| ASUS EA-N66U Wireless-N450 Ethernet Adapter |  |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Network | |||||||
| Written by Steven Iglesias-Hearst | |||||||
| Saturday, 24 March 2012 | |||||||
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Closer Look: ASUS EA-N66 AdapterIn this section we will be looking at the EA-N66 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 EA-N66 3-in1 Ethernet Adapter, enabling you to make a more educated decision.
I think the ASUS design team have gone into overdrive, either that or they have hired an architect because the EA-N66 is quite simply beautiful. I struggle to find words to accurately portray how awe inspiring it feels just to look at it; so I will let the pictures do all the talking.
Function and design come together as one in the EA-N66 Ethernet adapter, the triangular arch that sits atop the main unit houses ASUS' patented 'Orthogonal' antenna. ASUS say that this special design will enhance wireless speed and range. Let's just hope it isn't all form and no function.
The ASUS EA-N66 Ethernet adapter requires 12V/1A DC power and features a 10/100/1000 Base-T compliant RJ-45 Ethernet port with built in status LED's for Gigabit speed connection to the host.
Underneath the ASUS EA-N66 Ethernet adapter is rather busy. There are three rubber feet to keep it in one place and to provide ground clearance and there is ample ventilation to deal with any heat build up. Thanks to the tri-wing cut out in the middle you have the option to wall mount the EA-N66 whichever way up suits you and the WPS button allows simple seamless connection to your wireless router without having to connect to a host computer. The default mode is as the name suggests (Ethernet adapter) so the EA-N66 will work pretty much straight out of the box without having to install any software. There is also a little reset button hiding near the WPS button, one of those that you have to poke something through and you can never quite find the right tool for the job.
It's almost as though it wasn't enough that the ASUS EA-N66 looks fantastic as it was, and then when you plug it in the insides of the triangular arch light up a beautiful shade of blue which reflects off of the inner rippled triangle creating a really nice liquid effect. Although not demonstrated in the image above, the blue lighting effect continues inside the main body and subtly glows through the vented section between the edges of the inter rippled triangle and the outer casing. This will truly be a talking point in any home.
Provided in the package was ASUS' signature flat black RJ-45 Ethernet cable. During testing I found that this cable would only allow the EA-N66 to connect my PC at 100Mb/s, even though it is specified as a Gigabit network cable on the packaging. Suffice to say, I had to use a different Ethernet cable to conduct my tests to ensure I got maximum throughput values.
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Comments
This is in fact a router... a crippled router (1 port, few features, weird software). A repeater doesn't need to route packets but for function as an AP it does and to Bridge or Route packets to an Ethernet Port it also does - making this in fact a router. There is no interface with any of the system's buses making this not a wireless adapter.
I appreciate that you make a living selling these products and I commend you on your efforts. But "what you haven't quite grasped" is the fact that this isn't a troll but just a helpful community member that now seems to be getting harassed by both yourself and your reviewer.
Surely the fault is mine for feeding the trolls when I posted my very first comment.
My personal opinion on the matter would stand that there are MANY other alternatives in the same price range that would meet the same needs. I would google "openwrt dual band". You may even save money with single radio. Who needs two radios for one computer? You can't use both. It's usually a feature reserved for routers needing compatibility with multiple devices; both 2.4 and 5ghz.
I think we should leave that to the end user to decide. That's like saying who needs multiple cores, multitasking needs multiple options. ASUS are aiming to be at the forefront of consumer networking and I think they are making good efforts.
I can think of a few scenarios off the top of my head where two radios on one computer would be of great benefit but we would be here all day trying to find common ground in our arguments. Let's agree to disagree on many aspects and bring this to and end. Thank you.
thank you guys!
Is that correct?
Is there a wireless n hardware that has a 450mbps speed and works as an wireless bridge instead of eth adapter ?
The reason for direct connection to pc is that I forgot to purchase a network adapter to place on the pci slot on the motherboard, and since I am the only one using the 5ghz channel and I haven't found any 5ghz adapters avaialable nearby,so I have chosen this product to use.