Closer Look: Closer Look: ASUS RT-N66U Wireless-N Router

In this section we will be looking at the RT-N66U hardware, it seems these days that manufacturers are trying to win us over with looks. It is a proven fact that when faced with buying something we know little about, it is in our nature to buy what looks the best, even though it might not necessarily be the best. Hopefully, by the end of this review you will have a better understanding of the RT-N66U, enabling you to make a more educated decision.

Bundled accessories include three external antenna, an AC adapter, a removable desk stand and a 1.5m flat RJ-45 cable.

The diamond design on the face of the RT-N66U is unique to ASUS, but thankfully it has a matte finish rather than the glossy finish of its predecessor the RT-N56U. A lot of effort has gone into making the RT-N66u one of the best looking and aesthetically pleasing routers out there. The side vents look serious and for good reason, there is a 600MHz Broadcom 470 processor working away inside the unit.

The RT-N66U will lay flat or stand up (with the additional stand) or can even be wall mounted. The wedge shape of the RT-N66U makes it look deceptively smaller than it really is when laid flat, my personal preference is to have it stood up but when positioned like this your wires will be less visible.

To keep the ASUS RT-N66U stood up you need to attach the additional stand. The stand does not permanently clip on, but still manages to hold the router quite secure. Due to a clever design the main unit leans against the stand and the stand stops it leaning back too far and intersects only where the wall mount points are. Here we can also see lots more ventilation holes.

Right in the middle is some important information for those who don't like to bother with instruction manuals (me) unless we have to. The RT-N66U requires 19V which is quite high for a consumer router and will certainly generate more heat.

Round at the back are the I/O ports. From left to right we have; Antenna connection 1, Power input, Power button, 2x USB 2.0 ports, a reset button, 1 Gigabit WAN port, Antenna connection 2, 4x Gigabit LAN ports, a WPS button and finally, Antenna connection 3.

The three additional antennas are really huge (measuring 17cm unfolded) and dwarf the main body of the RT-N66U. Although not shown here, each icon seen in the bottom right corner has a blue activity LED, they can be quite bright to look at directly but are not too bright when viewed at an angle.

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