Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

(16 months later, update at bottom) I've been following routers for about a year and determined this model would help future proof some wireless stuff we purchase next year. It's also one of, if not the strongest available. I was a little intimidated buying this one because of all it's features and not one of the traditional router brand. I thought setup would be a hassle. Boy was I wrong on all counts. This thing is wonderfully thought out...in all areas. It blows away Cisco's new "cloud for dummies", tricking some into online router accounts, so they can track your data usage. Before setup I found 3 excellent HD Youtube videos (ASUS RT-N66U Setup...Wired...Wireless). They're made by a down to earth Asus employee who does a great job covering the setup wizard and various features. Getting it up is a breeze, very simple, takes a couple minutes for both wired and wireless. Before install you might want to check into the following: 1) Download the latest firmware from the ASUS website. The routers FW version listed at top of GUI, nice! (Router access is 192.168.1.1) 2) Decide if you want a different (SSID) name for the 2.4GHz and the 5GHZ channel and figure out what the names will be. 3) I used an online "WPA Key Generator" so the keys were ready before setup. I created a different one for each channel. 4) Visit smallnetbuilder.com forum for the AC66U. Read the couple threads on how they're getting strongest signals, best channels, frequency's, etc. Many passionate owners will help with timely support and tips. 5) Test your internet speeds and pingtest.net before - and after you install this new router. The routers GUI is incredibly easy to understand and has tremendous amount of information and features. They use plenty of icons, images, grids, laymens terms, and "?" that provide simple explanations when hovering over. The ability to configure "port forwarding" was so simple I spent more time looking for complex steps, then the actual time to config. THE BOX - Folks this is an impressive looking piece of hardware. It uses very dark/deep blue LED's just below the top surface. This dark blue lighting matches that same blue on our high end components. The small ASUS name in the back right corner is gold plated, a nice touch. The criss-cross grid pattern is done extremely well. The unit itself is solid, a very heavy device for it's size, which is nice for a change. I'm a fan of external antenna's and these look good, fully adjustable. They screw on so you could add extension cables to relocate them. Surprisingly there is a small power button on the back - no more plug/unplug. There's also a WPS button on the back or AC66U. I discovered it's purpose on my Android phone, a WPS note next to router network name. This feature eliminates the need to enter long WAP keys. Hitting the WPS button in a timely fashion automates and finishes connection to router. I had no ideas this tech was in routers. The feature called "Download Master" performs downloads for your PC. With a storage device attached I no longer need to leave my PC running while waiting for a download to finish. There's many other features you can add or simply turn on. It's the shizznit of routers for sure. I'm in the GUI every couple hours checking features, usage, etc. It's a great application for sure. Since ASUS is making firmware changes frequently, listening to their customers, I was not worried about those minor glitches when first released this device. I was confident they would get it right and work things out. My unit is Hardware version A2, so they are updating hardware too. Stop your searching and reading - get this router - you will be happy. UPDATE 2-2-2014: I was so happy with my router I bought another one in November 2012 for my sister. It's been powered on for 15 months straight...without one single issue or phone call from her (she's pretty tech inept). It's LAN wired to her all her entertainment components (ROKU, DirectTV, Receiver, PS3, TV). They mostly watch Amazon Prime movies and have had ZERO viewing issues. The wireless channels feed her laptop, Galaxy S3 phone, HP Officejet printer, and the "guest" account she provides friends and visitors. Again, not one issue so far. The router has not been touched since the day it was powered up. It's hard for me to believe some of the negative reviews. My AC66U has also been flawless. It's probably processed over 100TB of data and no issues. My router also feeds via ethernet and wireless our laptops, phones, and entertainment system, including the routing of BluRay movies to all our TV's. I do wish the 5Ghz had a longer range but I rarely use that so I never turned up the signal strength. The 2.4 range gets me over a block from the house when listening to Iheart radio on my phone.