ASUS RT-BE58 Go Review (vs. TP-Link TL-WR3602BE): A Compact and Flexible Dual-Band Wi-Fi 7

The ASUS RT-BE58 Go, first announced at CES 2025 and available in early November 2025, among other things, makes Wi-Fi 7 accessible even when you’re out and about.

As an upgrade to the RT-AX57 Go, the new travel router comes with a familiar feature set as standard ASUS routers—you will not need to learn any new tricks to make it work. From the design and specs, it’s clearly the rival to the TP-Link TL-WR3602BE, and on this front, it offers more features, including being mesh-ready via the popular AiMesh feature. Also noteworthy is that, unlike TP-Link, ASUS is not a brand facing the uncertainty of a potential US government ban.

Here’s the bottom line: If you’re looking for a well-performing, feature-rich little dual-band Wi-Fi 7 router that can do more than many standard routers, the ASUS RT-BE58 Go is a safe buy, totally worth its suggested $159.99 retail cost—its street price will vary. Get one today!

ASUS RT-BE58 Go: The Wi-Fi 7, Gig+ version of the RT-AX57 Go

Out of the box, the RT-BE58 Go looks totally different from its older cousin, the squarish RT-AX57 Go. Compared to the previous model, the new travel router now has a smaller design and two external antennas.

Still, it’s a much more powerful router thanks to the 2.5Gbps Multi-Gig WAN port (plus a Gigabit LAN port), the support for dual-band BE3600 Wi-Fi 7. Come to think about it, the RT-BE58 Go would be exactly the same as the ZenWiFi BD4 if its LAN port were also a 2.5Gbps port.

And these specs mean the new ASUS router is practically identical to its presumed competitor, the TP-Link TL-WR3602BE, which was also recently available. The table below compares the two with the RT-AX57 Go as a reference.

Hardware specifications: ASUS RT-BE58 Go vs. RT-AX57 Go vs. TP-Link TL-WR3602BE

Full Name	TP-Link TL-WR3602BE BE3600 Wi-Fi 7 Travel Router	ASUS RT-BE58 Go BE3600 Dual-band Wi-Fi 7 Travel Router	ASUS RT-AX57 Go AX3000 Dual-band Wi-Fi 6 Travel Router
Model	TL-WR3602BE	RT-BE58 Go	RT-AX57 Go
Dimensions	104 × 90 × 28 mm	98mm x 94mm x 31mm	120 x 120x 21.5 mm
Weight	170 g	232g	200 g
Processing Power	undiscolosed	Quad-core 2.0GHz, 256MB Flash, 1GB RAM	Dual-core 1.3GHz SoC, 256 MB Flash, 512 MB RAM
Wi-Fi Technology	Dual-band BE3600		Dual-band AX3000
1st Band (2.4GHz)	2×2 BE: Up to 688Mbps (20/40MHz)		2×2 AX: Up to 600Mbps (20/40 MHz)
2nd Band (5GHz)	2×2 BE: Up to 2882Mbps (20/40/80/160MHz)		2×2 Wi-Fi 6: Up to 2.4 Gbps (20/40/80/160MHz)
Wireless Security	WPA, WPA2, WPA3
Built-in Cellular Modem	None
Mobile App	TP-Link Tether	Asus Router
Web User Interface	Yes	Yes (open-source AsusWRT)
Networking Features	VPN (Server and Client) Device-based QoS, Dynamic DNS	All ASUS Routers’ Core Features, for example: Advanced VPN (Server or client with InstantGuard) AiProtection Parental Control QoS AiMesh
Operating Roles	Router Mode, USB Tethering Mode, 3G/4G/5G USB Modem Mode, Hotspot Mode (WISP Mode), Access Point Mode, Range Extender Mode, Client Mode	Router Mode, USB Tethering Mode, 3G/4G/5G USB Modem Mode, Hotspot Mode (WISP Mode), AiMesh mode (router or satellite), Access Point Mode, Range Extender Mode, Client Mode
Firmware Version (at review)	not yet tested	3.0.0.6.102_38978	3.0.0.6.102_22188
USB Port	1x USB-C (power) 1x USB 3.0 (cellular tethering and storage)
Gigabit Port	1x LAN		2x LAN/WAN
Multi-Gig Port	1x 2.5Gbps WAN		None
Dual-WAN	Yes (WAN+USB)
Link Aggregation	No
Real-World Power Consumption (anecdotally measured via 24 hours)	TBD	185 Wh	130 Wh
US Launch Price (check street price!)	$139.99	159.99	$129.99

A familiar ASUS (travel) router

Despite differences in design and hardware specs, the RT-BE58 Go shares the same ASUSWRT 5.0 firmware as the RT-AX57 Go and the rest of ASUS’s RT series. As a result, it comes with an impressive set of features, similar to those of any ASUS standard router, given its compact physical size. Specifically, you can expect the following, among other things:

• Advanced QoS, Parental Control, AiProtection, and many other settings and features.
• Universal setting restoration—you can restore it with the backup file of most existing ASUS routers, including the RT-AX57 Go. Among other things, you can quickly upgrade to it or easily duplicate your home router’s settings onto it.
• A robust member of the AiMesh ecosystem. The RT-BE58 Go can work as a primary router or a satellite unit in an AiMesh system.
• The router features Guest Wi-Fi Pro with lots of SSID options, including a login portal.
• It supports all available VPN protocols and features, including VPN Fusion (mixing VPN and non-VPN connections on the same network) and Instant Guard.

