IT 110 project

ASUS AC1900.txt

#This router supports everything that a geek home user would have on their network. The router has Linux as it's OS and supports time machine, DHCP reservation. USB drives up to 2 TB that are available on internal and external network and even Open VPN and FTP Server. I particularly like the real time traffic monitor. This would be good for home users to judge if they need to pay less or more for slower or faster internet speeds (it gives you information how busy your network is- mb/sec up or down). I have 2 other routers re-brodcasting my wifi on my network as well as Microsoft Home Server, an Asterisk PBX, PS3, Apple Mini as media server (Plex), MacBook, Windows 8.1 and mobile devices such as iPad/iPhone. I use VPN (other than the router home VPN) to get into work. I need to cut down and live more simply....read a book...a real book! #I just installed this and it was a breeze. It works great and I couldn't be happier. I have it installed in my upstairs bedroom of my 2000 square foot two story home. It has full bars in the basement where I have an entertainment room. I tested it this morning outside. I was able to walk 200 feet before I lost signal. It's worth the money. I am running 12 units off it. 2 dish hoppers with joeys, 4 cell phones, a desktop, laptop computer, xbox one and a printer, #I am impressed by how many features this router comes with for such a great price. From the start, I ditched the ASUS firmware for Shibby's build of TomatoUSB, which unlocked even more potential. I decided to go with the wireless N version instead of the newer AC version because I can't see myself owning anything that supports AC for some time. I like how compact the router is (it looks really big in the pictures for some reason) as well as the external antennas. If I had to pick a few things I didn't like, it was the lack of documentation from ASUS on the router. I felt the manual to be a bit thin, and the included windows CD useless. I had to find out about some of the router's features (like the firmware restore mode WITHOUT having to use Windows) from forums rather than from ASUS themselves...I feel if you build a feature into a product, tell people about it! Overall, very impressed with the capabilities of the router, especially given the price. Deserving of 5 stars in my opinion. #Though the one I purchased was used, it still holds up and performs well. Firmware has many settings to choose from, almost eliminating the need to use custom firmware (though the likes of DDWRT support it if you insist on using one). I don't have many devices hooked to it at once (since it's just me using this), so I cannot test the full extent of but it handled them all well. This includes a phone, a computer, and three game consoles doing various things with each. That said, it tends to heat up quickly. Not to dangerous level, but something to keep in mind. #I bought this to replace my junk Linksys EA6350. This thing is not small, so make some room for it, but what it lacks in cuteness & tininess, it makes up for in powerful'ness and BOLD looks. This router has been plugged in for 4 days now and it has more options in it than a fully loaded Cadillac. It has wireless steering which, if a frequency is getting clogged/bottlenecked it steers a device to another (this option is EXTREMELY techy, so leave it at default unless you are an wireless guru equivalent to a double PHD aerospace engineer). Otherwise there are some nice options inside this router. You can physically see where your kids go on their computer, you can see the live and history of bandwidth usage, create a guest network, parental control, connect a external HDD for media server etc.... Compared to what I had this is awesome! Wireless range is great... In my car leaving for work I am still on my network 6 houses away and the router is in a closet behind a garage door and 3 walls from my car, that's good coverage in my book. #Had mine for a few weeks now. One of the cleaner UIs for configuration I've seen on a router. Very nice surprise. Seems to do everything well and has a tad better range than my previous 2 routers. Wireless speeds are good. The only thing it does not excel in is network routing and data transfer. I have a NAS and run a plex media server. On occasions accessing shared network folders and data transfer bog the router down worse than my previous one. Plex still runs fine though for internal and external users. Overall great value router. Happy with my purchase #Works great so far. Wireless speed tests max at at 100 mbps, which is what my service is rated for. My smart TV connects and streams in 4K significantly quicker than it did with my old b/g/n rated router. Plenty of customizable options as well. One star off because it is pretty slow to make any changes, took over a minute to change from the default password whereas every other router I've owned took a few seconds at most. But given that it's not something I do all that often it is a pretty minor annoyance. #I've had this for about a month now, and haven't had a single problem with the wireless. Works fantastically with all of our devices! The one complaint I have is about the built-in print server. This piece was junk on my old Asus router and it's still junk. We get frequent brown-outs, and everything is on battery backup except for the laserjet printer that is plugged into the USB 2.0 port on this router, because you're not supposed to plug a laserjet into a UPS. So whenever we get a brown-out, the printer is gone from the Asus and it's a pain to get it added back again. A lot of times, it'll finally show up, but after printing one or two pages, it disappears again! I finally gave up on it and threw down more money on a wireless print server. Too bad they can't get that feature to work reliably on this router. #Installation was easy--four stars for the experience of setting it up. Performance, though, is just okay. It has been reliable, but I haven't noticed any appreciable speed increase from my prior, very old router (Actiontec FIOS router). I was hoping for a noticeable improvement. The range is slightly better. However, for a high-end, top-of-the-line router, my expectations were higher. I am not a "techie", so I have tweaked the router very much. I do use the SmartConnect and other features on the router. Works as advertised. No problem with dropped connections at all so far. #Watch out if you intend to flash this unit with for instance OpenVPN. it will effectively render the wireless unusable. MAKE A BACKUP BEFORE FLASHING THE ROM. It also reports back