Asus RT-N56U Dual-Band Gigabit Wireless-N Router
Manufacturer: Asus Part number: RT-N56U
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Asus RT-N56U is arguably one of the best true dual-band 300Mbps home routers on the market.
Read more
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CNET editors' review
Asus RT-N56U Dual-Band Gigabit Wireless-N Router price range: $114.79 - $135.00
- Reviewed by: Dong Ngo
- Reviewed on: 03/30/2011
The good: The stylish and compact Asus RT-N56U Dual-Band Gigabit Wireless-N Router offers stellar 5Ghz performance, long range, and an intuitive Web interface. Its storage feature is well designed; the router is comparatively fast; and it offers a convenient way to access data over the Internet.
The bad: The Asus RT-N56U's Web interface takes a long time to apply changes and the router doesn't support the new three-stream 450Mbps wireless speed.
The bottom line: The Asus RT-N56U is arguably one of the best true dual-band 300Mbps home routers on the market.
The compact and well-designed RT-N56U Dual-Band Gigabit Wireless-N Router is a major step up from its bulky and buggy predecessor, the RT-N16 . It offers the fastest 5Ghz speed to date and very good overall performance for both wireless and storage features.
The only two minor blemishes we find in the RT-56U are its Web interface, which, though intuitive and responsive, takes a long time to apply changes; and its lack of support for the new three-stream 450Mbps wireless standard, which competitor Cisco Linksys E4200 offers.
To make up for this, the Asus is much cheaper than the Cisco at around $130. If you're looking for a well-rounded true dual-band router that also offers decent built-in network storage features for your home, look no further than the Asus RT-56U.
Design and ease of use
Having previously reviewed the bulky and subpar Asus RT-N16, we found the new RT-56U a big pleasant surprise. It's one of the most stylish routers we've seen and is about two-thirds of the size of the also-stylish Linksys E4200. The RT-56U, however, is squarish and from the top it looks very much like a shiny black marble tile. It's also very thin.
The router is not designed to be wall-mountable but it comes with a detachable base to work in a vertical position. It can also be placed on its bottom, like all routers.
Despite the new compact physical size, the RT-56U packs a heavy punch. On the back, it has four Gigabit LAN ports (for wired devices) and one WAN port (to connect to an Internet source such as a broadband modem). Next to the ports, there are also two USB ports designed to host printers or network storage. This is the first router of this ultracompact size to come with two USB ports. Most compact routers we've reviewed don't have a USB port at all. Between the USB ports and the LAN ports is a tiny reset button that restores the router to its default manufacturer settings.
On top, the router comes with an array of tiny blue lights labeled with the function each displays the status of--the USB port, the wired network, the two wireless networks (2.4Ghz and 5Ghz), and the power.
It's very easy to get the RT-56U up and running. First, plug the router in and turn it on. Next, from a computer that's connected to the router via a network cable, open an Internet browser, such as Firefox. You will be greeted with a quick Web-based wizard that walks you through a few simple steps to set up the wireless networks and get connected to the Internet. In our case, this took less than three minutes. The setup is foolproof and probably the fastest way to set up a router we've seen--possibly even faster than the case of Cisco's E and Vale series, which are extremely easy.
After the wizard, you can use the router right away or stay in its Web interface to further customize its features. Later on you can log in to this interface again at any time by pointing a browser of a connected computer to its IP address, which by default is 192.168.1.1.
Features
The RT-56U's Web interface is very similar to that of the RT-N16 but is much improved in terms of performance and utility. The new router also has more features. The only nag we had is the fact that the interface takes a long time to apply changes. It displays a countdown message that goes from 1 to 100 percent at a rate of about 2 or 3 percent per second, meaning almost every change takes close to a minute.
The interface has a nifty network map that show a schematic of all the devices connected to its network and USB ports. It also has a very easy-to-use quality of service (QoS) feature called EzQoS that lets you quickly prioritize what type of services--gaming, media streaming, VoIP or Internet applications--that you want the network to prioritize for each connected device. There's even a comprehensive "Traffic Meter" that shows the use of the Internet as well as wired and wireless networks in real time or in the past 24 hours.
The router's USB ports support external hard drives formatted in either FAT32 or NTFS, and its storage feature works very well. In our trial, the router could handle two bus-powered external hard drives, the Seagate GoFlex Pro and the Western Digital My Passport , at the same time. So without needing too many wires running around, the router can offer up to 3TB of network storage (with two 1.5Tb external hard drives attached, such as the Seagate GoFlex Ultra-portable)--not too shabby a number for a device of its size.
