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Worth getting the ASUS RT-N56U 300Mbps Dual Band Wireless N Router?

Estragon
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Re: Worth getting the ASUS RT-N56U 300Mbps Dual Band Wireless N Router?

Re Faraday cage.
Well. Our house is a steel frame with brick outer walls just acting as cladding rather than load-supporting, old-fashioned breeze-block on the inside of the steel at the front and back, and the long side walls just plasterboard onto the steel.  Maybe with a foil insulation. (Of course, years ago we added cavity wall insulation, but that's by-the-by).
All structural beams are steel, not wood.
Capvermell
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Re: Worth getting the ASUS RT-N56U 300Mbps Dual Band Wireless N Router?

Just to also add my voice to the general opinion that Plusnet's cheapskating with the supply of the Trucolor (Nee Thomson) 582n for its premium Fibre Essential product is totally unacceptable due to the rubbish wireless performance of this router and its Sub 80/20 connection speeds..
It seems very disappointing indeed that a piece of hardware clearly suitable only for a £6 per month copper broadband service is being dished out for a £20 per month fibre service (giving the immediate impression that the parent  BT group who have the big contract with Thomson/Trucolor sees you only as a potential new profit stream and not as a valued customer who needs to be respected and kept happy).   This router has no external aerial so hence its wifi performace is by design rubbish (a Linksys i had experience of five years ago with no aerial was just the same - a piece of junk) and it can't actually handle a wireless connection at the fastest possible speeds of an 80/20 fibre connection.  And that's now before BT doubles the maximum FTTC speed again in another 15 months time or whatever as they undoubtedly will now they have the fibre cabinets in place and in order to keep up with Virgin.
In fact this router couldn't even manage to reliably sustain even a 10Mbps 3D television stream from Panasonic's test 3D tv App site to my relative's new Pansonic TX-P42GT50B Plasma Smart tv for more than a few seconds.  As soon as a wired connection was used instead of wireless the problem went away. Angry
tijara33
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Re: Worth getting the ASUS RT-N56U 300Mbps Dual Band Wireless N Router?

Quote
Re Faraday cage.

Blimey, haven't thought about a Faraday cage since I was studying A level Physics back in the early 60s!! Cheesy
snailspace171
Grafter
Posts: 50
Registered: ‎04-02-2013

Re: Worth getting the ASUS RT-N56U 300Mbps Dual Band Wireless N Router?

I must agree, the included router doesn't really seem to be up to the job.
I intend to replace it with something better soon. But I do not see why we should have to buy our own, when we are paying £20a month
Capvermell
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Re: Worth getting the ASUS RT-N56U 300Mbps Dual Band Wireless N Router?

Quote from: snailspace171
I must agree, the included router doesn't really seem to be up to the job.

I have done some more tests with the Technicolor wireless router today and sitting right next to the router the speedtest on my laptop using the Technicolor wireless connection are the same 37Mbps down and 9 Mpbs Up as through the wired lead connection.  However using the laptop only 13 metres away in the kitchen through two open doors with a direct line of sight I only get speed test results of 18Mbps Down and 6Mps Up using the wireless connection on my laptop to the Technicolor.  A Netgear DG834G router I had nine years ago would give me the same speed wirelessly 13 metres away from the router as connected to it with a physical cable even though of course that full speed was 2Mbps and not 38Mbps.
SoPlusnet has completely compromised the abilities of superfast broadband all over your home by supplying customers with a third rate router that needs you to be within 2 metres of the router to benefit from its full speed capabilities.
As the postage was not free anyway Plusnet should have given us a choice and let us have the piece of Technicolor rubbish for only the postage cost and a decent router for the presumably about £30 extra it would cost over a piece of third rate cheapest possible production cost rubbish.
Plusnet's whole reputation is as a high quality broadband supplier and they are completely undermining it by giving their most demanding fibre customers this cheapest and nastiest possible of broadband routers. Angry
adamwalker
Plusnet Help Team
Plusnet Help Team
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Re: Worth getting the ASUS RT-N56U 300Mbps Dual Band Wireless N Router?

Thanks for the feedback guys, we're aware that some of you aren't fans of the TG582n but constructive feedback is really useful and helpful to us.
If this post resolved your issue please click the 'This fixed my problem' button
 Adam Walker
 Plusnet Help Team
windsortg
Grafter
Posts: 31
Registered: ‎01-02-2013

Re: Worth getting the ASUS RT-N56U 300Mbps Dual Band Wireless N Router?

