Few companies are able to occupy significant market shares by offering a small number of models for it. Most others follow the standard practice of wide rulers with different characteristics, capabilities and cost to meet the needs of as many consumers as possible.

Today, ASUS has almost two dozen 802.11n wireless routers in its catalog. At the top, of course, is the RT-N66U reviewed last month, but its high price is clearly not for the mass market. In this article we will look at one of the models for the more affordable segment, which was presented recently - RT-N15U. Device configuration - four Gigabit LAN ports, Gigabit WAN port, built-in 802.11n wireless access point supporting 2T2R (up to 300 Mbps) in the 2.4 GHz band, one USB port 2.0. Note the "U" at the end of the model name. The new device differs from the “simple” RT-N15 in its hardware platform.

Contents of delivery

The router comes in a medium-sized cardboard box. It is designed more simply than older models, but is still quite attractive. Although, of course, a photograph of a black router on a dark gray background is not very expressive. In addition to the photograph, the box contains the technical characteristics of the device. There are literally a couple of sentences in Russian, and even those are not easy to discern.

The standard delivery set: router, 12 V 1 A power supply, stand for vertical installation, flat gigabit patch cord, software leaflet initial installation, warranty card, CD with programs and documentation. The Russian language is better here - the manual and most of the programs have been translated. Among them you can find a utility for searching for a router on the network, a setup wizard, a program for connecting a network printer, and a firmware recovery utility. You can download it from the manufacturer's website electronic versions manuals, firmware updates and utilities. The device warranty is three years.

Appearance

The device continues the trend in external design set by the 56th model. The black plastic case with built-in antennas is very compact (14.5x17x3 cm) and has a characteristic “diamond” design of the glossy front panel. The router has five blue indicators on the front panel. They behave quite calmly during operation and do not irritate with frequent blinking. Although this is inconvenient from the point of view of diagnosing the state of the device. We also note the absence of individual indicators for the speed and activity of the LAN ports.

A set of connectors on the rear panel - four gigabit LAN ports, one gigabit WAN port, one USB 2.0 port, power supply input. The power switch is becoming increasingly common in recent models. There is a hidden button on the bottom to reset the settings. The device supports connection negotiation using WPS technology; the corresponding button is located between the USB port and the fourth LAN. When connecting cables to them, it will be inconvenient to use. The "slim" design of the case can also cause problems with direct connection of large USB devices.

The main option for installing the router is vertical on the included stand. Without it, you can try to position the device horizontally, but due to the lack of rubber feet, this case is not very convenient. The stand also has a second use option - for wall mounting.

The overall design is attractive, but from a practicality point of view, the body shape and installation options, in our opinion, are not very good.

Hardware configuration

The router is based on Broadcom's single-chip solution - the BCM5357 chip operating at a frequency of 500 MHz. The processor and gigabit switch have small heatsinks. Volume random access memory The device size is 64 MB; an 8 MB flash chip is used to store the firmware. The radio unit is built into the processor, operates at a frequency of 2.4 GHz with support for modes up to 2T2R (300 Mbit/s). Antennas are made on printed circuit board, internal micro connectors are provided for connecting external options if necessary. The router switch supports Jumbo Frames on the LAN segment.

The USB port is also implemented in central processor. On the printed circuit board you can find a place for installing a console connector. Despite the compact body of the device, we did not notice any problems with overheating in testing. For ventilation, grilles are used at the ends of the device. The most favorable installation option from a temperature point of view is vertical.

The device was tested with firmware version 3.0.0.3.113 provided by the manufacturer.

Settings and features

The appearance of the web interface differs little from the previously reviewed ASUS models. It has translations into several languages, including Russian. In some places there are references to two bands and 450 Mbit/s - a legacy of the older model. There is a built-in help system, which will be useful for beginners. We also note the presence of an assistant for basic settings devices. If necessary, you can allow access to settings from the WAN port.

The main page of the interface shows the network diagram - the router, connected clients and external devices. On the same page you can change some basic device settings, such as name and key wireless network. Let's note several icons at the top of the window. They can be used to enable/disable the Internet, safe removal USB drives, guest Wi-Fi network management. There is also a software button for rebooting the router.

All settings pages are accessible from the main menu on the left side of the page. First there are five general points - the network map described above, guest wireless network settings, traffic management, parental controls and USB applications.

Organizing guest networks allows you to have separate login parameters - the device supports up to three additional wireless networks with their own names and access restriction settings. The options also set the duration of the work and enable the ability to access the local segment. Please note that the duration refers to the operation of the network itself, and not the clients connected to it.

