ASUS RT-N66U Dual-Band Wireless-N900 Gigabit Router

by Asus

• 3 x Detachable antenna for 2.4GHz/5GHz with peak gain 3dBi/ 5dBi
• IPv6 support; VPN Server Support
• 802.11n: up to 450Mbps ; 802.11a/g: up to 54Mbps; 802.11b: up to 11Mbps
• Supports Ethernet and 802.3 with max. bit rate 10/100/1000 Mbps
• 4 x LAN ports for 10/100/1000 BaseT
• 2 x USB2.0 support got Printer sharing or HDD sharing

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 11 x 14 x 3.5 inches ; 1.8 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B006QB1RPY
• Item model number: RT-N66U
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (837 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8 in Computers & Accessories (See Top 100 in Computers & Accessories)
  • #2 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Routers
  • #7 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Networking Products
• Date first available at Amazon.com: December 22, 2011

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

RT-N66U Dual-Band Wireless-N900 Router

Incredible Performance with Incredible Control

From the Black Diamond series that brought the world's most powerful router, the RT-N56U,¹ The ASUS RT-N66U dual-band wireless-N900 gigabit router delivers incredible performance and coverage range. With ASUSWRT, quickly setup your network, customize user access, and monitor signal strength. Following the award-winning RT-N56U, the RT-N66U increases Wi-Fi speed for both 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz transmission by 50% up to 900Mbps that makes it ideal for bandwidth demanding tasks such as HD video steaming, multiplayer gaming, USB hard drive file sharing, and USB connected printer sharing. Built-in Wi-Fi amplifiers make the RT-N66U the perfect wireless router for larger, multi-level homes and buildings with signal range that reaches virtually any area.

Whether you're a tech-savvy enthusiast or a first-time user, the RT-N66U is exceptional easy to use with CD-free, Quick Installation Setup (QIS) that lets you plug-n-surf right out of the box and connect PCs, smartphones, tablets, and other wireless devices quickly. Thanks to its refined interface tools, you get control like never before, letting you monitor signal strength, setup parental settings, and other useful functions in a robust yet intuitive way.

Learn More

Designed for Class-Leading Speed and Range

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Designed with the latest in networking technology, the RT-N66U delivers exceptionally fast wired and wireless connectivity. What's more, it comes with a powerful detachable Wi-Fi antenna to further extend wireless range.

Dual-Band Connectivity for Lag-Free Entertainment

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Delivering both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz concurrent bands up to 450Mbps and 450Mbps respectively, the RT-N66U has a total speed of up to 900Mbps connectivity to provide speed with stability. Perform basic internet tasks like Web browsing and file downloading under the 2.4 GHz band, whil e also simultaneously streaming HD content and other demanding applications smoothly on the 5 GHz band.

Optimized and Reliable Wireless Coverage via Ai Radar

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ASUS Ai Radar intelligently strengthens connections to wireless devices. With high-powered amplification and beam forming, it provides optimized signals in any direction with better coverage to improve data throu ghput.

Easy Setup Through Your Tablet, Smartphone, or PC

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With the RT-N66U, setup is simple. Simply power and connect the router and then open a bowser on a Wi-Fi-enabled device like a laptop o r tablet. You will be taken to a setup page with a prompt to enter the ID/password listed in your manual and that's it! Now setting up your net work is easier than ever.

Powerful functions, easiest management

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With the ASUSWRT Dashboard UI, setup, monitor, and control network applications all in one intuitive area. The whole new dashboard interface lets you manage all clients and settings on a single graphic al interface and provides 1-click updates.

Optimize Your Network for You

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Do you game a lot, or spend most of your time streaming videos? Whatever your planned use is, the RT-N66U has a Quality of Service (QoS) that lets you select how much bandwidth is prioritized for virtually any task. Plus, the traffic monitor allows you to check your Web usage in a clear and graphical interface.

Two Multi-Functional Built-in USB ports

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Featuring connectivity to devices, FTPs, SAMBA, UPnP AV servers, and DLNA support, the RT-N66U makes sharing and networking easier with two built-in USB ports. Download HTTP, FTP, and P2P files to a router-connected USB storage device all day a nd without a PC. Additionally, the twin USB ports allow for networked printer and file server connections, so you perform multiple tasks at on ce.

