How to set up the RT-AC66U router: step by step instructions. Reviews: Wireless router ASUS RT-AC66U, black Protocols supported by WAN

Actually AiCloud consists of several parts. Firstly, this is the Smart Sync function, which allows you to synchronize selected folders on an external drive connected to the router with folders in the ASUS WebStorage cloud storage. The latter has ready-made clients for all popular mobile and desktop operating systems, but the prices for using this service are not yet very humane. For full mobile access to all the functions of ASUS AiCloud, you will have to install a separate application for iOS or Android, or use a separate web interface.

Smart Access and Cloud Disk essentially provide remote access to drives. Only in the first case, this concerns the shared network resources of the PC on the local network, and in the second case, the USB drive of the router. Smart Access remembers the once entered authorization parameters for accessing network resources and allows you to turn on the PC using Wake-On-LAN. In the mobile application, you can view deleted files and folders, play photos/music/video from them (the router sends an http(s) stream), download files, select folders for synchronization via Smart Sync with the cloud, and simply add them to your favorites.

Another interesting feature allows you to select files and give them a public download link that is active for 24 hours. There is also a simple management of lists of PCs and routers. So far, the Android application is not very stable and does not always work correctly. The web version is a modest parody of the Metro-style interface. It allows you to do everything with files that is available in the mobile version, but you can also create folders and upload files.

Both versions have their own photo viewer and music player, and the video is either streamed to a third-party app or processed by the appropriate browser plugin. AiCloud requires an external IP address, a connected DDNS service (Asuscomm) and/or open ports 8082/443 for normal operation. However, you can also connect to AiCloud from the local network. At the moment, AiCloud services are available for RT-AC66U, RT-N66U and RT-N16U routers.

In general, AiCloud is not yet perfect - for example, not all machines were found on the local network, and where WOL starts there is not very clear at all. To enter the system, the administrator's login and password are used, but there is no system for distributing rights. Well, at least there is a simple protection against trying to pick up a password by brute force and viewing detailed work logs. In any case, such a set of services is definitely useful, and at the first stages you can put up with some software flaws.

⇡ Specifications

The biggest changes compared to the previous model are hidden from the user's eyes. The hardware platform of the device remains the same - a Broadcom BCM4706 / BCM5300 series processor with a frequency of 600 MHz, USB 2.0 support and a gigabit network controller, a BCM53125 gigabit switch, an Alcor AU6259 USB hub and an 802.11n BCM4331 radio unit. And this is where the differences begin. The second radio block was the BCM4360, which supports 802.11ac. All this goodness hangs on the PCI-E bus, and the radio modules are connected to three external removable antennas (3x3:3). The micro-SD slot was removed, but the amount of internal memory was increased from 32 MB to 128 MB. The amount of RAM remained the same, but still solid - 256 MB. In short, a beast-machine! The retribution for this is obvious - the router is hot not only in soul, but in body.

⇡ Testing

Since 802.11ac adapters are still tight, to test this standard, however, as well as for 802.11n, a pair of ASUS RT-AC66U routers was used. One as a regular router and the other as a wireless bridge. In the second case, you will have to manually specify the range, SSID and access password of the parent point. The second radio module at this time is used to create a "repeater" in the adjacent range. In bridge mode, most of the settings are not available, but USB ports can be used to connect a printer or storage device, as well as to install a download manager. Naturally, all this will be visible in the "common" local network.

As testbeds, we used an ASUS K42JC laptop (Intel Pentium 6100, 2 GB RAM, Gigabit Ethernet JMicron JMC250) and a stationary machine (AMD Athlon64 X2 4800+, 4 GB RAM, Gigabit Ethernet Realtek RTL8168B) running 32-bit Windows 7 SP1. Testing was carried out using the Ixia IxChariot 6.7 program with the High Performance Throughput profile (see table below) and the iperf 1.7.0 utility. For Wi-Fi, WPA2-AES encryption was enabled, automatic channel selection was specified, and the channel width was manually set to 40/80 MHz. HW NAT and Jumbo frames are out of work. All other settings are left by default. The routers were within line of sight at a distance of about 5 meters.

The results do not seem to be worth commenting on. And so it is clear that the speed indicators are simply magnificent. In real life, 802.11n connections are likely to be worse, especially in the 2.4 GHz band, which is rapidly clogging up. Comparing the results in 802.11ac with those of the NETGEAR R6300 is probably not very correct due to the difference in testing conditions. The speed of working with an external drive, and in this case it was Apacer Share Steno AC202 formatted in NTFS, turned out to be not very low, but not very high either. Reading via SMB and FTP was carried out at speeds around 10 MB / s, and writing - 15 and 6 MB / s, respectively. Moreover, reading from FTP sagged at times to some near-zero values.

And here are the WAN connection speeds<->LAN was unpleasantly surprised. Max 350 Mbps with direct connection, about 100 Mbps with PPPoE, around 70 Mbps for PPTP (without MPPE) and about 60 Mbps for L2TP. The results are strange but acceptable. Otherwise, no problems were noticed, with the exception of the already familiar feature of this series in the form of noticeable heating during operation.

⇡ Conclusion

Again, almost everything that was said last time about the ASUS RT-N66U can also be said about the ASUS RT-AC66U. Excellent design, high performance, stability, rich functionality, a couple of USB ports, the ASUSWRT initiative - all this goes into the treasury of pluses. Alas, some of the shortcomings remained uncorrected - not the most successful power supply, not a very fast file server, flaws in software and localization. It was also not possible to cope with high heating during operation. Nevertheless, it is still one of the fastest and most productive SOHO routers with 802.11ac support. In practice, not everyone needs support for the new standard. Moreover, suitable adapters are almost impossible to find now. Therefore, when choosing a router, we would recommend not to focus on 802.11ac support, which, do not forget, is still in draft status. At the time of this writing, the ASUS RT-AC66U cost about 7,300 rubles, which, in our opinion, is quite an adequate price.