Once the hard drive is connected, you can choose to share its entire existing contents as public (simple share), meaning everyone can have full access to it; or you can choose to share it with accounts. Choosing the latter option lets you create multiple user accounts and assign access privileges, (read only, read/write, no access) for each account to each of the share folders. We tried all these different settings, via a section called USB Application within the router's interface, and they worked as intended.
There's no need to install software on any of the network computer to access the router's storage. You can just browse for it using a network browser, such as Windows Explorer, the same way you would to access another computer in the network. On a Mac, the router will appear automatically in the Finder. The RT-56U also supports media streaming and can stream digital content stored on the external hard drive to UPnP-compliant network media streamers.
What we liked the most about the RT-N56U is its DiskAid feature that allows for quick access to the router over the Internet, using Asus' free Dynamic DNS. Normally, to use a DDNS service, you have to create an account and associate it with a router--a pretty hard job for the uninitiated. In the case of the RT-56U, however, all you have to do is pick a unique name and then after three mouse clicks the service is up and running. After that you can remotely access the router via the Web address xyz.asuscomm.com, where xyz is the unique name. For example, you can access the router's storage at ftp://xyz.asuscomm.com. Or, to access the router's Web interface via the Internet, you can turn this feature on and then point a browser from a remote computer to http://xyz.asuscomm.com:8080.
The router's Web interface also comes with a very handy context-based help feature: each time you click on a setting to change something, a small part on the right of the interface will automatically display the detailed information of that setting. This makes using the router a really pleasant experience.
Other than the above, the router also supports all the standard features and security measures found in other routers. These include, but are not limited to, DHCP server, port forwarding, virtual server, all variations of wireless encryption methods, and so on.
Performance
We were very happy with the router's performance both for its wireless networks and its built-in storage feature.
For the 5Ghz band, in a throughput test where the router was set up to be 15 feet from the client, it scored 112.6Mbps. At this speed, it can blast through 500MB of data in just around 30 seconds, which is the fastest we've seen for a wireless router. When we increased the range to 100 feet, the router still scored 76.1Mbps, which is the second best score on that test, just a tad slower than the 79.1Mbps of the Linksys E4200.
The RT-56U didn't do as impressively on the 2.4Ghz, but still managed to stay among the top three routers we've reviewed. In the throughput test, it scored 57.2Mbps and in the range test it offered 34.4Mbs. Finally, in the mixed-mode test where it was set to work with both N and legacy wireless clients, the router scored 52.6Mbps, which is a very good number.
The router offers a very good range with both bands: around 280 feet in our testing environment. It also passed our 48-hour stress test for both bands. During that time it didn't disconnect once.
We didn't have high expectations for the RT-56U's storage performance, but it surprised us by being the fastest of all reviewed routers that have USB ports. The router scored 95.4Mbps for writing and 104.2Mbps for reading. While these numbers, as expected, are much lower than those of a dedicated NAS server, they are fast enough for casual backing up, data sharing, and media streaming.
Despite its tiny size, the RT-56U has good ventilation and therefore managed to stay cool and quiet even during heavy operation. It went though our testing without any problem at all.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Mixed Mode | |
Range | |
Throughput |
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Range | |
Throughput |
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Read | |
Write |
Service and support
Like with the RT-N16, Asus backs the RT-56U with a two-year warranty. At the company's Web site, you'll find downloads, FAQs, a manual, and other support-related materials. If you want to contact the company's tech support, however, it's better to do that via e-mail as there's no technical support phone number listed at the Web site.
Conclusions
Asus got it right with the RT-56U. This is an all-around great router for home users and it has a friendly price tag.
User reviews
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Outstanding wireless router
by ACTAIR on July 4, 2011
Pros: Easy to set up, by far exceeds Netgear or D Link nonsense. Excellent range, rather than sending a broad 360 signal it "targets" each device.
Cons: Finicky with the web based setup but after some simple configuration practice, works great.
Summary: I have had 6 different routers, this router is by FAR the best for home office and gaming applications. Having dual band already built in, slim design and RELIABLE, cannot ...
Summary: I have had 6 different routers, this router is by FAR the best for home office and gaming applications. Having dual band already built in, slim design and RELIABLE, cannot ask for more. Top notch well designed unit.!
6 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great Router if you do not VPN
by zsherburne on May 3, 2011
Pros: Speed, style, ease of set up. Throughput is amazing.
Cons: No VPN support. So great appliance for the family not very good for the way I use it.
Summary: We have a mixed device environment; Multiple Rokus, Kindles, iTouch, iPhones, laptops, desktops all connecting through this device. The streaming through Roku or for our games is vastly improved (speed ...
Summary: We have a mixed device environment; Multiple Rokus, Kindles, iTouch, iPhones, laptops, desktops all connecting through this device. The streaming through Roku or for our games is vastly improved (speed and picture quality). I spend alot of time working when I am at home so the lack of VPN support was a key miss for me. I purchased based on reviews on CNET and Amazon. Happy with the quality, but honestly would have bought something else so I could continue to be connected to work while at home.