to all your uses back to Asus without asking you: Violation of privacy. Other than that, it does wjat it is supposed to do but at sppeds much lower than advertised like most routers especially when it comes to wireless mode. #For the coin I dropped on this router, it disappoints greatly. Even with Merlin WRT firmware, it has week signal strength 2 rooms away. I’ve tried all the tricks, changing channels, locations, powerline extenders, you name it. Maybe my 1969 raised ranch has lead walls- but this router was no match for them. Wish I’d purchased another TP-Link. #Impressive router great range and speeds while it is functioning, however I would NOT recommend it. I purchased this router about a month and a half ago, upgraded to the latest firmware immediately and the router bricked 1 1/2 months in out of nowhere. Although many reviewers have said that updating the firmware fixed many problems, it is not a fix-all. Went through amazon support with no avail to fix it. Also used recovery disk to restore firmware with no success. Router might be better if you flashed 3rd party firmware on it out of the box. OVERALL: it is a good router with high speeds and range, as long as you are willing to take the risk that it might become useless within a year. #Worked like a champ for about 10 months... Then it started having issues where it would not allow users to connect to 2.4 or 5Ghz... Sent it in for RMA only to have it sent right back to me... Terrible customer service and during the RMA process you are not issued a replacement. So you need to have an old router laying around or buy a new one just to send it in for repairs... I happened to buy a new ASUS Router as a replacement and intended to use this are an access point once it was repaired. The new ASUS Router was a piece of crap. It isnt working after a month of use. I even switched a lot of devices to wired to take a load off of the wireless traffic. I DO NOT recommend ANY Asus router products and I will not be buying their products in the future due to terrible quality and customer service. #Looks fancy and claims to have many funcationalities. However, It drops connection constantly. Granted that I live in an apartment with many wifi signals, I'd expect such an expensive router of a better signal strength. I returned it and replaced it with $30 linksys router, much better signal strengch and no more drops. What a joke!! #I have had this now for over a year. At first this thing was a rock star. It was fast with good range even with the big house we live in, but right about the one year mark my Wifi started dropping and signal strength was horrible. I did call ASUS support which was great but nothing they have sent me to try has worked in fixing the issues. Because I did have issues in the past with wireless routers going bad within the year or just after the year mark, I did buy a square trade 2 year warranty which I have now filed a claim for so we will see how that goes. #I specifically bought this unit to use with my 3G device. In short it did not work. I called to talk with tech support and they told me I did not do my due diligence in finding out that this router does not support any particular standards. So maybe it will work with your Ethernet card maybe it won't. USB drive, might not work with that either. Are they going to mention that in the product description or even put a * mark and some fine print at the bottom. NOPE. If you want this device I suggest you buy it from a store so you can return it. Also if you were wondering about the data transfer speeds at 900 Mbps let me add that * for ya. *That is 450 Mbps going to 2 different devices that have a 450 Mbps capable wifi card. You can not get 900 Mbps to a single device, but 900 total through put to all devices combined. #I cannot say or write enough about how much I HATE!!! this product and the company. They have one of the worst customer service I have ever been in contact with. First of, it is not easy to use as they claim. Have spent half my day (Saturday) to figure out where to find this router password or security key without success. Got on the website to find help for this trouble - NONE! available. Called the number 1-812-282-2787 on the so called "manual" (almost gave up trying to get through). Only to be told there was no technician available to help me out! Hello, all I need is to be pointed in the right direction where to find the password I need to set-up ROKU. How difficult can that be... CONCLUSION: I NEVER spend my money on an ASUS product ever again!!!! #And this one did until I applied the manufacturer's suggested firmware upgrade. Then like magic everything went "poof". I could still ping the router from my main machine but the router would not show up on my local network nor to the many wireless devices we have in our home. I could still access the internet but only by plugging my main machine into our ISP's modem. The ASUS router became useless. I called ASUS tech support and received zero satisfaction. After over 30 minutes of suggested tweaks, including resetting the router to its baseline settings I gave up; returned the router to Amazon for a refund, went to a local store, and bought a NetGear router of equivalent capabilities (and for less money). It worked first time! Right out of the box and even after applying a firmware upgrade! Do a better job, ASUS! I'm very disappointed in ASUS. I've bought several of their motherboards for machines I've assembled and I've always been pleased by their product. Until now. #I have had this router for about 7 months and it has been nothing but crap. I bought mine at best buy it worked initially after firmware update but still drops internet while the wifi signal strength remains strong. I actually paid the full retail price. I will never buy another Asus product again. #Did my research on the router went with it even though I saw some warning signs about 5Ghz and I must say. I should of taken those warning signs. Coverage is better than the Netgear nighthawk that I return a few weeks ago, but I keep on constantly drop connection with 5ghz when trying to live stream. When I drop I also notice it says I have a 2 bar connection, the thing is the router is in the next room (living room). My walls aren't thick if so my Netgear would of had issues with dropping connection as well. I just purchased the Amplifi LR (Mesh network) (We'll see how that works out) and will be returning this when I get it. As for everything else. 2.4Ghz is amazing. No issues with the hardware of it rebooting multiple times as other mention in some reviews.