1-Performance.
Wi-Fi AC with the ASUS USB-AC53 adapter showed a result of 365 megabits / sec, and this was due to the limit of the adapter itself, since it works via USB 2.0. Removal from the router by 50 meters and obstacles 2 walls did not become an obstacle in order to achieve a speed over a local network of 170-200 megabits / sec. As for Wi-fi N On a tablet with support for a frequency of 5 GHz, at the same distance from the router of 50 meters, the speed reached 35-40 megabits / sec. A laptop connected via Wi-Fi N 2.4GHz showed a speed of 10-20 megabits / sec, and the adapter itself in the laptop is not of the best quality. The tablet at the same frequency at equal distance shows a speed of about 30 megabits / sec. Near the router, within a radius of a meter, the speed reaches 125-130 megabits / sec over the local network, the problem is again in the laptop adapter that supports a connection of no more than 150 megabits. The tablet shows a similar result. On a local network via Ethernet, the speed reaches 935-960 megabits / sec.
It can withstand the simultaneous operation of 5-7 devices, when they actively use the Internet connection, download something, Skype calls and transfer data to cloud storage, with an Internet connection speed of 85 megabits / sec.
2-Functionality, it has everything from a to z, there is not enough space to describe here. Distribution of files via FTP and Samba works with a bang. Just like DDNS. Printserver is also a plus. As well as guest networks, speed distribution settings, parental control. Stable work with UPnP.
3-Width of coverage, setting the power of each band.
4-Stable connection, has been working for more than a week in 24/7 mode.
5-Useful stand, which is very handy, installing a router on it heats up less.
6-Excellent appearance.

1- The most significant is the strong heating of the router, heat and direct sun, it is contraindicated. It is advisable to install it on a stand or come up with a fan. I have it on the system unit, in which the fan blows it from above, it is not very hot, but when it is turned off and there is no ventilation, the heating is very noticeable.

Before that, he owned an Asus RT-N16 router, which is also excellent, sold it after 2 and a half years of use, in working order, for the entire time of work, there were practically no complaints about it, of course, Asus released a couple of fig firmware, but it doesn’t matter, there is always alternative or just a rollback to the previous one. This one came as a replacement, as it has a wider 5GHz network coverage and a higher speed on this band. In general, there is almost no difference between it and the RT-N66U, the performance on the N band is the same, this router wins on the AC band on which it is able to show excellent speed. In terms of functionality, even with RT-N16, I don’t feel much difference, only a performance increase, and it is relevant for those who use DLNA and UPnP excessively, VPN tunnels and local network via wi-fi.
All in all, a great feature-packed router with amazing performance.

37 2

1. Powerful signal catches in the car opposite the house, the old D-Link 615 broadcast much weaker.
2. Fast data transfer over the wire and in both Wi-Fi ranges (and if you set up QoS, then smartly fast)). Computers, tablets, smartphones everyone lives together, no one falls off, the speed does not fail, they are friends with apples, samsungs, asus and other huawei.
3. 2 USB ports can hook up USB modems (not all), HDDs and flash drives (you can set up an ftp server with ddns and cloud sync in a couple of mouse clicks), cameras, printers (with the option of wireless printing directly from gadgets).
4. Cloud service with 5GB as a gift. A trifle, but nice))
5. Very flexible structure configurable option for multiple guest WiFi networks in 2 bands, while the main network quietly lives its own life and also in 2 bands.
6. Extremely simple settings interface. Dream of a blonde However, all the serious options are also available and not so deeply buried.
7. All the necessary network goodies NAT, port forwarding, DDNS, DMZ, AD integration, etc. are present, everything is like everyone else.
8. Alternative firmware has already appeared, you can make candy for your tasks, if you wish.
9. Purchase seriously and for a long time, the power of the device is enough and still remains.

1. It takes a relatively long time to apply the settings, and when some are changed, the Wi-Fi falls off (for the time the settings are applied, of course, then it appears back). At first, it terribly infuriates, but if you set it up once and for all, then it's not scary.
2. Quite a “hot thing” (compared to DIR-615 E4)) Not boiling water, of course, is quite acceptable (~ 45-50C), but sometimes it’s still “underweight”, but xs it will be like summer. He needs a place where nothing interferes with ventilation. It is better to place it vertically (on a stand), and if on a wall, then with a gap at the back (without blocking the ventilation holes).
3. The 802.11ac standard has not yet been fully formed, so there is a risk of missing some later options, but let's hope that this is adjustable at the firmware level.

I bought it because the emergence of new fast Internet tariffs, the growing interference from the informatization of the entrance, the increase in the volume of transmitted content and the slogan "faster, further, stronger" made me think about changing the old man 615, who served me faithfully for 2 years. And a candidate with an eye to the future was found quite quickly) For in this segment, in terms of the number of opportunities per unit of cost, he is still in the lead.

Complain Did the review help? 23 1

Ease of setup, signal strength, stability. The design, but for me it is not important, since the router practically stands on the floor in the depths of the computer desk, illuminating the socks with blue LEDs.

