Zyxel’s first Wi-Fi 6 router, the Armor G5 ($449), is a 12-stream dual-band model equipped with high-end hardware including 10GbE LAN and 2.5GbE WAN ports. It looks sleek, supports all of the latest 802.11ax technologies, comes with parental controls, and is easy to install. It also performed relatively well on our throughput tests, but there are faster, more feature-rich routers available for less money, including our Editors’ Choice winner, the $399.99 TP-Link Archer AX11000.
Armor G5 Design and Features
With its matte black finish, low-profile cabinet, and lack of external antennas, the Armor G5 is a stylish router that can be placed out in the open or mounted on a wall without looking out of place. It measures 2.6 by 9.8 by 7.2 inches (HWD) and has rounded corners and a red X badge on the front.
A thin LED strip running from front to back is solid blue when you first power up the router, blinks blue when it’s connecting to your phone via Bluetooth, blinks amber when updating the firmware, and pulses purple and dark blue when the router is up and running. A red LED indicates a lost internet connection. The back of the router is home to some high-end I/O ports including a 2.5GbE WAN port, a high-speed 10GbE LAN port, four Gigabit LAN ports, and a single USB 3.1 port.
Under the hood are a 2.2GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of flash memory, a Bluetooth radio, and 13 internal antennas. The G5 is a dual-band AX6000 router that can achieve (theoretical) maximum data rates of 1,200Mbps on the 2.4GHz band, and 4,800Mbps on the 5GHz band. It supports all of the latest Wi-Fi 6 technologies including OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple-Access), 1024 QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation), 160MHz channel bandwidth, MU-MIMO simultaneous data streaming, WPA3 encryption, and direct-to-client signal transmissions (beamforming).
The G5 can be managed using the Zyxel Armor mobile app for Android and iOS devices, but the web-based console offers more advanced Wi-Fi, security, and firewall settings. It opens to an Overview screen with multiple panels. The My Network panel displays a network map with Internet, Router, Main Network, Guest Network, and USB icons. Tap any icon to see specific details such as IP Addresses, CPU and memory usage, connected clients, firmware version, and connected USB storage statistics. The Main Wi-Fi and Guest Wi-Fi panels allow you to go in and create access schedules and edit SSID names and tweak settings such as channel bandwidth, security mode (WPA2, WPA3), and MAC filtering. Advanced options allow you to enable or disable MU-MIMO and OFDMA settings.
Tap the three-bar icon in the upper left corner to activate a menu where you can run an internet speed test and access parental controls. Zyxel’s parental controls don’t offer the age-based presets and detailed website filtering options that you get with the Asus RT-AX86U AX5700, but you can create profiles for family members, assign client devices to each profile, and create access schedules for each profile. You can also block internet access with the click of a button and set access timers.
Other options include Open VPN Server and Client settings, Firewall and System settings, and Port Forwarding and Port Triggering settings. Missing are QoS settings that allow you to assign bandwidth priorities to specific clients, and anti-malware software that protects your network from virus attacks, phishing, and other malicious content.
Installing and Using the Armor G5
You can install the G5 using the web console or the mobile app. I used the latter, and started by downloading the app and tapping Install Armor. I connected the router to my modem, powered it up, and confirmed that the LED was solid blue. I tapped Ready and waited a few seconds for the app to confirm a valid internet connection. I then tapped Next and gave my new network a name and password and updated the firmware. Once the update was complete (approximately three minutes), the installation was finished.
The Armor G5 turned in respectable results on our throughput performance tests, but it didn’t break any records. Its speed of 117Mbps on the 2.4GHz close proximity (same room) test was faster than the Linksys MR9600, but couldn’t keep pace with the Netgear Nighthawk XR1000 or the TP-Link Archer AX11000. On the 30-foot 2.4GHz test, the Armor G5 garnered a speed of 40Mbps, edging out the Netgear XR1000 and the Linksys MR9600 by 2Mbps, but the TP-Link AX11000 led with 67Mbps.
The Armor G5’s speed of 811Mbps on the 5GHz close-proximity throughput test was the slowest of the bunch, but impressive nonetheless. The TP-Link AX11000 and Linksys MR9600 delivered 831Mbps and 840Mbps, respectively, while the Netgear XR1000 came out on top with 865Mbps. On the 30-foot test, the Armor G5 took second place with a speed of 248Mbps, while the TP-Link AX11000 nabbed top honors with 328Mbps.
We measure file-transfer performance by moving a 1.5GB folder containing photos, video, music, and document files back and forth between an external USB 3.0 drive and a desktop PC to measure write and read speeds. Both devices are directly connected to the router. The Armor G5 delivered a speedy write score of 75MBps, outlasting the Netgear XR1000 (73MBps), the TP-Link AX11000 (68MBps), and the Linksys MR9600 (73MBps). The Armor G5’s read speed of 78MBps was faster than the Linksys MR9600 (70MBps) and the Netgear XR1000 (76MBps), but not the TP-Link AX11000 (85MBps).
We use an Ekahau Sidekick Wi-Fi diagnostic device and Ekahau’s Survey mobile app to test router signal strength and to generate heat maps that illustrate the router’s 2.4GHz and 5GHz signal strength throughout our test home. (Note: Ekahau is owned by j2 Global, the parent company of Ziff Media Group, the publisher of PCMag.com.)
On the map above, the circle represents the location of the router and the colors represent signal strength. Dark green indicates the strongest signal, yellow is weaker, and gray indicates no measurable signal reception. As indicated on the 2.4GHz heat map, the Armor G5 did a relatively good job of providing a strong Wi-Fi signal to most of the house, but the signal became weaker near the garage and the den, both of which are more than 50 feet from the router and have multiple walls. Signal strength was similar on the 5GHz band.
A Solid, But Pricey, Router
The Zyxel Armor G5 is a good choice if you’re looking for a Wi-Fi 6 router with a high-speed WAN port and a 10GbE LAN port for connecting to switches, NAS devices, and media servers. It’s easy to install and manage, and provided good throughput in testing, but it’s missing bandwidth prioritization settings and virus protection. If you can do without 10GbE LAN connectivity, you can save $50 with our Editors’ Choice winner, the TP-Link Archer AX11000. It’s a better all-around performer, with robust parental controls, QoS settings, and anti-malware tools, and it’s loaded with I/O ports.
