ASUS EA-N66 Dual-Band Wireless-N900 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter Reviewed

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In Use

Switching between modes is done via the Administration page available in each mode. The screenshot below shows the adapter set to Repeater mode. Repeater mode doesn't require WDS to be supported on the router or access point that you would like to repeat. In fact, WDS isn't supported at all in the product.

ASUS EA-N66 mode selection

As noted earlier, you can't adjust any wireless settings in the default Bridge mode. All you can do is change mode to AP or repeater, scan for networks and initiate a connection. Note that the adapter is set to Auto 20/40 MHz bandwidth mode. So it will adopt the mode settings of the AP/router it connects to.

Switching to Repeater mode provides the settings shown below, which apply only to the wireless network created by the repeater. Note that the repeated network can have different SSID and wireless security settings than the AP that it is repeating. The ability to change the SSID is particularly handy since getting clients to connect to the repeater signal is a frequently-encountered weakness of using repeaters.

ASUS EA-N66 Repeater wireless settings

The Access Point (AP) mode provides the most flexible wireless settings with both basic settings and Professional settings shown in the screenshot below. Note that the schedule applies to both bands and the Transmit power can be adjusted downward only. The LAN page lets you select between static IP and DHCP (default) and supports IPv4 addressing only.

ASUS EA-N66 Repeater wireless settings

Key wireless setting options for both radios in AP mode are summarized in Table 3.

Updated 9/19/12

Setting	5 GHz	2.4 GHz
Channel	Auto, 36, 40, 44, 48, 149, 153, 157, 161	Auto, 1 - 11
Mode	Auto, a only, n only	Auto, b/g mixed, n only, g only, b only
Bandwidth control	20 MHz 20/40 MHz (Auto) [default]
Security	None WPA2 Personal WPA Personal WPA/WPA2 Personal WPA2 Enterprise WPA Enterprise WPA/WPA2 Enterprise WEP (legacy only)

Table 3: Wireless settings summary

The setup wizard worked reasonably well, although it took a few attempts to get the Repeater mode to work. When the wizard did successfully complete, it didn't redirect the FireFox 14 browser I was using to the Network Map page. So I had to go back to www.asusrouter.com manually.

In general, the user interface was friendly and responsive, but really could use online help. Documentation for the EA-N66 is poor, too, with only a "quick start" guide covering the bare essentials available, no User Manual and only one FAQ. So if you can't suss out the connection wizards, you'll have to rely on ASUS support or forum posts for help.

I've put screenshots of most of the screens in the gallery below along with commentary so that you can explore further.

The EA-N66 supports bridge (default), AP and Repeater modes. The Repeater mode does not require the base AP/router to support WDS.
Adapter mode information in Bridge mode.
Same screen for Repeater mode. Clicking on the top icons switches among three screens in each mode. The Connected screen shows basic connect information to the base AP in Repeater mode.
Base AP connection information in Bridge mode
This page holds functions common to all modes. Note the LED brightness and indication controls. Brightness options are high/dim/off and indication options are flash/stable. Defaults are shown.Firmware Upgrade and Restore/Save/Upload tabs are self-descriptive of what you will find there.
There is a log in each mode, but you don't get much information.
The Bridge and Repeater wizards first prompt you to select a network to connect to. Signal strength is in icon form only.
In the Repeater mode, the repeated network can have different SSID and security than the base network.
Network setup in progress
Setup done. Contrary to this screen, the browser did not redirect. So I had to go back to www.asusrouter.com manually.
Information about the Repeater mode network
This Repeater mode screen holds the transmit power adjust. The 100mW setting shown is the default and the maximum.
These settings are for the virtual AP created for the repeater. You can choose WEP, WPA, WPA2 and mixed WPA/WPA2 wireless security.
You set the initial band and WPA/WPA2 security key here in the AP setup wizard
Host AP info in AP mode
Here is info about the current AP wireless settings
This tab provides the basic wireless controls.
More wireless settings are here. The schedule applies to both bands. Transmit power can be adjusted downward only.
LAN settings are basic with static IP and DHCP selection only. IPv6 is not supported.
WPS PIN and pushbutton modes are supported. WPS can be set for each band, just selec the band first on the General tab
Yes, you can set MAC filters, too.