ASUS WL-520GU Wireless Router Review

The WL-520GU wireless access point provides up to 850m of open space coverage range. The AP also enables client, bridge, repeater and gateway functions to offer versatile wireless solutions for different WLAN environments.With built-in high-power amplifier with 20dBm average transmit power and 5dBi high-gain antenna, the WL-520GU delivers excellent signal quality and coverage range up to 850 meters in open space. This is especially effective when in access point modes, which signal quality and coverage range play critical roles.The WL-520GU supports most enterprise network requirement, including SNMP, Multiple SSID and VLAN. SNMP standard (v3) support allows system administrators to manage multiple access points from remote locations. Furthermore multiple SSID and VLAN support offer a cost-effective solution to separate the physical environment into a virtual networking area with different security level for a wide range of application requirements.

General

• Device Type Wireless router
• Form Factor External
• Built-in Devices Antenna , LED panel
• Width 4.6 in
• Depth 6.5 in
• Height 1.2 in
• Weight 9.2 oz

Networking

• Connectivity Technology Wired , Wireless
• Integrated Switch 4-port switch
• Data Transfer Rate 125 Mbps
• Frequency Band 2.4 GHz
• Data Link Protocol Ethernet , IEEE 802.11b , IEEE 802.11g , Fast Ethernet
• Switching Protocol Ethernet
• Network / Transport Protocol L2TP , PPTP , IPSec , TCP/IP , ICMP/IP
• Status Indicators Power , Port status , Link activity
• Features NAT support , DHCP support , URL filtering , VPN passthrough , Firewall protection , High Speed Mode (HSM) , MAC address filtering , Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) , Wireless Distribution System (WDS) support
• Compliant Standards IEEE 802.3 , IEEE 802.1x , IEEE 802.3u , IEEE 802.3x , IEEE 802.11b , IEEE 802.11g , IEEE 802.11i

Antenna

• Antenna Qty 2

Communications

• Type None

Expansion / Connectivity

• Expansion Slots Total (Free) None
• Interfaces 1 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - RJ-45 ( WAN ) , 4 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - RJ-45 , Network - Radio-Ethernet , 1 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 pin USB Type A
• Compatible Slots None

Miscellaneous

• Cables (Details) 1 x Network cable
• Encryption Algorithm AES , WPA , TKIP , WPA2 , WPA-PSK , 64-bit WEP , 128-bit WEP
• Authentication Method RADIUS
• Windows Vista Readiness Works with Windows Vista

Power

• Power Device Power adapter - External

Software / System Requirements

• Software Included Drivers & Utilities

Environmental Parameters

• Min Operating Temperature 32 ?F
• Max Operating Temperature 104 ?F
• Humidity Range Operating 50 - 90%

Ive had this router for about six months now. I installed a 3rd-party firmware on it (search for "Tomato ND" or "DD-Wrt", it was surprisingly easy) and its been running nonstop, without reboot ever since. Connections are stable (with about 5-6 clients over WPA), range is sufficient (for my small apartment anyway), transfer speeds are good; in short, everything works great. I couldnt be happier -- especially since I got this on sale. :)