| ASUS RT-N66U Dual Band Wireless-N900 Gigabit Router |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Network | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Written by Steven Iglesias-Hearst | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tuesday, 06 March 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ASUS RT-N66U Wi-Fi Gigabit Router Review
Manufacturer: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by ASUS. Building on the success of the RT-N56, ASUS has been hard at work trying to create the next 'next-best' wireless router. Today, Benchmark Reviews brings you the ASUS RT-N66U Dual Band Wireless-N900 Gigabit Router. As you will see in the images that follow, the ASUS RT-N66U certainly looks the part and is different in that way from 99% of routers on offer today.
The RT-N66U has three high power external antenna to allow simultaneous 2.4GHz and 5GHz signals to run at up to 450Mb/s concurrently, this allows you to stream HD content to your media devices (5GHz) while you enjoy uninterrupted wireless internet (2.4GHz). On the box ASUS claim that the RT-N66U has "Leading giga-level throughput over 900Mb/s" but as with most claims this doesn't always come true, our testing threw out some good numbers but nowhere near ASUS' claims. The ASUS RT-N66U has two built in USB 2.0 ports that allow you to share printers and USB storage over LAN and WAN, and also allows you to share a 3G/4G internet connection. Before we get to the testing we will have a good look at the RT-N66U and its features, so without further hesitation let's move on. ASUS RT-N66U Features
Source: asus.com ASUS RT-N66U Specifications
Source: asus.com Closer Look: Closer Look: ASUS RT-N66U Wireless-N RouterIn this section we will be looking at the RT-N66U hardware, it seems these days that manufacturers are trying to win us over with looks. It is a proven fact that when faced with buying something we know little about, it is in our nature to buy what looks the best, even though it might not necessarily be the best. Hopefully, by the end of this review you will have a better understanding of the RT-N66U, enabling you to make a more educated decision.
Bundled accessories include three external antenna, an AC adapter, a removable desk stand and a 1.5m flat RJ-45 cable.
The diamond design on the face of the RT-N66U is unique to ASUS, but thankfully it has a matte finish rather than the glossy finish of its predecessor the RT-N56U. A lot of effort has gone into making the RT-N66u one of the best looking and aesthetically pleasing routers out there. The side vents look serious and for good reason, there is a 600MHz Broadcom 470 processor working away inside the unit.
The RT-N66U will lay flat or stand up (with the additional stand) or can even be wall mounted. The wedge shape of the RT-N66U makes it look deceptively smaller than it really is when laid flat, my personal preference is to have it stood up but when positioned like this your wires will be less visible.
To keep the ASUS RT-N66U stood up you need to attach the additional stand. The stand does not permanently clip on, but still manages to hold the router quite secure. Due to a clever design the main unit leans against the stand and the stand stops it leaning back too far and intersects only where the wall mount points are. Here we can also see lots more ventilation holes. 
Right in the middle is some important information for those who don't like to bother with instruction manuals (me) unless we have to. The RT-N66U requires 19V which is quite high for a consumer router and will certainly generate more heat.
Round at the back are the I/O ports. From left to right we have; Antenna connection 1, Power input, Power button, 2x USB 2.0 ports, a reset button, 1 Gigabit WAN port, Antenna connection 2, 4x Gigabit LAN ports, a WPS button and finally, Antenna connection 3.
The three additional antennas are really huge (measuring 17cm unfolded) and dwarf the main body of the RT-N66U. Although not shown here, each icon seen in the bottom right corner has a blue activity LED, they can be quite bright to look at directly but are not too bright when viewed at an angle. ASUS RT-N66U Detailed FeaturesSo now we have had the grand tour of the RT-N66U router itself, it is time now to look at the software side of things. Setup is very simple indeed as there are no drivers etc to install, simply connect your modem to the WAN port and connect your PC to a LAN port. The configuration of the RT-N66U is browser based so open your chosen web browser and you will be greeted with the Quick Internet setup screen, follow the steps and you will be up and running in no time.
During the setup process your internet connection type is detected and after that you are prompted to enter wireless security settings and then you are done. When you next login to the router you are greeted by the network map shown above. All sorts information and shortcuts to various functions can be found here, each of the boxes in the middle of the screen can be clicked and information/options relating to it will be displayed in the right hand pane.
You can have up to six guest networks active (3x 2.4GHz/3x 5GHz) to provide internet access to guests. There are further options available in the form of a walkthrough to assist you setting up and configuring guest networks.
