ASUS is looking to raise their visibility in the wireless router space, and offered to send me a unit to test out and provide my feedback. Here is my review of the ASUS RT-N53.
Setup
The last wireless router I had to set up was the cheap Netgear router that Comcast provided me free of charge last year. Setup of the RT-N53 was leagues better than the setup on that Netgear product. (Not a slight of Netgear, but more a reflection on how router setup UIs have improved in general.) All the required settings were very easy to find, and every element had useful scrollover help info to describe any settings I wasn't sure of.
One of the nicest things about the ASUS product is the different modes available. It's easy to switch it from a true router to a wireless access point or signal repeater. In the past, this was always a fairly complicated process, but in the case of the RT-N53, it's a piece of cake.
Another nice feature is the separate SSIDs for the 2.4 and 5GHz bands. I was able to quickly set up separate SSIDs and passwords to make sure that I kept the 5GHz band as clean as possible, and also to ensure I was connecting to the right SSID depending on the capability of the devices in question.
I should add that I did have some minor difficulties in setup, but they were not related to the ASUS product itself, but a consequence of my Uverse gateway setup. I had to jump through a few configuration hoops there for it to work properly.
Connecting
I've had no issues connecting and keeping a connection with any of the many devices in my home. This includes a Boxee Box, a Notebook, 2 smart phones, and a PS3. The router is located on the ground floor in my house and I have no coverage problems whatsoever. In comparison to my previous wireless solution, the Uverse gateway, I am having fewer problems connecting and staying connected. The Uverse gateway had occasional issues with connection, especially with the 2 smart phones in the house. I am seeing solid connections to the ASUS RT-N53.
Streaming Performance
I know on this board, this is the important question. I have approximately 200 DVD ISO rips stored on my Windows 7 PC, and about a dozen BluRay rips on my new UNRAID server currently running through NFS. Connecting my Boxee to the network through its internal wireless adapter to the ASUS RT-N53, I was able to easily stream my DVD ISO rips through SMB. I tested about a dozen of my DVD rips, including the Batman Begins ISO, which has proven to be one of the most demanding SD rips I have available. The ASUS had no problems serving these SD rips wirelessly.
Next, I tested my BD rips from my NFS UNRAID server, including the Dark Knight, Scott Pilgrim, and The Matrix. As I expected, these did NOT perform well wirelessly. The true bottleneck is likely the built-in Boxee Box wireless adapter, which is 2.4GHz single band, and generally considered a poor wireless adapter. Frankly, I did not have any expectations of solid BD streaming through wireless. The consensus is that wireless is rarely capable of streaming high bit-rate HD content. By way of comparison, I can stream the same rips through HPNA networking flawlessly.
I would like to set up a better wireless bridge to test the true strength of the RT-N53, but I currently do not have a second router to do so. If I should get this capability in the future, I will re-test.
General Speed Tests
I also ran a few minor speed tests just to ensure I was getting my fastest possible internet speeds through the ASUS RT-N53. All devices tested had no issues connecting at my normal maximum speed through a wired connection. My internet speed is 18MBps and I averaged around 15-16 on all devices, which matches my usual wired speeds.
I also tested a few file transfers, and the ASUS router did a fine job in this respect as well. A 6 GB file took under 10 minutes to transfer wirelessly through Windows.
Overall Impressions
I must say I am very impressed with the performance of this router given its price point. It can currently be had for around $70 on Newegg. This is an excellent price for a router with these capabilities. Due to its easy setup as a repeater or AP, it's also a sweet price spot to improve coverage in your home or to get wired device onto your network wirelessly. I cannot, however, recommend this as a solution to stream HD content. Most on this board will tell you to avoid wireless if you want to stream such content in any case.
Feel free to ask any questions, and I'll do my best to answer.
Setup
The last wireless router I had to set up was the cheap Netgear router that Comcast provided me free of charge last year. Setup of the RT-N53 was leagues better than the setup on that Netgear product. (Not a slight of Netgear, but more a reflection on how router setup UIs have improved in general.) All the required settings were very easy to find, and every element had useful scrollover help info to describe any settings I wasn't sure of.
One of the nicest things about the ASUS product is the different modes available. It's easy to switch it from a true router to a wireless access point or signal repeater. In the past, this was always a fairly complicated process, but in the case of the RT-N53, it's a piece of cake.
Another nice feature is the separate SSIDs for the 2.4 and 5GHz bands. I was able to quickly set up separate SSIDs and passwords to make sure that I kept the 5GHz band as clean as possible, and also to ensure I was connecting to the right SSID depending on the capability of the devices in question.
I should add that I did have some minor difficulties in setup, but they were not related to the ASUS product itself, but a consequence of my Uverse gateway setup. I had to jump through a few configuration hoops there for it to work properly.
Connecting
I've had no issues connecting and keeping a connection with any of the many devices in my home. This includes a Boxee Box, a Notebook, 2 smart phones, and a PS3. The router is located on the ground floor in my house and I have no coverage problems whatsoever. In comparison to my previous wireless solution, the Uverse gateway, I am having fewer problems connecting and staying connected. The Uverse gateway had occasional issues with connection, especially with the 2 smart phones in the house. I am seeing solid connections to the ASUS RT-N53.
Streaming Performance
I know on this board, this is the important question. I have approximately 200 DVD ISO rips stored on my Windows 7 PC, and about a dozen BluRay rips on my new UNRAID server currently running through NFS. Connecting my Boxee to the network through its internal wireless adapter to the ASUS RT-N53, I was able to easily stream my DVD ISO rips through SMB. I tested about a dozen of my DVD rips, including the Batman Begins ISO, which has proven to be one of the most demanding SD rips I have available. The ASUS had no problems serving these SD rips wirelessly.
Next, I tested my BD rips from my NFS UNRAID server, including the Dark Knight, Scott Pilgrim, and The Matrix. As I expected, these did NOT perform well wirelessly. The true bottleneck is likely the built-in Boxee Box wireless adapter, which is 2.4GHz single band, and generally considered a poor wireless adapter. Frankly, I did not have any expectations of solid BD streaming through wireless. The consensus is that wireless is rarely capable of streaming high bit-rate HD content. By way of comparison, I can stream the same rips through HPNA networking flawlessly.
I would like to set up a better wireless bridge to test the true strength of the RT-N53, but I currently do not have a second router to do so. If I should get this capability in the future, I will re-test.
General Speed Tests
I also ran a few minor speed tests just to ensure I was getting my fastest possible internet speeds through the ASUS RT-N53. All devices tested had no issues connecting at my normal maximum speed through a wired connection. My internet speed is 18MBps and I averaged around 15-16 on all devices, which matches my usual wired speeds.
I also tested a few file transfers, and the ASUS router did a fine job in this respect as well. A 6 GB file took under 10 minutes to transfer wirelessly through Windows.
Overall Impressions
I must say I am very impressed with the performance of this router given its price point. It can currently be had for around $70 on Newegg. This is an excellent price for a router with these capabilities. Due to its easy setup as a repeater or AP, it's also a sweet price spot to improve coverage in your home or to get wired device onto your network wirelessly. I cannot, however, recommend this as a solution to stream HD content. Most on this board will tell you to avoid wireless if you want to stream such content in any case.
Feel free to ask any questions, and I'll do my best to answer.
