ASUS RT-N66U Dual-Band Wireless-N900 Gigabit Router

• 3 x Detachable antenna for 2.4GHz/5GHz with peak gain 3dBi/ 5dBi
• IPv6 support; VPN Server Support
• 802.11n: up to 450Mbps ; 802.11a/g: up to 54Mbps; 802.11b: up to 11Mbps
• Supports Ethernet and 802.3 with max. bit rate 10/100/1000 Mbps
• 4 x LAN ports for 10/100/1000 BaseT
• 2 x USB2.0 support got Printer sharing or HDD sharing

Well, as mentioned in another review, the firmware in the initial shipment of these (3.0.0.3.72) is broken. Not buggy, not unstable, but broken. You CANNOT connect to the Internet with the factory firmware, at least in the initial release. I purchased one, returned it in exchange for another one, and the second one had the exact same problem. As discussed on this here:

You must manually enter a URL then change to a language other than English, then update the firmware. (The current version from the ASUS website is 3.0.0.3.90 as of 1/13/2012) Of course, that means you need to download the firmware first, since you can't connect to the Internet with the factory firmware. And of course, a router is required for most people to access the Internet, so... well, you can see where I'm going with this.

After the firmware update, things were much better. I had the Internet connection set up in a few minutes, and the speed was unbelievable. Certainly the fastest consumer wireless on the market right now. It has nice features, like 6 different SSIDs for guest networks (3 for each band.) You can choose whether or not to give those networks access to your primary network, and since you can set up multiple SSIDs, you can have different settings for each. It also has parental controls, good QoS, a VPN server and some other nice features. It supports Zoneedit for dynamic DNS, so I was pretty happy about that. (Neither the Cisco or the Linksys models I have tried do.)

One feature that's present in the Linksys E4200, but not on this router, is an SSL web GUI. I work in IT, and it bothers me administering my firewall over plaintext HTTP. Probably not that big a deal to home users, but I don't think it's that difficult to implement an HTTPS server for the admin GUI. It also makes this unit completely unsuited for deployment in a business environment, where security is paramount. I'm hopeful that it'll be in a future firmware update. I could probably use this router for a lot of small-business clients.

As far as wireless range goes, this blows away both the Cisco E4200v1 and the Netgear WNDR3800, both of which I tested in the same placement as this one. I get full signal in all corners of my house, which isn't too big, but both the Netgear and Cisco routers got medium signal in the corners of my house. I have 5 wireless devices and 6 wired devices, and speed thus far has not been a problem. I stream video without drops and file transfers are quick. No complaints.

I really wish ASUS hadn't made the error of shipping this with broken firmware. They will undoubtedly have a return rate nearing 100% until they get the new firmware on shipping units. Had it not been for this, I would easily give this product 5 stars. If it had HTTPS on the GUI, I'd say it's a perfect device.

UPDATE 10/12/2012

So they fixed the firmware issue within a couple weeks of release. Now, they've released a firmware upgrade that adds HTTPS functionality. I'm upgrading my review to five stars!

UPDATE 11/16/2012

I changed the title of the review, because, other than price, there is no longer any reason not to buy this product. It is the best wireless access point on the market, save for the new ASUS RT-AC66U, which is just an updated version of this product. (New radio, supports a new standard that nobody uses yet.) I don't use it as a router, so I can't qualify those features, but as far as range, features and consistent connectivity, you can't beat this product at any price.

Buy ASUS RT-N66U Dual-Band Wireless-N900 Gigabit Router Now

I got my shiny new RT-N66U today from Amazon.

I do networking for a living and figured even though I'd seen reports of the shipping factory firmware being broken in English mode, it would be no problem.

WHAT A PAIN!!!!!!!!!!! Come on Asus!!!!

The short and sweet version of how to get your router up and running with 3.0.0.3.72:

*Download 3.0.0.3.90 firmware from

*Extract RT-N66U_3.0.0.3_90.trx to somewhere on your computer

*Log in to 192.168.1.1 (User:admin Pass:admin)

*Complete the initial setup wizard using any info you want. Just GET THROUGH IT. It will display a broken page at the end.

*Enter 192.168.1.1 in your web browser

*Click on "Administration" on the left

*Click on "Firmware Upgrade" on the top tab

*Switch the language box in the top-right-hand corner from "English" to something else. I used French.

*Upload RT-N66U_3.0.0.3_90.trx

***WAIT FOR IT TO FINISH***

*When it's complete, choose "English" again from the language drop-down.

