Pros: Good range and easy configuration

Cons: I updated the firmware and it bricked the router. The router is 2+ years old. After several interactions with support I was assured that the out of warranty repair would be "reasonable". However, the estimated repair cost is $120.00!!. That seems anything but reasonable for a router that is on sale for $40.

Pros: • Consistent and good performance.
• High speeds. Near-identical to going straight through your modem/gateway.
• Ready and easy to use GUI (based off of Tomato, which is based off of DD-WRT/OpenWRT).
• Some settings don't require a reboot.
• Semi-easy connection to WAN (see other).
• Many useful features within the GUI.
• Rescue Mode! Never softbrick your router from bad flashes. (see Con's).

Cons: • Rescue Mode does not work in anything beyond Windows 7, NAT differences in Windows 8.1 means the OS will not recognize the router in rescue mode.
• Newer HW revisions mean difficulty in getting custom firmware (Merlin, DD-WRT, Tomato) to work effectively.
• Internal antenna unit (see other).

Other Thoughts: I bought two of these units for $29.99 each, through Newegg e Bay, refurbished. Looking at others reviews, it seems that the refurbished units perform quite a bit better than factory floor, brand new units. As a test, I flashed Tomato through the GUI. If you are going to flash custom firmware, DO NOT DO SO THROUGH THE GUI. Use the rescue mode on Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 to do so, then perform a 30-30-30 reset so that your NVRAM is cleared.

So far, I have not had ANY trouble with these routers, and all settings seem to work flawlessly. Due to the absence of an external antenna, I would STRONGLY suggest using two of them in a wired AP bridge (or at the very least, as a wireless repeater).

These units also seem to work well with a AIO Gateway placed in bridge mode, as speeds are very similar, 90.5Mbps Down over 12.1Mbps Up, versus 93Mbps Down over 12.6 Up directly connected to the gateway.

All-in-all a solid router when not experiencing any technical issues.

Pros: Good customizability, good control and monitoring of whos on the network and ability to kick people off, good control of frequency and what not easy to use UI.

Cons: Cant seem to handle more than 4 gaming laptops playing league of legends. it'll crash and need to reboot. I took steps to make sure it wasnt my internet service.

Pros: Great management interface, great features, looks cool

Cons: About every 24 hours, the router freezes up, often in the middle of a data transfer. One moment it's working fine, the next the wireless devices can't see it and wired devices can't pass data. I have to power cycle it and then it works again for a while. I had the same problem with an older Belkin router in the same network, so I tried putting it on a UPS to ensure that power isn't the problem, but that didn't help.

Other Thoughts: I tried to update the firmware and found that the firmware version I could download from Asus was not recognized by the router as being compatible. This made me suspicious, so I did a "rescue-mode" firmware update and was able to reload the firmware, but the problem persists.Most curiously, the firmware revision displayed in the management interface didn't change to match the version I'd installed.

I missed the window to return it to NewEgg. I'm buying a new router and I'll try my luck getting this replaced/repaired by Asus.

Manufacturer Response:

Hi Michael,

We want to extend our sincerest apology for any inconvenience this has caused you. We have every desire to address your needs and provide the best solution available to resolve your issue as soon as possible. I do understand that you're having an issue with the unstable router performance. To isolate the issue I would like to verify, you've mentioned that you've done the "rescue-mode", ay I know how the LED lights on the router?

If all the LED lights are turned on, please update the firmware version manually. Please update the firmware version manually, use this link
(https://www.asus.com/Networking/RTN53/HelpDesk_Download/) to download the latest. Please follow this troubleshooting step.

Here's the steps for manually upgrading the firmware version:
1. Click "Global" to download.
2. Once it successfully downloaded, please extract the file.
3. Plug in the router to PC hardwired, please access the router interface using 192.168.1.1 and key in your username & password for your router log in (as default the username and password is admin/admin).
3. On your router interface, please look "Administration" under Advance Settings and click the Firmware Upgrade tab.
4. Administration - Firmware Upgrade, please click "Choose File" (make sure that the file that you are going to uploading is the "Extract File") then click Upload.
5. Once it's completed, you need to hard reset/factory reset the router to update the router settings and reconfigure the Wizard Setup Page again. Please take note to create a new Network Name/SSid for your 2.4GHz and 5GHz.

For further technical assistance or if you want to discuss this matter with me, please email me back at customerloyalty@asus.com and place case # N151174927 in the subject line for a reference.

Best regards,
Donabell
ASUS Customer Loyalty

Pros: -Fast when it works

Cons: - UNSTABLE: Most days it's just packet loss on the 2.4 Ghz band, soft reset corrects.

-5 Ghz is up for an hour after reboot, then disappears, EVERY time.

Other Thoughts: Purchased as a replacement for a 6 yr old D-Link that didn't support dual band. Since about a week after purchase, 5Ghz band has been unstable, disappears then reappears, random packet loss, issues have gotten progressively worse, issues starting to affect both bands, router randomly stops accepting traffic and BOTH bands disappear.

