ASUS RT-N56U WiFi Router Review
ASUS Black Diamond Dual Band Wireless-N 600 Router (RT-N56U)
NOTE: Review will be updated once performance testing is complete… tentative rating so far: [starreview tpl=16]
Pros:
+easy setup
+small size
+two USB ports!
+decent SAMBA transfer speeds (6Mbs-8Mbs actual throughput)
+supports NTFS on USB devices
Cons:
-cannot use external antennas 🙁
-unusual power connector (if the power supply dies, you are likely NOT going to have a compatible spare laying around)
-unusual case design could make mounting/positioning difficult (though it does look cool)
-flimsy build quality, especially for the price
So you have a RT-N56U too. I had my Linksys WRT600N die one night last August, that was the second Linksys I’ve had give up the ghost (had an early version of the very popular WRT54G previously). Since the WRT600N was a simultaneous 5Ghz/2.4Ghz router (and I live in a very noisy neighborhood, at least in the 2.4Ghz band), I was limited to two choices the RT-N56U and the equivilent Linksys. I chose as it had better reviews and was a good $80 less than the Linksys.
I agree with the funky mounting, looks don’t exactly matter for me as I have a “networking” closet where my cable modem, wireless router, and print/file/testbed server sits. Since I don’t plan on abusing the router, or touching it often, the flimsyness is kinda negligable for me. What does matter, however, is signal strength and speed. Both of these are vastly improved compared to the WRT600N, which had three external antennas and three internal antennas.
Very cool John! I am glad the RT-N56U is working well for you 🙂
Linksys/CISCO is always a viable choice, but ASUS really seems to have done a nice job with their latest routers. Thankfully, as you mentioned, the price is nice too!
I was shocked recently when I got a 360MBs connection to RT-N56U from my M6500 which has an internal Intel 5300 AGN card. Wireless speeds are finally getting high enough to be a viable alternative to Gigabit Ethernet.
Keep me posted as you continue using your RT-N56U, I am hoping they hold up well*…
-JD
*NOTE: I have a small fan pointed at my router and satellite modem, it helps keep them extra cool and I’m hoping it will prolong their lifespan 🙂