Wireless Network Performance

In all our measurements, we have tested the ASUS RT-N18U against more expensive routers like ASUS RT-AC68U (the top tier router from ASUS) and Linksys Smart Wi-Fi EA6900 (the second most expensive model from Linksys). Our testing was done using a very fast 1 Gigabit Internet connection.

First, let's take a look at the apartment we used in our testing and how it is set up. You can see that the router is placed in the living room.

We started by measuring the strength of the wireless signal across the apartment we used in our testing.

The measurements were made using a tool named inSSIDer. Below you can see how the signal strength evolves from room to room. You can easily see that the signal strength was generally good in all rooms but the more expensive ASUS RT-AC68U remained the leader in this metric.

Then, we measured how fast the download speed was, using SpeedTest. As you can see, ASUS RT-N18U performed well in all the rooms. In the rooms that are closer to the router, the leader was the the more expensive ASUS RT-AC68U. In the rooms that are further away from the router, like the kitchen and the medium-sized balcony, ASUS RT-N18U managed to deliver faster downloads.

In terms of upload speeds, ASUS RT-N18U delivered good performance overall, but it did not manage to outperform its more expensive brother except for two rooms in our apartment.

We are pleased by the wireless performance delivered by the ASUS RT-N18U router. While it doesn't take the crown from its more expensive brother - ASUS RT-AC68U, it is a solid and constant performer.

Wired Network Performance

In order to test the quality of the wired Ethernet connection, we have used a desktop PC, equipped with an eight-core processor, 8GB of RAM and a very fast ADATA SX900 SSD drive, as well as an old laptop with a quad-core processor and an SSD drive from RunCore.

First, we measured the download and upload speeds using SpeedTest. This test has revealed ASUS RT-N18U as being the fastest router in terms of download speed. It was 4% faster than its more expensive brother - ASUS RT-AC68U.

When measuring the upload speed, ASUS RT-N18U was second place, being 3% slower than Linksys EA6900.

Then, we used LAN Speed Test Lite to measure the download and upload speeds when transferring a 350 MB file to and from two computers connected to the network via Ethernet cables.

ASUS RT-N18U was again the fastest in terms of download speed - 19% faster than ASUS RT-AC68U. An impressive result.

In terms of upload speed, ASUS RT-N18U was again in second place, being 6% slower than ASUS RT-AC68U.

As a final test, we transferred an 883 MB file across the network, between the same two computers. This time, ASUS RT-N18U was second both when download and uploading the file.

In terms of download speed, it was 11% slower than ASUS RT-AC68U.

In terms of upload speed, it was only 1% slower than ASUS RT-AC68U. In real life you won't feel the difference.

In terms of wired Ethernet connections, ASUS RT-N18U delivers great performance. In some tests, it managed to beat its more expensive brother - ASUS RT-AC68U, while in others it was a very close second place.

Extra Features

Another great thing about the ASUS RT-N18U router is that it packs a fully unlocked firmware that has all the features of its more expensive brethren. You will get access to great features like:

• Dual WAN - a great feature for small businesses or professionals who require always-on Internet connections. You can also use a dual WAN to improve the quality of your Internet connection and get the best possible performance.

  

• VPN server - this router can be set to work as a VPN server, which allows you to access your home network from anywhere on the Internet. You can also use it to turn your network-connected devices into VPN-enabled clients via OpenVPN, PPTP and L2TP protocols without additional VPN software required.

  

• ASUS AiCloud - with the help of this app, you can access the folders shared in your home network from your Android or iOS smartphone, from anywhere on the Internet. The only downside is that this app doesn't have a Windows Phone version.
• Guest network - you can set up a guest wireless network that provides Internet access for your guests but restricts access to your network devices.
• Parental Controls - these are basic controls that allow you to set when a network device can access the Internet and when it cannot. The router doesn't ban network access, only Internet access.

  

These are great features and some of them are available only on premium-priced routers.

Verdict

ASUS RT-N18U is a great mix of good hardware, high-end features, and a mid-range price. If you don't have devices that can take advantage of the latest 802.11ac wireless network standard and you are OK with using an 802.11n wireless network running at the 2.4GHz frequency, then ASUS RT-N18U is a great choice. We also love the fact that its firmware has several useful features that you won't find in other routers at a similar price. ASUS RT-N18U is a solid performer which sometimes manages to outperform its more expensive brothers from ASUS. You will have a very hard time finding something better at its price.