5 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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One of the best routers today
by Yossi_r on September 14, 2011
Pros: Very long rage for the 2.4Ghz, and fantastic speed for the 5Ghz network. Allows you to customize almost every aspect of the system (DHCP, NAT, Virtual server and more). The USB ports add the functionality of a network printer and a NAS.
Cons: The web user interface could use some improvement (and an overview by a native English speaker...) and is a bit confusing.
Summary: Could have been perfect if the asministration web site was improved. Also, the first unit I bought was defective. It was easily replaced by a new one, but since I'...
Summary: Could have been perfect if the asministration web site was improved. Also, the first unit I bought was defective. It was easily replaced by a new one, but since I'm not the only user who complains about this, ut us important to notice this issue.
4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Fast installation, easy security setup.
by k2kiceman on July 3, 2011
Pros: Good steady online speed both wired and wireless. No need to go online and login thgrough a company website, as well as security setup was a breeze.
Cons: None as of now.(6 months usage)
Summary: Best wireless router that I have used bar none!
Summary: Best wireless router that I have used bar none!
4 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great router but No blocks VPN
by MM_HV on April 1, 2011
Pros: Extreme speed at 2.4 MHz, reasonable speed at 5 MHz, great speed through wired connections. Used it also for Netflix and other IP based apps with may samsung TV and it works great.
Cons: No VPN services. It completely killed my ability to work remotely, and that is a major issue for me and probably for many others these days. Don't touch that router (for now) if you consider connecting via VPN.
Summary: Very frustrating, after wasting many hours, just to find that ASUS didn't chaeck something as basic as VPN. I hope that they wil fix it ASAP.
Summary: Very frustrating, after wasting many hours, just to find that ASUS didn't chaeck something as basic as VPN. I hope that they wil fix it ASAP.
4 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Much better than the Netgear Router supplied by my ISP
by dkdowell on September 12, 2011
Pros: Much faster WAN throughput, maybe 3X up and down.
Great management GUIl.
Dual band WiFi works great with good signal strength throughout my house.
No dropped connections to TVs, phones, Xbox and PCs.
Love the ability to prioritize for different clientCons: Some issues with the help files and bad English
The Traffic Monitor is cool but, if I leave it running, it takes all system memory as well as the virtual memory then locks up the system.Summary: Great router for the money. A couple of friends have changed their buying choice based on my experience. I have VPN working both ways. I use OpenVPN to connect to ...
Summary: Great router for the money. A couple of friends have changed their buying choice based on my experience. I have VPN working both ways. I use OpenVPN to connect to work and I use PPTP and/or RDP to connect to home from the Internet.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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So far so good...including VPN
by Doh_1 on August 27, 2011
Pros: Fast, runs fairly cool.
Cons: No guest network.
Summary: Setup was easy. Immediately upgraded to firmware version 1.0.1.4 for Cisco VPN support. Everything works fine, excellent wireless range, VPN works fine, hardwired systems work well. Have ...
Summary: Setup was easy. Immediately upgraded to firmware version 1.0.1.4 for Cisco VPN support. Everything works fine, excellent wireless range, VPN works fine, hardwired systems work well. Have 4 hardwired clients, 3 wireless ones, including iPhone, Roku box, desktops and laptop, MOCA, etc. All working well.
I do miss having guest access, that's very convenient.
Time will tell on reliability, but working well now. On the other hand, not using USB disk or printer, QoS, media server, or other non-core router features. Just basic routing and wireless.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Being Returned
by howjef on August 29, 2011
Pros: It was a relatively easy set up. Connected a desktop (wired) a desktop, a laptop, and a printer wirelessly. Up and running rapidly after resolving issue in "cons".
Standing in vertical position makes placement easier. No sticking out of antennas is a defCons: 1. The download from the website did not allow for selection of win 7 64, so a call to Asus was required. The upside of that was , after a very long wait time)it was answered by an American speaking very pleasant person.
2. The router was very hot. HotSummary: Although this particular unit was defective, the support was excellent and I was very pleased with the set up and functionality.
Summary: Although this particular unit was defective, the support was excellent and I was very pleased with the set up and functionality.
2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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So far so good - Attractive, Easy and Fast
by Smash591 on February 27, 2012
Pros: The router found my modem, cloned my laptops MAC and was connected to the Internet faster than I could open the browser. That is fast! After connecting two USB drives, a 1Tb Iomega and and a 250Gb LaCie, transfering 1.5Gb's to my laptop took seconds.
Cons: None Yet...
Summary: I think CNET has steered me onto a great product. Thanks CNET.
