Most people are comfortable setting up a smartphone or a PC today, but when setting up a Wi-Fi network, they feel out of their depth. Thankfully, Wi-Fi router brands have spent years trying to simplify the process.
If, however, you run a small business like a café and want to set up a Wi-Fi network, you’ll often need expert help. With a router aimed at businesses, like the Asus ExpertWiFi EBM68, that’s not necessarily the case.
Table of contents
- Why would you use a business Wi-Fi router?
- Features
- Specifications and price
- Using the Asus ExpertWiFi EBM68
- Who is it for?
Why would you use a business Wi-Fi router?
When we set up our home Wi-Fi routers, there is an option to have a guest network. But how many of us use the Guest Network, and what’s it for anyway? When we have visitors, you hand out your primary Wi-Fi password. Would you hand a friend your credit card number and expiry date? Probably not.
Having a separate Wi-Fi SSID or network with a different name, your guest network allows you to isolate your guests from your attached devices, like attached storage with private photos backed up or potential access to your PC with confidential documents. The guest still has internet access, but all your connected devices are protected from access.
The security concerns are compounded if we apply this concept to a small business. You don’t want your clients accessing your POS system or downloading the Netflix catalogue, using up your data allowance. You want to ensure you have priority on internet bandwidth to run your business over a visitor who might be using your connection to do a video call.
A business Wi-Fi router allows you to set up multiple Wi-Fi networks using one router. It is designed to host more users and handle more traffic securely and efficiently.
Asus ExpertWiFi EBM68 features
The Asus ExpertWiFi EBM68 is a tri-band Wi-Fi 6 Mesh router system allowing a simple, self-defined multi-network setup.
The EBM68 ships with two mesh hubs but will support up to 12 hubs. Up to 530 square meters of Wi-Fi coverage can be achieved as a two-pack. Each mesh hub has three available 1 Gbps Ethernet ports for wired connection and a 2.5 Gbps WAN port for internet input. The hubs communicate using a dedicated 5Ghz Wi-Fi channel, but you can also connect them via Ethernet if you want to extend the Wi-Fi range in different areas. Each mesh hub supports up to 100 connected devices.
The router is Wi-Fi 6, supporting transfer speeds up to 7,800 Mbps, substantially faster than the 50 to 1000 Mbps NBN internet connections widely available in Australia. The Wi-Fi traffic is shared over one 2.4 GHz (longer range) channel and two 5 GHz (faster) channels.
The Asus ExpertWiFi EBM68 supports up to five SSIDs or Wi-Fi network names. Let’s say you ran a café and your partner worked from your flat above the venue. You could have an SSID for the Café POS and printer, one for the café guests, one for your partner’s business, one for you and your partner, and another for your friends visiting you.
Each of these SSIDs can have different conditions set to it. For example, for your café patrons, you can limit their access to 30 minutes and their downloads to 50MB, whilst your friends’ SSID is unlimited but cannot access either your business devices or any devices connected to your personal SSID.
Let’s assume you want your café guests to agree to conditions before connecting to your network. These conditions often address liability, security risks, and acceptable use policies. Asus provides a portal to achieve this, where you can easily add your business styles and logo. This portal can be set up in minutes and even allows you to create advertising for your users. I use a café example here, but this router can be used in many home or small business scenarios.
Security is key, and the latest security protocols are included. The EBM68 allows a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to be set up, allowing you to securely connect to your business network from any local connection in the world with internet access. Parenting controls and filtering are available, so you can ensure café patrons are not watching inappropriate content.
Included in the menu is a feature called AiProtection, which bundles Trend Micro security software at no extra cost. This software provides real-time network monitoring to detect malware, viruses, and intrusions before they can reach any device connected to your network.
These days, so many business systems rely on the internet and cloud access. Chances are, you cannot take a payment unless you have internet access. The EBM68 supports a mobile data dongle or smartphone connectivity via the USB port. This allows you to set up a redundant pathway to the internet, so if the NBN goes down, you can access the internet via mobile data.
ASUS ExpertWiFi EBM68 specifications and price
| Range | Triband Mesh Wi-Fi 6 router Up to 530 square meters (two units) |
| Connection | Wi-Fi 6 up to 7.8 Gbps Tri-band: 2.4GHz and 2 x 5GHz 1 x 2.5Gbps WAN port 3 x Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports |
| Dimensions | 17 x 8 x 19 cm |
| Weight | 808 grams |
| Price (RRP) | $999 |
| Warranty | 3 years |
| Official website | Asus |
Using the Asus ExpertWiFi EBM68
Don’t let the word “business” or “expert” in this product description put you off. The Asus EMB68 is as simple to set up as any home Wi-Fi router. You download the Asus App, scan a QR code on the main mesh unit, connect an Ethernet cable to your NBN modem, and follow the instructions.
Part of this process explains various options for setting up additional SSIDs for your business or home. This is user-friendly and educates you as you make your decision.
It is also here that it guides you through making decisions on any limitations, such as how long a guest can be connected, the maximum speed they will get, and how much data they can download.
As far as your own usage goes, you can tune the router to give priority to certain uses, like media streaming, working from home, or even learning from home. This has the effect of giving bandwidth priority to certain applications over others, like video calls over gaming.
The AiProtection menu has a neat little feature that allows you to run a manual security scan. This scan audits your setup and recommends any changes that will increase the security of your network.
To maximise your connectivity, a feature known as AiMesh will optimise your network at the press of a button, which will help overcome any black spots in your home or business.
The nice thing here is that once you have completed the initial guided setup, your business network is ready to go and should require little maintenance. You should not have to dig around in setup menus trying to make things work.
Who is the Asus ExpertWiFi EBM68 for?
If you are comfortable setting up a smartphone or a new PC, then the Asus setup will cause you no concerns and save you from hiring a networking specialist to set up your small business or advanced home network. The Asus ExpertWifi app and guided setup do the hard work for you, so most people will have no problems setting up.
This solution would suit a small business, a small office, a shop or a hospitality outlet. It’s a versatile router system that streamlines business networking.
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