Key Features

• 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Concurrent Dual-Band Transmissions for b Signal Strength and Ultra-Fast Connection Rates up to 900Mbps (Learn more)
• Gigabit Ethernet Ports for the Fastest, Most Reliable Internet Performance (Learn more)
• Download Master for Wireless Data Storage and Access to Router-Connected USB Storage Devices (Learn more)
• Expanded Wireless Coverage with Detachable High-Powered Antennas (Learn more)
• File Sharing, Printer Sharing, and 3G Sharing via Multi-Function Twin USB Ports (Learn more)
• IPv6 enabled for future proof Web surfing compatibility
• ASUSWRT for Easy Setup, Signal Monitoring, and Network Appli cation Control (Learn more)

Specifications

Hardware

• Processor: Broadcom 470 @ 600MHz
• RAM: 256MB DDR2
• Flash: 32MB Flash + Micro SD slot
• WAN: 1 x Gigabit Ethernet or USB 3G/4G dongle
• LAN: 4 x Gigabit Ethernet
• USB: 2 x USB 2.0 ports
• Antenna: 3 x external detachable for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz
• Dimensions: 207 x 148.8 x35.5 (L x W x H)
• Power Supply: AC Input: 100~240Vac/1.2A 50~60Hz
• DC Output: 19V/ 1.58A
• Buttons: WPS Button, Reset Button, Power Button

Wireless Features

• Frequency: 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz (concurrent)
• Data Rate: 802.11n (2.4 GHz & 5 GHz) up to 450Mbps; 802.11a/g up to 54Mbps; 802.11b up to 11Mbps
• Output Power: High po wer: 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz (user adjustable); 802.11n 17~26 dBm; 802.11g 17~26 dBm; 802.11b up to 26 dBm
• Encryption: 64/128 bit WEP , WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK, WPA-Enterprise, WPA2-Enterprise
• Authentication: Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS & PIN)

Software

• Network Protocol: Automatic IP, Static IP, PPPoE (MPPE support), PPTP, L2TP IPv4, IPv6
• DHCP: Server, Cl ient, DHCP, Client list, IP and MAC binding
• QoS: WMM, User definable rule for IP/MAC, Port, Protocol, upload and download band width management
• Port Forwarding: Port forward, Port Trigger, UPnP, DMZ
• Dynamic DNS: ASUS DDNS, DynDNS, TZO, Z ONEEDIT
• NAT Pass through: IPSec, PPTP, L2TP, RTSP pass through, PPPoE relay
• Firewall: NAT and SPI, intrusion detection, DoS protect, Port filter, MAC filter
• Access Control: Parental controls, MAC filter, Network service filter, URL fil ter
• Management: Network map, Traffic monitor, Performance tuning, Telnet server, System log
• Operation Mode: Rou ter Mode, AP Mode
• Download Master: Support BT, NZB, HTTP, FTP, E2DK download; Support encryption: DHT, PEX and Magnet Link; Upl oad and download bandwidth control; Download scheduling
• DLNA Server: Image: JPEG; Audio: MP3, WMA, WAV, PCM, MP4, LPCM, OGG; Vi deo: ASF, AVI, DIVX, MP2P, MPEG, MPG, TS, VOB, WMV, MKV, MOV
• Printer Server: Multifunctional printer support
• Fil e Server: Samba server & FTP server with account management
• VPN Server: PPTP VPN server

What's in the Box

• RT-N66U Dual-Band Wireless-N900 Router
• RJ-45 Cable
• Support C D (User Manual and Utility Software)
• Power Adapter
• Warranty Card
• Quick Start Guide

	RT-N53	RT-N56U	RT-N66U
Performance
Wireless	Dual Band Wireless N
Frequency	2.4 GHz/ 5 GHz
Antenna	2 x  2.4 GHz / 5 GHz internal	2 x  2.4 GHz/ 5 GHz internal	3 x 2.4 GHz/ 5 GHz detachable external
		1 x 5 GHz internal
LAN	10/100 LAN	Gigabit	Gigabit
USB 2.0 ports	0	2	2
Max Data Range	300Mbps	300Mbps	450Mbps
Coverage Range (estimated)	300ft	360ft	450ft
Unique Features
CD-Free Installation	X	X	X
ASUSWRT (Graphical User Interface)	X	X	X
EZ QoS	X	X	X
Ai Radar		X	X
USB Print Sharing Support		X	X
Ai Desk		X	X
Key Features
URL Filter	X	X	X
Real-time Traffic Monitoring	X	X	X
DLNA Support	X	X	X
Parental Control	X	X	X
Multi-SSID	X		X
Wall Mount Support	X		X
IPv6 Support

