I was looking for a low profile AC router. I have tried other brands like Asus and D-Link. None of them came even close to this one.
The setup is super easy that you can even use your iphone or ipad to do the initial setup.
The web interface offers the same similar menu as previous Netgear routers.
If you have used Netgear routers before, configuration is not a problem for you. I literally completed the configuration and had the network up and running in 10-15 minutes. uPNP and port forwarding works as usual.
This is the AC router supporting both 2.4GHz and 5 GHz bands. I have more than 15 wireless devices connected to the router. I used the old SSID on the 2.4GHz for the legacy devices and move the new devices to 5GHz with new SSID. All legacy devices were able to connect to the router without reconfiguration.
The speed is definitely faster than my old Netgear WNR2000v2. I got ~ 60Mb/s downlink on 5GHz versus 50Mb/s running on 2.4GHz using WNR2000. I think it is the limit of my cable service.
The wireless coverage is pretty good. I don't get much speed reduction(5-10%) in my bedroom which is far away from where the router is. I used to get 50% reduction when I used the WNR2000v2.
It has Gigabit Ethernet interface. I can see the LED color changed on my cable modem. I have not tested the USB yet. So far the router is working like my old Netgear router: reliable and fast.
Just one little thing that I had to download the new FW file to my PC then upload to the router. The one-step webGUI upgrade did not go anywhere. However, it is not a big deal just you have to fire up the PC versus just use your iphone or ipad to do it.
| Wireless Type | 802.11a/b/g/n |
|---|---|
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 1 |
| Number of USB 3.0 Ports | 1 |
