home > Internet > Asus rt ac66u revisions. Reviews: Wireless router ASUS RT-AC66U, black

Asus rt ac66u revisions. Reviews: Wireless router ASUS RT-AC66U, black

Actually AiCloud consists of several parts. Firstly, this is the Smart Sync function, which allows you to synchronize selected folders on an external drive connected to the router with folders in the ASUS WebStorage cloud storage. The latter has ready-made clients for all popular mobile and desktop operating systems, but the prices for using this service are not yet very humane. For a complete mobile access All ASUS AiCloud features will need to be installed separate application for iOS or Android, or use a separate web interface.

Smart Access and Cloud Disk essentially provide remote access to storage devices. Only in the first case it concerns the shared network resources of the PC in local network, and in the second - the USB drive of the router. Smart Access remembers the once entered authorization parameters for accessing network resources and allows you to turn on the PC using Wake-On-LAN. On the mobile app, you can view deleted files and folders, play photos/music/video from them (the router sends an http(s) stream), download files, select folders for synchronization via Smart Sync with the cloud and simply add them to your favorites.

Another interesting feature allows you to select files and give them a public download link that is active for 24 hours. There is also a simple management of lists of PCs and routers. So far, the Android application is not very stable and does not always work correctly. The web version is a modest parody of the Metro-style interface. It allows you to do with files everything that is available in mobile version, but you can also create folders and upload files.

Both versions have their own photo viewer and music player, and the video is either streamed in third party application, or handled by the respective browser plugin. For normal operation of AiCloud, you must have an external IP address, a connected DDNS service (Asuscomm) and / or open ports 8082/443. However, you can also connect to AiCloud from the local network. On the this moment AiCloud services are available for RT-AC66U, RT-N66U and RT-N16U routers.

In general, AiCloud is not yet perfect - for example, not all machines were found on the local network, and where WOL starts there is not very clear at all. To enter the system, the administrator's login and password are used, but there is no system for distributing rights. Well, at least there is the simplest defense from trying to pick up a password by brute force and viewing detailed work logs. In any case, such a set of services is definitely useful, and at the first stages you can put up with some software flaws.

⇡ Specifications

The biggest changes compared to the previous model are hidden from the user's eyes. The hardware platform of the device remained the same - the processor of the Broadcom BCM4706 / BCM5300 series with a frequency of 600 MHz, USB support 2.0 and gigabit network controller, BCM53125 gigabit switch, Alcor AU6259 USB hub and BCM4331 802.11n radio unit. And this is where the differences begin. The second radio block was the BCM4360, which supports 802.11ac. All this goodness hangs on PCI-E bus, and the radio modules are connected to three external detachable antennas (3x3:3). The micro-SD slot was removed, but the amount of internal memory was increased from 32 MB to 128 MB. The amount of RAM remained the same, but still solid - 256 MB. In short, a beast-machine! The retribution for this is obvious - the router is hot not only in soul, but in body.

ASUS RT-AC66U
Network standards	IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n, IPv4, IPv6
WiFi speed	802.11a: 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54Mbps 802.11b: 1, 2, 5.5, 11 Mbps 802.11g: 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54Mbps 802.11n: up to 450 Mbps 802.11ac: up to 1300 Mbps
Antennas	Removable x3, 3T3R
Frequencies	2.4-2.4835GHz /5.1-5.8GHz
Safety	64-bit WEP, 128-bit WEP, WPA2-PSK, WPA-PSK, WPA-Enterprise, WPA2-Enterprise, WPS support, 802.1x
Firewall	SPI, DoS protection, parental control, URL/network service filter
Network Services	UPnP, DLNA, DNS Proxy, DHCP, NTP Client, DDNS, Port Triger, Virtual Server, DMZ, Port forwarding/forwarding
VPN Pass Through	IPSec, PPTP, L2TP, PPPoE
WAN connection	Automatic IP, Static IP, PPPoE (MPPE supported), PPTP, L2TP; dual link; Multicast Proxy (IPTV)
Working mode	Router, access point, bridge
Additional features
Download manager	BitTorrent, NZB, FTP/HTTP, ED2K
media server	jpeg, mp3, wma, wav, pcm, mp4, lpcm, ogg, asf, avi, divx, mpeg, mpg, ts, vob, wmv, mkv, mov
Guest network	3 x 2.4 GHz, 3 x 5 GHz
QoS	WMM, IP/MAC/Port Rules, Rate Limiting, Traffic Priority
Print server	Yes, LPR support
File Server	Samba, FTP
VPN server	PPTP, up to 10 clients
Statistics, traffic monitor	There is
Connectors and ports	4 x RJ45 for 10/100/1000 BaseT LAN + 1 x RJ45 for 10/100/1000 BaseT WAN (802.3, MDI-X), 2 x USB 2.0
Buttons	WPS, factory reset, power
Indicators	4 x LAN, 1 x WAN, 2 x AIR, 1 x USB
Power adapter	Input AC 110-240V 50-60Hz, Output DC 19V 1.58A
Dimensions	207x148.8x35.5mm
Weight	450 grams
Price	7 300 rubles