@PN - based on the number of folks that have shown that the TG582n is not fit for purpose, what are PN going to do about this? We are paying £20/month (I will be be paying this when my fibre broadband gets activated) but we are being provided a router that does not provide optimum broadband speed (like other routers do). PN, at the very least, should provide users with big discounts for buying routers such as the ASUS RT-N56U routers to allow users to get the speeds which they are paying for.
tokey
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Re: Worth getting the ASUS RT-N56U 300Mbps Dual Band Wireless N Router?

Windsortg will you come back with a review on how you found installing the N66U and benefits over the TG582n?
Ive been watching this thread with interest as although the TG582n seems to be doing an adequate job routing my wired PCs the wireless just isnt strong enough to serve my house.  Strong signal in front room (where the router is located) as well as stairs and 1st floor landing (only one wall between front room and stairs) but no signal at all in dining room, kitchen and master bedroom.
Been watching this thread with interest as Ive been looking at getting either the N66U or the Billion 7800n... leaning toward the Asus at the moment...
windsortg
Grafter
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Registered: ‎01-02-2013

Re: Worth getting the ASUS RT-N56U 300Mbps Dual Band Wireless N Router?

I've not got anything set up yet. My fibre broadband is getting installed on 1st March (fingers crossed  :)). I will be supplied with the TG582n I believe which is still to be sent to me. From earlier posts, I've been asked to try out the PN supplied router but going by other people's feedback, it is going to be a BIG, frustrating disappointment. Having read other people who have posted on this forum, the ASUS RT-N56 is recommended so I am contemplating on whether to buy this. I am not planning on buying the ASUS 66 model (it is more expensive than the N56 model and I am not sure what the benefit is of the 66 model over the 56 model).
I will try out the TG582n router but my main gripe (like other people) is why PN are providing an inferior router that is not fit for purpose. 
shure
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Re: Worth getting the ASUS RT-N56U 300Mbps Dual Band Wireless N Router?

to be fair they're not the only ones.  There must be an ISP discount warehouse somewhere where they all get their stuff because I've seen this router with BE, Plusnet, Tesco, Zen and O2, to name but a few.  Maybe it allows greater control by the ISP than most?  Either that or it costs them tuppence ha'penny from the supplier... Wink
Graham21
Grafter
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Registered: ‎23-08-2012

Re: Worth getting the ASUS RT-N56U 300Mbps Dual Band Wireless N Router?

Quote from: Capvermell
I have done some more tests with the Technicolor wireless router today and sitting right next to the router the speedtest on my laptop using the Technicolor wireless connection are the same 37Mbps down and 9 Mpbs Up as through the wired lead connection.  However using the laptop only 13 metres away in the kitchen through two open doors with a direct line of sight I only get speed test results of 18Mbps Down and 6Mps Up using the wireless connection on my laptop to the Technicolor.

Hi. That doesn't sound right at all. I've been testing for weeks with the router under my stairs in a cupboard on the ground floor and my laptop on the 2nd floor in a different part of the house. I'm regularly getting 30-40 Mb/s and my best result so far is 56Mb/s. Would you be willing to swap it out with another one and repeat your test? I'm looking for faulty routers so that I can send them to the vendor for analysis and after several months only two have been sent in.

Graham
tokey
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Re: Worth getting the ASUS RT-N56U 300Mbps Dual Band Wireless N Router?

Graham I get a similar result on wireless.
Wired connection gets me a stable 72mb down 18mb up
Via wireless in the same room I can get about 35-37mb down and 18mb up from my laptop or smartphone, If I go to the next room over this drops to as low as 9mb down and about 5mb up.
I live in a 1970s build semi detached house so the room sizes are average and the wall thickness not unusual.  Infact I think the dividing wall in this instance is a cavity wall too.
tijara33
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Re: Worth getting the ASUS RT-N56U 300Mbps Dual Band Wireless N Router?

Hi Graham, re
Quote
that I can send them to the vendor for analysis and after several months only two have been sent in.

I hope you received the one which I returned over 2 months ago. I think I sent it to Chris.
Nick
tijara33
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Re: Worth getting the ASUS RT-N56U 300Mbps Dual Band Wireless N Router?

Tokey, re
Quote
Windsortg will you come back with a review on how you found installing the N66U

I've been using the RT-N56U for over 2 months without any trouble. It's dead easy to set up, you just login to the web interface & it takes you through an automatic set up routine. It takes a couple of minutes.
Apart from the advantage of much better wireless speed that fact that it broadcasts on both frequencies simultaneously is a great advantage & provides terrific flexibility. I knew nothing about routers until I bought it & it is really easy to set it to do exactly what you want. I can't recommend it highly enough.
windsortg
Grafter
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Registered: ‎01-02-2013

Re: Worth getting the ASUS RT-N56U 300Mbps Dual Band Wireless N Router?

That's good to hear tijara33. As a matter of interest, where did you buy the RT-N56U router and how much was it?