Firmware updates offered no improvement, after complete hard reset (FDR), router functions as designed for ~2 days, then right back to the same song and dance.

Have bought ASUS products in the past with zero issues, thought I was buying decent quality here, proven wrong. I am SHOCKED that this Piece of Junk is an editor's Pick.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Joseph,

Thank you for taking the time to communicate to us why our ASUS products did not meet your expectations. Please accept our sincerest apology for any trouble or inconvenience, we have caused you. I do understand that you're having an issue with the unstable connection. I would like to verify what is the firmware version that is currently running into your router?

If you are experiencing an intermittent connection, please try to place the router to a different location. That's why you encountered the disconnection from the internet due to interference. You should also pay attention to the kinds of materials the router and adapter is near. For example, placing the router on a metal desk or up against a metal wall will cause problems. Signals can travel through a wood desk easily, but metal will obstruct the signals. This is the examples appliances can cause wireless interference, including cordless phones, baby monitors, and microwave ovens.

Please use the following troubleshooting steps:
Step 1 - Please try to update the firmware version manually, you can download the latest version on our website at support.asus.com and hard reset the router and make sure to provide different names for 2.4GHz and 5GHz band to avoid wireless conflict and for you to notice which frequency are you connected and you can monitor the speed.
Step 2 - Please try changing the Channel bandwidth to boost the frequency of each band of 2.4 GHz to 20 MHz and control channel of 1, 6 or 11. For the Channel bandwidth to boost the frequency of 5GHz to 80 MHz or 60MHz and change the control channel to 165 or 161.

If the problem still persists, please email us back so we can proceed with the RMA to fix the router. If this step will not work, please email me at customerloyalty@asus.com and put case # N151036988 in the subject line for your reference.

Thank you for choosing ASUS.

Best regards,
Donabell
ASUS Customer Loyalty

Pros: Easy to configure.

Cons: After two months of ownership and being initially configured the router intermittently stopped passing data. The setting had not been touched since the initial install; and my wife and I were at the computer when traffic stopped, then started, then stopped. Rinse and repeat. This occurred across Windows, Linux and Apple operating systems.

The second either of the computers was connected directly to the modem, everything worked as intended. As soon as the computer was connected back to the router, there was a bunch of packet loss.

Had this occurred on one computer there would be a good chance the fault was in the computer. But on three separate computers, each with a different OS at the same time? That leads me to believe the fault lies within the router.

Opened a trouble ticket with ASUS RWTM20150824064308810 providing a detailed description of the problem, steps taken to resolve the problem and my observation of what the problem appeared to be.

The response I received word for word was.

"Thank you for contacting ASUS Technical Support.

I understand your concern and I am happy to help you in this regard.

In this case may I know do you have any manual DNS address?

If you need any further assistance from our end, kindly contact the support lines below my signature.

Thank you for choosing ASUS."

Verified tests had been done with and without manual DNS settings, and the response back was almost word for word. To add insult to injury, ASUS sent me an email asking me to rate my experience with customer service. When I try to submit my response this the error message I get word for word.

"some error occur..."

To date this problem has yet to be resolved; and I will be replacing this router with something from a more reliable company.

Other Thoughts: I also have an ASUS EeeBox and Crossblade Ranger MB that work well. I guess 2 working out of 3 is a good average.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Curt,

Thank for your time on for posting this review, we are sorry to hear your experience with the ASUS router. Please allow me to assist you wiht your unit. Are you experiencing this issue through your router's wired and wireless connection? may I know the current firmware version that was installed to your router? have you tried powercycling the router then after 10 seconds turn it on again then press the reset button for 5-8 seconds and try to set up or reconfigure the router again to try to fix the issue?

For further technical assistance or if you want to discuss this matter with me, please email me at customerloyalty@asus.com and put case #N150900845 in the subject line for a reference. I'm here to help you and all others with these issues, as our customer loyalty department dedicated to bringing a resolution to all issues related to our products.

Thank you for choosing ASUS.

Best regards,
Jerry
ASUS Customer Loyalty

Pros: Has a lot of features for the price.

Cons: Since the beginning the 5Ghz was not performing properly. I had to reset the router every day. In the end I simply disabled it to avoid the RMA hassle...
After a year the same issue started to occur with 2.4Ghz as well. The router was intermittently freezing or disconnecting from the Internet until hard reset.