In operation for about 6 months around the clock! There has never been a break in communication due to his fault, so that he had to turn it off and on to restore Internet access (both Kinetic Light and Kinetic and the DIR 620 converted to Kinetic sinned with this). With the installation of this device, the problem of connecting laptops, iPhones, iPads, a TV and a media player to Wi-Fi disappeared (subsequently, the media player and TV were connected via a 1 gigabit cable anyway, the speed is higher than via Wi-Fi) All neighboring Wi-Fi networks simply scored! The signal is stable. Through 3 concrete walls (router in the hall) on the balcony, iPhone 5 and Galaxy Note 2 show 3 sticks each. Previously, iPhone 5 on the balcony did not catch Wi-Fi at all. We live on the 7th floor. On the street in front of the entrance, 2 signal divisions are shown on the galaxy note2 and on the iPhone 4 and 4s. Haven't tested on iPhone 5. To the garage from the entrance of 50-70 meters. Wi-Fi and there clings. And this is all at 2.4 GHz. Benchmarks for Internet connection speed on smartphones or laptops (via Wi-Fi) show the declared speed by the provider. Media player connection 130 megabits (no longer allows media player hardware). A 300 megabit Zuksel whistle plugged into a stationary computer in the monitoring program shows a connection at a speed of 300 megabits. Since I don’t have adapters for a 5 GHz network, I can’t say anything about the connection speed at this frequency.
In general, the main goal was to get a stable Wi-Fi connection throughout the numerous home mobile peripherals. This goal was achieved despite the wagon and several carts of neighboring networks. Until I figured out how to allocate a channel width limit for each device, so that when uploading something from the Internet to a network drive, the channel to my wife’s laptop, for example, still remains untouched. But I haven't really figured out how to do it yet.

The ASUS RT-AC66U router is a dual-band router that supports 802.11ac, ASUS AiCloud, and an aggregate data rate of 1300Mbps.

Characteristics of the RT-AC66U router

For a detailed list of technical specifications of the router, see the following illustrations:

The price for such features remains quite high - around 7500 rubles, but the ASUS brand speaks for itself.

Brief overview of the RT-AC66U router

The router is finished in branded black with three detachable antennas attached to the back of the case and a rectangular curved stand for vertical installation of the device.

There are nine indicators on the front panel of the router:

• "POWER"
• "LAN 4-1"
• Internet
• "2.4GHz"
• "5GHz"
• USB.

On the back of the case - along with the aforementioned antennas - there are connectors and ports for connecting external devices:

• DCIN socket
• ON/OFF button
• 2 "USB 0" ports
• RESET button
• WAN port
• 4 LAN ports
• WPS button.

Installing and connecting the router

The connection diagram of the rt ac66u model is not very complicated and looks like this:

• to the turned off router, connect the provider's Internet cable (or modem) to the "WAN" port;
• cable "Twisted pair" through the ports "LAN" (Ethernet);
• connect the power adapter to the mains and turn on the router.

Internet connection setup

Like the vast majority of routers, "RT-AC66U" provides a choice of two types of settings - these are "Quick Setup" and "Advanced Setup" (or advanced).

If you select the first option, the setup wizard will step by step request the basic parameters necessary for the network to work. However, the functionality for changing additional parameters will remain unavailable, so it is better to use manual entry to create a reliable network.

To create a new Internet connection in manual mode, go to the "Advanced Settings" section - the "Internet" (WAN) subsection.

The first line is "WAN Connection Type" - depending on the requirements of the provider, select one of the options:

"Automatic IP" (Automatic IP)

If the ISP requires account authentication, select "802.1x MD5" and enter the username and password.

"PPPoE"

Leave the WAN, NAT, and UPnP options enabled.

If the provider provides the receipt of ip-addresses automatically, leave this line unchanged. If you need to enter the IP address manually, then select "NO" - new lines will appear below, where you will need to specify the addresses.

In the “Account Setting” block, enter the “User Name” and “Password”.

"Statistical IP" (Static IP)

Fill in the IP Address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, and DNS Server 1/2 (DNS Server 1/2) lines.

PPTP and L2TP

The main requested parameters are filled in by analogy with a PPPoE connection.

In the "Special Requirement from ISP" block, pay attention to the line "VPN Server" (VPN Server) - this is the ip or url address of the provider's VPN server.

After completing the data entry, click on the "Apply" button.

WiFi setup on RT-AC66U router

Go to the subsection “Wireless network” (Wireless), tab “General” (General).

1. "Frequency range" (Frequency) - select "2.4 GHz" or "5 GHz";

2. "SSID" is the name of the access point;

3. "Wireless Mode" (Wireless Mode) and "Channel" (Control Channel) leave in automatic mode;

4. "Authentication Method" - select one of the options:

• "Open System"
• "Shared Key" - enter the password in the "WEP-key" line and select the encryption bit size 64bit or 128bit.

"WPA-Personal" and "WPA2-Personal" and "WPA2-Personal" are the password in the "WPA Preshared Key".

"WPA - Enterprise" and "WPA2 - Enterprise" and "Radius with 802.1x"

Click the Radius Settings tab, select Frequency, and enter the Server IP Address and Connection Secret.

After that, it remains only to click on the "Apply" button.

On the tab "Professional" (Professional) you can configure additional settings for the wifi access point:

1. Set time limits.

2. Enable or disable options such as "TX Bursting", "Wireless MulticastForwarding", "WMM APSD" and more.

IPTV setup

The settings for the joint operation of the router and the set-top box are carried out in the "LAN" section - the "IPTV" tab

• select a provider profile from the list;
• in the line “Choose IPTV STB Port” (Choose IPTV STB Port), select one of the “LAN” ports to which the set-top box is connected;
• enable "Enable multicast routing (IGMP Proxy)" and "Enable efficient multicast forwarding (IGMP Snooping)".

