Finally in the 802.11n club! ASUS RT-N66U review

I finally decided it was time to replace my WRT56GL and WRT54G routers and join the 802.11n club! I originally purchased a pair of Netgear WNDR3700 routers but unfortunately they had range and signal strength issues. Updating Netgear’s firmware and using DD-WRT didn’t help so I decided to return them and purchase two ASUS RT-N66U routers from JR.com. I thought you guys might like to see the before and after results and enjoy the network pr0n.

See ASUS' ASUS RT-N66U product page for a quick overview and complete specifications. You can test drive ASUS' firmware here. 
 

 

 

 

 
This is what my network looks like.  
 

My new Primary Router is using ASUS’ Firmware Version: 3.1.0.3.90 and the new Client Bridge is using TomatoUSB Firmware Version 1.28 by shabby. 
 

I used LAN Speed Test to measure the Wireless Bridge Link’s 2GHz file transfer and network speeds. Here's the best out of 3 runs.
 
5Mb transfer

 
20Mb transfer

 The before speeds are embarrassing. 
 
I also created a folder with 612Mb worth of random files and used Robocopy to measure the Wireless Bridge Link’s 2GHz file transfer and network speeds. Here's the best out of 3 runs.
 

 
Before

 
After   

 
My Excel skills cannot be equalled.
 

very nice, i've always heard those asus units were pretty hardcore.  Great results as well you have.

Very nice! I have the ASUS RT-N56U myself. And it is a amazing router. yours is the one that is a setup up from what i have. 
 
But the interface and settings should be the same for the most part. I think the main differences is that yours has external antennas and 450/450, And mine has internal antennas and 300/300. But the range is still awesome. I can keep connected all the way down the road in my neighborhood.
 
The only things in  my house that use wireless N are my laptop and phone though and thats at 150 so no real need for N300 let alone 450. everything else is wired directly via gigabit.

Nice!  I've been thinking of selling my DIR-655 and moving to the Asus N66U or N56U

I’m very pleased with the routers and better be for the amount of money I spent. lol

I was considering the ASUS RT-N56U after reading all of the great reviews but I wanted the option of using DD-WRT and Tomato. There’s a couple other differences besides the RT-N66U’s external antennas and 802.11n up to 450Mbps. The RT-N66U has features like IPSec, PPTP and L2TP Pass-Through VPN support, Guest Network Access supporting up to three wireless networks over the 2.4 GHz band and three over the 5 GHz band. It has a detachable stand and it’s Wall-mountable too. There might be a few others. VPN is the only feature that I currently use. The RT-N56U still performs great, has more features than most people need and cost less than the RT-N66U. They’re both great choices.
 
I moved the RT-N66U Client Bridge on the other side of the doorway and have even better results. If only I could move the two floors or run fiber cable. I wish I had everything wired. Someday I’ll own my own house and run fiber cable everywhere. 
 

 

 

 

Those are crazy speeds. I get hardly 2 MB/s with my DIR-655. This Asus unit seems interesting.

if you are only getting 2MB/s then something is wrong either way, thats not even g speed.

Glad you are satisfied with your choice. I'm really happy with my RT-56U. Its a huge step up in performance from my WRT54G with DD-WRT.
Have you tried setting up a separate access point for -G devices? I read that sharing -G and -N on the same router can cause slowdowns, and its better to run -N only then a separate AP for legacy devices.
I'm going to try it myself but first I have to come up with a testing method first.

G is for cavemen and old folks. lol
 
The second router/bridge eliminates the need for G. Everything is wired or N. I think using both was more of an issue before. I still have my old routers and will run a couple tests this weekend. I will run the same tests with my main 192.168.1.38 pc and my old "Client Bridge WRT54G DD-WRT".

Oh haha, yea I don't have the money to upgrade my fiancee's old laptop, plus we have a wii, which doesn't do -N either.
If I have time this weekend I will be setting up my access point.

