Meet the Router that Powers the Unbox HQ

We’ve been using the Apple AirPort Extreme as our primary router for the last few years. However we’ve been itching to replace it since it has difficulty reaching our bedroom. The multiple walls are too much and the signal that we get is too faint for reliable browsing or downloads. After a lot of research and asking around, we ended up with the ASUS RT-AC68U. We haven’t looked back ever since.

Allow us to share with you guys a quick overview and review.

It looks beastly

One of the things we love the most about this router is that we’re proud to display it in our living room. It just looks so beastly! The faux carbon fiber surface gives it a very sleek and cool look. These are words you don’t usually use to describe routers. Most of the time routers are bulky, ugly, and dull. That’s totally not the case with this one.

From a certain angle it even looks like the Bat Jet (the one from The Dark Knight Rises), hehe.

Strong signal, it actually reaches our bedroom!

More important than the looks is the PERFORMANCE and the ASUS RT-AC68U delivered for us in spades. For the first time ever we finally get good and consistent signal in our bedroom. We just had to play around with the direction of the three antennae so that we could properly direct it. We ended up not having to buy a WiFi extender anymore.

Packed with so many features you’ll end up scratching your head

Other than the strong signal, this router is also packed with tons of features. Most of which you probably will never use, hehe. But hey if you need them at least it has ’em right? Here’s a quick rundown of the more notable ones.

• Dual WAN ports: You can use two different broadband connections for load balancing or failover protection. This is great for small businesses or people who use their condos/houses as a workstation. Now what if you don’t have two DSL lines at home and you still want to maximize this? Simple. Plug-in a 3G/4G USB dongle into the USB slot at the back. Win.
• USB 2.0 and 3.0 Ports: Connect your printer or USB storage to your network.
• VPN Server: You can create a private network and you can access it across the Internet.
• Multiple Wireless Networks for Guests: You can create three networks on the 2.4GHz band and another three on the 5GHz band. You can customize the access and preferences of each network for your guests. Again this is super useful for SMEs and advanced home networks.
• Cloud Disk: You can access data on USB hard drives attached to the router anywhere as long as you have Internet connection.
• Smart Access: You can access all devices and everything on your home network from any PC, Android, or iOS device that has Internet connection.
• Smart Sync: You can sync files on the connected USB storage to your ASUS WebStorage account (5GB free).

Verdict: Good for Demanding Home Owners and SMEs

The ASUS RT-AC68U is a bit more expensive than your usual router at Php11,990. However the features it brings to the table together with the solid performance and the beastly looks makes it a fantastic investment both for techie home owners and SME businesses alike.

Highly recommend this one to our readers.