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AP to pair with RT-N66U

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Eric Goldsmith

New Around Here
I have an RT-N66U (stock firmware) that works great, but the WiFi doesn't quite reach into all areas of my house, especially at 5 GHz. So, would like to add another dual-band Asus router (hardwired) configured as an AP, and hopefully not have to spend the $$ for another N66U.

First, I considered the RT-N53, but read that the 5 GHz radio is marginal. So, settled on the RT-N56U.

Flashed it with current (stock) firmware, factory reset, configured as an AP (same SSID and security, different, non-overlapping channels for each band, etc.), and it works great. BUT, the range on the 5 GHz band isn't what I was hoping for.

The range on the 2.4 GHz band seems comparable to the N66U, but the not so with the 5 GHz band (as determined by looking at RSSI values measured by the OSX wireless tools Scan utility, and the WiFi Analyzer Android app).

I realize the external antenna on the N66U will outperform the internal ones on the N56U, but even given that, the 5 GHz range I'm seeing from the N56U is less than I was expecting.

Wondering if I got a bad N56U, or if poor 5 GHz is typical for it.

Thanks for any advice.

-Eric
 
Last edited:
Typical for the RT-N56U.

I would recommend an RT-AC56U for the best price to performance buy right now.
 
From what I have read, the CPU performance (and price) of the RT-AC56U is great, but the range is crap.
 
I have an RT-N66U (stock firmware) that works great, but the WiFi doesn't quite reach into all areas of my house, especially at 5 GHz. So, would like to add another dual-band Asus router (hardwired) configured as an AP, and hopefully not have to spend the $$ for another N66U.

First, I considered the RT-N53, but read that the 5 GHz radio is marginal. So, settled on the RT-N56U.

Flashed it with current (stock) firmware, factory reset, configured as an AP (same SSID and security, different, non-overlapping channels for each band, etc.), and it works great. BUT, the range on the 5 GHz band isn't what I was hoping for.

The range on the 2.4 GHz band seems comparable to the N66U, but the not so with the 5 GHz band (as determined by looking at RSSI values measured by the OSX wireless tools Scan utility, and the WiFi Analyzer Android app).

I realize the external antenna on the N66U will outperform the internal ones on the N56U, but even given that, the 5 GHz range I'm seeing from the N56U is less than I was expecting.

Wondering if I got a bad N56U, or if poor 5 GHz is typical for it.

Thanks for any advice.

-Eric

I had the same issue with the N66U when it was in the middle of the house, just wouldn't reach the edges of the place well enough. I purchased another N66U and made a bridge, both broadcasting the same SSID for 2.4 & 5ghz. Just made everything N-only now that we have all N capable devices finally. Works great. You can upgrade the antennas if you'd like but it might make too much noise and degrade the signal even more. My units are now at opposite ends of the house and perform great.
 

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