⇡ Testing

Since 802.11ac adapters are still tight, to test this standard, however, as well as for 802.11n, a pair of ASUS RT-AC66U routers was used. One as a regular router and the other as a wireless bridge. In the second case, you will have to manually specify the range, SSID and access password of the parent point. The second radio module at this time is used to create a "repeater" in the adjacent range. In bridge mode, most of the settings are not available, but USB ports can be used to connect a printer or storage device, as well as to install a download manager. Naturally, all this will be visible in the "common" local network.

Used as test benches ASUS laptop K42JC (Intel Pentium 6100, 2 GB RAM, gigabit ethernet JMicron JMC250) and a desktop machine (AMD Athlon64 X2 4800+, 4GB RAM, Gigabit Ethernet Realtek RTL8168B) running 32-bit Windows 7 SP1. Testing was carried out using the Ixia IxChariot 6.7 program with the High Performance Throughput profile (see table below) and the iperf 1.7.0 utility. For Wi-Fi, WPA2-AES encryption was enabled, automatic channel selection was specified, and the channel width was manually set to 40/80 MHz. HW NAT and Jumbo frames are out of work. All other settings are left by default. The routers were within line of sight at a distance of about 5 meters.

ASUS RT-AC66U
streams	1	2	4	8	16	32	64
Average speed Wi-Fi 802.11ac 5 GHz, Mbps
R1 -> R2	267	480	579	603	604	616	637
R2 -> R1	317	505	576	613	650	654	645
R1<->R2	453	470	513	516	506	509	503
Average speed Wi-Fi 802.11n 5 GHz, Mbps
R1 -> R2	145	282	346	357	294	277	282
R2 -> R1	140	271	334	345	331	284	150
R1<->R2	268	292	305	347	326	286	175
Average speed Wi-Fi 802.11n 2.4 GHz, Mbps
R1 -> R2	161	260	255	242	254	196	214
R2 -> R1	145	268	271	250	272	208	181
R1<->R2	245	275	276	253	237	193	207
Average LAN speed, Mbps
LAN1 -> LAN2	944	948	948	948	947	946	940
LAN2 -> LAN1	820	806	816	816	803	814	800
LAN1<->LAN2	896	924	922	923	919	910	902

The results do not seem to be worth commenting on. And so it is clear that the speed indicators are simply magnificent. In real life, 802.11n connections are likely to be worse, especially in the 2.4 GHz band, which is rapidly clogging up. Comparing the results in 802.11ac with those of the NETGEAR R6300 is probably not very correct due to the difference in testing conditions. Speed with external drive, and in this case it was Apacer Share Steno AC202 formatted in NTFS, turned out to be not very low, but not very high either. Reading via SMB and FTP was carried out at speeds around 10 MB / s, and writing - 15 and 6 MB / s, respectively. Moreover, reading from FTP sagged at times to some near-zero values.

And here are the WAN connection speeds<->LAN was unpleasantly surprised. Max 350 Mbps with direct connection, about 100 Mbps with PPPoE, around 70 Mbps for PPTP (without MPPE) and about 60 Mbps for L2TP. The results are strange but acceptable. Otherwise, no problems were noticed, with the exception of the already familiar feature of this series in the form of noticeable heating during operation.

⇡ Conclusion

Again, almost everything that was said last time about the ASUS RT-N66U can also be said about the ASUS RT-AC66U. great design, high performance, stability, rich functionality, a couple of USB ports, the ASUSWRT initiative - all this goes into the treasury of pluses. Alas, some of the shortcomings remained uncorrected - not the most successful power supply, not a very fast file server, flaws in software and localization. It was also not possible to cope with high heating during operation. Nevertheless, it is still one of the fastest and most productive SOHO routers with 802.11ac support. In practice, not everyone needs support for the new standard. Moreover, suitable adapters are almost impossible to find now. Therefore, when choosing a router, we would recommend not to focus on 802.11ac support, which, do not forget, is still in draft status. At the time of this writing, the ASUS RT-AC66U cost about 7,300 rubles, which, in our opinion, is quite an adequate price.

best quality

cloud storage

Flaws

system block

Comment

Before that, he owned an Asus RT-N16 router, which is also excellent, sold it after 2 and a half years of use, in working order, for the entire time of work, there were practically no complaints about it, of course, Asus released a couple of fig firmware, but it doesn’t matter, there is always alternative or just a rollback to the previous one. This one came as a replacement, as it has a wider 5GHz network coverage and a higher speed on this band. In general, there is almost no difference between it and the RT-N66U, the performance on the N band is the same, this router wins on the AC band on which it is able to show excellent speed. In terms of functionality, even with RT-N16, I don’t feel much difference, only a performance increase, and it is relevant for those who use DLNA and UPnP excessively, VPN tunnels and local network via wi-fi.
All in all, a great feature-packed router with amazing performance.

