Testing & Results

Testing Methodology

To test the ASUS RT-N66U Router we are using the Passmark Performance v7.0 Advanced Network Test. This test measures throughput between two clients connected to the router to be tested. In order for this test to work one PC must be set up as 'Client' and the other must be set up as the 'Server'. Each test is run five times with the highest and lowest result omitted and the remaining three results averaged to give a final result.

At Benchmark Reviews we like to be comprehensive so you will find results here for many different configurations such as LAN to LAN (100Mb/s), LAN to LAN (1000MB/s), WLAN to LAN using integrated laptop WiFi (Wireless G 54Mb/s), WLAN to LAN using ASUS USB-N53 (Wireless N 300Mb/s) and WLAN to LAN using ASUS EA-N66 Ethernet adapter (Wireless N450). To eliminate any variables Test System 1 was always set to 'Server' and results were monitored and recorded on the 'Client' systems. The ASUS RT-N66U shipped out with firmware v3.1.0.3.90 and tests were conducted under this firmware.

Test System 1

• Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-V Pro
• Network: Intel 82579 Gigabit LAN
• System Memory: 8GB Corsair LP CL9 1600MHz
• Processor: Core i7 2600K @ 4.2GHz
• Disk Drive 1: OCZ Vertex 2 60GB
• Disk Drive 2: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB
• Enclosure: Lancool PC-K63
• PSU: Corsair HX750W 750 watt Modular
• Monitor: HKC 22" Widescreen (1920x1080)
• Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate x64 (SP1)

Test System 2

• Model: Acer Aspire T180-R97Z
• Network 1: Marvel Yukon 88E8056 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet controller
• Network 2: ASUS EA-N66 3-in-1 Ethernet Adapter via Gigabit LAN port
• System Memory: 1GB DDR2
• Processor: AMD Semperon 3500+
• Disk Drive: 500GB Seagate Barracuda 7200 SATA
• Operating System: Windows 7 SP1 (x86)

Test System 3

• Laptop Model: Compaq Presario CQ61-110SA
• Network Adapter 1: Integrated Atheros AR5007 802.11b/g
• Network Adapter 2: RealTek 10/100 integrated Ethernet controller
• Network Adapter 3: ASUS USB-N53 N300 USB Network Adapter
• Network Adapter 4: ASUS EA-N66 3-in-1 Ethernet Adapter via Ethernet port
• System Memory: 3GB DDR2 PC2-6400
• Processor: Pentium Dual Core T4200 @ 2.0Ghz
• Disk Drive: WD Scorpio Blue 160 GB SATA
• Operating System: Windows 7 SP1 (x86)

Results

The first test was conducted at a distance of 1 meter, which I would consider to be 'Wired' range. These tests were conducted using the method detailed above.

Not all results are at their max theoretical limit but this may or may not be due to the router itself, it is quite possible that the network adapters themselves are not capable of maxing out their theoretical limit. In an ideal scenario we would have identical network adapters at either end but these results show 'Real-World' throughput. We see a very good result for 100Mb/s LAN, in this case the network adapters are making full use of the available bandwidth with only a small overhead. When we look at the Gigabit LAN result we start to see that throughput is not meeting its maximum potential, still ~545 Mb/s is nothing to be disappointed with (results peaked at 575Mb/s during testing). Home internet connections are nowhere near as fast as this yet but this should be plenty fast for streaming etc.

Wireless G speeds and wireless N speeds are also somewhat lower than maximum potential, but the EA-N66 Ethernet adapter connected to a Gigabit LAN port really makes good use of the available bandwidth during the UDP tests (results peaking at 401Mb/s). Equally important as speed is range when looking at wireless internet, sure you get faster speed with wires but you also lose portability. The next two tests look at wireless G 54Mb/s and Wireless N 300Mb/s speed and range. Points 1~4 are downstairs rooms and points 5~8 are upstairs rooms. This gives a good idea of what sort of coverage we can expect in a fairly sized three bedroom house.

The wireless G test is very promising indeed, the ASUS RT-N66U was able to deliver a consistent speed at all test points. Test point 8 is the furthest away from the router so the slightly lower score is somewhat expected.

When we tested throughput with the ASUS USB-N53 Wireless N300 USB Adapter the results were good but not as close to 300Mb/s as I was expecting, the ASUS configuration utility and the windows connection status dialog showed that the USB-N53 was indeed connected at 300Mb/s but actual throughput was much lower. Wireless N300 throughput was not as consistent as the Wireless G throughput in all of the locations. As we see it here, the downstairs results remain consistent, but the further away you get the worse the throughput is.

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