ASUS RT-N56U Wireless Router Dual Band N600 Multimedia Ultra Slim Gigabit 802.11a/b/g/n support USB Storage, Print and Media Server (top performance review at smallnetbuilder.com)

Pros: Great UI
Easy to upgrade
Very fast when it works.
Easy to set up.

Cons: Often drops Wireless connection.
Unable to block users with the newest firmware.

Other Thoughts: I had seen several other reviews focused on the wireless capabilities of this router, prior to making the purchase, but I decided to take my chances considering that most reviews didn't even mention a loss of connection. I have tried several different versions of the firmware, but the wireless problem persists.

Pros: -Its small. It's actually a lot smaller then I thought it would be

-Ascetically, it looks fantastic! This day in age I don't think there is any reason NOT to have a product that looks, and functions great. Though, to each their own taste.

-Its faster then my old "G" router. I used to get about, 30Mbps. Now, I get about 150 is the highest I've seen so far. (see notes)

Cons: -The first bad thing I have to say about this is the way they have the ports positioned. If you place it upright with the stand, the Ethernet/internet ports face to the side. This makes it looks a little messy to me.

-The front status lights are kinda small, though it does help keep it looking a little more discrete. However, the labels are barely noticeable. You really have to stare at it up close to see if anything is wrong.

-the power plug. The end that plugs into the router is VERY small. Its more like a needle then a power cable plug. If you move it, be very careful. I can see it being bent and broken very easily.

-the web gui. It has a few problems. Mostly it feels really bulky to me. Also, both bands have their own settings. Make sure to secure BOTH if you run a secure access point.

Other Thoughts: In my main PC, I have a 802.11AC wireless card. However I went with this router as AC specific routers are still quite expensive.

Also, the USB ports will probably come in handy. I've ordered a new external HDD for backups and attaching it to the router will allow all the users of my network to backup there without needing to move the physical drive around. Something that I don't want to do as my current one is starting to fail from dropping it several times.

Pros: This is one of the best routers I have owned to date. Very quick for wired and wireless. I do a lot of research especially when I'm buying a networking device. The reviews I've read about this router and me experience with it are all extraordinary. I can't even remember the last time I rebooted the thing. This router combined with my Motorola SB6141 modem have given me absolutely no problems. Finally a stable internet connection!!

Cons: It almost looks too good.

Other Thoughts: I haven't used any of the fancy bells or whistles like the media server, USB storage, or print server so I can't comment on those.

Pros: Reliable unit that has been top performing since the day I bought it - had a few hiccups along the installation of the unit but that was called for cos of my bad ISP.

After the latest iteration of firmware courtesy of Asus the unit performs like a champ and the new GUI is reminiscent of the higher tier products aka AC units.

Cons: Updating the firmware is a lil pain in the backside - with all the hocus pocus and the button pushing - not convenient when you have the router a very long distance away from main rig and is mounted at an elevated position requiring a chair/collapsible ladder to reach.

QoS is erm...bad if I should say the least. Traffic management ain't what I was expecting though it was one of the main reasons I opted for an expensive unit like this-coupled with the long reliability raves about Asus from customers. Well this didn't hit the sweet spot...

Other Thoughts: Units price dropped not long after the release of the N-66U but even though it doesn't have open firmware support it works great.

No matter how much cons I've written - t ain't worth removing any egg - really good unit on arrival and has been good since.

Pros: When it works, it works great. Easy to configure. Fast!

Cons: After a month, the router started to drop connection from the cable modem. I now need to power cycle the router at least once to twice a week.
Upgraded the firmware did nothing.

Other Thoughts: I heard so much good things about the Asus routers, but after what I am experiencing, this is the last time I am getting an Asus router. Going to stick with their motherboards only.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

It is unfortunate to hear that you are having problems with your RT-N56u router. If you still have it and are willing to work with me, please allow me to help you troubleshoot your problems. You can start by sending me your router's log. In the GUI, go to System Log -> General Log and attach a copy to an email for me. You can reach me at cl-jeremy@asus.com with any questions, comments, or concerns you may have and I will be happy to help you in any way that I can.

Regards,
Jeremy
ASUS Customer Loyalty

Pros: Set-up was quick and easy. Works as advertised.

Cons: Basic overview menu has the occasional refresh issue. It doesn't show current status and connections accurately, and takes forever to refresh IP addresses on occasion.

Pros: Fast and powerful

Cons: Keeps dropping the connection. This requires resetting the router. This happens up to every 5 minutes. Worked fine until 3 days ago and really went bad yesterday. Which happened to be one day past the return date for 30 days.

Other Thoughts: Don't know where the great rating came from. Check the internet and you will find that this problem is everywhere and ASUS states it can't be replicated.

Pros: Everything.... This router is packed full of goodies above and beyond what most people will need.
It has good range, the transfer speeds are more than four times the speed of my last router which i paid more for.
Easy setup and being able to hook up the external hd and use it as a media server is a definite plus.
If you are looking for a new router this is it.
Remember you always get what you pay for.

Cons: none so far

Other Thoughts: As stated above this a great router for the price.
I have used just about every major brand out there and this is by far exceeded all of them.

Pros: Good router, great distance. Speed is good. Looks good and wife friendly. Wireless speed is fast enough to work with our broadband cable 20 Mbps up 2 Mbps down. The wired Ethernet is Gigabit, and plenty fast for most applications now.

Cons: How many versions of firmware do you need. I set-up this router, and connected my computer. I then changed settings to secure the network, and kaboom the router stopped working. I was in a catch 22. I could not get connected to the internet. I could not update the router. Finally, I was able to down the needed firmware from another source - direct connection to cable modem. There were six more recent firmwares available. From the original issue, there were 15 total updates. Lesson learned, update first then set-up.

Other Thoughts: There are blue LED's on the front of the box. There should be a way to turn off the lights or dim them. It would really help the aesthetic. I will be testing the USB in the future, and I will report what I have found.

Pros: Nice looking, fast, easy to set-up.

Cons: Stopped working after two months! Wont connect without a static ip set, and when said ip is set it drops my 10mb/s connection to 500kb/s and, an awful ping of around 1800ms. not good for online anything!

Other Thoughts: I purchased this because i love my Asus mobo, monitor, and wireless card. They have always been reliable, sadly this is not the case with the RT-N56U.