Traffic management allows you to set rules for filtering traffic by priority and ensure that bandwidth-hungry applications work in case of high load on the channel. We have already said several times that the use of QoS usually reduces the overall performance of household routers and the actual use of this feature is significantly limited. In most cases, it is more efficient to configure clients correctly. The second page seems more useful - graphical monitoring of traffic across interfaces.

We have already met in reviews of routers with such a function as “ Parental control" But we must understand that under the same name different manufacturers may mean different possibilities. In the case of ASUS, this is setting a schedule for client access to the Internet. The rules indicate the MAC address (for filtering rules) and the computer name (for convenience); for simplicity, they can be selected from the list of current connections, and the hours of Internet availability in the table for each day of the week. The accuracy is one hour. In general, it turned out to be a convenient function and at the same time independent of the client, so you can use it with phones and tablets. True, the filter is also quite simple - by changing the client's MAC address.

The built-in wireless access point operates at a frequency of 2.4 GHz and supports the 802.11n standard with a maximum speed of 300 Mbps. The settings are standard - selecting a network name, channel number, 20/40 MHz mode, encryption parameters (including open network, WEP, WPA/WPA2 with password or via RADIUS server). WPS technology is supported for fast secure connection of clients and WDS mode. You can increase the security of the wireless segment by using the built-in client MAC address filter (you can choose one of the options - “white” or “black” list).

On the “Professional” page there are options to turn off the wireless module, set a schedule for its operation (one time range for selected days of the week), enable multicast broadcasts and some other parameters.

Setting up a local network segment is also not original - changing the device’s own address, enabling a DHCP server, setting MAC-IP matches for it, adding your own routes.

We note the presence of IPTV support - selecting a port (or two) for connecting set-top boxes, managing multicast traffic, activating the built-in UDP proxy (useful for watching video over Wi-Fi). The last page of this group is Network Switch Management. There are two points here - enabling Jumbo Frames and disabling the hardware accelerator.

The router supports all popular methods of connecting to the provider - permanent or dynamic address, PPPoE, PPTP and L2TP. You can change the MAC address of the external interface of the router. Note the presence of points for disabling the WAN port, NAT technology and the UPnP protocol. There is a standard ASUS implementation of translation and port switching technologies to provide access to services on clients in the LAN segment. It is also possible to use a DMZ.

There is also a built-in DDNS client. Moreover, if you are satisfied with a third-level domain on ASUS’s own service (asuscomm.com), then all you need to do is come up with a name for it. No registrations or other actions will be required. In the “WAN” settings group there is also a page for enabling broadcasting of VPN protocols and RTSP over NAT. Setting up work with the IPv6 protocol is included in a separate group. At the moment this is not very relevant, but in the future it will definitely be needed.

Like its older brothers, the RT-N15U can act as a PPTP server. This will allow you to get full and secure remote access to your home local network.

The router allows you to configure two filter options - a standard filter by keywords in URL and packet filter. In the second case, the rules specify the source and destination addresses and ports and the protocol type. They work in the LAN-WAN direction and allow you to deny access to certain services on the Internet. It is possible to apply a general work schedule to the rules (as for Wi-Fi - one time range for selected days of the week).

The “Administration” section traditionally consists of selecting the device operating mode (wireless router, wireless repeater, access point), updating the firmware, managing the configuration, and changing the administrator password. Additionally there are settings items remote server syslog to send a list of events, select a time zone and time synchronization server, enable console access to the device via the telnet protocol.

The last group - “System Log” - contains both the standard embedded Linux log and several additional information pages. In particular, it provides a routing table, a list of forwarded ports, addresses issued to DHCP clients, details of the access point mode and clients connected to it.

Working with USB devices

The device has one USB port, which can be used to work with drives, printers and cellular modems. To increase the number of connected devices, you can install a USB hub. Hard drives can have multiple partitions, supported file systems FAT32, NTFS and EXT2/3. Data access is provided via SMB/CIFS and FTP protocols. For the first one, you can customize the name and title working group devices. The FTP server allows you to work in passive mode and supports Unicode.

Port numbers cannot be changed; activation FTP server concerns immediately and local access and work via the Internet. To limit rights, you can program users in the router itself. Shares are folders on partitions. In this mode, there will be no access to the root directories of the disks. For performance reasons, by default a maximum of five users are allowed to connect simultaneously. To safely disconnect devices, you need to use the button in the web interface.

Maximum speed work was tested by reading and writing a large file using different protocols on external USB 2.0 hard drive. The results are presented in the graph.