Next up is the Traffic Manager tab which has options for QoS. There are two modes, automatic and user define, which are selected using the drop down box in the top right corner. The text in the image above talks about auto mode and user define mode goes into much more detailed and tailored settings (too much to squeeze into a 600px image). Also in the Traffic Manager section is a Traffic Monitor which helps you to monitor the following types of network traffic: Internet: All Internet traffic. Wired: Network traffic from wired to wireless network and to the Internet. Wireless: Network traffic from wireless to wired network and to the Internet. 
The parental control screen shown above allows you to control internet time limits for connected devices.
Next up is the USB application screen, each mode is described in the above image. From here on in are the advanced settings of the RT-N66U but we must draw this section to an end otherwise we would be here all day. It is important to note that the RT-N66U is a very powerful router that is simple to set up and has lots of advanced configuration settings for power users too. Testing & ResultsTesting MethodologyTo test the ASUS RT-N66U Router we are using the Passmark Performance v7.0 Advanced Network Test. This test measures throughput between two clients connected to the router to be tested. In order for this test to work one PC must be set up as 'Client' and the other must be set up as the 'Server'. Each test is run five times with the highest and lowest result omitted and the remaining three results averaged to give a final result. At Benchmark Reviews we like to be comprehensive so you will find results here for many different configurations such as LAN to LAN (100Mb/s), LAN to LAN (1000MB/s), WLAN to LAN using integrated laptop WiFi (Wireless G 54Mb/s), WLAN to LAN using ASUS USB-N53 (Wireless N 300Mb/s) and WLAN to LAN using ASUS EA-N66 Ethernet adapter (Wireless N450). To eliminate any variables Test System 1 was always set to 'Server' and results were monitored and recorded on the 'Client' systems. The ASUS RT-N66U shipped out with firmware v3.1.0.3.90 and tests were conducted under this firmware.
Test System 1
Test System 2
Test System 3
ResultsThe first test was conducted at a distance of 1 meter, which I would consider to be 'Wired' range. These tests were conducted using the method detailed above.
Not all results are at their max theoretical limit but this may or may not be due to the router itself, it is quite possible that the network adapters themselves are not capable of maxing out their theoretical limit. In an ideal scenario we would have identical network adapters at either end but these results show 'Real-World' throughput. We see a very good result for 100Mb/s LAN, in this case the network adapters are making full use of the available bandwidth with only a small overhead. When we look at the Gigabit LAN result we start to see that throughput is not meeting its maximum potential, still ~545 Mb/s is nothing to be disappointed with (results peaked at 575Mb/s during testing). Home internet connections are nowhere near as fast as this yet but this should be plenty fast for streaming etc. Wireless G speeds and wireless N speeds are also somewhat lower than maximum potential, but the EA-N66 Ethernet adapter connected to a Gigabit LAN port really makes good use of the available bandwidth during the UDP tests (results peaking at 401Mb/s). Equally important as speed is range when looking at wireless internet, sure you get faster speed with wires but you also lose portability. The next two tests look at wireless G 54Mb/s and Wireless N 300Mb/s speed and range. Points 1~4 are downstairs rooms and points 5~8 are upstairs rooms. This gives a good idea of what sort of coverage we can expect in a fairly sized three bedroom house.
The wireless G test is very promising indeed, the ASUS RT-N66U was able to deliver a consistent speed at all test points. Test point 8 is the furthest away from the router so the slightly lower score is somewhat expected.
When we tested throughput with the ASUS USB-N53 Wireless N300 USB Adapter the results were good but not as close to 300Mb/s as I was expecting, the ASUS configuration utility and the windows connection status dialog showed that the USB-N53 was indeed connected at 300Mb/s but actual throughput was much lower. Wireless N300 throughput was not as consistent as the Wireless G throughput in all of the locations. As we see it here, the downstairs results remain consistent, but the further away you get the worse the throughput is. Gigabit Router Final ThoughtsWhen it comes to networking products looks tend to be somewhat of an afterthought, with the ASUS RT-N66U this simply isn't the case. I'm sure many of you will agree that first and foremost on your list of priorities when buying a router is the price, next would be performance and then looks come last. After all you can easily hide a router out of sight, or you may not even have room on your desk to display your router, so looks need not be so important. A non-tech savvy individual might look at the ASUS RT-N66U and think "what is that?" since this router doesn't fit the normal design brief. I myself am a sucker for good looking gear and I find the need to have things that fit into a certain scheme, whether it be a color scheme or purely a design scheme, I don't like things that don't fit in very well. The main quality I look for is performance, I always find myself looking for the best performance for the money I have available. When I can find looks and performance in one package then I don't hesitate, that's where reviews are handy. ASUS RT-N66U ConclusionImportant: In this section I am going to write a brief five point summary on the following categories; Performance, Appearance, Construction, Functionality and Value. These views are my own and help me to give the ASUS RT-N66U Dual Band Wireless-N Gigabit Router a rating out of 10. A high or low score does not necessarily mean that it is better or worse than a similar router that has been reviewed by another writer here at Benchmark Reviews, which may have got a higher or lower score. It is however a good indicator of whether the ASUS RT-N66U router is good or not. I would strongly urge you to read the entire review, if you have not already, so that you can make an educated decision for yourself.
