes that help declutter the office space.

The new router comes with the usual number of network ports, including one Gigabit WAN and four Gigabit LANs. In terms of Wi-Fi, it's a modest AX3000 machine.

The table below includes the ExpertWiFi EBR63's hardware specifications.

Asus ExpertWiFi EBR63: Hardware specifications

Name	ASUS ExpertWiFi EBR63
Model	EBR63
Antennas	4 x external antennas
Wi-Fi Grade	Dual-band AX3000
1st Band (channel width)	2x2 AX: up to 574 Mbps (20/40MHz)
2nd Band (channel width)	5GHz 2x2 AX: up to 2402 Mbps (20/40/80/160MHz)
Hardware Role	Wireless Router Mode AiMesh Node Mode Access Point Mode
UNII-4 Support	No
Network Standards	IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n, IEEE 802.11ac, IEEE 802.11ax, IPv4, IPv6
VLAN	Yes
VPN	Yes
CPU	1.7GHz quad-core CPU
Memory and Flash Storage	256 MB Flash, 512 MB DDR3 RAM
Multi-Gig Port	None
Gigabit Port	1 x Gbps WAN, 4 x 1 Gbps LAN,
USB Port	1 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0
Buttons	Power Switch, Reset Button, WPS Button
DC Power Adapter	AC Input: 100~240 V (50~60 Hz)  DC Output: 12 V with max 2 A current
Package Contents	ASUS ExpertWiFi EBR63 RJ-45 cable  Power adapter  Quick Start guide  Warranty card
Dimensions	8.86 x 4.16 x 6.04 in (225 x 105.7 x 153.5 mm) (with antennas)
Power Intake	110V -240V
Power Consumption (per 24 hours)	≈ 175 Wh
Weight (each unit)	.96 lb (436g)
Release Date	December 2023
Firmware Version (at review)	3.0.0.6.102_32645
Warranty	3-year
US Retail Cost (at launch)	$149.99 (Single Router)

Asus ExpertWiFi EBR63: Detail photos

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Representing the ExpertWiFi series

As the first ExpertWiFi router, the EBR63 represents the entire series, and in my experience, it did an excellent job. The router has everything I mentioned in the primer post of the series. Specifically, you can expect the following:

• Standard web user interface and initial setup process.
• All the standard Wi-Fi and network settings
• Built-in self-defined network (SDNs) for easy Wi-Fi configuration for different needs.
• Lots of useful features, including Parental Control, QoS, AiProtection, advanced VPN, VLAN, and AiMesh.

The EBR63 has virtually everything you look for in a Wi-Fi 6 router and possibly more. It's worth noting, though, that if you intend to use it as the primary router of an AiMesh system with a router of the RT series as the satellite, many of its advanced features, such as VLAN or Guest network, will unlikely work well at the satellite unit.

However, there are two things you won't find in it:

• There are no gaming features (other than QoS)
• There's no Multi-Gig port—all of the router's ports are Gigabit.

While the lack of gaming features is not a huge deal—you can play most games just fine with it—the absence of Mult-Gig Ethernet support is disappointing. That means you won't get a full Gigabit out of this router.

And that was precisely the case in performance.

Asus ExpertWiFi EBR63: Excellent Gigabit-class performance

For an AX3000 Gigabit router, the ExpertWiFi EBR63 did very well in my weeklong testing. The little router had excellent range, close to that of the high-end router. Overall, if you have a home of around 1800 ft2, place it in the middle, and you can expect its 5GHz band to reach every corner. Of course, your mileage will vary depending on the number of walls and how fairly the place is.

The router also passed my 3-day stress test with zero disconnection, both as a single router and as a mesh system hosting the RT-AX68U as the wireless satellite. Note that I tested its performance without using any special features, including Guest Wi-Fi or VLAN.

In terms of throughput speeds, the EBR63 performed as well as an AX300 router could, averaging among its peers. Still, as a mid-range router with no Multi-Gig port, its wireless performance could never reach full Gigabit after overhead.

With two USB ports, the EBR63 has all possible USB-related applications. I tested it as a mini NAS server, and while it was not the best, its performance was quite impressive considering its compact physical size. At close to 110MB/s for reading—virtually the best performance of the Gigabit connection—the router is fast enough for casual data sharing and media streaming needs. All you need is a fast USB drive.

The router had no internal fan, so it was utterly silent during my testing. It remained cool, feeling only slightly warm to the touch, even during heavy operation.

Overall, for a little device as it is, the Asus ExpertWiFi EBR63 is an impressive performer.

Conclusion

As the world has slowly been moving to Wi-Fi 7, the Asus ExpertWiFi EBR63 with its Wi-Fi 6 is not a must-have router. However, representing an entirely new ExperWiFi series, it's still an exciting product.

So, if you only need a single broadcaster for a network that doesn't require more than a Gigabit bandwidth at the current street price of $150, this router is a steal. Additionally, its support for advanced networking, including VLAN, versatile VPN, and many other useful features—all without additional cost for the life of the hardware—is a crazy bonus when compared to other hardware such as Amazon's eero or Netgear's Orbi.

Consider one today!