Whenever I’ve bought a router in the past I’ve kind of glanced at the box, checked the price and snapped up the doodad that does the job for less. It’s been easier that way, but it’s also cost me in troubleshooting, maintenance, admin and replacements. Yes, cheap and nasty is exactly that, nasty. And there are few things as utterly frustrating as lying on a dusty floor with your head in the bowels of your household tech trying to figure out why the internet has gone for the fifth time that day.
They also seem to know when: you are on deadline, have a headache, aren’t feeling very well, are stressed to the gills, or all of the above. Yes, the wireless router world is fraught with painkillers and lie-downs.
Unless…
You invest in a router that has been designed to make your wireless life into something of an expensive beach holiday, almost complete with cocktail umbrellas and a nice fan. The ASUS RT-N66U is one such router because it has more features than a tech catalogue as well as superior performance deliverables that have been proven on site and in use.
This shiny black box looks like something you’d find down the Bat Cave as Bruce tried to hook up with his next gizmo online. There are four Gigabit Ethernet wired networking ports, an Ethernet port for ADSL or cable, two USB ports for external storage (anything from a 3G mobile stick to a printer), a reset button, a WPS push-button setup, a wall mounting kit (cool), and a remarkably comprehensive web interface that can help you through pretty much everything you need to do with your router.
The ASUS RT-N66U delivers superior speeds – awesome for those of us who game or need access to speedier internet that normal human beings – and is easy to configure to suit your own particular needs. If you’re not a geek, or too time strapped to spend hours carefully crafting the settings of your dreams, then the ASUS RT-N66U wireless router interface can be set up in under ten minutes just by following their default configurations and their step-by-step installation guide. As install wizards go, this one is sharp and sassy.
So, if you fancy investing in a fast, good looking, feature-rich router that will last you for years and allows you plenty of customisation, then perhaps you should consider giving this chap a try.
Tamsin