ASUS RT-N16 4 Port Gigabit Wireless N Router with 2X USB 2.0 Ports

Comment:
Technically speaking, the Asus RT-N16 is a powerhouse router.Lots of RAM and a solid CPU allow this router to handle lots of traffic and if configured correctly, can propely manage the traffic so that your connection is maximized for all the clients.It supports Draft N speeds, and I was able to get 250 Mbps using an Intel 4965ABGN adapter on my Thinkpad T61 in my concrete apartment - range is about 10-25 feet depending on the room I'm in.Out of the box, the Asus firmware is very user friendly and adequate for basic needs. You can setup your wireless network, wireless security protocols, QoS/NAT settings, and other features with the Asus firmware.After flashing with DD-WRT, Build 13575M by EKO k2.6 at the time of this writing, the power of the Asus RT-N16 is fully realized. The flash process is painless and easy.The only deal breaker I can think of is that this model is single band. The CPU does support dual band, but this particular router is only equipped/configured to operate at 2.4GHz. At the time of this writing, there is no softmod that can enable the 5GHz band. I don't believe there will be either as it's hardware later. Expect a newer revision or model to come later with a dual band offering if that's what you are looking for.It's only been a few days with this router but it has been an excellent start.I'll report back if any issues arise.

Comment:
This ia an absolutely wonderful router. ASUS greatly improved their firmware, but it is still weak, considering what is possible on this router with 3rd party firmware (especially DD-WRT). I managed to overcome all my reservations with this router, as soon as I replaced the ASUS firmware with DD-WRT firmware. Thanks to DD-WRT + Optware add-ons, I now have an inexpensive VPN Router, w/ Gigabit LAN+WAN, Wireless N, Windows sharable HD (NAS-functionality), and a full local DNS server all running inside my router. Linksys's closest competition isn't competition at all. This router makes the Linksys WRT610N look lame indeed. The Linksys WRT610N only has 64 MByte RAM, 8 MByte Flash, so is quite limited as far as Optware Add-ons go. (Router runs out of RAM w/ Tonkymedia Multimedia Server installed). Both routers are supported by DD-WRT, but the extra ram in the ASUS model makes it more expandable. Thanks to the ASUS RT-N16's 128MB of RAM, it doesn't suffer from this same issue. I have Optware on a 8GB Memory stick, and a 1.5TB Seagate Baracuda HD for my external HD. Thanks to this routers 2 USB 2.0 ports, I can have both plugged in at the same time without a USB Hub. This means my HD is strictly sharable data, and my Optware is stored conveniently on a USB RAM Stick. Very reliable! This router has twice the RAM of the Linksys offering, twice the USB ports, and is almost 1/2 the price. Any questions? I recommend this router.

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I did a -ton- of research looking for a good gigabyte router but in the end bought this one because NCIX didn't have the one I wanted in stock and I'd read a few good reviews. All my stuff is G not N so I haven't tested N at all (G is very stable though). Gigabit speed is much faster than 100mps but I have nothing to compare with. For me initial setup was a huge pain with little feedback and little forum support (this may have been a Shaw issue) but now that its running: its been stable and speedy for the past 1.5 weeks. I'm really hoping that Tomato or DD-WRT end up being ported to it in the near future but the Asus interface is much better than anything fom Linksys or D-Link. Time will tell but I'm impressed so far with it. This review was modfied by poster @ 12-01-09 04:10 PM

Comment:
This router is amazing- bought it to replace my D-Link DIR-655 because of its horrid signal strength and frequent connection drop. The specs are monstrous and the USB ports can be neat to have your little mini file server (although it's very basic and I don't think you can edit your files remotely nor assign custom permissions). But then I would still say the RT-N13U is better for the money. I wouldn't know about the signal strength up close, but at far distances the signal strength is exactly the same between the 2. (I've previously owned the N13U as well).