ASUS USB-N53 Dual Band Wireless-N300 USB Adapter

Written by Steven Iglesias-Hearst

Tuesday, 06 March 2012

Table of Contents: Page Index
ASUS USB-N53 Dual Band Wireless-N300 USB Adapter
Closer Look: ASUS USB-N53 Adapter
ASUS USB-N53 Detailed Features
Testing and Results
Final Thoughts and Conclusion

Page 1 of 5

ASUS USB-N53 Dual Band Wi-Fi Adapter Review

Manufacturer: ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
Product Name: Dual Band Wireless-N300 USB Adapter
Model Number: USB-N53
Price As Tested: $39.99 NewEgg.com / $37.71 Amazon.com

Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by ASUS.

Built on the same design slate as the black diamond series, comes the ASUS USB-N53 Dual Band Wireless-N300 USB Adapter. The USB-N53 has two built in antennae and can operate on 2.4GHz and 5GHz signals at up to 300Mb/s. On the box ASUS claim that the USB-N53 has a "Superior antenna design for extensive wireless coverage more than 150%" and this does show through in our tests, our testing threw out some good numbers but nowhere near 300Mb/s which is understandable to a certain extent.

The ASUS USB-N53 comes bundled with an adjustable USB cable that allows you to position the adapter for a better wireless connection. You can also use the USB-N53 as a soft Access Point to share an internet connection (think cheap portable router for students). If you are eager to find out more jump on in and see if the USB-N53 is right for you.

The ASUS USB-N53 is a dual-band USB adapter that provides flexible dual-band connection for lag free streaming and high performance networking. It also has a superior antenna design for extensive wireless coverage. With the bundled USB cable you can flexibly adjust the antenna to receive the strongest signal. A friendly user interface utility allows you to install and use the application easily, making the USB-N53 a fantastic adapter both at home and on the road.

Flexible Dual-band Connection

Wireless-N dual-band internet application for lag-free, high definition streaming.

Power Signal Transmission

Superior antenna design for extensive wireless coverage - an increase of more than 150%.

Enhanced Reception

With the USB cable accessory, you can position the antenna to receive the strongest signal.

ASUS USB-N53 Specifications

Network Standard		IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n
Interface		USB 2.0
Antenna		2 x on-board PCB antenna
Operating Frequency		2.4GHz/2.4G~2.4835GHz /5.1~5.8GHz
Operation Channel		11 for N. America, 13 Europe (ETSI)
Data Rate		802.11 a/b/g/n : downlink up to 300Mbps, uplink up to 300Mbps(20/40MHz)
Output Power		b mode : 18.5 ~21.5 dBm g mode : 16.5 ~19.5 dBm n mode : 16.5 ~19.5 dBm a/n mode : 12.5 ~15.5 dBm
Modulation		64QAM, 16QAM, QPSK, BPSK, CCK, DQPSK, DBPSK, OFDM
Utilities		Mobile control center, Wireless setting, Mobile manager, Site survey, WPS Wizard
Security		64-bit WEP, 128-bit WEP, WPA2-PSK, WPA-PSK, WPA-Enterprise, WPA2-Enterprise, WPS support
Certificates		CE, FCC, C-Tick, IC, NCC, Wi-Fi
Dimensions // Weight		96 x 26 x 12.45 mm (LxWxH) // 20 g (Device Only)
Environmental		Operating Temperature: 0 °C to 40 °C ( °F to ºF) Storage Temperature: -10 ° to 70 ° C ( °F to °F) Operating Humidity: 15 % to 95 % (Non-condensing) Storage Humidity: 15 % to 95 % (Non-condensing)
OS Support		Windows 7 32bit/64bit Windows Vista 32bit/64bit Windows XP 32bit/64bit
Package Content		Support CD Warranty card USB Extension cable

Source: asus.com

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Comments

# RE: ASUS USB-N53 Dual Band Wireless-N300 USB Adapter — whynotv2 2012-03-07 03:32

"Price is slightly high for most home users". I'm only making note of that simply because how many home users actually match brands of router and adapter? It would be more informative if a brand or two of router was used that "most home users" actually use (Linksys, Belkin, D-Link, Netgear, Motorola...) rather than a $200+ router which is more than slightly high for most home users :)

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# RE: RE: ASUS USB-N53 Dual Band Wireless-N300 USB Adapter — Steven Iglesias-Hearst 2012-03-07 12:56

The RT-N66U is actually $179.99 and is aimed at enthusiasts, as is the USB-N53 Adapter.

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# RE: RE: ASUS USB-N53 Dual Band Wireless-N300 USB Adapter — Steven Iglesias-Hearst 2012-03-07 13:15

I guess the main point I was trying to get across is that if ASUS were to lower their margins then they would widen their audience.

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# 2.4 and 5 Ghz at once? — linuxwarrior 2012-06-22 14:12

Will it connect to the same access point in 2.4 AND 5 Ghz at the same time to improve throughput? I am thinking of the Asus RT-N56U.
Will I get a 600Mpbs link between the two?
Thanks

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# RE: 2.4 and 5 Ghz at once? — Steven Iglesias-Hearst 2012-06-22 14:24

No, it's one or the other.

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# I'm confused — Michael G 2012-11-03 19:44

How exactly can your Pros mention great performance but in you Cons you say it doesn't meet the 300Mbits speed reported? If they report the it will achieve 300Mbits (in ideal conditions, of course) then that is the bar that has been set. It appears that UDP performs the best and you didn't get speeds half of the 300Mbps the unit reported.

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# RE: I'm confused — Steven Iglesias-Hearst 2012-11-04 04:46

You will never get rated speeds unless you test in a scientifically controlled environment. Regardless of ratings it still performed very well for a wireless USB adapter.

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# speed from router — Don 2012-12-26 23:08

Confused about speed from the router. Using speedtest.comcast.net as the test site, I get 26 Mb/s using my laptop with the built-in network. I was assuming I would get close to that being a few feet away and line of sight to the router and have a full 5 bars (100% signal strength according to a network gadget). I only get 5 Mb/s, on both bands. Also, went to neighbor and got only 10 Mb internal but the same 5 Mb with the N53. This normal behavior for these devices? At a loss...

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# RE: speed from router — Steven Iglesias-Hearst 2012-12-27 03:01

Sorry to hear that Don.

The first thing I would do is check for different drivers. What Router are you using and is it compatible with B, G or N for wireless networking?

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