Additional features

VPN server

The RT-AC66U router can also work in the role, for configuration you will need to go to the “VPN server” section of the same name (VPN server) and do the following:

• activate "Enable PPTP Server" (Enable PPTP Server) and "Support Network Place (Samba)" (Network Place (Samba) Support);
• fill in the data in the block "Username and password (Max: 16)" (Username and Password (MaxLimit: 16);
• click "Apply";
• go to the VPN Details tab;
• in the "Broadcast Support" line, select "Both".
• "MPPE Encryption" - all three items must be checked.

Below is a table that will help you choose MPPE encryption.

Parental control

To configure "Parental control" (Parental control), go to the appropriate section, move the slider to the right to "ON" and set the following parameters:

• in the "Client name" column, select the desired device from the drop-down list and click on the "+" icon;
• in the "Time management" column, click on the button with a pencil to edit the time interval for the rule;
• in the editor that opens, set the temporary values ​​​​and click "OK".

Which is, without a doubt, one of the best models on the market. However, in the same spring at CeBit, some manufacturers showed samples of equipment with support for the new 802.11ac wireless standard, which promised to significantly increase performance - to the level of a gigabit wired network.

Of course, one can argue why mobile devices need such speed: 802.11n is enough for streaming video, and user data is increasingly located on network storages and cloud services. But if a standard has been developed, then someone needs it. In extreme cases, marketing will come to the rescue and convince us that without this function it is simply impossible to live and work.

Today we'll take a look at one of the next generation of 802.11ac devices. Recall that now this standard is in the draft version of the third version, which, however, does not prevent the sale of network equipment with its implementation.

In fact, the Asus RT-AC66U differs little from its predecessor: one of the two radio blocks has been replaced with a new version with 802.11ac and the amount of flash memory has been increased.

Contents of delivery

This time the packaging is noticeably more compact - only about 30 x 23.5 x 8.5 centimeters. Her design is standard - photos, descriptions, technical features. To attract attention, a combination of matte and glossy lamination is used. Interestingly, there is no “Wi-Fi Certified” logo on the box, which once again confirms the “draft” status of the standard.

The scope of delivery has also not changed: a router, three external antennas, a stand for vertical installation, a 19 V 1.58 A power supply, a gigabit network cable, an optical disc, a quick start guide in several languages ​​and a warranty card (warranty period is two years). Localization touched electronic documents, device interface and utilities.

The CD is of little interest because the device is new and is in a period of frequent updates, so it would be better to download the necessary programs from the company's website. In particular, it contains utilities for initial setup, searching for a device on the network, restoring firmware, and connecting a printer.

Appearance

This section could be completely skipped - RT-AC66U almost completely repeats the design of its predecessor. The differences are really minimal - the new text on the front and the gold color of the logo instead of silver. So the assessments of the appearance will be the same.

From the point of view of style, everything is fine - black matte plastic with an interesting texture looks attractive. The router has the possibility of horizontal and vertical (with a stand) installation, as well as wall mounting. Large external antennas, common to two bands, provide a high signal level and good sensitivity.

Like its predecessor, the router has a high weight, and this is due to the need to install a large radiator to cool the high-performance filling. From the point of view of temperature conditions, it is more efficient to install the router vertically, since passive ventilation grilles are located along the contour and at the bottom of the device. The standard desktop version is somewhat worse. Although we note that in tests under load, no effect of temperature conditions on the results was noticeable.

The set of nine blue LEDs has not changed - status, LAN1-4, Internet, 2.4 and 5 GHz Wi-Fi, USB. The brightness of their glow is average, but the activity of ports and interfaces is accompanied by blinking.

At the back of the case are wired ports, antenna connectors, two USB 2.0 ports, a power supply input and a switch, reset buttons and a WPS client connection. There is a small note only to the latter - it is painfully small, and with the LAN4 connector occupied by the cable, it will not be easy to get to it.

Hardware configuration

The filling of the device differs from the RT-N66U a little more than the appearance. The processor used is the same - BCM4706 / BCM53003 with a frequency of 600 MHz. The amount of RAM is also preserved, it is an impressive 256 MB in the new model. But the flash was added - instead of 32 MB, there are now as many as 128 MB. Additionally, there is also a second 2 MB chip with some service sections. To work at 2.4 GHz, the BCM4331 radio unit is installed, and the new chip, BCM4360, is responsible for supporting all versions at 5 GHz, including 802.11ac. Both are connected to the main processor via the PCIe bus. Modes up to 450 Mbps for 802.11n (3T3R) and up to 1300 Mbps for 802.11ac are supported.

As for USB, the controller is located in the processor, and an additional hub based on the AU6259 chip is connected to it from the outside. Unlike the previous model, there is no microSD card slot. The gigabit switch has not changed - BCM53125. The PCB also has a console connector and a JTAG pad. The hardware version of the device under test is A1.

As has repeatedly met with Asus, the announcement of the device and even its appearance on sale, unfortunately, does not at all mean the existence of the correct firmware for it, which performs all the functions described in the specifications. Interestingly, the router, if it has Internet access, can itself check the availability of new firmware versions and install them after user confirmation. In our case, he stopped at version 3.0.0.4.164, so 3.0.0.4.188 and then 3.0.0.4.220, with which the test was carried out, had to be downloaded and loaded in the traditional way.

Customization and features

In general, the router has features similar to its predecessor, but there are some improvements and additions. So in this section we will not describe the functions in great detail, but we will try to focus only on the main ones.

The configuration web interface has not changed - all the same dark tones, built-in assistant, translation into several languages ​​(including Russian), network graphic scheme, etc. The only thing that has been noticeably improved here is that in addition to HTTP, a HTTPS (port number can be changed). Adding links to the manual, utilities, and FAQ on the company's website can also come in handy. Not all of these documents have been localized. It should be noted that this is also implemented in the previous model with a firmware update.