Overall, performance is not very high and is noticeably less than that of the top model. Usually connected hard disks can also be used to broadcast media files to a local network via the DLNA protocol to compatible players. In the case of used firmware for RT-N15U this function not implemented.

The capabilities for working with a USB printer are similar to the older model. There is support for network printing using the standard LPR protocol from modern operating systems. Let us remind you that in this case the communication is one-way and the user cannot find out the status of the device, including information about cartridges. And for Windows family can be used special utility on a PC to implement the MFP scanning function and complete control over the device’s status.

The device also claims to support 3G modems. It was not possible to find a separate list of compatible devices on the website. So you can focus on the settings in the web interface, where you can select a modem from a list of about forty devices, which includes Huawei and ZTE products. The list is clearly not complete. When set to "Auto", other models may also work. In particular, we checked ZTE modems MF192 (MTS) and AnyDATA ADU-300A (Sky Link). When you remove the cable from the WAN connector, the router quickly switches to the 3G channel. Unfortunately, switching back is not automatically restored. The easiest way to solve the problem is to reboot the device, which can also be done remotely. Similar behavior is observed when the VPN access server is disabled, but the process of switching to the backup channel takes longer.

Please note that modems and printers may not be supported by connecting via a USB hub. Given the open access to the console, USB drives can also be used for installation additional programs, for example from the Optware package management system.

Performance

Testing in real conditions was carried out on a 30 Mbit/s L2TP channel "Beeline Internet" and 100 Mbit/s with a direct connection. Under these conditions, there were no performance issues even under high p2p load (100 popular uTorrent jobs). The maximum download speed corresponded to the channel parameters, the number of connections was 400 or more, and at the same time you could continue to use the Internet (of course, taking into account the reduced access speed) and the router’s web interface. For Beeline Internet, IPTV viewing was also tested, including two channels simultaneously - one via wire on a desktop PC, the second via Wi-Fi on a laptop. Even with the above p2p load, viewing worked without delay.

Bench testing was carried out using the synthetic IxChariot test. All supported WAN port settings were tested - direct connection, PPPoE, PPTP and L2TP.

The numbers show that in terms of routing performance, the lag behind the top model is not that significant. In all modes, the device allows you to download information from the Internet at speeds of at least 100 Mbit/s. Considering that we tested the router with no final version firmware and past experience testing ASUS products, over time the speed may increase further, especially in PPPoE mode. On the other hand, the demonstrated performance will suit most domestic users.

The second graph shows the distribution of speeds when simultaneously downloading information from the provider’s local network and from the Internet.

We have no comments on these results.

The following graph shows the performance of the built-in PPTP server when accessing the system remotely from the Internet on the local network segment. The server allows you to select an encryption mode, so we tested the option without encryption and with MPEE 128. Software client was a module built into Windows 7. Traffic compression has been disabled. The speed is relative to the external computer.

Server performance, depending on the type of its own connection and encryption mode, ranges from 20 to 100 Mbit/s, which is not bad for a mid-level device.

The radio module of the model in question operates in 802.11n mode at a frequency of 2.4 GHz in 2T2R mode. Perhaps this is the most significant difference from the top device. Setting up the router before the test consisted of setting the “N only” mode with the parameters “20/40 MHz” and WPA2-PSK. The tested devices were located at a distance of about five meters; several neighboring networks were present on the air. The clients used were Atheros AR5BXB112 (AR9380 chip), D-Link DWA-140, Intel Ultimate N adapters familiar to previous articles Wi-Fi Link 5300, Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300, LevelOne WUA-0603, NETGEAR WNA1100, NETGEAR WNDA4100 and TP-Link TL-WN821N with USB interfaces and miniPCIe. The latter were installed into the computer through a special adapter.

For a 2T2R device the results are quite good. The maximum recorded data transfer rate is about 170 Mbit/s. Most models show figures of more than 100 Mbps. At the same time, single-channel (WUA-0603 and WNA1100) devices lag behind slightly.

As in the previous material, we conducted an additional test of the Wi-Fi client, measuring the speed of information exchange with the Internet. This is true in the case of high-speed tariff plans and laptop use. The client adapter was an Intel 5300 card.

