The Cudy WR11000’s stronger Wi-Fi 7 hardware and richer multi-gigabit networking come with a power cost. It uses around 3 to 3.5W more than the Zyxel EX5601 in these tests. That’s not excessive for a high-end tri-band Wi-Fi 7 router, but it’s worth noting if the router will be running 24/7. The Cudy delivers the better performance, while the Zyxel remains the more frugal device.
Summary
The Cudy WR11000 is a strong upgrade over the Zyxel EX5601 if you have modern Wi-Fi 7 clients or a fast multi-gigabit fibre connection. It brings Wi-Fi 7, 6GHz, 320MHz channel support, MLO, and more 2.5GbE LAN ports, all of which make it a much more forward-looking router.
At close range, the Cudy shows a big advantage. With the Minisforum MS-02 Ultra, it effectively saturated a 2.5GbE connection, reaching 2.34Gbps. That’s the sort of result Wi-Fi 6 hardware can’t realistically match. The Zyxel still performed very well, but the Cudy’s extra wireless and wired headroom is obvious.
The bedroom results were more mixed. The Cudy was faster over 6GHz, but the Zyxel’s 5GHz connection showed lower latency and fewer retransmits. The Cudy’s 5GHz result was stable but not especially fast, while the Minisforum M2 over 6GHz produced a cleaner, well-balanced result. This shows that Wi-Fi 7 performance depends heavily on the client adapter and antenna design, not just the router.
The office test is where the Cudy made the strongest real-world case. With the MS-02 Ultra connected over 6GHz, it delivered 1.22Gbps with no retransmits, comfortably ahead of the Zyxel’s 926Mbps. The Zyxel still had a slightly lower average ping, but the Cudy produced lower peak latency and tighter jitter. For large downloads, file transfers, package updates, and general Linux workstation use, the Cudy was clearly the better router in this location.
MLO is useful, but it isn’t a guaranteed speed boost. It worked well with some hardware and less well with others. The BOSGAME VTA-439 was the weakest Wi-Fi 7 client in testing, particularly away from the router, which reinforces the point that client hardware matters.
Overall, the Cudy WR11000 is a worthwhile upgrade for a modern Linux home network. It’s faster than the Zyxel where it matters most, has better multi-gigabit wired connectivity, and gives Wi-Fi 7 clients room to stretch their legs. The Zyxel remains a very capable Wi-Fi 6 router, especially for latency and consistency, but the Cudy is the better long-term choice if you want higher throughput and stronger support for current Wi-Fi 7 hardware.
The Zyxel EX5601 is a tougher comparison point than many ISP-supplied routers in the UK. It’s already a capable Wi-Fi 6 AX6000 router with good 5GHz performance and multi-gigabit Ethernet support. That makes the Cudy WR11000’s results more impressive. If you’re currently using a more basic ISP router, the Cudy is likely to feel like a much bigger upgrade, particularly if you have Wi-Fi 7 clients, a fast fibre connection, or wired devices that can benefit from multiple 2.5GbE ports.
The router is available from Amazon UK and costs £131.41 at time of publication.
Pages in this article:
Page 1 – Introduction
Page 2 – 5m from router line of sight
Page 3 – Bedroom
Page 4 – Office
Page 5 – Power Consumption and Summary