You can allow access to settings from the WAN side. They retained support for using the telnet client to access the console, which opens up wide opportunities for expanding the set of device functions. The Network Map now displays more information. In particular, data about the Internet connection (address and host name) have been added.

To connect to the Internet, all current options are supported - IPoE, PPPoE, PPTP, L2TP, 802.1x. It is possible to change the MAC address and disable NAT. There are options for switching and port translation, UPnP, DMZ, NAT Passthrough for some protocols and a DDNS client. In the latter case, you can use both the popular DynDNS, NO-IP, TZO services, as well as Asus' own service, which is very easy to set up - you just need to come up with a unique name for the third-level domain, no registration is required. For IPTV users, it is possible to select a port number for connecting a set-top box, enabling multicast and a built-in UDP Proxy server. In addition to receiving a list of routes from the provider, manual programming is also supported. Note the presence of two hardware options - enabling Jumbo Frames (works only in the LAN segment) and disabling the hardware packet translation accelerator.

In the local segment, everything is standard - you can select the IP address of the device, enable the DHCP server for automatic configuration of clients. The server allows you to set fixed MAC-IP pairs, which can be useful when using remote access with port translation. We note support for IPv6 through automatic or manual assignment of addresses and tunnels, which may become relevant in the near future.

In the settings of wireless interfaces, too, little has changed. Since the radio units are completely independent, all options are duplicated. For each band, the network name is traditionally indicated (with the possibility of hiding), the mode of operation (“all standards” or “only n”), channel width, channel number (there are 13 for 2.4 GHz and 4 for 5 GHz), access control mode (including open network, WPA2-PSK and enterprise editions, RADIUS server) and password. You can use WPS technology to quickly connect clients. An additional security enhancement is provided by the MAC address filter. The "Professional" page allows you to program the schedule for the wireless modules, enable multicast broadcasting, and set some specialized options.

The router can also create guest networks, three for each range. For each, you can select protection, set an automatic shutdown timer, and allow access to the local segment of the main network.

The Firewall page group allows you to create lists for filtering by URL links, keywords on site pages (testing showed that this function does not work), MAC addresses and services. In the latter case, the rules contain parameters familiar from firewalls - source and destination addresses, port ranges, protocols, filter operation time.

In the "Administration" section, you can find a standard set of updating the firmware, changing the administrator password, managing the configuration, setting the clock, enabling the telnet server. Here you can also select one of the three operating modes of the device: wireless router, bridge (client), access point.

The operation logs, like those of other Asus models, are presented in an extended format - the standard system log, the status of wireless controllers and the DHCP server table, routing and address translation. Note that for remote control there is only support for sending messages to the syslog server, by e-mail, unfortunately, the device cannot communicate.

One of the additional functions of the router - "Parental Control" - allows you to set a schedule for selected clients for allowed access to the Internet.

Another feature already familiar from previous reviews is the PPTP remote access server with support for MSCHAP v1/v2 and MPEE-40/128. It will allow you to securely access your home local network. The administrator can program up to ten accounts, the maximum number of simultaneous connections is also ten.

We also mention the implementation of the QoS traffic control function. As before, we assess its need for home routers as controversial. But to control the current consumption of traffic on different interfaces, this function can be useful.

Working with USB devices

The RT-AC66U inherited the same two USB 2.0 ports. They can be used to connect external drives, printers/MFPs and cellular modems. Full MFP support works only for Windows operating systems using complete proprietary software. For other operating systems, you can use the LPR protocol.

With support for 3G / 4G modems, the situation is gradually improving. But, unfortunately, the manufacturer hid the compatibility list very deeply, which creates some difficulties when choosing a model. On the other hand, models that are not included in it may also work. In particular, we have earned Huawei E156G. It was enough just to select an operator from the list. There is only one mode of using the modem at the moment - if the cable connection is lost, the router switches to the cellular network. However, it must be taken into account that the mechanism only reacts to the physical disconnection of the cable, and cannot return back itself.

For drives, the set of options has been expanded. As before, you can connect devices with FAT32, NTFS, EXT2, EXT3 file systems. Access is provided via SMB and FTP protocols (simultaneously enabled for access via the Internet). In the first case, you can select the network name and the name of the workgroup, and set the encoding for the FTP server. The administrator can program several users in the router and grant them rights to shared resources, which are folders on partitions.

If there are not enough ports, you can use a USB hub. You can safely disable the drive using the button in the header of the Web interface.

The following graph shows the results of testing the read and write speed of a large (about 700 MB) file. Note that, like its predecessor, the server in the router reacts strangely to the inclusion of Jumbo Frames - the speed in some cases is halved. Therefore, testing was carried out without using this technology.

In general, the results are quite expected for the platform used. We also note that when using Internet access and / or wireless networks at the same time, the numbers will be lower. In tests, the processor load of the router only on this one task reached 40-80%. So if you want to use the router as a network drive, you need to be clear about the possible performance limitations.

As before, the miniDLNA module allows you to stream media files located on external drives to compatible players. Indexing is carried out immediately for all devices and supports jpeg, mp3, m4a, aac, wma, avi, mp4, mkv, wmv, mpeg and some other formats. Folders are the easiest way to sort photos and videos, and tags can be used for audio recordings. You can optionally enable the iTunes online library, but the server version is not compatible with iTunes 10, so we couldn't test it.