37 2

cloud service

Flaws

Comment

I bought it because the emergence of new fast Internet tariffs, the growing interference from the informatization of the entrance, the increase in the volume of transmitted content and the slogan "faster, further, stronger" made me think about changing the old man 615, who served me faithfully for 2 years. And a candidate with an eye to the future was found quite quickly) For in this segment, in terms of the number of opportunities per unit of cost, he is still in the lead.

Complain Did the review help? 23 1

Ease of setup, signal strength, stability. The design, but for me it is not important, since the router practically stands on the floor in the depths of the computer desk, illuminating the socks with blue LEDs.Flaws Comment

In operation for about 6 months around the clock! There has never been a break in communication due to his fault, so that he had to turn it off and on to restore Internet access (both Kinetic Light and Kinetic and the DIR 620 converted to Kinetic sinned with this). With the installation of this device, the problem of connecting laptops, iPhones, iPads, a TV and a media player to Wi-Fi disappeared (subsequently, the media player and TV were connected via a 1 gigabit cable anyway, the speed is higher than via Wi-Fi) All neighboring Wi-Fi networks simply scored! The signal is stable. Through 3 concrete walls (router in the hall) on the balcony, iPhone 5 and Galaxy Note 2 show 3 sticks each. Previously, iPhone 5 on the balcony did not catch Wi-Fi at all. We live on the 7th floor. On the street in front of the entrance, 2 signal divisions are shown on the galaxy note2 and on the iPhone 4 and 4s. Haven't tested on iPhone 5. To the garage from the entrance of 50-70 meters. Wi-Fi and there clings. And this is all at 2.4 GHz. Benchmarks for Internet connection speed on smartphones or laptops (via Wi-Fi) show the declared speed by the provider. Media player connection 130 megabits (no longer allows media player hardware). A 300 megabit Zuksel whistle plugged into a stationary computer in the monitoring program shows a connection at a speed of 300 megabits. Since I don’t have adapters for a 5 GHz network, I can’t say anything about the connection speed at this frequency.
In general, the main goal was to get a stable Wi-Fi connection throughout the numerous home mobile peripherals. This goal was achieved despite the wagon and several carts of neighboring networks. Until I figured out how to allocate a channel width limit for each device, so that when uploading something from the Internet to a network drive, the channel to my wife’s laptop, for example, still remains untouched. But I haven't really figured out how to do it yet.

Hello, friends

In this review, I will share my impressions of my new ASUS RT - AC66U B1 home router.

Introduction

I had the idea to change the router for quite a long time, but with the beginning of my epic with the introduction of a smart home, it became more acute than ever. A few years ago I changed my old D-link dir-600 to TP-LINK TL-WR1043 - which suited me quite well until recently.

But the “trick” of TP-LINK, which allows you to allocate no more than 8 IP addresses with MAC binding in DHCP settings(you can bind more, but only the first 8 will work) - I was categorically not satisfied and I started searching.

My initial requirements are as follows:

1. Dual-band (change so change, especially since the 2.4 GHz band in a multi-storey building is fairly clogged with neighboring networks)

2. Necessarily gigabit ports, at least four (the reason why I did not move out to Xiaomi MiWiFi as soon as they appeared)

3. Since a smart home is a VPN server, preferably OpenVPN

I almost decided on LINKSYS WRT1200AC - but then changed my mind and decided to stop at the hero ASUS review RT-AC66U B1.

Specifications

Transfer rate:
802.11a: 6,9,12,18,24,36,48,54Mbps
802.11b: 1, 2, 5.5, 11 Mbps
802.11g: 6,9,12,18,24,36,48,54 Mbps
802.11n: up to 450 Mbps
802.11ac: up to 1300 Mbps
Antenna - External antenna x 3
Receive/transmit - MIMO technology, 2.4 GHz 3 x 3, 5 GHz 3 x 3
Operating frequency - 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz

Firewall / Access Control - Firewall：SPI intrusion detection,DoS protection
Access control：Parental control, Network service filter, URL filter, Port filter
Management: UPnP, IGMP v1/v2/v3, DHCP, NTP Client, DDNS, Port Trigger, Port Forwarding, DMZ, Universal Repeater, System Event Log
Interfaces: RJ45 for 10/100/1000 BaseT for WAN x 1, RJ45 for 10/100/1000 BaseT for LAN x 4, USB 2.0 x 1, USB 3.0 x 1

Guest networks: 2.4 GHz x 3, 5 GHz x 3
VPN server: IPSec Pass-Through, PPTP Pass-Through, L2TP Pass-Through, PPTP Server, OpenVPN Server
VPN client: PPTP client, L2TP client, OpenVPN client

Initial inspection

The router comes in a box, clearly intended for the Chinese market, judging by the abundance of hieroglyphs. Although accustomed to Xiaomi smart home gadgets - I'm already used to them

There are no complaints about the packaging - nothing hangs around the box, everything arrived safe and sound.