*Go back to 192.168.1.1 and complete your initial router configuration.

The good news is that after I got 3.0.0.3.90 on the router all seems to be running smoothly.

I was replacing an ASUS RT-N56U and I have found so far:

*SIGNIFICANTLY better range on both 2.4 and 5ghz bands (Maybe 3-6db increase at an 80ft distance)

I'm hoping that when I get a wireless adapter that supports 450Mbps that I'll be able to see the huge difference.

I like the way it physically looks (Like some type of network Samurai device) and I love that I can swap out the antennas as I see fit. It looks pretty bad-ass actually.

It's been running smooth for a day now.

The specs on this thing are awesome. I just can't believe that Asus would let it ship out with severely broken English firmware. Oh well that's what I get for buying a product the day it's released lol.

The bottom line is that if you're into this kind of technology, the initial configuration pain shouldn't be a huge deterrent to you. Third-party Broadcom firmware support will be abundant for this router soon. There are already a few releases out there for you to try like TomatoUSB.

The 2.4ghz range increase was noticeable for me. 5ghz was also increased, but still has a smaller range footprint than the 2.4ghz band.

If you are not comfortable with this kind of work, maybe wait a few months for Asus to ship some units out with the firmware upgraded for you.

I would have given this router 5 stars if it wasn't for the shipping firmware bug. Asus, you get 4 stars for making me work.

Update to come in a few weeks of operation.

Update 1/19/12: Just using the built-in wifi radio on my Samsung Galaxy S2, I was able to use my router nearly a block away from my house on 2.4ghz. The router is near a window and this was almost line-of-sight.

I plan on playing with the DLNA features in the next day or two. I'll post how that goes.

So far so good! Love it!

Update 1/23/12: I've been busy the last few days but I wanted to check in and say that this router has been running 100% rock solid and the wifi range increase has been DRAMATIC for me. I love the looks and function of this unit and plan on recommending it to any friend who asks.

Pick one up, you'll love it.

Read Best Reviews of ASUS RT-N66U Dual-Band Wireless-N900 Gigabit Router Here

Edit 2 (2012-02-25). Here is an update now that I have owned it a while (5 1/2 weeks):

1. FYI Asus is releasing firmware version 102 on Monday (those who have been able to get a hold of that version in the meantime said it works great and has resolved the few issues that remained, which affected some users, depending on which advanced features they needed).

They have been very quick, compared to other networking companies especially, to release new firmware after getting bug reports and working on the fixes ().

2. As an update, my RT-N66U has been up (without a reboot) and running stably since I first configured it 5 1/2 weeks ago. (It does get rebooted to load the new firmware of course, just like a Windows PC needs a reboot after installing updates).

3. No wifi disconnects to date!

4. Smallnetbuilder.com has posted test results and it is, as of now (February 25 2012), their top performing router in terms of wireless (wifi) performance overall. It performed great in the far locations that no other N900 router could get a signal.

It beats my prior router (E4200 v1) handily in overall wifi, with a nice boost in the far locations as noted by Tim as well.

Original (January) Review, including an associated edit about the power button):

Edit to add a tip For anyone who thinks their unit is DOA, be sure to turn the tiny power button on the back on. It is the same color as the router and very small, so it is easy to miss.

I noticed it when attaching the antennae, but I can see how people could easily miss it.

Perhaps I am one of the lucky ones. I had no issues updating the firmware to the latest version from the version that shipped with the router, with it set to 'English'.

I used a PC running Windows 7 32-bit and Firefox 8.0.1. I hooked it up to my cable modem and desktop PC and rebooted the equipment as needed. I then went into the configuration GUI, configured my wifi (2.4 and 5 GHz) and then simply clicked on the 'update firmware' button it downloaded the firmware and updated it. The one caveat is that initially a progress bar appeared. Toward the end of the process the web config screen went blank and stayed that way, so I was not sure if it had finished or not. I opened a new window and tried surfing the internet and it worked fine. To be safe, I left the other window open for a while (the one I had used to update the firmware).

PROS:

Great wifi performance relative to competition (signal strength and throughput) on BOTH bands (on par with my Amped Wireless R10000 and actually beat my Linksys E4200 v1).