Additionally, as a travel router, you can expect the additional items from the RT-BE58 Go, as in the case of the previous model:

• USB-C charging that supports the universal Power Delivery standard. You can use any USB-C charger that delivers 18W or more to power it, making it convenient to use on the go.
• Flexible WAN inputs: The router can accept and deliver Internet access via three main ways, specifically:
  1. Via the default WAN port. In this standard setup, you connect its WAN port to an Internet source, such as a cable modem, a fiber-optic ONT, or a network port in a hotel room.
  2. Via the USB port: You can tether a smartphone or host a USB cellular modem. This port can also be used together with the WAN port above to deliver dual-WAN. By the way, the USB port can also charge the device plugged into it.
  3. Via an existing Wi-Fi network (a.k.a. WISP mode): The router can connect to an existing Wi-Fi network, such as that of a hotel, and then deliver it to its local network via a separate Wi-Fi network and its network ports.

The point is that, while small, the RT-BE58 Go has enough to work as a standard router for a small home, just like any standard-sized standalone router. In this case, can even get a few units to form a mesh Wi-Fi system, and the fact that it’s wall-mount-ready makes it a perfect fit for a particular area of the home. And then when you’re ready to travel, pack it with you, and your home network will tag along.

And no matter how you use it, the RT-BE58 Go proved in my testing that it delivers the same experience as any other ASUS dual-band Wi-Fi 7 router. What makes it different is in the real-world performance, which is constrained by its hardware specs.

ASUS RT-BE58 Go’s performance: Reliable Gig+ real-world Wi-Fi meets slow NAS rates

I tested the RT-BE58 Go for over a week and was generally happy with it, considering its size and purposes.

First of all, you can totally use it as a standard router for a small home with Gig+ or slower Internet. Despite its tiny shape, it has everything to deliver in both security and features for a typical home network. In my trial, its Wi-Fi range proved similar to that of the RT-BE57 Go.

Wi-Fi coverage is always tricky to figure out, but if you have a place of around 1500 ft² (139 m²), place this little router in the center, and chances are it’ll reach every corner. And that’s quite impressive for a travel router. When was the last time you had a hotel room larger than a thousand square feet?

In terms of real-world performance, the lack of a 2.5Gbps LAN port means I had to test it via the WAN port, which is the fastest port it has, and it did well. Generally, this port can draw close to 2Gbps out of my 10Gbps Fiber-optic broadband (which typically delivers around 8500Mbps when used with a 10Gbps router)

In terms of Wi-Fi speed, the RT-BE58 Go generally averages between 300 Mbps and Gig+, depending on the distance. And that’s also the Internet speed you can expect from it if you have Gig+ or faster broadband.

I tried out the router’s USB tethering, and it worked as intended. You can use that alongside the WAN port in a dual-WAN setup. In this case, the cellular connection can serve as a backup. The router’s USB port delivers enough juice to keep my Pixel 9 Pro charged during the testing.

What this USB port didn’t do well at all, however, is the support for network-attached storage (NAS) when hosting a portable SSD. In this case, it maintains a sustained speed of around a few tens of megabytes per second, slower than most Gigabit routers with the same feature. However, NAS is not really what you’d expect from a travel router.

Other than that, the ASUS RT-BE58 Go proved to be reliable, passing my 3-day stress test without any issues. Without an internal fan, it was utterly silent, but it did become a little warm during operation, never hot enough to cause concern.

Conclusion

From the look of it, the RT-BE58 Go is very much an enhanced version of the RT-AX57 Go. In many ways, Wi-Fi 7 support is nice to have, but in terms of real-world performance, unless you have faster-than-Gigabit Internet at the location, there’s likely no difference between the two ASUS travel routers.

Compared to the TP-Link TL-WR3602BE, the ASUS RT-BE58 Go has more features—such as the support for Instant Guard and AiMesh, which alone are enough to make up for its slightly higher suggested retail cost—but if getting connected to the Internet is the only thing you care about, there’s also little difference between these two rivals.

That said, looking for a little router to bring on the go for the upcoming holiday season? Consider one of these routers today.