In the kit - the router itself, the power supply, the booklet and the disk (which I never looked into, the instructions are not sports :))

The power supply is 19 V, the declared current is 1.75 A, I will not check, we will take our word for it. In this configuration - the plug is flat, the adapter is included, but I stopped using them a long time ago - universal sockets and extension cords from Xiaomi - definitely rule.

The router is made of black plastic, sometimes glossy, sometimes matte. Most of the surface has the original texture

On the top are LED indicators(blue color) LAN port activity, Internet connection, 5 and 2.4 GHz network activity and power.

On the front end there is a USB 3.0 connector, which, together with a more powerful dual-core processor, is the difference between revision B1 and B0.

Behind the device are - power connector, power button, second USB connector - this time 2.0, WAN and 4 LAN ports - all gigabit and a WPS button - for connecting devices.

Antennas - it seems like I read that they should be removable, but in fact, they don’t unscrew, but it doesn’t hurt that it’s necessary.

The bottom side of the router - contains some technical information - MAC by default, PIN code, serial number, the name of networks by default. There are no wall mounts.

On this I propose to stop the review part and proceed to the setting. I don’t see much point in disassembling it - I don’t consider myself smarter than the Asus engineers who designed this gadget.

Web interface

You can work with the router both through the "web face" and through the application for Android / IOS. There will be no difficulties for those who have smartphones / tablets but do not have a desktop computer (and there are many such people).

The interface is made in dark colors, by default in Chinese, but in the right upper corner there is a selector for choosing languages, of which there are quite a lot in the system, there are both Russian and Ukrainian, and whoever likes it - Romanian.

Wireless networks

Settings for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks - here we set the name of each of the networks, password, mode, width and channel number, etc.

we can, if necessary, hide the broadcast of its name (SSID), there are also tabs for configuring WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) - semi-automatic connection of devices to the network, WDS (Wireless Distribution System) - to expand the zone wireless network by combining several routers, filtering by MAC addresses, setting up a Radius server.

B more additional settings that may be useful to system administrators

The local network

In the LAN settings - specify the internal address of our router

The range of issuing dynamic IP addresses by the DHCP server

Who knows how to give 64 static addresses by binding to MAC - which is like a balm for my soul after 8 TP-Link addresses

Setting up static routes,

IPTV and Switch Control

WAN port - connection to the provider

The WAN port supports several connection options, depending on what your provider offers, it is possible to copy desired MAC address - if the provider checks it - in this case, the equipment on his part will not notice the replacement.

There is an interesting function of a dual WAN port - which will allow you to have a backup channel for accessing the Internet, if the main one fails, for example, via a USB modem. I have already organized backup power for the router, gateways and single-board PCs, I will definitely try to make backup access to the Internet.

There are also options for switching and port forwarding, DMZ - demilitarized zone, network segment containing public services, DDNS - dynamic domain name system, etc.

VPN server

What I was very interested in, the router has the ability to organize two types of VPN servers - PPTP - (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) - a point-to-point tunneling protocol that allows a computer to establish a secure connection with the server by creating a special tunnel in the standard, unsecured network. With authorization by username and password

and OpenVPN - the principle is similar, but a more secure option, since in addition to the name and password, the router generates special file- a key, for each connected device.

AT advanced settings specifies the range of IP addresses that will be issued to devices connected via VPN. Great option for remote connection to home network, I use in conjunction with the system management application Domoticz - ImperiHome

In order not to overload the review large quantity screenshots, I will stop here, but if you want to learn more about the web interface of the router, you can do this by watching my video review, the link to which will be at the end of the text.

Application

For those who do not have the opportunity or desire to fiddle with the web interface - it is possible to configure and manage the router through the application Asus Router from play store or apple store.

The application works either in the same local network with a router, or through a VPN - there is no cloud interface. In principle, everything that is in the web interface is the same here - both the current state of the traffic and the list of connected devices (33 devices on the home network - I'm shocked myself), and configure the networks themselves, including the guest ones

Examples - what settings and monitoring look like from mobile application Asus Router

For such convenience - a separate plus in the karma of the manufacturer.