As can be seen from the results, the simultaneous load in the form of VPN Internet access and service wireless point access for this model is quite complicated. The Internet speed via Wi-Fi is slower than via cable, but overall it remains relatively high - at least 50 Mbit/s.

conclusions

The new representative of the latest line of wireless routers from ASUS - RT-N15U - consolidates the success of its older brothers. The device has a beautiful design, has fairly powerful hardware and stable firmware with large set additional functions, created taking into account the requirements of domestic users. Specifications devices include gigabit ports, 300 Mbps Wi-Fi at 2.4 GHz and one USB 2.0 port. This scheme today can be considered the minimum necessary to ensure high speed both the local wired network segment and the wireless one, if the user has 802.11n devices.

Routing performance testing has shown that the RT-N15U can be recommended for all connection options at speeds up to 100 Mbit/s inclusive. At the same time, the router will cope with a high load of p2p programs, and will also allow you to watch IPTV both via cable and wireless connection.

As an access point, the router shows results that are quite consistent with its configuration - 90-170 Mbit/s, depending on the direction and the adapter on the client side. We especially note that even single-channel devices feel quite comfortable with it. At the same time, the use of a single-chip platform led to a slight decrease in performance in the scenario of accessing the Internet in VPN modes from a Wi-Fi device.

The router has a USB port that can be used to organize network access to files, a network printer or MFP, as well as Internet access via 3G networks. Unfortunately, a popular feature DLNA servers Doesn't work in current firmware.

Among the additional functions, we note the built-in PPTP server for implementing remote access to the local network.

RT-N15U is already available on the local market. The average price in Moscow, current at the time you read this article, is $63().

I think many will agree with me that the price tag for setting up a regular router in stores (and from many private specialists) is prohibitively high. Moreover, in most cases, the entire setup comes down to a banal thing: find out the connection settings from the Internet provider and enter them into the router (even a novice user can handle this).

Before you pay someone money to set up your router, I suggest trying to set it up yourself ( By the way, I once set up my first router with the same thoughts...). As a test subject, I decided to take the ASUS RT-N12 router (by the way, setting up ASUS RT-N11P, RT-N12, RT-N15U routers is similar). Let's consider all the stages of connection in order.

1. Connecting the router to the computer and the Internet

All providers (by at least that I came across...) set up the Internet on your computer for free when you connect. Most often connected via " twisted pair"(network cable) that connects directly to the computer's network card. Less commonly used is a modem, which also connects to the PC’s network card.

Now you need to build a router into this chain so that it acts as an intermediary between the provider’s cable and the computer. The sequence of actions is as follows:

1. Disconnect the provider's cable from the computer's network card and connect it to the router (blue input, see screenshot below);
2. Next, connect the computer’s network card (to which the provider’s cable used to go) with the yellow output of the router (the network cable is usually included in the kit). In total, the router has 4 such LAN outputs, see the screenshot below.
3. Connect the router to a 220V network;
4. Next, turn on the router. If the LEDs on the device body start blinking, then everything is in order;
5. If the device is not new, you need to reset the settings. To do this, hold down the reset button for 15-20 seconds.

2. Login to the router settings

The first setup of the router is carried out from a computer (or laptop) that is connected via a LAN cable to the router. Let's go through all the stages step by step.

1) OS setup

Before trying to access the router settings, you need to check the properties of the network connection. To do this, go to the panel Windows management, then follow the path sequentially: Network and Internet Network Sharing Center and shared access Changing adapter settings (relevant for Windows 7, 8).

A window with available network connections. You need to go into the properties of the Ethernet connection (via a LAN cable. The fact is that, for example, many laptops have WiFi adapter and a regular network card. Naturally, you will have several adapter icons, as in the screenshot below).

Then you need to go to the properties of “Internet Protocol Version 4” and set the sliders next to the items: “Obtain an IP address automatically”, “Obtain a DNS server address automatically” (see screenshot below).

By the way, please note that the icon should be bright and without red crosses. This indicates a connection to the router.

If you see a red cross on the connection, it means you have not connected the device to the PC.

If the adapter icon is gray (not colored), it means either the adapter is turned off (just right-click on it and turn it on), or there are no drivers for it in the system.

2) Enter settings

To enter directly into the ASUS router settings, open any browser and type the address:

192.168.1.1

The password and login will be:

Actually, if you did everything correctly, you will be taken to the router settings (by the way, if the router is not new and has already been configured by someone before, perhaps its password has been changed. You need to reset the settings (there is a RESET button on the back panel of the device) and then try login again).

If you cannot enter the router settings — /i>

3. Configuring the ASUS RT-N12 router for Internet access (using PPPOE as an example)

Open the “Internet connection” page (I assume that some may have English version firmware, then you need to look for something like Internet - main).

Here you need to set the basic settings necessary to connect to the Internet of your provider. By the way, you may need a connection agreement with the provider (it simply indicates the necessary information: the protocol by which you are connected, login and password for access, perhaps the MAC address for which the provider provides access).

