I'm still in the process of evaluating this router, so I anticipate making updates going forward. But here are my impressions based on 1 month of in-service performance.
The Pros:
The router is relatively easy to setup, and yet does not dumb things down to the point where advanced users cannot customize or tweak settings. The radio signal strength and coverage has so far been excellent, and having 2 5GHz bands is a huge plus. I have numerous IoT devices (chiefly IP cameras) in my home, and the AC3200 handles the bandwidth apportionment deftly - significantly improving throughput over my older linksys dual-band router. Dropouts are rare.
The router also allows you to create several "guest" networks - ideal for visitors or SOHO clients. By merely going through the setup process, the Asus allows you to separate LAN subnets with a check of a box - previously, I had to setup manual firewall rules on my DD-WRT flashed router, so this was a very nice and convenient feature.
Construction of the unit is heavy duty and it appears to be very well made. It is also a large, heavy monster, so find a nice stable place to put it. Port forwarding is very easy and logically arranged, as are most of the menu options. The software for this router is feature rich. It also has network monitoring functionality to prevent DDOS attacks and malware.
I had a strange problem during setup of this router where the wireless radios would not click on, and I called tech support fearing I had a bad unit. Tech support was surprisingly good, and a hard reset solved the problem - nice to know that you have good telephone support if you need it - it is a rare commodity nowadays.
The Cons:
I have had one occasion so far where the wireless radios have flicked themselves off. In that case, I was having an issue with a NAS device and had thought that by disconnecting the problem unit and rebooting that would clear my problem. It did, sort of, but for some reason the Asus decided to disable the wireless even after multiple reboots. If you run into this problem, go to the "Wireless" section of the menu, then select the "Professional" tab, and click "Enable Radio" for each of the bands. I am still puzzled as to why this happened, but am attributing it for now to a software glitch.
The original problem I had with the wireless during setup which necessitated a call to tech support started when I started using the setup wizard, realized I wanted to do a custom advanced setup, and then backtracked. This horked basically everything (which it shouldn't have). I went through the entire setup process, rebooted, and the wireless would not activate no matter what I did. This could only be solved by doing a hard reset, and starting the process over again, this time taking care to begin with the custom, manual advanced setup. Again, another quirky bug that disabled wireless.
I will update as my impressions of the unit continue to evolve, but for now I would give it 4-4.5 stars.
Update 1:
The unit has a built-in VPN which is really nice for connecting to your home network from remote locations. This enables you to connect via secure encrypted connection to the router VPN, and from there, you can access internal "privileged" locations.
The other really amazing feature I didn't realize it had when I bought it, is a traffic analyzer! With it, you can assess device and connection traffic, inbound or outbound. You can also parse by application type. It's great for determining which devices and connections are sucking bandwidth, or for monitoring your SOHO LAN for intrusions.
Update 2:
I've been please enough with the consistent performance and reliability of this unit to upgrade my rating to 5 stars.
Update 3:
I've had a chance to use the VPN now several times over the last few months, and have found it to be excellent. Rock solid, and very easy to setup and use. Mac users can connect using the OVPN file generated by Asus router during VPN setup and a free copy of Tunnelblick.
Update 4:
Still going strong and performing reliably in a SOHO setting for 18 months. Regular firmware updates have improved the reliability of the unit. I'm pleased that Asus has done such a good job of supporting their equipment.
Update 5:
I really appreciate ASUS's commitment to ongoing firmware support. The unit has only gotten more stable with each update. Excellent job ASUS, I would definitely by more networking products from you.
| RAM | 256 MB |
|---|---|
| Wireless Type | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac |
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 1 |
| Number of USB 3.0 Ports | 1 |
