ASUS RT-N66U - my review

[Greg_Elite]

So is this router worth it over a e4200 v1? $130 for v1 or $190 for the asus 66u. Isn't the chipset this thing uses, the Broadcom BCM4706, released in July 2010?

Yes I've read all 32 pages I do want DDWRT as an option but it doesn't seem necessary given the feature set ... still rocking the WRT54GL which refuses to die.

As I understand it has better range but the antennas arent exactly 'pretty' ... can you put them in a kitchen cupboard that is ventilated without significant signal loss ... this would typically be mid point of a 2 story home? If the signal goes through walls I don't see why a neatly hidden unit in a cupboard should make any difference.

Seriously? I have a Linksys E1200 and I have the same range as my E4200 did and don't have the DNS bugs. With Linksys the range just doesn't keep up with the best of the pack. Especially vs price.

 

[thexile]

Does anyone know if the internal micro-sd slot allows to expand the ram/nvram/flash memory or use as a hard drive?

Stock firmware has no option for it.

Second that. It will be interesting to know if any of the owners have open up his/her unit and test out the microSD slot.

 

[KeithKman]

So is this router worth it over a e4200 v1? $130 for v1 or $190 for the asus 66u. Isn't the chipset this thing uses, the Broadcom BCM4706, released in July 2010?

Yes I've read all 32 pages I do want DDWRT as an option but it doesn't seem necessary given the feature set ... still rocking the WRT54GL which refuses to die.

As I understand it has better range but the antennas arent exactly 'pretty' ... can you put them in a kitchen cupboard that is ventilated without significant signal loss ... this would typically be mid point of a 2 story home? If the signal goes through walls I don't see why a neatly hidden unit in a cupboard should make any difference.

I upgraded from a Linksys WRT54G that is running Tomato so yes the RT-N66U was worth it for me. The range on the 66U is way better.

The main reason I upgraded was the Linksys would crash if I was playing Xbox and someone was streaming Netflix. Also if it didn't crash the router would get overloaded and throttle down the speed on all devices connected to the network.

The 66U is a workhorse and has handled all my heavy streaming, file sharing between network devices, etc. with ease. I am happy with my purchase. Paid $180 at Amazon.

 

[darksamus]

Second that. It will be interesting to know if any of the owners have open up his/her unit and test out the microSD slot.

After looking over the tomato configs, there is sd support option as a hard drive. I don't think the stock firmware supports it because there is no advertising anywhere on the box or the manual. I wonder why they have it on the board?

 

[Greg_Elite]

After looking over the tomato configs, there is sd support option as a hard drive. I don't think the stock firmware supports it because there is no advertising anywhere on the box or the manual. I wonder why they have it on the board?

Use the stock firmware and you'll have approx 10mbps more than you would running Tomato .

 

[KeithKman]

What's the point of the microSD slot anyways? It's not like the 66U doesn't have plenty of memory to run the firmware. Am I missing something?

 

[darksamus]

What's the point of the microSD slot anyways? It's not like the 66U doesn't have plenty of memory to run the firmware. Am I missing something?

Use it has a hard drive and install httpd service (webserver).

 

[though]

Use the stock firmware and you'll have approx 10mbps more than you would running Tomato .

and about 90% less features and stability

 

[Greg_Elite]

and about 90% less features and stability

I'd have to disagree with you on that.

 

[magnus_ca]

and about 90% less features and stability

I'd have to disagree with you on that.

My experience is in line with Greg's... I'm two full days in and my n66u has been rock solid. I also don't need any features above and beyond what the stock firmware gives me. I may give tomato a try for fun but it's a bit early to make claims like that don't you think?

 

[Greg_Elite]

My experience is in line with Greg's... I'm two full days in and my n66u has been rock solid. I also don't need any features above and beyond what the stock firmware gives me. I may give tomato a try for fun but it's a bit early to make claims like that don't you think?

Absolutely. The stock firmware features everything a home user would ever need / want. If you want anything else you need to open up your wallet and buy a enterprise level Cisco switch. Get ready to crack open the books to learn IOS (one of the things I'm studying for my career).

 

[kk22]

Hey guys, the good reviews are really tempting me to pick this one up.

Just a couple questions though:

1. Has Asus made available a bridge mode (non-WDS) on the RT-N66U? I believe it wasn't available on the N56U?

2. Is Cisco VPN now compatible with N66U without needing to disable hardware NAT?

I need to connect to the work network with Cisco VPN without "crippling" the router. That was the main reason I didn't get the N56U. Did not want to go the 3rd party firmware route, especially when it's not DD-WRT/Tomato.