Product Description

Introducing the ASUS RT-N66U Dual Band N900 Ultra Fast Wireless Router. With 3 x detachable R-SMA type antenna, 50% wider coverage than standard N SPEC, VPN Server function enable and IPv6 support ASUS RT-N66U is a true Business class router yet affordable from regular consumers.Support IPv6.2 years parts and labor warranty.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

The manufacturer commented on the review below

309 of 321 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars After initial release problems, which have been resolved, this is hands-down the best WiFi access point on the market. January 17, 2012

By Craig M. Hamm

Well, as mentioned in another review, the firmware in the initial shipment of these (3.0.0.3.72) is broken. Not buggy, not unstable, but broken. You CANNOT connect to the Internet with the factory firmware, at least in the initial release. I purchased one, returned it in exchange for another one, and the second one had the exact same problem. As discussed on this here: [...]

You must manually enter a URL [...] then change to a language other than English, then update the firmware. (The current version from the ASUS website is 3.0.0.3.90 as of 1/13/2012) Of course, that means you need to download the firmware first, since you can't connect to the Internet with the factory firmware. And of course, a router is required for most people to access the Internet, so... well, you can see where I'm going with this.

After the firmware update, things were much better. I had the Internet connection set up in a few minutes, and the speed was unbelievable. Certainly the fastest consumer wireless on the market right now. It has nice features, like 6 different SSIDs for guest networks (3 for each band.) You can choose whether or not to give those networks access to your primary network, and since you can set up multiple SSIDs, you can have different settings for each. It also has parental controls, good QoS, a VPN server and some other nice features. It supports Zoneedit for dynamic DNS, so I was pretty happy about that. (Neither the Cisco or the Linksys models I have tried do.)

One feature that's present in the Linksys E4200, but not on this router, is an SSL web GUI. I work in IT, and it bothers me administering my firewall over plaintext HTTP. Probably not that big a deal to home users, but I don't think it's that difficult to implement an HTTPS server for the admin GUI. It also makes this unit completely unsuited for deployment in a business environment, where security is paramount. I'm hopeful that it'll be in a future firmware update. I could probably use this router for a lot of small-business clients.

As far as wireless range goes, this blows away both the Cisco E4200v1 and the Netgear WNDR3800, both of which I tested in the same placement as this one. I get full signal in all corners of my house, which isn't too big, but both the Netgear and Cisco routers got medium signal in the corners of my house. I have 5 wireless devices and 6 wired devices, and speed thus far has not been a problem. I stream video without drops and file transfers are quick. No complaints.

I really wish ASUS hadn't made the error of shipping this with broken firmware. They will undoubtedly have a return rate nearing 100% until they get the new firmware on shipping units. Had it not been for this, I would easily give this product 5 stars. If it had HTTPS on the GUI, I'd say it's a perfect device.

UPDATE 10/12/2012
So they fixed the firmware issue within a couple weeks of release. Now, they've released a firmware upgrade that adds HTTPS functionality. I'm upgrading my review to five stars!

UPDATE 11/16/2012
I changed the title of the review, because, other than price, there is no longer any reason not to buy this product. It is the best wireless access point on the market, save for the new ASUS RT-AC66U, which is just an updated version of this product. (New radio, supports a new standard that nobody uses yet.) I don't use it as a router, so I can't qualify those features, but as far as range, features and consistent connectivity, you can't beat this product at any price.

The manufacturer commented on this review (What's this?)

ASUS Support saysJanuary 18, 2012

Dear Valued Customer,

Thank you for your feedback regarding the RT-N66u and for informing other users of this firmware issue. We are aware of the issue some users may be facing with firmware 3.0.0.3.72 and are working to have 3.0.0.3.90 installed in future shipments.