The relatively powerful processor of the router can also be used as an offline file download system using HTTP, FTP, Magnet, ed2k links and the BitTorrent and NZB protocols. The Download Master module is installed directly from the router's Web interface to the selected partition of the external hard drive and occupies about 50 MB on it. Here you can also find a link to download a proprietary utility for a PC. It allows you to automatically send files for download from Explorer, Internet Explorer and other browsers, call the module's own Web interface (password protected) to control the process and set parameters. Among them are setting a schedule, choosing a directory for storing downloaded files, changing the port number of the control interface, and allowing access from the WAN side. Amule, nbzget, snarf, transmission utilities are used as clients. For the latter, you can change the port number, limit speeds and the number of peers, enable encryption, DHT and PEX.

To estimate the load, let's give the following figures - one task to download a large file (an image of one of the popular Linux distributions) worked for us at a speed of 2-3 MB / s with the number of peers 20-30 and at the same time took about 90% of the processor time (the recording was carried out to an ext3 partition). You can not talk about the speed of access to the partition at this moment - it drops ten times. So you can let the router work as a standalone server, but only if the power is really not in demand in other tasks. And, of course, you don't have to expect PC or NAS performance from it.

The settings pages for working with a USB drive, in our opinion, are not very well designed. In some cases, the router opens a new window for them, and the options and parameters are not always clear to novice users.

A brand new feature in the tested firmware version is AiCloud. It consists of several features: Cloud Disk, Smart Access and Smart Sync. Unfortunately, their description is not very clear and difficult to understand. The main feature of the service is to provide access not only to USB drives on the router, but also to all other systems on the local network. We are talking about the standard "Network Neighborhood". To do this, the router becomes a Master Browser and stores a list of all local devices. In this case, if the computer is turned off, it will still be present in the list and the WOL option (power on over the network) will be available for it.

The user then has several options for accessing the data. In particular, using Cloud Disk, you can do this through the Web-based file manager, and Smart Access is used in conjunction with the AiCloud program for mobile devices on Android and iOS. Work is supported via HTTP (port number - 8082) and HTTPS (standard port - 443). All this requires DDNS configured on the router and an external IP address. Future versions of the AiCloud software are expected to remove this limitation. It should also be noted that at the moment the entrance to the service works only with an administrator account. For local systems, you can enter your own usernames and passwords. An additional option is to provide temporary direct links to files for easy and fast downloading from the browser. Document access is read-only. There are built-in players for photos, music and videos. Office formats can be viewed in Google Docs and edited if necessary, but the modified file cannot be written back to the old location. The Smart Sync module allows you to set up synchronization of the selected folder on the USB drive with the MySyncFolder directory on the Asus WebStorage cloud storage.

The utility of the same name for smartphones provides, in general, exactly the same opportunities as the browser. And links to documents can be sent immediately by e-mail or SMS.

Of course, similar features can be implemented through the built-in VPN server, but the AiCloud service is aimed at unprepared users and is really very easy to set up and use. The only pity is that there is no way to work with multiple user accounts. This would allow more flexible access to documents. Note that there is a built-in lock when a password guessing attempt is detected, however, it will be possible to remove it only through the router's Web interface.

AiCloud may indeed be of interest to many (forgetful) users. So if you urgently left home or office, then, with minimal preliminary settings, you can download the desired presentation or spreadsheet right at the meeting from your phone or tablet.

Performance

Testing of the device was carried out according to a slightly modified program and only on the stand using the IxChariot program. The router settings were minimal - only setting the parameters for connecting to the Internet and wireless networks.

The first graph shows the results in a routing test using all connection options - IpoE, PPPoE, PPTP and L2TP.

For a direct connection, more than 850 Mbps is provided, which is a good indicator for modern gigabit routers. In the case of using the PPPoE protocol, the results are noticeably lower - up to 200 Mbps, but for modern mass connections using the FastEthernet standard, this is more than enough. PPTP and L2TP also provide full utilization of the 100 Mbps channel without any problems in most tests. Note that compared to the RT-N66U, the results are slightly higher, but we must take into account that a different firmware version was used last time.

Support for access to the provider's local network may be of interest to users with VPN connections. The following graph shows test data for a simultaneous download scenario from the local segment and the Internet.

As you can see, there are no comments on the work in this mode for the router.

Additionally, we decided to conduct routing tests with alternative firmware version 3.0.0.3.178.15. Given that it is based on an earlier original build, a slight difference in results is to be expected.

But the main conclusion is that changing and expanding the capabilities of the device is not accompanied by a significant drop in speed in the main mode of operation of the router.

As with its predecessor, tests were also carried out on the built-in VPN server. A standard module from Windows 7 was used as a client. Modes without encryption were tested with MPPE 128. The direction is indicated relative to the external client.

Depending on the Internet connection mode and encryption, the server provides access speeds from 30 to 110 Mbps, which will be more than enough for most remote access tasks. Like last time, we note that using a VPN server is quite a challenge for the router platform in terms of CPU load.

The device's wireless access points were tested with the fastest controllers in our lab: Asus EA-N66, Atheros AR5BXB112 (AR9380), Intel Ultimate N Wi-Fi Link 5300, Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 and NETGEAR WNDA4100. All of these devices support dual band and 3T3R mode of operation with a maximum speed of 450 Mbps. In this case, the first is an Ethernet bridge, the next three are miniPCIe adapters, and the last is a USB controller. To test the most interesting 802.11ac mode, we used a second Asus RT-AC66U router switched to bridge mode.

Of course, in most cases, if both the router and the adapter can work at 5 GHz, this is the range that should be used, but we additionally tested 802.11n and 2.4 GHz adapters to evaluate the capabilities of the device in question in this range.

For the 5 GHz band, the router setup was to set the WPA2-PSK AES mode. To achieve high results at 2.4 GHz, the wide channel mode (“40 MHz”) was additionally forced and the channel numbers were rigidly chosen from the most free ones. There are no neighboring networks at 5 GHz yet, but 2.4 GHz is quite busy. The distance between the devices was about five meters without obstacles.