More details on the application - also in the video review

Exploitation

Of course, the operating experience is only a few days, but overall I like it. The process of setting up and changing the old router to a new one took literally 10 minutes. After that, I turned off my TPLink, changed the name of the 2.4 GHz network to Asus - to what I had and put it in its place, connecting all the cables.

All devices (and I have a lot of them) - immediately picked up the network on the new router - there were no problems. All that is possible - I transferred to a 5 GHz network, which works much faster, for example, on Xiaomi smartphone Note 3 connection speed on 2.4 GHz - 72 Mbps, on 5 GHz - 433 Mbps, as an example, a speed test made at the same time in one place on 2.4 and 5 GHz networks - a double increase in speed. It is important that the 5 GHz band is much less loaded with neighboring networks.

The main laptop went there in 5GHz, Xiaomi cameras Mijia 1080p (by the way, the video is loading faster - definitely).

OpenVPN - works great, connects instantly, ImperiHome for domotics - works great.

All the set goals - which I pursued by changing the router - are 100% achieved.

Video review - where everything is a little more detailed:

That's all, thanks for your attention

Review and testing of ASUS RT-AC66U gigabit router.

It's no secret that ASUS loves to release very high quality and really cool devices. Yes, it often happens that these devices, as they said in the 90s, are “for growth”. This review is dedicated to just such a device - the ASUS RT-AC66U router.
When you first look at the box, you immediately notice the wireless network standard - "802.11ac" and the ability to operate at a frequency of 5 GHz, respectively. And this gives a connection speed of over 1 Gbps. Unfortunately, devices capable of operating at such a speed have not yet arrived, but we can test the RT-AC66U with current laptops.

In the box with the router you can find:
- disk with software
-instruction
-VIP guarantee
-patch cord
-power adapter
- stand for router
-3 antennas

The design of the router at a height is not just a rectangle with antennas. Everything is in order.

There are ventilation holes on the sides. And, as mentioned above, the shape of the router allows you to think that you have a high-tech device, and not a simple router.

At the back are all the ports and control buttons:
1) three connectors for antennas
2) 220V power connection
3) two USB 2.0 ports
4) five gigabit Ethernet ports - 4xLAN and 1xWAN
5) power and reset buttons (holding the reset button for a long time allows you to reset the settings to factory settings)

Traditionally, antennas can be directed in almost any direction.

Below you can find stickers with basic information about the device and holes for attaching the stand. When placed horizontally, the router will not slide - all four legs have rubber tips.

ASUS RT-AC66U on a stand.

In the upper right corner there is the manufacturer's logo in golden letters and the name of the model indicating the main advantage.

At the bottom of the case there are indicator icons that are illuminated by blue LEDs if the corresponding functions are active.

The first time you connect, the network setup wizard starts. We will not focus on it - everything is very clear there and with comments that anyone can follow a few steps.

The first tab shows us the state of the system - whether there is access to the Internet, how many clients are connected, whether there are USB drives, information about your wireless networks.

In the Guest Networks section, you can create up to three networks in each frequency band. You can set a session time limit and isolation from your local network.

Below, in the “Traffic Manager” section, there are QoS rules and you can see a graph of network congestion (Internet, wired network, 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz).

"Parental Control" will allow you to configure a network access schedule for specific MAC addresses.

Finally, it came to USB-ports. Thanks to the ability to connect your drives (supported file systems FAT32, NTFS, EXT2 and EXT3), you can create your own SMB/FTP shares. FTP-resources will help to be available anywhere in the world where there is Internet, using DDNS. You can also install 3G / 4G modems in the ports. In addition, you can raise your own UPnP/DLNA/iTunes server.

AiCloud app for mobile devices under Android control or iOS will also allow you to give access to files on the drive.

Traditional wireless settings. For each range, you can set your own settings.

For one of the ranges, you can set the WPS standard. The router supports a DHCP server with the ability to bind IP to MAC addresses, a built-in UDP proxy, a NAT translation accelerator, multicast support, and the ability to enable Jumbo frames. You can connect to the Internet using PPTP/PPPoE/L2TP. It is possible to configure port forwarding, virtual servers and PPTP/L2TP/RTSP/IPSec traffic. Not without the removal of one machine in the DMZ and relaying PPPoE.
The built-in firewall is able to protect your network from DoS attacks, you can also configure filtering by URLs, keywords and on white and black lists of MAC addresses.
Do not forget about the possibility of installing custom firmware from enthusiasts.