Summary: I think CNET has steered me onto a great product. Thanks CNET.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Best router I've ever owned
by chad-email.com on February 11, 2012
Pros: - MAC Address filtering actually works (have to upgrade to the latest firmware to go above 12 users)
- Excellent signal strength for small office of 12 people
- No downtime to date (8 months)Cons: - Connected IP list isn't always updated and doesn't recognize machine names's well
- Should be able to have a client attempt a connection, have their MAC address show up as a attempted connection and allow an admin to authorize access with one clickSummary: A great router all around. We used this to replace an Airport Extreme that was having interference issues in our building. We've had nothing but good experience with this ...
Summary: A great router all around. We used this to replace an Airport Extreme that was having interference issues in our building. We've had nothing but good experience with this router. We have had our network password hacked in the past, so we employ MAC address filtering with our firewall so that only we can add computers we want on the network. This doesn't work well on the Airport Extreme, where it sometimes allows some people to access even if we haven't added them to the network and other times it doesn't... basically, it's flaky. The Asus does this filtering flawlessly and does not allow a connection for a computer that is not in the allowed list, just like it's supposed to. The router data performance is adequate, we've not done any speed tests or anything like that, but our SugarSync updates all the computers across our network locally without any lag and the internet is just as snappy as with the Airport Extreme. My only grip with the unit is that the connected client list is pretty poor and isn't always updated properly, and it doesn't always pull machine names into the list. As someone that has dealt with network intrusion in the past, this is crucial to successful network security monitoring and this should be corrected. Other than that, I can highly recommend this router for small offices with 12 computers, 12 phones, 4 database servers and 5 network appliances all connecting and having speedy access without ANY downtime.
NOTE: The MAC Filter only allows 32 addresses. In an office of 10 people, everyone has a phone, a computer, many have iPad's, then we've got printers, conference room computer and Apple TV, so we're well above 32 devices. This should be unlimited or at least 256. As such, we've had to disable the MAC filter so that everyone can get onto the network which makes it far less secure. Please fix this.
Updated on Apr 10, 20121 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Asus
- Part number: RT-N56U
- Description: The ASUS RT-N56U is the most advanced wireless router available, challenging tradition by dramatically exceeding all expectations. This stylish network enabler combines a series of cutting-edge and powerful technologies to offer you an ideal Internet and wireless package, complete with striking design.
General
- Device Type Wireless router - 4-port switch (integrated)
- Enclosure Type Desktop
- Compatible Slots None
- Connectivity Technology Wireless ,
Wired - Data Link Protocol Ethernet,
Gigabit Ethernet,
IEEE 802.11b,
IEEE 802.11n,
IEEE 802.11a,
IEEE 802.11g,
Fast Ethernet - Frequency Band 2.4 GHz,
5 GHz - Data Transfer Rate 300 Mbps
- Network / Transport Protocol L2TP ,
PPTP ,
PPPoE - Remote Management Protocol HTTP
- Encryption Algorithm WPA-PSK,
WPA2-Enterprise,
WPA-Enterprise,
WPA2-PSK,
128-bit WEP,
64-bit WEP - Features DHCP server ,
FTP server ,
Samba support ,
Packet filtering ,
BitTorrent Client ,
Built-in 2 port Hi-Speed USB hub ,
URL filtering ,
IP address filtering ,
Quality of Service (QoS) ,
EZ UI ,
Syslog support ,
Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) ,
Auto-uplink (auto MDI/MDI-X) ,
MAC address filtering ,
UPnP Media Server ,
Firmware upgradable ,
Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) ,
Interrupt status port (ISP) ,
Dual-band for Lag-free Entertainment ,
NAT support - Compliant Standards IEEE 802.11g ,
IEEE 802.11a ,
IEEE 802.11n ,
IEEE 802.11b ,
IEEE 802.3 - RAM 128 MB
- Flash Memory 8 MB
- Built-in Devices USB hub
- Status Indicators Standby,
Link activity Expansion / Connectivity
- Interfaces WAN : 1 x RJ-45,
LAN : 4 x Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T - RJ-45,
Hi-Speed USB : 2 x 4 pin USB Type A - Expansion Slot(s) None
Networking
- Networking type Wireless router
Antenna
- Antenna Internal integrated
- Antenna Qty 5
Power
- Power Device Power adapter - External
- Voltage Required AC 120/230 V
Communications
- Type None
Miscellaneous
- Width 6.8 in
- Depth 5.7 in
- Height 2.4 in
- Weight 11.6 oz
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Asus products on Shopper.com
-
- Manufacturer:Asus
- Address:
44370 Nobel Drive, Fremont, CA 94538 - Phone: +1-510-739-3777
- Email: tmd1@asus.com
- Fax: +1-510-608-4555