The first graph shows the results of single-threaded tests for receiving, transmitting and simultaneous operation in two directions.

Evaluating the results, we can confidently say that today's high-performance wireless devices allow you to work at speeds that are almost twice as high as the wired networks of the previous generation. Of course, all this is very dependent on the conditions of the air, but at least we succeeded. In absolute terms, in the 5 GHz band, the numbers are slightly higher, but in 2.4 GHz the results are quite decent. I would especially like to note the Atheros and NEGTEAR adapters. The first continues to hold the palm, and the second is interesting for its USB interface, which allows it to be used on any computer to add or improve a wireless interface. As for 802.11ac, in this group of tests it can improve performance by one and a half to two times.

The second graph shows the results of similar tests, but eight streams were used for unidirectional transmission, and four streams in each direction for full duplex.

Despite the fact that 802.11n results have also grown, the new standard has grown even more. In this scenario, its speed is already two to three times higher: performance has increased from 200-300 Mbps to 500-600 Mbps. Interestingly, again the real speed is approximately equal to half of the technical speed indicated in the specifications.

As we can see, the new wireless standard, although it does not formally provide "gigabit speeds", is still quite noticeably different from the current version. But we should not forget about its draft status and the lack of controllers built into laptops and other mobile systems.

This can be clearly demonstrated by the results of the "new iPad" test, shown in the following graph (the direction is relative to the tablet).

In this case, you can count on figures of the order of 40 Mbps, which allows you to implement the controller built into the tablet. Of course, this is enough to watch the online broadcast of the video. But for synchronization and backup, I would like more - transferring 32 GB at this speed will require more than an hour and a half.

In the new devices of the market leaders, judging by the technical characteristics, more efficient controllers are used, but the real speed must be checked in practice.

As for the specific equipment in question, there is another important point - with the current firmware version, the RT-AC66U only supports four channels in the 5 GHz band. This means the only possible configuration for 802.11ac and it is not yet very clear how two such access points will work on the same air. True, this restriction is associated with regional settings and may well be removed / changed in new firmware versions for our market.

conclusions

The Asus RT-AC66U router differs from its predecessor in the only consumer characteristic - support for the new 802.11ac wireless standard. So its assessment will differ a little - the device has a high-performance platform, a good design and an attractive design. With any common Internet connection options, it will not be a weak link and will allow the user to get the maximum available access speed.

Asus has implemented in its firmware not only the functions traditional for routers, but also significantly expanded it. In particular, it is worth mentioning support for guest wireless networks, traffic monitoring, a VPN server, and scheduled Internet access restriction. But the largest number of functions are associated with the installed USB ports. They can be used to share a printer and MFP, reserve a channel through cellular modems, implement basic network storage functions with file access via SMB, FTP and DLNA protocols.

One of the latest innovations - the AiCloud service - allows you to work remotely through a browser or mobile devices with files not only on USB drives, but also on other computers on the network. Synchronization with Asus WebStorage is also supported.

The implementation of the 802.11ac protocol performed well in tests, significantly outperforming the modern version of the 802.11n standard. However, the actual use of the new protocol is noticeably limited due to the low prevalence of equipment with its support on the market. So today it’s worth choosing a model with ac only if you need to provide high speed over a short distance and there is no way to lay a cable or, if you have funds, “for the future”. For a certain category of users, the increased amount of flash memory in the updated model may be of interest.

The appearance of the device on the local market is expected in mid-October. Estimated cost will be 6500 rubles. The average retail price of the Asus RT-AC66U in Moscow, current at the time you read this article: $129().

Hello, friends

In this review, I will share my impressions of my new ASUS RT - AC66U B1 home router.

Introduction

I had the idea to change the router for quite a long time, but with the beginning of my epic with the introduction of a smart home, it became more acute than ever. A few years ago I changed my old D-link dir-600 to TP-LINK TL-WR1043 - which suited me quite well until recently.

But the “trick” of TP-LINK, which allows you to allocate no more than 8 IP addresses with MAC binding in the DHCP settings (you can bind more, but only the first 8 will work) - I was categorically not satisfied and I started searching.

My initial requirements are as follows:

1. Dual-band (change so change, especially since the 2.4 GHz band in a multi-storey building is fairly clogged with neighboring networks)

2. Necessarily gigabit ports, at least four (the reason why I did not move out to Xiaomi MiWiFi as soon as they appeared)

3. Since a smart home is a VPN server, preferably OpenVPN

I almost decided on LINKSYS WRT1200AC - but then changed my mind and decided to stop at the hero of the ASUS RT review - AC66U B1.

Specifications

Transfer rate:
802.11a: 6,9,12,18,24,36,48,54Mbps
802.11b: 1, 2, 5.5, 11 Mbps
802.11g: 6,9,12,18,24,36,48,54 Mbps
802.11n: up to 450 Mbps
802.11ac: up to 1300 Mbps
Antenna - External antenna x 3
Receive/transmit - MIMO technology, 2.4 GHz 3 x 3, 5 GHz 3 x 3
Operating frequency - 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz

Firewall / Access Control - Firewall：SPI intrusion detection,DoS protection
Access control：Parental control, Network service filter, URL filter, Port filter
Management: UPnP, IGMP v1/v2/v3, DHCP, NTP Client, DDNS, Port Trigger, Port Forwarding, DMZ, Universal Repeater, System Event Log
Interfaces: RJ45 for 10/100/1000 BaseT for WAN x 1, RJ45 for 10/100/1000 BaseT for LAN x 4, USB 2.0 x 1, USB 3.0 x 1

Guest networks: 2.4 GHz x 3, 5 GHz x 3
VPN server: IPSec Pass-Through, PPTP Pass-Through, L2TP Pass-Through, PPTP Server, OpenVPN Server
VPN client: PPTP client, L2TP client, OpenVPN client

Initial inspection

The router comes in a box, clearly intended for the Chinese market, judging by the abundance of hieroglyphs. Although accustomed to Xiaomi smart home gadgets - I'm already used to them

There are no complaints about the packaging - nothing hangs around the box, everything arrived safe and sound.