The performance of the ASUS RT-N66U is very respectable indeed, on a Wireless G 54Mb/s connection the router maintained an average 19.80Mb/s UDP throughput on all test points. The Wireless N 300 USB adapter throughput tapered off with distance but this is to be expected anyway. The hard wired LAN to LAN throughput tests presented some very interesting numbers and are not to be shrugged off. All in all these are very good results for a home user router. The ASUS RT-N66U appearance will score very highly. I have already stated that I am a sucker for good looks and that is exactly what the RT-N66U has, as I'm sure you will agree. It is certainly different from 99% of the routers available on the market today and will set a new 'bar' for competing manufacturers to aim for. I am glad that ASUS went with a matte finish instead of glossy like the RT-N56U before it, the glossy finish was nice but it was easily spoiled. The construction of the ASUS RT-N66U is very good indeed. The unit is very compact for a router with this sort of feature set, but the super long external antenna means it will appear much bigger. It has been built very well with no obvious screws holding it together, and has plenty of ventilation to deal with any heat that builds up. Functionality of the ASUS RT-N66U also gets top marks. The two USB 2.0 ports add a whole new dimension of functionality and the implemented uses mean that you can use the RT-N66U almost like a dedicated NAS, downloading and streaming content while your PC is off or if you prefer you can attach a 3G dongle via the USB ports to the router for internet sharing. The automatic QoS settings are quick and simple as is the setup and navigation through the routers settings. There is some broken English in the menus but I consider them Easter eggs and you get a little smile when you find them. The 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands both run concurrently meaning you can download and stream at the same time without maxing out on bandwidth. The ASUS RT-N66U is available for $179.99 (NewEgg and Amazon). There are not many wireless routers at this price point and the ASUS RT-N66U fits into the top end of the price range for many routers that have a similar feature set. With this in mind, I would say the ASUS RT-N66U offers reasonable value for money, but may be considered quite high for those who need only need a simple router for home use. If you are looking for a stylish, feature packed and great performing router then you should definitely consider the ASUS RT-N66U as one to put on the shortlist. Pros:
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Comments
450Mbps in 2.4Ghz and 450Mbps in 5Ghz.
You can't put them together and say 900Mbps. That's where I quit reading your review btw.
Take your time in the future. It's obvious speed reading is not your thing.
on behalf of this new tech router, i ran two different laptops for copying couples files from two shared hard-drives and their speed come closed to 450....nbps
gotta test it yourself to reallize the different
I was wondering if you did any testing at 2.4Ghz, since 2.4Ghz has better penetration of solid objects, and can have better performance in some situations (walls and distance).
This review was ironically timed because I just installed an ASUS(PCE-N15) PCI card in my main machine (Mortal online uses a strange PVP prediction system that seems to give advantages to wireless lag in Melee situations (acts like a lag switch), for some reason).
But it only supports connections in the 2.4Ghz band. My router is a dual band router. Although my internet connection is maximum 8 Mbps, and the router is only 3' from the main machine, I'm wondering if I should return the PCI version and get the USB version you reviewed.
At this time I'm getting identical ping and transfer rates from my ISP as I do when I'm 100% wired. Any suggestions?
I was wondering how the N adapter would perform on the 2.4Ghz band.
I'm thinking that my setup is going to deliver no less speed than using the 5Ghz spectrum. Again, I'm not transferring information between any LAN.
#news.softpedia.com/news/CES-2012-ASUS-Reveals-EA-N66-Ethernet-to-Wi-Fi-bridge-246497.shtml
Has anyone located a source for these yet?
##facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150712472221414&set=pu.125555631413&type=1&theater
This quote gives me hope :)
"The ASUS RT-N66U has two built in USB 2.0 ports that allow you to share printers and USB storage over LAN and WAN, and also allows you to share a 3G/4G internet connection.!
Here is a zoomed in screen capture: #i945.photobucket.com/albums/ad297/hatchet_2009/ASUS_RT-N66U_3G-4G_WiMax.jpg
Feel a bit silly for not realizing that WiMax was the same thing as 4g, but you learn something every day.
Thanks in advance!!