Main technical characteristics:
Network Standard
IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n, IEEE 802.11ac, IEEE 802.3u, IPv4, IPv6

product segment
AC1750 ultimate AC performance; 450+1300Mbps

Data Rate
802.11a: 6,9,12,18,24,36,48,54Mbps
802.11b: 1, 2, 5.5, 11Mbps
802.11g: 6,9,12,18,24,36,48,54Mbps
802.11n: up to 450Mbps
802.11ac: up to 1300Mbps

Antenna
Detachable antenna x 3

operating frequency
2.4G~2.4835GHz /5.1~5.8GHz

Encryption
64-bit WEP, 128-bit WEP, WPA2-PSK, WPA-PSK, WPA-Enterprise, WPA2-Enterprise

Firewall & Access Control
Firewall: SPI intrusion detection,DoS protection
Access control: Parental control, Network service filter, URL filter, Port filter

management
UPnP, DLNA, DNS Proxy, NTP Client, DDNS, Port Triger, Virtual Server, DMZ

VPN Support
IPSec Pass-Throuth
PPTP Pass Through
L2TP Pass Through
PPTP server

WAN Connection Type
Internet connection type: Automatic IP, Static IP, PPPoE(MPPE supported), PPTP, L2TP
Dual Link Support
Multicast proxy support

Utilities
．Download master
- support BT, NZB, HTTP, ED2K
- support encryption, DHT, PEX and magnet link
- upload and download bandwidth control
- download scheduling
．Media server:
Image:JPEG
Audio: mp3, wma, wav, pcm, mp4, lpcm, ogg
Video: asf, avi, divx, mpeg, mpg, ts, vob, wmv, mkv, mov
．QoS:
WMM
User definable rules for IP/MAC/Port. Upload and Download bandwidth management.
ACK/SYN/FIN/RST/ICMP with Highest priority
．Guest network
2.4GHz guest network x 3, 5GHz guest network x 3
．Printer Server: multifunctional printer support(Windows nly), LPR protocol support
．File server: Samba and FTP server with account management
．PPTP VPN server
．Network map
．Traffic monitor

Ports
1 x RJ45 for 10/100/1000 BaseT for WAN, 4 x RJ45 for 10/100/1000 BaseT for LAN, Support Ethernet and 802.3 with max. bit rate 10/100/1000 Mbps and auto cross-over function(MDI-X)
USB 2.0x2

Buttons
WPS Button, Reset Button, Power Button

LED indicators
PWR x 1
LAN x 4
WAN x 1
AIR x 2
USB x 1

Power supply
AC Input: 110V~240V(50~60Hz)
DC Output: 19 V with max. 1.58 A current

Dimensions
207 x 148.8 x 35.5 mm (WxDxH)

The weight
450g

Router Special Features
3G/4G data sharing AiCloud Printer server Download Master AiDisk Multiple SSIDs Parental Control

Testing
For testing, a PC (network cable) and a laptop (over the air, 2.4 GHz) were connected to the ASUS RT-AC66U. A folder with files was shared on the PC and we downloaded it from the laptop and then uploaded it back. The download and upload speeds reached 21195 KB/s and 19299 KB/s respectively.

By increasing the buffer size, it was possible to achieve a data transfer rate of 336 Mbps.

Then a second laptop was connected (over the air, 2.4 GHz). In this test, files were transferred from one laptop to another. The download speed reached 10144 KB / s, and the return - 10097 KB / s.

Transfer rate via network cable as expected, top notch.

Conclusion
The ASUS RT-AC66U router boasts excellent speed performance, many options for building and configuring a network, and the ability to install custom firmware. Only the price can scare off ordinary users, but they don’t need such a fancy device that is well worth the money.
Of the minuses can be identified:
- not very fast operation of the standard firmware interface (not critical for professionals - custom firmware already starting to appear)
- rather strong heating during operation (measurement was made in the Asuswrt-Merlin firmware, the temperature in the load was up to 65 degrees).
But these negative aspects do not affect the performance, so there are currently no equal ASUS RT-AC66U.

Can you imagine life without Wi-Fi? I remember the times when there were no such things in the house, and the Internet was not as cool then as it is now. And today only caves (not all) are left without Wi-Fi. And the functionality of the network is already a little more than just connecting the router to the WWW for a computer and smartphone. Now you can watch TV from the Web, play a movie from a laptop to the same TV through a router, view pictures there ... And, for example, the same Airdrop is an awesome topic in practice. And it all happens quickly and, most importantly, conveniently! If you are one of those who need a cool and powerful solution in the field of home networking, I invite you to get acquainted with the router from Asus - RT-AC66U. It was he who crept into our office in order to make life more convenient and speed up some work processes.

First Impressions

I didn't give at all special significance routers until recently. Over the past couple of years, the visit of guests began to be actively accompanied by requests to connect to Wi-Fi, the number of devices at home increased, and network requirements began to grow. Here you can’t get away with the cheapest, especially when six people rush in to visit and everyone urgently needs it. Yes, and for yourself it's nice to have a good device. Well, what can I say, the router has never caused me much enthusiasm against the background of smartphones or tablets, for example. But the latest ASUS (and I have been using them at home for a long time) are very pleasing both functionally and externally. If from other manufacturers you most often received a white box with a pack of light bulbs, then ASUS has a beautiful case that easily fits into a modern interior.