In the kit - the router itself, the power supply, the booklet and the disk (which I never looked into, the instructions are not sports :))

The power supply is 19 V, the declared current is 1.75 A, I will not check, we will take our word for it. In this configuration - the plug is flat, the adapter is included, but I stopped using them a long time ago - universal sockets and extension cords from Xiaomi - definitely rule.

The router is made of black plastic, sometimes glossy, sometimes matte. Most of the surface has the original texture

On the top there are LED indicators (blue) for LAN port activity, Internet connection, 5 and 2.4 GHz network activity and power.

On the front end there is a USB 3.0 connector, which, together with a more powerful dual-core processor, is the difference between revision B1 and B0.

Behind the device are - power connector, power button, second USB connector - this time 2.0, WAN and 4 LAN ports - all gigabit and a WPS button - for connecting devices.

Antennas - it seems like I read that they should be removable, but in fact, they don’t unscrew, but it doesn’t hurt that it’s necessary.

The bottom side of the router - contains some technical information - the default MAC, PIN code, serial number, default network name. There are no wall mounts.

On this I propose to stop the review part and proceed to the setting. I don’t see much point in disassembling it - I don’t consider myself smarter than the Asus engineers who designed this gadget.

Web interface

You can work with the router both through the "web face" and through the application for Android / IOS. There will be no difficulties for those who have smartphones / tablets but do not have a desktop computer (and there are many such people).

The interface is made in dark colors, by default in Chinese, but in the upper right corner there is a language selector, of which there are quite a lot in the system, there are both Russian and Ukrainian, and whoever likes it - Romanian.

Wireless network

Settings for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks - here we set the name of each of the networks, password, mode, width and channel number, etc.

we can, if necessary, hide the broadcast of its name (SSID), there are also tabs for configuring WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) - semi-automatic connection of devices to the network, WDS (Wireless Distribution System) - for expanding the wireless network zone by combining several routers, filter by MAC addresses, setting up the Radius server.

B more additional settings that may be useful to system administrators

The local network

In the LAN settings - specify the internal address of our router

The range of issuing dynamic IP addresses by the DHCP server

Which can give 64 static addresses by binding to MAC - which is like a balm for my soul after 8 TP-Link addresses

Setting up static routes,

IPTV and Switch Control

WAN port - connection to the provider

The WAN port supports several connection options, depending on what your provider offers, it is possible to copy the desired MAC address - if the provider checks for it - in this case, the equipment on its part will not notice the replacement.

There is an interesting function of a dual WAN port - which will allow you to have a backup channel for accessing the Internet, if the main one fails, for example, via a USB modem. I have already organized backup power for the router, gateways and single-board PCs, I will definitely try to make backup access to the Internet.

There are also options for switching and port forwarding, DMZ - demilitarized zone, network segment containing public services, DDNS - dynamic domain name system, etc.

VPN server

What I was very interested in, the router has the ability to organize two types of VPN servers - PPTP - (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) - a point-to-point tunneling protocol that allows a computer to establish a secure connection with the server by creating a special tunnel in the standard, unsecured network. With authorization by username and password

and OpenVPN - the principle is similar, but a more secure option, since in addition to the name and password, the router generates a special key file for each connected device.

In the advanced settings, specify the range of IP addresses that will be issued to devices connected via VPN. Great option for remote connection to the home network, I use in conjunction with the Domoticz system management application - ImperiHome

In order not to overload the review with a large number of screenshots, I will stop here, but if you want to learn more about the web interface of the router, you can do this by watching my video review, the link to which will be at the end of the text.

Application

For those who do not have the opportunity or desire to fiddle with the web interface, it is possible to configure and manage the router through the Asus Router application from the play store or apple store.

The application works either in the same local network with a router, or through a VPN - there is no cloud interface. In principle, everything that is in the web interface is the same here - both the current state of the traffic and the list of connected devices (33 devices on the home network - I'm shocked myself), and configure the networks themselves, including the guest ones

Examples - what settings and monitoring look like from the Asus Router mobile app

For such convenience - a separate plus in the karma of the manufacturer.

More details on the application - also in the video review

Exploitation

Of course, the operating experience is only a few days, but overall I like it. The process of setting up and changing the old router to a new one took literally 10 minutes. After that, I turned off my TPLink, changed the name of the 2.4 GHz network to Asus - to what I had and put it in its place, connecting all the cables.

All devices (and I have a lot of them) - immediately picked up the network on the new router - there were no problems. All that is possible - I transferred to a 5 GHz network, which works much faster, for example, on a Xiaomi Note 3 smartphone, the connection speed at 2.4 GHz is 72 Mbps, at 5 GHz - 433 Mbps, as an example, a speed test made at the same time in one place on 2.4 and 5 GHz networks - twice the speed increase. It is important that the 5 GHz band is much less loaded with neighboring networks.

The main laptop, the Xiaomi Mijia 1080p cameras, also went there at 5GHz (by the way, the video is loading faster - definitely).

OpenVPN - works great, connects instantly, ImperiHome for domotics - works great.

All the set goals - which I pursued by changing the router - are 100% achieved.

Video review - where everything is a little more detailed:

That's all, thanks for your attention