With the bridge mode, reason I want to ask is I already have a main router on the 1st floor. I would like to use the RT-N66U with its USB sharing abilities to be in the computer room in the basement. The N66U will be a client bridge that connects wirelessly to the main router on the 1st floor.

Or maybe I'll have to switch the N66U to be the main router, but I'd rather have the USB sharing functionality connected by wire to my computers for more stable & faster copying/streaming.

Currently using powerline to connect the computer room with the main router on the 1st floor, but speeds fluctuate from 15Mbps on a bad day to 50Mbps on a good day (rare). Hoping a strong wireless performer like the N66U can provide better results.

Wireless Repeater mode if available is okay with me too, but I'd rather not have half the wireless bandwidth.

I'm hoping I don't need to use DD-WRT/Tomato because like Greg said, the stock firwmare really has all the functionalities I need including a VPN server which I use when out of town (currently running a WRT54GL for that), not to mention from what I've read, 5Ghz performance with DD-WRT/Tomato is generally weaker than stock firmware, or am I incorrect?

If all works well, I may have to get two N66U's later (or at least another N900-class router) after I save up a bit more, for full 450Mbps 5Ghz bridging. And no, I don't want to buy a pure bridge. 450Mbps bridges are already around $100, I'd rather spend the extra $60-70 and get a 450Mbps wireless router to allow for more potential and setup possibilities.

 

[Spitfire69]

and about 90% less features and stability

Utter crap...had mine for almost a month now...and it's rock solid.

 

[darksamus]

Absolutely. The stock firmware features everything a home user would ever need / want. If you want anything else you need to open up your wallet and buy a enterprise level Cisco switch. Get ready to crack open the books to learn IOS (one of the things I'm studying for my career).

LOL..I've been doing networking for 15 years. I hate IOS, I prefer Juniper's Junos. My N66U is replacing my Juniper Netscreen 5GT wireless! Yes, its a $1,200 router/vpn/encryptor. The range on it sucks so bad, and there is no 5ghz and gigabit ports. I am just using it as a encryptor and turning off the wireless interface.

 

[Geraner]

Utter crap...had mine for almost a month now...and it's rock solid.

I agree with you! Running on ASUS original firmware again after 2-3 days running Tomato firmware. Went back because tomato don't supports Guest-WLAN. Only experimental with some builds but that's to much fix-trix to get it running for me. Using the ASUS x.90 firmware now and it's rock solid!

 

[G37x]

I agree with you! Running on ASUS original firmware again after 2-3 days running Tomato firmware. Went back because tomato don't supports Guest-WLAN. Only experimental with some builds but that's to much fix-trix to get it running for me. Using the ASUS x.90 firmware now and it's rock solid!

Well I wouldn't call it rock solid...It seems to me you don't use port forwarding at all? Cause it's broken. If they fix this in the next 30 days I'm sold on this, if not will return it.

 

[darksamus]

Well I wouldn't call it rock solid...It seems to me you don't use port forwarding at all? Cause it's broken. If they fix this in the next 30 days I'm sold on this, if not will return it.

I read your review on Amazon regarding port forwarding. Is it broken when you test within your lan ip? Or outside your lan ip? I've tried it outside my lan ip and it works. I can't test it within lan ip since I am no longer using stock firmware.

 

[Greg_Elite]

If anybody is experiencing any bugs with regarding port forwarding send all bug reports to XX so they can investigate it.

Edit: Contact info removed at Asus's request.
Edit2: In a followup message, Asus authorized networking_Support@asus.com for public use with "bug reporting and issues."

 

[njweb]

Count me in with the 4 others here - My RT-N66U has been rock solid (for my needs) - no wifi disconnects or slowdowns.
I am extremely pleased with the amazingly strong 2.4 GHz wifi signal and range. Throughput is decent too. Beats my E4200 v1 handily in that regard. The 5 GHz signal is also better.

I admittedly do not need or use port forwarding which, according to reports here, appears to have some issues in the most current firmware as of this post.
Hopdefully Asus will address it quickly for those who are affected (without adversely affecting anything else - I would hate to lose any of its great performance as a result).

 

[G37x]

I read your review on Amazon regarding port forwarding. Is it broken when you test within your lan ip? Or outside your lan ip? I've tried it outside my lan ip and it works. I can't test it within lan ip since I am no longer using stock firmware.

It's broken for inside LAN...Outside portion works though.