Other Thoughts: The main disappointment is not the actual product but Asus customer service.
When I called them, I told at the very beginning the issue and the troubleshooting steps that I performed such as changing the settings, factory resets and firmware upgrades. Nevertheless, the girl on the phone insisted to guide me over the the phone to do the troubleshooting (which in the end was exactly the same to what I already did). And after all that she told me to test the router for a while and to call back if it doesn't help (!). Even though I clearly told them that I did already all this before and the issue still occurred.
To make the story short, after arguing with her and later with her manager they decided to provide me RMA, but (here is the fun part) I had to pay the shipping. All this conversation took 65 minutes(!).
This happened two weeks ago and I already received the replacement which I still did not have time to test. The reason why I decided to write this, is because of the phone bill that I received. I am from Canada and I got a bill for long distance call $40. With all this reputation, Asus is not providing toll free number for its support center but instead tricking clients to think like it is one since it starts with 1-8xxx...
So in overall, their so called warranty cost me $55 which I could spend to get a brand new TP-Link router or something and not a refub unit.
I have many Asus products at home but I will never buy from this brand again and I would suggest to everyone to avoid it the same way as they are trying to avoid taking care of their customers.

P.S. their support center number is 1-812-282-2787
P.P.S. my RMA# was CAA1553874. Just for verification, if someone from the company reads it.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Denis,

I want to thank you for posting this review and I understand that you have an issue with the router. On behalf of ASUS we apologize for any inconvenience this issue has caused you but let me go ahead and further assist you. We regret to inform you that based on the warranty terms that unit must be shipped by the customer in order for the repair center to fix the problem.

We apologize also for the time that you spent on the phone trying to troubleshoot the router. Have you already tested the new router that you received? I understand that you have tried a lot of steps before to try to fix the unit I just want to check if you experienced the problem after you upgrade the firmware? you can also try to downgrade the firmware just to try to make the connection stable.

For further technical assistance or if you want to discuss this matter with me, please email me at customerloyalty@asus.com and put case #N150765875 in the subject line for a reference. I'm here to help you and all others with these issues, as our customer loyalty department dedicated to bringing a resolution to all issues related to our products.

Thank you for choosing ASUS.

Best regards,
Jerry
ASUS Customer Loyalty

Pros: Dual band radios, multi-function simple setup with modes for bridging, repeating, access point and routing. DOes not seem to generate high heat if version A1. BE SURE to flash with latest firmware

Cons: not high signal strength, but ok for price and functionality. Will not flash to DD-WRT firmware

Other Thoughts: external antennas probably would help signal. Setup modes cover all needs including universal repeating

Pros: Decent wifi speed when it's working.

Cons: I have had nothing but problems with this router, despite updating to the latest firmware. I bought two, one for a relative, and one for myself, and we have both experienced daily network interruptions that require a router hard reset. The wifi speeds are decent with most devices, but devices limited to 2.4GHz experience connectivity issues, despite being a mere 20-30 feet from the router. The result of this is that the Plex app on my TV can't maintain a consistent stream and the file server will start transcoding, a sure way to peg your file server CPU and ruin the movie streaming experience.

This router is supposed to support up to 3 guest networks, but don't bother using more than 1. Every time I've tried to enable a 2nd guest network, the network drops and interruptions become significantly more frequent.

In a nutshell, I regret purchasing this router, let alone purchasing two of them. I had heard praise for ASUS routers and thought spending almost $100 on a router meant you would get something decent, but I was wrong.

Oh, and don't bother submitting a support request on the ASUS website either. I've never been able to successfully submit the support form -- just what I would expect from a company that can put together such a shoddy piece of hardware.

Do yourself a favour and either avoid ASUS or spend the extra dollars for the RT-N66U.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Sohail,

I want to thank you for posting this review and I understand that you have an issue with the router. On behalf of ASUS we apologize for the inconvenience this issue has caused you but let me go ahead and further assist you.

Please try the troubleshooting steps below to try to fix the issue:

*Check for interfering devices i.e. Cordless Phone / *Microwave Oven / Bluetooth Devices
*Check the wireless settings {Wireless Channel: 1 / 6 / 11 }
*Try to test with 5ghz
*Try with different wireless computer or other wireless devices and check the connection if its stable
*Try using the hardwire cable and check the connection if its stable
*Bypass router and connect PC directly to the modem then check the connection if its stable
Update the firmware
*Restore the router to factory defaults
*Reconfigure the router

For further technical assistance or if you want to discuss this matter with me, please email me at customerloyalty@asus.com and put case #N150763366 in the subject line for a reference. I'm here to help you and all others with these issues, as our customer loyalty department dedicated to bringing a resolution to all issues related to our products.

Thank you for choosing ASUS.

Best regards,
Jerry
ASUS Customer Loyalty

Pros: Easy to update & configure

Cons: signal drop, can't transfert large data (>1.5GB) from computer to another computer in the network. After 2 years, everything is worse.

Other Thoughts: That's what you get when you buy cheap product. There are products that are more expansive, I REALLY HOPE they are more reliable on the long run.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Vichith,

Thank your for your time in posting a review about our products. On behalf of ASUS, we would like to apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you. Let me assist you, do you have the latest firmware for thist unit and which frequency are you experiencing the connection drops? For further assistance, you can email me at customerloyalty@asus.com and place the case #N150651151 in the subject line for a reference.

Thank you for choosing ASUS!

Best regards,
Jerry A
ASUS Customer Loyalty