If we talk about the box (packaging), then there is nothing new for ASUS - black cardboard, completely dotted with information about the product on all sides. Here you can read everything key features of this device. Inside the box - the router itself, three antennas, a power supply, a short Ethernet cable, a leg for vertical installation, a manual and a couple of disks. Do not be alarmed if you do not have a drive left, in our time, disks are no longer really needed there. When you turn on the router for the first time, by connecting to a computer via Ethernet, you can easily get to the modem through a browser and perform basic setup with hints for the inexperienced. It is not necessary to call a specialist specially grown in greenhouse conditions. The router itself differs from its predecessor only in the color of the logo. As it is now fashionable, gold. True, when the model went on sale, gold smartphones were only rumors (except for a couple of designer copies).

Design, buttons...

I don’t know about you, but I like the design of ASUS routers much more than competitors. In any case, equipped external antennas. Such a router will not become a stain in a modern home or office. In case this moment is critical for someone, ASUS is well prepared. At the same time, the device turned out to be quite flexible in terms of placement. In terms of size, the case turned out, in my opinion, to be standard - 207 x 148.8 x 35.5 mm, weight - 450 grams. The front side is covered with a textured lid with a "cubic" pattern and with a panel stylized as a tree on top. On the same panel, the router model is written and the golden ASUS logo is placed.

On the back: mounts for three antennas, WPS button, four Ethernet ports, WAN port, Reset button, two USB port 2.0, power button and power connector. There are no surprises in the placement, only access to the WPS button will be limited if a cable is plugged into the last Ethernet port. The rest of the place (bottom, sides) is covered with perforations for heat dissipation. Silvery radiators are visible through it. The device gets a little warm, especially the antenna mounts. But the case is not hot, but warm. So the cooling works as it should.

The placement of the router will largely be responsible for the temperature regime. The kit includes a leg that can be attached to the "back" of the device to position it vertically. If you "put" it, then nothing will interfere with the removal of heat. You can also hang it on the wall or just put it on the table - at the bottom of the case there is a mount and four rubber feet. It’s a matter of taste, but I wouldn’t place a router on the table - blinking blue diodes, of course, look cool, but they distract from work.

AC, Dual Band, Streaming…

… or a bit about technology. If you've been following the evolution of WiFi technology, then you remember exactly and know the meaning of the letters a/b/g/n. Now the latest custom standard is AC. It appeared a long time ago and has been tested for a long time, but it is not yet available to the end user everywhere. Looking around our office, you can count devices that support AC on the fingers of one hand ( Macbook Air 2013, samsung galaxy note 3, motherboard in MegaPC with external antenna). The iPhone 5s didn't get AC support, for example.

The biggest difference between AC and N for mere mortals will be the data rate. Using AC, you can theoretically get speeds up to 1.3 gigabits per second, unlike 450 for N. And this works in the 5 GHz, not 2.4 GHz bands. In practice, there is a lot of noise (interference) in the 2.4 GHz band, because most consumer routers (and microwaves with them) operate in these latitudes. 5 GHz is aimed at solving these problems, although they have a slightly shorter range. Our office space is covered without any difficulty. But in real conditions, the user will not receive the entire declared speed, because part of the channel is allocated for encryption and other technical needs.

Ask why all this is needed if N is still pulling? N may also pull, but its capabilities are also limited. Given the growth in the volume of content transmitted within the network (video streaming, file transfer, etc.) and the increase in connected devices, increasing the bandwidth of the wireless network will soon become not a whim, but a necessity. Let now many say "took on growth", but in the end they will not lose. Moreover, a lot (in our case, 300 thousand) devices can be connected to such routers at the same time. And with this ton of devices, thanks to the development of technology, all family members will be able to simultaneously google, stream a movie on TV and, for example, play games using In-Home Streaming. In this case, no one will experience any problems with the network.

In the future, AC will still be replaced by the already existing AD and AS drafts, which can transmit 7 and 20 Gbit, respectively, but until then, you still need to make fun of AC. There is still plenty of time.

Admin Interface

Previously, I often saw admin panels on routers that somehow reminded me of the settings menu in Windows phone. In order to find the desired item of any setting, it was necessary to miss a couple of times and go to “Oh! Not here!" (With). I liked the ASUS approach in this regard. Considering that I am not the most advanced user of such devices, I found the main thing that I needed in a matter of seconds. There are hints for everything, and even in Russian. A couple of screenshots will tell you everything.

