ASUS RT-N56U Wireless Router Review

Check out the little brother of ASUS’ Dual Band N Series.

On deck for review today is the ASUS RT-N56U “Black Diamond” Dual-band Gigabit Wireless-N Router.  ASUS has a broad stable of networking equipment including wireless adapters, wireless routers, wired networking gear and even some power line networking gear.  Released in late 2010, the RT-N56U is one of the lower cost offerings in ASUS’ Dual Band N series and can be found online for around $99

ASUS RT-N56U Wireless-N Router Overview

The media review information supplied to us by ASUS claims the ASUS RT-N56U “Black Diamond” offers “Extreme performance in style.”   The router’s “Aesthetic design” has a “Sexy and stylish approach with streamlined, meticulously designed and well-rounded appearance, just like diamonds sparkling and twinkling in the dark.”  Now I don’t know about you, but if it’s dark, I’m not sure how you see diamond’s twinkling?  But I digress; the RT-N56U is a great looking router, with the black cross hatched lattice surface we liked from previous ASUS routers. 

Is the ASUS RT-N56U a worthy contender to handle all your router needs?  Read on to find out!

Some other key features of the RT-N56U include:

  • 802.11 a/b/g/n Wireless Networking
  • Dual band 5 GHz & 2.4 GHz Wireless Data Rates of up to 300 Mbps concurrently
  • 5 Internal Antennas (3 x 5.1 dBi for 5 GHz, 2 x 3.8 dBi gain for 2.4 GHz)
  • 1 x 1 GB WAN Port and 4 x 1 GB LAN Ports
  • “Ultra-fast” file transfers with up to 15 MB/s USB port speeds on twin USB 2.0 ports

Nice and compact, this router can easily be tucked in a corner or on a shelf without much of footprint.  The router can either lie on its back horizontally or stand up vertically with the included stand.  Since the antennas are built into the router, it’s probably best to use the stand and keep the router vertical to obtain the best wireless signals.  The markings on the case are even oriented so they will appear correctly when the router is standing vertically on the stand.  Unfortunately, there are no mounting holes available if on the router, so mounting it to a wall is not an option.  Ports on the back of the router are marked with stampings in the plastic casing and are a bit hard to make out, but it’s pretty apparent what they are all for even without the markings.  Included in the box with the router is a 19 volt/1.58 amp wall wart power adapter, one Ethernet cable, a printed setup guide and a CD with the user’s manual and support utility.

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