Interesting set up. Have you considered using powerline adapters to bridge the distant RT-N66U and running it as a dedicated AP? I'm sure the speeds would be even better. BTW, I'm running 3 RT-N66Us with Toastman's latest RT-N Tomato build but I have in-wall CAT6 and gigabit ethernet in the entire house. This router is the new king and has replaced all of my WRT54GL routers.
 

 
 

Sorry for not responding sooner.  I still haven't gotten around to testing -G performance. I considered powerline adapters but they're not as fun. ASUS RT-N66U routers are definitely worthy successors to WRT54GL routers.  Those 3 look great together hrana!

Best consumer router that is out right now. Good choice.

 
Nice. I've been using a WRT54G for years, but after recent issues with our cable provider, and another visit yesterday from a tech who has given us yet another new modem, he recommended I upgrade the router. We mostly use hardwired so it's not a big issue, but I got a Linksys E1200 Wireless-N300 Router. Hope it works out ok.
 

I have an N66U and the 5Ghz is working brilliantly but the 2.4Ghz im not so sure about, Lots of people say how good its range is, Mine barely makes 10 meters. I have to use it for g and n but still.
 
I have set up a WAP for legacy devices but my old router range is very poor so would rather slow down the 2.4Ghz and have the range if its possible, any idea on how I can get better range?
 
Im not on a congested/busy channel, just 1 other device on channel 11 and the rest are 6 or 1.
 
It's set to WPA2 AES.
 
Also what does the b/g protection checkbox mean exactly?
 
 
Cheers

Nereus
Nice. I've been using a WRT54G for years, but after recent issues with our cable provider, and another visit yesterday from a tech who has given us yet another new modem, he recommended I upgrade the router. We mostly use hardwired so it's not a big issue, but I got a Linksys E1200 Wireless-N300 Router. Hope it works out ok.

To update: The Linksys E1200 does a good job (we're in an apartment, so the signal is strong enough to reach everywhere). We have two PC's hardwired to it, but the laptop, smartphones, kindles etc use the wireless and it's very good (and surprisingly fast). Also got a Linksys WET610N receiver for our smart-tv and it streams Netflix without a hiccup. Not sure if the E1200 would be powerful enough for a bigger/multistory house, but it's working out great for us.
 
 
 

Just got 802.11n?
 
Almost time to move up to 802.11ac though haha.
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?N=100006688&Description=802.11ac&IsNodeId=1&Submit=ENE

however ac devices won't be appearing for quite sometime, routers sure but laptops/phones/tablets will take time.  When cisco puts out a 802.11ac wireless access point i'll end up getting one to get myself ahead of the curve(depending on the price)

I have been eyeballing one of these routers for a while now but they are a bit to pricey for me at the moment.  I did get a DIR-655 $35 recently to use for my gaming servers and I have a DIR-825 for the rest of the devices in the house.  The DIR-825 I have had for a few years now and has been great all though I have had issues with the Shareport on it but I never really use it with Windows homegroup.

B/G protection:
Since g operates in the same frequency band as b, and is required to be backwards compatible. The encoding used by g is not recognized by b stations so you need protection mechanisms to limit cross-talk in mixed b/g environments. This requires the g stations which operates at a much higher rate than b to slow down. This results in that if a b unit join the wifi the overall speed drops for all users on the station since the g network has to slow down....i recommend that you dont use b and use only g/n  2.4/5.0 ghz = no protection required and no speed decrease.

I updated the firmware for the first time today.  No particular reason. I was bored and decided it was time. I went from [RELEASE] 083 to [RELEASE] 104. It's hard to believe it has almost been a year. I just wanted to report back and say this setup has remained amazing and nothing has changed from the initial ASUS RT-N66U review. Hopefully I'm not jinxing myself. lol 

It defiantly is one of the best routers out.  Along with the router I use the ASUS EA-N66 as a bridge to stream movies from my server to htpc.  It's the first setup that has allowed me to stream bluray movies wirelessly.  I can stream any movie up to 22 gigs.  After that I run into buffering issues.