For users that have not installed the latest firmware, type http://192.168.1.1 into a web browser and enter your username and password if you have one, or enter the default username "admin" and password "admin" all lower case and without the quotations. Proceed to Advance Settings->Administration->Firmware Upgrade. Click "Check" and the router will find the latest firmware and prompt for permission to install. If this feature is not working, add the file manually from your computer.

For the latest firmware: http://www.asus.com/Networks/Wireless_Routers/RTN66U/#download
Please note it is recommended to perform the firmware update with an ethernet LAN connection between the computer.

For further questions or comments regarding the RT-N66u, please contact us at [e-mail]

Best Regards,

Asus Networking Support
812-282-2787
http://vip.asus.com/eservice/techserv.aspx

127 of 132 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid router, AWESOME range, READ FOR ENGLISH FIRMWARE CONFIG HELP! January 19, 2012

By Bryan Lynch

Amazon Verified Purchase

I got my shiny new RT-N66U today from Amazon.

I do networking for a living and figured even though I'd seen reports of the shipping factory firmware being broken in English mode, it would be no problem.

WHAT A PAIN!!!!!!!!!!! Come on Asus!!!!

The short and sweet version of how to get your router up and running with 3.0.0.3.72:

*Download 3.0.0.3.90 firmware from [...]
*Extract RT-N66U_3.0.0.3_90.trx to somewhere on your computer
*Log in to 192.168.1.1 (User:admin Pass:admin)
*Complete the initial setup wizard using any info you want. Just GET THROUGH IT. It will display a broken page at the end.
*Enter 192.168.1.1 in your web browser
*Click on "Administration" on the left
*Click on "Firmware Upgrade" on the top tab
*Switch the language box in the top-right-hand corner from "English" to something else. I used French.
*Upload RT-N66U_3.0.0.3_90.trx
***WAIT FOR IT TO FINISH***
*When it's complete, choose "English" again from the language drop-down.
*Go back to 192.168.1.1 and complete your initial router configuration.

The good news is that after I got 3.0.0.3.90 on the router all seems to be running smoothly.

I was replacing an ASUS RT-N56U and I have found so far:

*SIGNIFICANTLY better range on both 2.4 and 5ghz bands (Maybe 3-6db increase at an 80ft distance)

I'm hoping that when I get a wireless adapter that supports 450Mbps that I'll be able to see the huge difference.

I like the way it physically looks (Like some type of network Samurai device) and I love that I can swap out the antennas as I see fit. It looks pretty bad-ass actually.

It's been running smooth for a day now.

The specs on this thing are awesome. I just can't believe that Asus would let it ship out with severely broken English firmware. Oh well that's what I get for buying a product the day it's released lol.

The bottom line is that if you're into this kind of technology, the initial configuration pain shouldn't be a huge deterrent to you. Third-party Broadcom firmware support will be abundant for this router soon. There are already a few releases out there for you to try like TomatoUSB.

The 2.4ghz range increase was noticeable for me. 5ghz was also increased, but still has a smaller range footprint than the 2.4ghz band.

If you are not comfortable with this kind of work, maybe wait a few months for Asus to ship some units out with the firmware upgraded for you.

I would have given this router 5 stars if it wasn't for the shipping firmware bug. Asus, you get 4 stars for making me work.

Update to come in a few weeks of operation.

Update 1/19/12: Just using the built-in wifi radio on my Samsung Galaxy S2, I was able to use my router nearly a block away from my house on 2.4ghz. The router is near a window and this was almost line-of-sight.

I plan on playing with the DLNA features in the next day or two. I'll post how that goes.

So far so good! Love it!

Update 1/23/12: I've been busy the last few days but I wanted to check in and say that this router has been running 100% rock solid and the wifi range increase has been DRAMATIC for me. I love the looks and function of this unit and plan on recommending it to any friend who asks.

Pick one up, you'll love it.

104 of 108 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great performance, solid build quality, loaded with latest features and IPv6 support January 19, 2012

By Eurodude in NJ

Edit 2 (2012-02-25). Here is an update now that I have owned it a while (5 1/2 weeks):
1. FYI Asus is releasing firmware version 102 on Monday (those who have been able to get a hold of that version in the meantime said it works great and has resolved the few issues that remained, which affected some users, depending on which advanced features they needed).
They have been very quick, compared to other networking companies especially, to release new firmware after getting bug reports and working on the fixes ([...]).

