Asus DSL-N12U wireless.

Been playing with this wireless modem for a couple weeks now, and it is looking good.

As you would expect, it does the AP/Extender/router etc as needed. The real nice bit is the network map. From here I can see all clients and assign priority in a simple click interface. I am used to doing this in iptables, so very nice to point and click direct on the modem instead of having to have a gateway server; or far more expensive device.

Very impressive for a consumer device, though I am concerned about how ‘warm’ it is.

I had to tweak the SNR for good stability ( Stability Adjustment -3dB ) or I was getting DSL disconnect every ~8-~19 hours.

I am not used to having such options in consumer devices anyway. Very nice. My ISP supports modem down-rating for SNR so your mileage might vary.

One down, I guess, is that it had to be tweaked. Looks to be aimed at the ‘enthusiast’ or ‘IT guy at home’ market. You have to understand the logs and adjust according to your connection. Somewhat above the average home user ability?

My main concern is how hot it is. Not uncommon with this type of device, sadly.

It is very stable and has much more control than I am used to for  a consumer priced device.

Very nice bit of kit. Same price as numb nuts devices but with ‘nerd’ perks. For the geeks amongst us I recommend this one.

Reliability setting at default 

SNR down 30.4 : SNR up 27.8 , DSL down every ~15 hours.

Reliability Setting at -3dB

SNR down 26.2 : SNR up 27.8 and has been up for over a week.

Given that SNR is acceptable at 6, then I can still play with it a lot more if it does decide to be unreliable.

Obviously I am looking for a reliable device. I go away for weeks at a time and need the device to continue working reliably. Once adjusted, the Asus appears to be doing exactly that.

For the non geeks, then I suggest you buy the most reasonably priced thing for your needs and put up with rebooting it now and then when it stops doing it’s job.

The Asus DSL-N12U wireless costs about the same as other home user wireless modems. It is not for the average home user though.

BaDbod