Asus offers a diverse range of wifi 6 routers and mesh wifi 6 systems, including the popular Asus ROG Rapture gaming router series. However, Asus has a limited selection of cable modem gateway products, with the Asus CMAX6000 wifi-6 router cable modem being the sole option. Can this product outperform the widely popular Netgear CAX80 and Motorola MG8725?
In this article:
Asus CMAX6000
Asus has unveiled a comprehensive lineup of wifi 6 routers, catering to various network segments. Starting from the entry-level AX1500 models, they offer Asus AX6000 routers like the Asus RT-AX88U and Asus RT-AX89U, providing solid performance in the mid-range network segment.
At the top tier, Asus presents the ultra-fast AX11000 routers, with two flagship products leading the pack: the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 and the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 gaming router. While the last two products may appear similar, they possess distinct differences.
The Asus GT-AX11000 features three simultaneous radio bands, consisting of one 2.4GHz band and two 5GHz bands. In contrast, the new Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 boasts three distinct radio bands, including an additional latency-free 6GHz band. This addition enhances its performance and connectivity capabilities.
Moreover, Asus now offers another series of AX6000 products, including the Asus CMAX6000 cable modem wifi 6 router combo, providing a convenient all-in-one solution.
Cable Modem Router Combo
Why opt for a cable modem router combo? This innovative device combines the functionality of a wifi router with a built-in cable modem. With this all-in-one solution, users can enjoy the convenience of reducing clutter in their homes, as two separate network devices are integrated into a single unit, minimizing the need for extra wired cables and devices.
The Asus CMAX6000 stands out as one of the wifi 6 router products featuring a built-in DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem, catering to the demands of the market. In a market primarily dominated by renowned cable modem vendors such as Arris Surfboard, Netgear, and Motorola, Asus has made its mark.
Can this product compete with the popular Netgear CAX80, along with other prominent choices like the Arris SBG8300, Arris G34 and G36 series, as well as the Motorola MG8702 and MG8725 series?
DOCSIS 3.1
Asus cmax6000 cable modem router combines dual band ax6000 wifi6 router with high speed DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem, faster version of previous DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem. You know what? The future of fastest cable modem technology will be docsis 4.0, still have no clue if this docsis 4.0 cable modem technology is around the corner in a couple of months or years.
Currently you can find Comcast, Spectrum, Cox, Cable One, and Mediacom support docsis 3.1 cable infrastructure which also still backward compatible with legacy docsis 3.0 cable modems.
Ax6000
Asus designed this product based on ax6000 wifi-6 technology. This ax6000 network segment is widely applied by several vendors on their debut in wifi-6 router products such as the Asus rt-ax88u, Netgear rax80, and Archer ax6000. So it makes sense that asus, netgear, and Motorola introduce cable modem router combo based on this middle range network segment.
The question is, are there many wifi 6 adapters available on the market today? Asus has released the Asus pce-ax58t and pce-ax3000 and still few more ones, so has TP-link with its Archer tx3000e adapters and few more ones. Both of the last two products are dual band PCI-e adapters with 2×2 MU-MIMO supports. It should be noted that today wifi 6e technology products has emerged and available in the market which uses an additional 6GHz band in addition to the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. You name it Asus Rog Rapture gt-axe11000 and Netgear axe11000 are based on this wifi 6e technology. You know what, the future of wifi 7 technology is just around the corner. Tp-link has showcased couple of products based on this future wifi-7 technology such as deco be95 (which is now marked as new product), deco be85 and deco be65 that will be coming soon. This new wifi 7 technoloy is coming with 6ghz radio band like today’s wifi 6e one.
Therefore, instead of investing dual band wifi-6 pcie adapter, it’s more advantage of investing wifi-6e adapters that can support either wifi-6 routers or wifi 6e adapters and upcoming wifi 7 products. See also few models of wifi 6e pcie adapters.
Asus CMAX6000 cable modem router combo is ideal all-in-one product for small to medium sized homes combining high speed Docsis 3.1 cable modem and middle range network segment ax6000 wifi-6 router.
Highlights
- All-in-one dual band ax6000 wifi-6 router with built-in DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem
- Wifi signal speed up to 4.8Gbps @5GHz 4×4 MU-MIMO and up to 1.2Gbps @2.4GHz 4×4 MU-MIMO, support 160MHz channel and 1025-QAM support
- CableLabs, Comcast and Charter certified
- Comes with 4x Gigabit LAN ports for wired Ethernet-based devices
- Stylist model with fan-less cooling system for noiseless room
Cons
- No USB port for storage
- Doesn’t support Asus AiMesh technology for whole home mesh system
This product is tagged with the price around $349.99 in Amazon. Click the following product link to shop the product in Amazon (#ads).
Click Now to SHOP Asus cmax6000 cable modem on Amazon (#Ad)
How does this Asus cmax6000 cable modem router combo compete with Netgear cax80 and the recent product Motorola MG8725? See also Orbi cbr750 vs Surfboard sbg8300.