2. As an update, my RT-N66U has been up (without a reboot) and running stably since I first configured it 5 1/2 weeks ago. (It does get rebooted to load the new firmware of course, just like a Windows PC needs a reboot after installing updates).

3. No wifi disconnects to date!

4. Smallnetbuilder.com has posted test results and it is, as of now (February 25 2012), their top performing router in terms of wireless (wifi) performance overall. It performed great in the far locations that no other N900 router could get a signal.
It beats my prior router (E4200 v1) handily in overall wifi, with a nice boost in the far locations as noted by Tim as well.

Original (January) Review, including an associated edit about the power button):
Edit to add a tip - For anyone who thinks their unit is DOA, be sure to turn the tiny power button on the back on. It is the same color as the router and very small, so it is easy to miss.
I noticed it when attaching the antennae, but I can see how people could easily miss it.

Perhaps I am one of the lucky ones. I had no issues updating the firmware to the latest version from the version that shipped with the router, with it set to 'English'.
I used a PC running Windows 7 32-bit and Firefox 8.0.1. I hooked it up to my cable modem and desktop PC and rebooted the equipment as needed. I then went into the configuration GUI, configured my wifi (2.4 and 5 GHz) and then simply clicked on the 'update firmware' button - it downloaded the firmware and updated it. The one caveat is that initially a progress bar appeared. Toward the end of the process the web config screen went blank and stayed that way, so I was not sure if it had finished or not. I opened a new window and tried surfing the internet and it worked fine. To be safe, I left the other window open for a while (the one I had used to update the firmware).

PROS:
- Great wifi performance relative to competition (signal strength and throughput) on BOTH bands (on par with my Amped Wireless R10000 and actually beat my Linksys E4200 v1).
- Fast CPU and lots of RAM to handle multiple connections and heavy loads
- Seems stable so far (only had it hooked up about 20 hours so far so time will tell)
- Native IPv6 support
- Dual band concurrent wifi
- 450 Mbps max (under ideal conditions) on both bands
- 2 USB ports for a host of extra sharing and streaming connectivity
- Solid build quality (the weight of this tells you there is a lot under the hood and the ports are not flimsy)
- Gigabit WAN and LAN ports
- Beam forming tech. seems to really work.
- Up to 6 Guest networks
- Upgradable antennae
Big bonus - It also seems to have resolved an issue with Netflix cover art not loading for some titles that was an issue when using my Amped (perhaps the Amped had one setting affecting it or something got cached).

CON:
- WPS is enabled by default. Make sure to turn it off to protect yourself from the WPS exploit (at this time - as of Jan 19 2012 - this issue affects any router with WPS enabled)

Minor things that could be improved (not sure I would call them cons so I listed them separately):
- Web UI says 'enabled' for guest wifi (should say 'enable'), so I thought they might be on by default. Then when I thought I disabled it (selected 'off'), it seemed to keep broadcasting (as per Windows). I went back into the config screen and was able to disable it the second time. Will have to see if I can recreate this.
- Firmware update window goes blank at the end of the upgrade (would prefer to have it reboot back into the config GUI one can be sure it has complete updating).

I will update this review (if I get a chance) after running it longer to note the stability. So far I have not noticed any wireless disconnects. It runs warmer than my Amped R10000 (which runs cool) but is not hot. It is doing more work, which explains it.

It is not cheap but then again neither is the competition.

The exception is the Linksys E4200 v1 'manufacturer refurbished' model with a manufacturer warranty, free shipping and a return period. That unit is only $99.xx with free shipping directly from Cisco. I bought a new one when it came out and was not impressed with its long range performance, especially given some of the great reviews it got.
The competition (aside from the RT-N66U so far in my limited experience with other units and going by reviews) is not really any better though (tried the Zyxel NBG5715 with initial firmware at the time). For $100 the E4200 v1 is not a bad router for those with lesser needs (in terms of range) and a smaller budget.
The Amped R10000 is also affordable and nice too (great wifi range and very respectable wireless throughput - it beat my E4200 v1 on 2.4 GHz), depending on your needs (i.e. it has no gigabit, no IPv6 [yet], no USB and no 5 GHz).

All in all I am very impressed with the Asus.