RT-AC66U in practice

I have been working in the office for a week now, connected to the Internet using a new router. As you can imagine, office buildings are teeming with different networks and sources of interference. Despite this, the router gave me Wi-Fi even where I didn’t really need it. For example, if you look directly, from the router to the built-in cafe in our business center about 35-40 meters and 5 pieces of walls. So in this cafe, speedtest.net showed me the results no worse than in the office. I made 4 test measurements: near the router, at a distance of 5 meters from it, at the farthest point of our studio (neighboring room through two walls, 15 meters from the router) and in the aforementioned cafe. The signal ranged from -33 to -79 dBm. Unfortunately, our ISP's connection speed is not high enough to appreciate all the advantages of AC, so we tried another test.

My 2012 MacBook doesn't support AC but does have Gigabit Ethernet. MegaPC Seeds has already received a new motherboard with a new generation receiver. So we decided to evaluate the speed of data transfer within the network. The MacBook was connected via Ethernet, the distance between the router and the MegaPC was more than 3 meters (I will return to this later), and we tried to transfer to each other large files and evaluate the transfer rate. So, the file copying speed slightly exceeded 47 MB / s (376 Mbps). As explained to us Technical Specialist Asus, this is an acceptable result. By the way, the same test on the N-router showed 10 MB / s. You also need to consider that at a very close distance between the router and the client, the speed may be lower. It is worth keeping a distance of 3-5 meters.

But at home, people still more often just use the Internet and almost do not transfer files over the network. On my home provider, I decided to test the router. The connection speed declared by the provider is 100/100 Mbps. Over Ethernet, you can get a result close to the declared one - ~ 92/92. My cheap home router (2.4 GHz, N) usually gives out 45/35 through a couple of walls, but the ASUS RT-AC66U easily showed the maximum possible. For the sake of experiment, I tried to place the router and laptop at the most distant points from each other and measure the speed. As it turned out, a two-room apartment (about 60 square meters) in a brick house would be too small to test the capabilities of the 5 GHz band - everywhere in the apartment the test results showed the highest possible numbers. Although there were drops in the 2.4 GHz band. Moreover, in the parking lot under the house, where the iPhone 5 usually no longer sees the signal from my router, the signal from the subject was good enough to show a speed of 31/6 Mbps. After the experiments, I sharply wanted to change the router at home, but as soon as possible.

Opportunities and frills

Over time, the functionality that routers had was not enough for people. Just maintaining the network is no longer enough, now the router should almost walk the dog (at least twice a day!). Actually, routers have already developed enough to download files to flash drives and restrict children on the Internet at the request of their parents. The main features are as follows:

AiCloud - access to the drive connected to the router from mobile devices (iOS and Android).
DLNA support - easy connection and streaming of media content on the network.
Download Master - the router can download files from the Web, and for this it does not need a computer.
Parental control - parental control, which can limit and control the child's activity on the Web.
Wireless printers - the ability to connect a printer and send prints to it via Wi-Fi.
AiRadar is a technology that provides the best job network with the client.
Guest network - guest networks.
AiDisk - the ability to turn external drive in FTP.

Additional accessories

Naturally, one router will not be enough to switch to new standards. To achieve the highest speed performance, you need to upgrade computers. But it's not the cheapest option, right? In a desktop, you can install a PCI Express card ASUS PCE-AC66, for example. But if your desktop is still under warranty and you don't want to bother with the service and once again open the computer, you can use the ASUS USB-AC53 adapter. It can also be connected to a laptop that does not support AC. Included with this adapter are stands and mounts for convenient location of the accessory.

Conclusions and personal impressions

Having used the ASUS RT-AC66U router at home, I realized how wrong I was in choosing a router earlier. In the office, I did not notice a big difference, because the connection speed there is still less. At home, signal reception has not changed, but the change in data transfer rate is very noticeable. Moreover, this affects not only the speed of downloading files, but also the game processes. And this is not to mention the sharply increased comfort for all the inhabitants and guests of the house. A simple request to send a film, for example, via Airdrop, already takes half the time. And about the synchronization of the iPhone / iPad with iTunes, I generally keep quiet. Although I am not silent - even if the process does not happen instantly, but the increase in speed within the network is strongly felt.

You will also have to pay not so little for such pleasure. If a simple router costs $25, then for a strong ASUS RT-AC66U you already need to pay $160. The difference, of course, is significant, but judge for yourself: the network will get more opportunities; by connecting a drive and a printer to the router, you can exchange files and send documents to the printer without an extra cord. Moreover, with the latest ASUS features, you can also raise your own cloud with files. When the provider starts having problems with the Network, and this will happen at the most inopportune moment, with via USB you can easily connect and configure the "whistle" with 3G and continue to work calmly. And let the price bite, but you will need to pay once for the next four years. And given the rich feature set, with a theoretical throughput of 1.75 Gbps, it won't be a waste of money.