1. WAN connection type: select PPPoE (or the one that is in your contract. PPPoE is most common. By the way, further settings depend on the choice of connection type);
2. Further (up to the username) you can not change anything and leave it the same as in the screenshot below;
3. Username: enter your login to access the Internet (specified in the contract);
4. Password: also specified in the agreement;
5. MAC address: Some providers block unknown MAC addresses. If you have such a provider (and it’s better to just play it safe), then simply clone the MAC address of the network card (through which you previously accessed the network). More details about this: /li>

After making the settings, do not forget to save them and reboot the router. If you did everything correctly, your Internet should already be working, although only on the PC that is connected to the router with a cable to one of the LAN ports.

4. Wi-Fi setup

To various devices in the house (phone, laptop, netbook, tablet) could access the Internet, you still need to set up Wi-Fi. This is done quite simply: in the router settings, go to the “Wireless network - general” tab.

1. SSID is the name of your network. This is exactly what you will see when you search for available Wi-Fi networks, for example, when setting up your phone to access the network;
2. Hide SSID - I recommend not hiding it;
3. WPA encryption - enable AES;
4. WPA key - here you set a password to access your network (if you don’t set it, all your neighbors will be able to use your Internet).

Save the settings and reboot the router. After this, you can set up access to the Wi-Fi network, for example, on your phone or laptop.

In order to get to the router’s web interface, you need to open your Internet browser and type 192. 168.1.1 in the address bar, Username - admin, Password - admin(provided that the router has factory settings and its IP has not changed).

Setting up Wi-Fi on the router

In the router interface, you need to go to the tab on the left Additional settings, in the list that opens, select Wireless network.

We set the parameters as follows:

1. SSID field: enter the name of the wireless network. The value in this field cannot be changed.

2.Authentication method: WPA2-Personal

3.WPA encryption: TKIP or AES

4.WPA Preshared Key: You must enter any set of numbers from 8 to 63. They also need to be remembered so that you can specify them when connecting to the network.

5. Click the Apply button below

Setting up an Internet connection

In the router interface, you need to select the Advanced Settings tab on the left, and select WAN from the list that opens.

Setting up a PPPoE connection

1. WAN connection type: PPPoE

2. Obtain WAN IP address automatically: Yes

3. Username: Your login according to the contract

4. Password: Your password according to the agreement

6. Save the settings with the Apply button.

Setting up an L2TP connection

1. WAN connection type - L2TP

4. Username and password - login and password from the agreement

5. VPN server - enter the IP address or name of the VPN server according to the contract

6. The remaining parameters can be left unchanged. In the hostname, write something in English. Save your settings.

Setting up PPTP (VPN) when automatic receipt local IP address

1. WAN connection type: PPTP

2. Enable WAN, Enable NAT, Enable UPnP - set YES everywhere

3. Get an IP address and connect to DNS automatically - put an end to YES

4. Username: Your login according to the contract

5. Password: Your password according to the agreement

6. Heart-Beat or PPTP/L2TP(VPN) server: enter the IP address or name of the VPN server according to the contract

7. Save the settings with the Apply button.

Setting up PPTP (VPN) with a static local IP address

1. WAN connection type: PPTP

2. Obtain an IP address and connect to DNS automatically - set the dot to No

3. IP address: We enter your IP address according to the contract

4. Subnet mask: Enter the mask according to the agreement

5. Main gateway: We drive in the gateway according to the contract

6. DNS server 1: and DNS server 2: enter the servers of your provider (Rostelecom Omsk DNS 1: 195.162.32.5 DNS 2: 195.162.41.8)

7. Username: Your login according to the contract

8. Password: Your password according to the agreement

9. Heart-Beat or PPTP/L2TP(VPN) server: enter the IP address or name of the VPN server according to the agreement

10. Save the settings with the Apply button.

NAT when automatically obtaining an IP address (DHCP)

1. WAN connection type: Dynamic IP

2. Save the settings with the Apply button

Checking Internet connection status

Saving/restoring router settings

After setting up, it is recommended to save them so that if problems arise, you can restore them. To do this you need to go to the tab Additional settings, Administration menu”, “Restore/Save/Load settings” tab.

To save the current router settings, click the Save button. The settings file will be saved to the specified location on your hard drive.

To restore settings settings from a file, you must click the Select file button, specify the path to the settings file, then click the Send button.

Attention! Clicking the Restore button will restore factory settings!

Source: rudevice.ru