Asus Cmax6000 vs Netgear cax80 vs Motorola mg8725
Competitor products in this network class are netgear cax80 and Motorola mg8725 which are offered at almost the same prices in few online markets including Amazon, best buy, or ebay. Please refer to the following two comparison tables below.
Wifi Segment
All of these three products offer the same wifi 6 ax6000 network segment, the same bandwidth each band, and the same 4×4 data streams mu-mimo. So technically they are offering similar product the same ax6000 router with built-in docsis 3.1 cable modem. Is there any technical difference?
Ethernet Ports
The first difference you may find is the technical spec regarding the embedded ethernet ports. Asus cmax6000 is not as generous as the other two competing products which are equipped multi-gig 2.5Gbps lan port.
What is this 2.5Gbps port for? If you need extremely fast data transfer between router and high speed multi-gig NAS device, asus cmax6000 is not ready, but the other two cax80 and mg8727 products are. You can find few models of high speed NAS such as Asustor Lockerstor 2 as66002t that’s equipped with 2.5gbps port.
Or if you require high speed file transfer between your computers / laptop with the router, you can add USB to Ethernet adapter that support up to 2.5Gbps such as Sabrent USB type-a/c to 2.5gbps Ethernet adapter.
USB port
Asus cmax6000 and Motorola mg8725 don’t come with USB port, but netgear cax80 does. Netgear cax80 is equipped with one super speed USB 3.0 port. What this USB port for? Generally the USB port is used to share USB-compliant external flash disk or usb-based hard drives.
How to access the shared USB disk drives? With Netgear cax80 you access from your windows by Start > Run and type \\readyshare and click OK.
Read more detail table 1 below that represents spec comparison table between Asus cmax6000 and Nighthawk cax80.
Table 1 Asus cmax6000 vs Netgear cax80
| Gateway model | Asus Cmax6000 cable modem | Nighthawk CAX80 |
| Simultaneous dual band ax6000 wifi 6 technology with 8-streams | Yes | Yes |
| Wifi signal speed: 1,200Mbps @2.4GHz 4×4; 4,8Gbps @5GHz 4×4 | Yes | Yes |
| Antennas | 4x internal antennas | Internal antennas |
| Ethernet ports | 4x 1.0Gbps Ethernet LAN ports | One (1) 2.5Gbps Ethernet Port; 4x Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports supports Aggregation link |
| USB Ports | N/A | 1x USB 3.0 for storage |
| DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem with OFDM 2×2; compliant with 32 x 8 channel bonding | Yes | Yes |
| Processor | Unspecified processor, memory: 512MB flash, 1GB RAM | Dual core 1.5GHz processor |
| Dimension and weight | 8.07 in x 5.31 in x 4.72 in weight 800 grams | 10.4 in x 8.5 in x 4.3 in weight: 2.55 lb (1.16 Kg) |
| Price (Jan 2023 in Amazon) | $279.99 | $444.99 |
On the following table 2 below represents pec comparison table between Asus cmax6000 and Motorola mg8725. See that the technical spec difference is the absence of multi-gig 2.5Gbps lan port on asus cmax6000.
Table 2 Asus Cmax6000 vs Motorola
| Gateway model | Asus Cmax6000 cable modem | Motorola MG8725 |
| Simultaneous dual band ax6000 wifi 6 technology with 8-streams | Yes | Yes |
| Signal rates; Up to 1200Mbps @2.4GHz 4 x 4; Up to 4800Mbps @5GHz 4 x 4; | Yes | Yes |
| Antennas | 4x internal antennas | 4x dual band internal antennas with power boost wireless amplifiers |
| Ethernet ports | 4x 1.0Gbps Ethernet LAN ports | 1x 2.5Gbps LAN; 3x Gigabit LAN ports ; with Auto-MDI/MDIX |
| USB Ports | N/A | N/A |
| 2 x 2 CableLabs® DOCSIS® 3.1 certified Cable Modem | Yes | Yes |
| SSIDs | 4x SSIDs (2 SSIDs / radio band ) | |
| Processor | Unspecified processor, memory: 512MB flash, 1GB RAM | Unknown |
| Dimension and weight | 8.07 in x 5.31 in x 4.72 in weight 800 grams | 8.8 in H x 5.7 in W x 3.5 in D Weight: 32 Ounces |
| Price (Aug 2021 in Amazon) | $319.99 | $199.99 |
Now you need to decide which one is suitable to meet your home need, Asus cmax6000 without USB port or you may like Netgear cax80 with 2.5Gbps Ethernet port and USB port, or Motorola mg8725. Click the following product’s link below to learn more details each of the products in Amazon (#ads).
- Click here to SHOP Netgear Cax80
- Or click here for Motorola Mg8725 / Mg8733 Or see this product in Best Buy
Related products
For mesh wifi system need, consider new comer Mercku M6 ax1800 mesh wifi system, a stylist mesh wifi product with three color option, white, black and red.
You may also like comparison between Motorola docsis 3.1 cable modem and Arris Surfboard, either native docsis 3.1 cable modem or wifi router with cable modem.