ASUS Lyra Whole-Home Wi-Fi System Mesh Network Review

1. Introduction2. ASUS Lyra3. ASUS Lyra Administration Interface4. ASUS Lyra Analysis5. Closing Thoughts6. View All Pages

The ASUS Lyra is a quietly impressive mesh networking system. Its performance may not quite be able to knock NETGEAR's Orbi range off its pedestal, but in pure speed terms it's the second-best we have tested after the NETGEAR products. The Lyra is also easy to set up and there is a lot of configuration available from the Web back-end, as well as the smartphone app (assuming you can get it running).

However, the lack of specific parental control in the Web interface could be a limitation for some home users. There are also only two Ethernet ports on each satellite, which is fairly normal for mesh WiFi units but some (again, notably, NETGEAR's Orbi RBK50 and RBK40) offer more. There are also no added extras like USB ports for sharing storage or printers over the network.

Even the sub-£400 price is reasonable for a three-unit system. BT's Whole Home WiFi is still the biggest bargain, but the ASUS Lyra is quicker, and the three-unit Linksys Velop is over £100 more, unless you find it on one of the promotions that occur from time to time. Even then, the Lyra has better performance on offer. So the Lyra is well worth considering, although NETGEAR's Orbi RBK50 or RBK40 remain our top recommendation for mesh WiFi.

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The ASUS Lyra is available from Overclockers for £379.99.

Pros:

• Reasonable price for a three-unit system.
• Easy to set up.
• Very good WiFi performance.
• Excellent range.
• Lots of configuration features via Web interface.
• Two Ethernet ports on each satellite.

Cons:

• NETGEAR Orbi RBK40 and RBK50 beat it on performance overall.
• No parental controls in Web interface, only the smartphone app.
• We couldn't get the smartphone app to work.
• No USB ports for printer or storage sharing.

Kitguru Says: The ASUS Lyra is a very capable, feature-rich mesh WiFi system that can provide very good coverage over a wide area.

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