Fast CPU and lots of RAM to handle multiple connections and heavy loads

Seems stable so far (only had it hooked up about 20 hours so far so time will tell)

Native IPv6 support

Dual band concurrent wifi

450 Mbps max (under ideal conditions) on both bands

2 USB ports for a host of extra sharing and streaming connectivity

Solid build quality (the weight of this tells you there is a lot under the hood and the ports are not flimsy)

Gigabit WAN and LAN ports

Beam forming tech. seems to really work.

Up to 6 Guest networks

Upgradable antennae

Big bonus It also seems to have resolved an issue with Netflix cover art not loading for some titles that was an issue when using my Amped (perhaps the Amped had one setting affecting it or something got cached).

CON:

WPS is enabled by default. Make sure to turn it off to protect yourself from the WPS exploit (at this time as of Jan 19 2012 this issue affects any router with WPS enabled)

Minor things that could be improved (not sure I would call them cons so I listed them separately):

Web UI says 'enabled' for guest wifi (should say 'enable'), so I thought they might be on by default. Then when I thought I disabled it (selected 'off'), it seemed to keep broadcasting (as per Windows). I went back into the config screen and was able to disable it the second time. Will have to see if I can recreate this.

Firmware update window goes blank at the end of the upgrade (would prefer to have it reboot back into the config GUI one can be sure it has complete updating).

I will update this review (if I get a chance) after running it longer to note the stability. So far I have not noticed any wireless disconnects. It runs warmer than my Amped R10000 (which runs cool) but is not hot. It is doing more work, which explains it.

It is not cheap but then again neither is the competition.

The exception is the Linksys E4200 v1 'manufacturer refurbished' model with a manufacturer warranty, free shipping and a return period. That unit is only $99.xx with free shipping directly from Cisco. I bought a new one when it came out and was not impressed with its long range performance, especially given some of the great reviews it got.

The competition (aside from the RT-N66U so far in my limited experience with other units and going by reviews) is not really any better though (tried the Zyxel NBG5715 with initial firmware at the time). For $100 the E4200 v1 is not a bad router for those with lesser needs (in terms of range) and a smaller budget.

The Amped R10000 is also affordable and nice too (great wifi range and very respectable wireless throughput it beat my E4200 v1 on 2.4 GHz), depending on your needs (i.e. it has no gigabit, no IPv6 [yet], no USB and no 5 GHz).

All in all I am very impressed with the Asus.

Want ASUS RT-N66U Dual-Band Wireless-N900 Gigabit Router Discount?

I purchased this router 6 weeks ago. The setup was fine, although the more you use the user interface, you'll find it can be a bit buggy sometimes, even with the latest firmware. At Week 5, the router randomly lost ALL settings and had to be setup once again. I did this the first time and thought it would be a one-time occurence. Unfortunately, it was NOT. For the next week, I spent countless hours setting it up just to find it would randomly loose all settings and need to be configured again, as if I was hooking it up for the first time. I tried updating the firmware, recovering and resetting the device, even tried switching out my DSL modem, just in case that was the issue. SO frustrating! Since it had been more than 30 days, I couldn't exchange the item and had to reach out to ASUS for support. I filed a ticket that the router was defected and received a long email with troubleshooting recovery steps to run through before I would "call the router defective" (according to an ASUS rep). Well, after a ton of steps that included downloading new firware, new utilities, installing utilities, forcing router into recovery and attempting a firware restoration, the router got stuck at this stage and NEVER came out!!! I finally called ASUS rather than work with their email support and the tech had me run through 3 different processes to try to recover the router. None worked. The saddest part is that eventhough I spent nearly two hundred on this router and countless troubleshooting hours, the BEST ASUS could do to stand by their product was ask me to ship it to them for repair. Estimated 7-10 business days for repair and refused to send a replacement router prior to receiving the defective one. I was so surprised at the poor level of customer service for such an expensive and 6 week-old router. Even my Trendnet Gigabit Switch that went out allowed me to put down a deposit via credit card so that the new item could be sent out asap while I shipped back the defective. And that was for a product 1/8 the cost and older! ASUS loses major point with me on standing by their product to support a customer when things go wrong. Their recommendation to me when I said what will I do without a router for about 2 weeks? ASUS said: Go out and buy another one with your money, if you can and keep the receipt to return to the store when we send you a replacement. How inconvenient and what poor support of customers! I've had BUFFALO and Linksys in the past and cannot believe how ASUS turned out. 2 Stars only because the router is fast when it works, but not much else.

