Asus RP-N14 WiFi Range Extender Review

[section_title title=Setup and Performance]

Setup and Performance

To setup this device, I tried the first method of using the WPS (WiFi protected setup) and I’m pleased to say it set up perfectly. You will notice below. My 2.4GHz connection is called ‘Wile E Coyote’ as default Asus renames the SSID with a ‘-RPT’ the end so you know you are connecting to the RP-N14 extender.

Should WPS not work for you personally, connect to the RP-N14 by using by searching for ASUS_RPN14 and connecting to http://repeater.asus.com or 192.168.1.1 in the address bar to access the range extender. Connect using the default admin/admin login and proceed to connect it to your home or office router.

The RP-N14 also automatically sets up the ethernet port with a DHCP IP address should you wish to ethernet a device to the RP-N14. Another nice feature!

Now on to the performance of the RP-N14.

To test the performance of the AsusRP-N14 WiFi range extender, I have devised a simple testing methodology to test the quality of signals at different distances and through obstacles using my Dell E6400 laptop fitted with a Broadcom 7260 Mini PCI-E card at 300Mbps, the fastest this WiFi card can manage and all tests are run on the (where I live, lucky me) zero traffic 2.4GHz range. To test the quality, I ran Speedtest (www.speedtest.net) and took down each result from the following locations:

–          1m away from WiFi Extender

–          5m away from WiFi Extender

–          15m away from WiFi Extender (Through 1 wall and walking down the road)

–          25m away from WiFi Extender (Though 1 wall and walking down the road)

The internet connection wired reads as follows:

Ping – 24ms

D/L Speed – 35.86 Mbps

U/L Speed – 6.66 Mbps

Now it’s time to test the router…

1 metre away from RP-N14:

WiFi speed – 300 Mbps

Ping – 26 ms

D/L Speed –20.27 Mbps

U/L Speed – 6.49 Mbps

5 metre away from RP-N14:

WiFi speed – 300 Mbps

Ping – 27 ms

D/L Speed –16.25 Mbps

U/L Speed – 6.57 Mbps

15 metre away from RP-N14:

WiFi speed – 270 Mbps

Ping – 27 ms

D/L Speed – 15.11 Mbps

U/L Speed – 5.19 Mbps

25 metre away from RP-N14:

WiFi speed – 270 Mbps

Ping – 29 ms

D/L Speed – 14.99 Mbps

U/L Speed – 4.49 Mbps

As you can see from the results, the RP-N14 performs well on the 2.4GHz range, the 25-metre range consists from the middle of my first floor flat walking down the stairs and down the street. The ping is also relatively great and stable across the range. I also know that the internal antennas hinder performance on all extender products so it makes the results less surprising.

NOTE: It should be noted that the RP-N14 was only about 6-7m away from the router and in a clear line of sight.