ASUS WL-500GP V2 802.11b/g Multi-Functional Wireless Router with x2 USB Plug-N-Share hard drive function and Print Server Function

Pros: It was shipped quickly

Cons: Can't connect peripherals via USB
Can't flash bios

Other Thoughts: Look elsewhere for a device that connects USB devices for use by multiple computers.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

We apologize for the issues you have experienced with the WL-500GP. Please contact us at Networking_Support@asus.com so we can assist you.

Best Regards,

ASUS Customer Support
812-282-2787
http://vip.asus.com/eservice/techserv.aspx

Pros: 240mhz processor
32 mb of ram
8 mb nand
2x USB 2.0 ports
Upgradeable antenna
The rom on this thing is 8mb, which is huge. That allows you to install the "mega" version of DD-WRT, which has more features than i can explain. The 32mb of ram (which is also huge for a router) means you will have less connection issues on your network if you use bittorrent and other high bandwidth/connection services. The two USB 2.0 ports really make this thing powerful. With them you can make it into a file server (simply plug in a USB hdd) as well as a print server (to share your usb printer over your network). Note that these take some advanced configuring. You can use a USB hub with it too, so you're not limited to just 2 USB devices.

I currently have a Brother DCP 7020 laser printer and a 16gb thumb drive hooked to it and they're working flawlessly. Maintains consistantly 15% better network signal across my home than my dual antenna D-Link sitting right next to it.

Cons: Not wireless-N capable
Not gigabit
Physically large
DD-WRT is not for computer novices, as getting the most out of this beast of a router does require some small forays into linux environments.

Other Thoughts: I picked up this router (without an ac adapter) at a thrift shop junk bin for free because they said it "didn't work". It didn't have an AC adapter, and I didn't have one with the right specs/plug, so i hacked one together at home from my own junk bin. They were right about it not working, but the power light was blinking, which meant it was simply stuck in restore mode. I just restored to DD-WRT with tftp. Worked flawlessly after that.

Pros: I bought this router and installed the Tomato-USB firmware onto it. It works great and the only time it gets rebooted is when the power goes out ;) Removable antenna is also a plus.

Cons: None. ASUS makes good stuff.

Other Thoughts: Still going strong after 1 year.

Pros: Got this router for my business clarysolar.com. We had issues with other routers because of high usage. 14 individuals using the T1 line for VOIP and nearly all online CRM and data storage services. When I switched to this router, we had no reboot issues. Everyone on NEW egg mentioned about flashing to DDWRT. I did that however the VOIP started getting choppy sound. Flashed back to original firmware. The router served us for more than two years. Recently replaced it with exactly the same model.

Cons: lasts only two years under heavy commercial use.

Other Thoughts: Highly recommended.

Pros: Fast and reliable. I never intended to use this router with the stock firmware, as soon as I got it, I flashed it with Tomato. This router allowed me to ensure quality voip service for my whole house. Recently I flashed it with Victek's RAF Tomato mod and now it's flawless. It allowes you not only to configure upload limits based on packet types (DSCP), but also download limits with GUI netfilter configuration, now the voip box has reserved bandwidth for my calls that cannot be touched by anything else, not even P2P traffic.

Cons: Asus firmware.

Other Thoughts: Tomato RAF will also give you flawless usb and nas setup, but don't expect speeds faster then 3 MB/s, it's fine for sharing photos in the whole house, that's about it.

Pros: Lots of plugs, runs DD-WRT, fits the Mega build!!! Cheap for the features!! Easy to install DD-WRT*** (see Cons) when using the Asus update tool. Stable as a rock with DD-WRT!

Cons: A little large footprint as routers go, but no biggie.

It took me a couple hours to set it to let me connect automatically with other PCs (with DD-WRT)! It wouldn't assign IP addresses! However, I finally fixed this by disabling the "DNSMasq" settings in the DD-WRT settings. You have to set a static IP address to your PC to get into the settings first.

Other Thoughts: I am waiting for a USB enclosure to arrive, then I'll (try and) set it up as a SAMBA server for backing up, and maybe run a web server on it, we'll see. I'll update in a couple weeks.

Pros: 2 USB2.0 ports

Cons: Asus's firmware is trash and is designed only around Windows environments. For people who use Macs or Linux, you'll have to connect via ethernet or find the right security settings to disable before the wireless will connect you to the internet.

I couldn't get anything USB-related to work with the Asus firmware. Every time I connect my printer and try to print something, the printer spits out page after page of errors. I'm also unable to access any of my USB drives, which was the primary reason why I purchased this device.

Asus also appears to have skimped on the wireless adapter's chipset. I was able to get the printer to work with both dd-wrt and open-wrt, but using Samba results in either write-speeds around 1mbps or the whole system locking up completely

Other Thoughts: Save yourself the headache by using a dedicated router and a plug computer. I may be willing to give Asus another chance in the future, but I've wasted too many weekends trying to get this product to work as advertised and I'm sick of it

Pros: Works good for the cost.

Cons: Cannot write to NTFS formatted disk drives!

Other Thoughts: The specifications on newegg and the Asus product website completely omits telling you that this device is not compatible with NTFS disk drives. Thsi is VERY significant and is only found in the FAQ section of the support section of the Asus website. They really tried to hide this fact. Drives formatted to EXT2 will work.

Pros: Easy basic setup (I'm not a computer pro either), wireless printing (although this was a little tougher for me to setup), and easy file sharing

Cons: I bought this to play copied DVDs from an Ext Hard Drvie connected to the USB slots (like a media server); however, the processor doesn't seem to be able to keep up with DVDs. The DVDs would play very choppy with only one PC connected. The claim of multiple network activities working smoothly is a stretch, unless your doing lower demand streaming. I rated it a 2 because it didn't fullfil the purpose for which I bought it, but wireless printing was a plus. If it was fast enough to stream the DVDs, it would have been an easy 5 rating all the way.

Pros: Newegg shipped it real quick.

Cons: I'm not a router expert. Don't claim to be. I just wanted a decent router to learn wireless on and...have wireless. I do know my wired, previous/current D-Link router actually worked right out of the box-no manual IP configuration was required (very good product). This Asus router said it was connected to the internet, but I couldn't get the web browser to connect the internet! I tried it both on XP and Win 7 machines. I wasted several hours trying to research issue, but Asus manual/website was useless and internet sites had complex answers or no answers for my situation. The router firmware was extremely slow to respond. The router was basically...frustrating.

Other Thoughts: I'm probably going to purchase a cheaper router from a different manufacturer, maybe one that is easier to use for wireless router novices (if possible). I lost some $$$ with the RMA fee and return shipping.