Question 1

Does this router handle Ipad and pc's wirelessly without disconnects? My current router, DLink 655 drops all pc wireless connections when I start my Ipad and use it wirlessly. DLink support cannot resolve and I am willing to buy a new router if it works for both Ipad (Apple) and PC's. Thanks

George S

Accepted Answer

George, as much as I'd like to sell you on it, I can't tell you with 100% confidence that it will solve all of your problems.

What I can tell you is that I implemented the ASUS RT-AC66U after getting fed up with the same router you've described by DLink.

I became curious, and dissected the DLink, and was horrified to see that the 'heat sink', the mechanism for removing heat from the router's processor, was nothing more than a simple, cheap, ceramic tile.  It confirmed my suspicion that the DLink 655 overheated and thus stopped functioning properly until it cooled off.

I ordered the ASUS RT-AC66U and replaced the DLink 655 with it.  The ASUS Router stays lukewarm, as it handles 2 desktops, 2 android phones, and 2 android tablets, and 1 media center PC all at the same time.  It handles all of this seamlessly, with no noticeable loss of service.

I'm willing to say that the router in question would be a definite upgrade, but I don't know enough about what's CAUSING your disconnects to say with 100% confidence that it won't do the same thing.  I say this with regard to RANGE only.

If you leave the configuration of the new router alone, it should be fine, given that range and wave distortion isn't messing it up now.

Question 2

does this product have a guest side?

Accepted Answer

if i understand your ? right  
The Guest Network provides Internet connection for guests but restricts access to your Intranet. 
 you can have 3 guest networks at 2.4ghz and 3at 5ghz
each guest network can have time limt on them . each will have its on network name  and key(password) each will have t on 
Authentication Method. they can be turned on and off very easy you wont have to re enter   any of the info when turning them back on.
you can hide your main internet conection but i dont think you can your guest network conections but they are easy to turn off.
i hope this was helpful  
ps i really like this router

Question 3

I noticed that the chart says that it supports windows 7. Is chart outdated or will this router also support widows 8?

Accepted Answer

Yes it will and asus puts out firmware updates if it doesn't out of the box. Asus has the easiest set up from all the routers I used. And on that note, you will need a modem to use this. It's not a modem/router combo. Your computers wireless card will work with it, but to maximize the performance you should get the asus usb (class ac) dongle. If money is not really an issue for you asus just resantly launched the rt-ac68u. Do your research though so ur not disappointed. They may say they get Gb/s speeds but in reality I've only gotten in the high 800's Mb/s speeds. If you have a desktop pc you may have the option to use the PCI dongle which will reward you higher speeds then the usb. If you go that route be sure it's the right PCI slot because there is a difference between them. Hope this helps.

Question 4

Does the router have a plug for a phone cable?

Accepted Answer

There is no port for a phone cable. The router has 4 LAN ports, an Ethernet WAN port, and two USB ports.  If your phone is VOIP/Ethernet capable, then it might work, but otherwise no.

Question 5

Will this unit work with Windows 7 Professional 64 bit OS?

Accepted Answer

This will work with all OS as long the wireless adapter on your computer is compatible with the security set up. This router is able to use older and less secure security if needed. You can change the setting through the wired connection if needed as well. 
not actually all os but here what I remember
Windows vista , 7, 8, and 10 could work with XP if it all updated
Mac os, it will work with newer ones but do not know what version I know Iphone 5 have trouble connecting to my 5ghz band but dose fine in 2.4 but the iPhone 6 work fine.

This router been great for gaming and streaming while downloading and handling 10 computers at once.

Question 6

With this sitting flat on a desk, how high are the antennae when straight up?

Accepted Answer

The antennae is 6 1/4" high when sitting flat on a desk. I hope this satisfies your inquiry. I have been very happy with my purchase. I bought it specifically for MIMO with my Nvidia shield but it has provided good range and speeds with all of my wireless devices.

Question 7

Wireless range is the same as an Old N600 Wireless Dual Band Router WNDR3400. I'm thinking of sending it back. Just wanted to check with others first. I also opened a ticket with support.

I have read around the web other suggestions, changed configurations of Channel Bandwidth, changed the channels after checking with WiFi Analyzer for Android and Xirrus WiFi Inspector...moved the router closer to the area I need to have signal...still the same range and performance as the old netgear. The distance I'm trying to get better signal is down a hallway...20 feet away from the router.

I work at an university with routers, firewalls etc...I'm not a wireless guru but I know my way around networking...so everything I've tried so far has not worked...

The router is in my dining room...pretty close to the hallway beside the kitchen and the bedrooms (where I need signal). It's a 3 story apartment building. My apartment is in the second floor. The apartments are 1 story all. No bedrooms upstairs or anything like that.

Thanks for any help!

At this moment my wife is killing me because I spent $179 on this device...blaming the Netgear because it was and old device...?

Accepted Answer

The range depends on the interference. If you have non-insulated walls and floors, with limited pipes, plaster or cement in-between, you should get decent range indoors. I live on a 3rd floor condo building and my router is about 30 feet away from the outside wall. I am able to get signal out in the parking lot in my car which is about 200 feet away from the router, non line of sight. I've had no issues with this router. I love it. I also changed the firmware from stock to DD-WRT release. It is well worth the price, best SOHO router I've used in a long time.

Question 8

We have Time Warner Cable High Speed Internet.  How do I connect the coaxial cable to this router?

Accepted Answer

You don't.  You should have a separate cable modem either purchased yourself or leased from TWC that the TWC coax line will connect to.  Then from the cable modem  you will connect a CAT5E or higher network cable from it to this router's WAN port.  You can follow the wizard on the router/software from there.  If you are tech savvy I recommend using Merlin's firmware for this router instead of the base Asus firmware (google it).

Question 9

Does this router allow monitoring of individual connections to identify resource-hogging users?

Accepted Answer

James,

It does have a traffic monitor, but based on your question, I think it might not provide you with the detail you are looking for. It does not identify individual users, only how much bandwidth is being used in various categories: Internet, Wired, Wireless (2.4GHz), and Wireless (5GHz). If you happened to know that a certain user was only using one of those categories (Wired or one of the two wireless bands), then it would indeed give you an accurate measure of a bandwidth hog, but otherwise, all traffic gets lumped together under those broad categories. Hope that helps!

Question 10

This product has been out since 2012.  I was thinking ASUS would have come out with a successor product in three years' time but it looks like they are still selling the original product.  I guess that is a good thing, meaning that it works well, continues to have competitive features, and continues to sell.  Does anyone know if there is a successor product to this router?  It's got good reviews but if there's something more recent that has better performance or other attractive qualities I'd be interested in evaluating that.

Accepted Answer

It's hard to beat the bleeding edge, 802.11AC still hasn't been adopted in many devices, most "flagship" phones are just getting it now or within the last year and many in home solutions like wireless desktop cards or laptops also don't have the built in hardware. That having been said they've updated with some regularity and it's top notch and I think the 88u is actually the same on a software level they just added a bit more processing power to it.

there likely won't be too many asus AC routers as they're fond of improving what they have first which can't happen until there's some market saturation and by that time AX will be hitting the streets.

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