Update as of August 7, 2012Changing to 1-Star Review

It's now been well beyond the "7-10" business days I was quoted for router repair. :-( I sent in the router (after all of those hours of troubleshooting) for repair by ASUS on July 13, 2012. They received the router on July 19 and since then, the tracking information on it has NOT changed from "In Repair". That's not even the worst of it. I called ASUS to inquire about the delay. Spoke to the Rep #1 who said "we say 7-10 business days but it can be more like 14". Where on earth did he get "14" from, I don't know. I informed him that all of my note and their confirmation email clearly states 7-10 business days. Frustrated, I asked to speak with a supervisor. Even though I've come to learn ASUS supports is beyond sub-par to anything we should expect, I held out a naive hope that the supervisor would once and for all make this terrible situation right for me as their customer. Once again, ASUS shocked me. The supervisor, in a cold and non-empathic demeanor took the phone, let me know the router was "still in repair" and that he could do nothing to speed up the process. He promised to "send an email" to inquire as to any additional information on the status of the router. It has now been an additional 1 week that has passed by. NO router, NO call from the supervisor or ANY other rep to follow-up. Nothing. In my frustration, I asked the supervisor to please intervene in my situation and that all I wanted was to come home and see the router on front stepsdelivered back repaired.

I guess nothing about the customer matters to ASUS. It didn't matter that I paid two hundred dollars for this router, that it was only 6 weeks after purchased when it broke down, that I spent nearly 30 hours troubleshooting via email correspondence, online forums and calls with techs, that I was told to pay to ship the router to them, that I was promised 7-10 business for a returned, repair router but and that it is now August 7, over 1 month since the router first broke down and over 3 weeks since they've had the router physically in their possession for repair, that I called to check on it when it was late, that I pleaded with the supervisor to help me out.

It is certainly clear, by the long line of actions demonstrated towards my case, that ASUS is NOT in the business of doing right by the customer. I will NOT purchase an ASUS product in the future and I advise all those considering an ASUS product to weigh the evidence of my direct experience that has been negative across many reps and all processes related to customer support.

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I've had several highly-rated routers, and this one provides the best feature set and performance yet. I have a house that's kind of long, the family room where the router is in the back of the house, and the living room (where the TV is and where I usually use my laptop and smart phone) is the front of the house. So I always get a strong signal in the family room, and my next door neighbor's wireless signal is always stronger in my living room than my router's. With the RT-N66U, I also have a stronger wireless signal in the living room, stronger than my neighbor for the first time. I'm amazed, have gained about 10+dBm according to inSSIDer over any of the other routers I've had, which leads to excellent wireless performance in my living room. I did notice that the router needs to be "pointed" towards my living room to get this, but that isn't a problem for me, the signal is fine everywhere, but I love how strong it is in the living room. It's also nice to have the guest networks that really work as they should, I have my smart phone using one of those.

It was also interesting getting an internet connection established the first time. I usually have to go through all the settings on a router and make sure that everything is set up right before I can make an initial connection. With this router, it really does a lot of that work. It had me connected almost immediately. I still went through all the settings to make sure that there were what I needed, but having that internet connection so quickly was really helpful in verifying that the router was working.

As far as firmware goes, the newest Asus firmware (RT-N66U_3.0.0.3_102) is doing well for me. There are some problems with it, I hear that the IPv6 support isn't quite there yet, and the DLNA support leaves something to be desired. But again, not a problem for me, I'm not using either of these, so Asus has some time to get those working. If you're in a hurry, you can use tomato firmware on this router, which I hear is working quite well. The IPv6 support does work with tomato firmware, but I'm not sure that the wireless performance is quite as good as the Asus firmware.

This is a very nice piece of hardware, and it is the best performing that I've had. Long term reliability remains to be seen, as usual, time will tell.

Update 3/10/2012: Upgraded to the newest Asus firmware, RT-N66U_3.0.0.3_108, bunch of things fixed, looking even better. Best router around right now!

Update 4/13/2012: Spent a lot of time trying to get my Verizon Network Extender going with the .108 firmware. Asus finally suggested using telnet and clearing the nvram (mtd-erase -d nvram; reboot). This worked, and now Verizon Network Extender is up, too. Great router.

Update 6/1/2012: Up for 40 days now with the .108 firmware, no reboots, no problems. Just keeps working really well. Best router I've had, and I've had a few *smile*.

Update 10/19/2012: IPv6 working with latest firmware (and Comcast). Note that you need a cable/DSL modem that supports IPv6 for this. Much more reliable and functional than previous routers.