Of course the stand for it is a little lackluster, and the ports are a bit heat sensitive due to the high performance coming through them. I have to say this is one of the best routers that I have owned. I tested it out in my 800 ft apartment and still received the signal across the street in a coffee shop. Did a performance test on this guy and it exceeded my expectations from the reviews I saw online. I have comcast internet at 50Mbps and 10 for download. When I did a speed test it was 72Mbps and 22 for download. In fact I liked it so much after several months of testing it out, I set it up at my parents house with an Arris TM822g telephony modem for their 2000 square foot house and I get it in the backyard as well. It doesn't lose quality as long as you keep it on wireless N, has capability for b/g on my father's old computers but I think its just the computer because the signal strength is always excellent. For extra security I added mac filters, and there are several advance features for those more advanced users. I also like that it works great with my the roku3 and roku HD devices for streaming and there are never problems not even in a house like my parents. Since I gifted that router to my parents to replace their system of an old linsys WRT router, I purchased another one to replace my Linksys WRT160N router that just isn't doing it anymore. Since I do not have cable and stream everything through a roku HD device I need something that provides a good wireless signal for that purpose, and I have had no problems with this device. I thought of getting the ASUS AC66U but this was more than efficient for my needs right now. I use it in my apartment with a motorola surboard SB6121 modem that I bought at best buy a while back.
Pros:
1) Super fast speeds and long range on 5ghz or 2.4ghz, I setup on both using the same name of network/pass so it will automatically detect the better signal.
2) Sleek design and black color blends nicely with other electronic devices
3) Easy to setup screen popped up directly on my macbook pro, and I was able to update the firmware
Cons:
1) Gets hot around the ports so to maintain coolness don't lay flat, can use the stand to elevate like in amazon pic, but stand needs additional support since it doesn't stay connected properly to the device.
2) Antennas are not exactly appealing but they do provide the necessary range to reach all bedrooms in my parents' one story house, and my apartment.
3) Firmware doesn't directly download from router page, you have to go to asus website and do a direct download. When first receiving your device I suggest uploading all firmware from website. The button on the router page falsely states that it is updated which is one of the glitches of the old firmware, but once all updates are made it will solve itself. The updates took a while with generic instructions but it was well worth it once they all were made.
Despite the few cons it does work right out of the box and loads on to the router page, when I clicked on the internet for my macbook pro. Other systems like windows you would have to check specifications or find out how to download the latest firmware through that system. I'm no expert nor do I claim to be just searched around the internet and found my answers, saw some people downloaded tomato firmware and stuff, but I just provided the way I handled the situation that was easiest for me. I downloaded all the firmware on the router through my macbook pro before giving it to my parents, and although my father had an HP with windows 7 it had no problems working on the router page with his laptop.
***Overall this is a great system for the price and no matter what updates they have made for other similar routers this is an excellent router to get you through several years of changes before they switch to AC routers and even if they do I'll stick with this. I did have my last linksys router for about 7 years so this will stand the test of time as well. It works excellent and as a suggestion it is worth it to upgrade the system so you get the full capacity of the internet speeds your paying for which in my case was Comcast blast service.
I can only vouch for the router that was purchased directly from amazon any other sellers I cannot vouch for their effectiveness in electronics. I had problems in the past purchasing electronics from other sellers so just be careful. Amazon does give you 30 days to test out the products though, and fortunately I never had to return any products purchased directly from amazon including this one.
| Wireless Type | 802.11n |
|---|---|
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 1 |
| Number of USB 3.0 Ports | 1 |
