Review: Asus WL-566gM MIMO router

When people talk about wi-fi they’re usually referring to the standards known as 802.11b and 802.11g that are used for wireless networking.

There’s a new standard on the horizon; 802.11n is due out sometime next year and promises much faster wireless transfer speeds than the current 11Mbps (for 802.11b) and 54Mbps (for 802.11g).

But, while the official 802.11n standard is being officially ratified by the official bodies who officially decide such things, many manufacturers have taken it upon themselves to release their own super-fast wireless products in the interim.

One technique currently being used to boost wi-fi transfer speeds is MIMO, which is the technology behind the ASUS WL-566gM router.

MIMO stands for ‘multiple in multiple out’, which means that the device has more antennae (three, in fact) that can transmit and receive data simultaneously to speed up the process.

Asus claims that the router can reach theoretical speeds of up to 240 megabits per second (Mbps), and that the device can achieve ‘actual throughput’ speeds of up to 100Mbps – the same as a wired network.

In our real-world test situation we never quite scaled these dizzy heights. Using an Asus PC Card adaptor (WL-106gm) in our notebook computer, we achieved sustained speeds of around 60Mbps whilst in the same room as the router, and transfers never dropped much under 55Mbps elsewhere around the house or garden.
That’s not as speedy as claimed, but still pretty fast by anyone’s standards. Speeds were, however, considerably slower when used with other non-Asus wi-fi adaptors.

Encased in white and silver, the WL-566gM looks a little smarter than your average networking hardware, although it is a little on the large side.

It has four sockets for wired networking connections as well as wireless networking. Those using the router with other Asus 240 MIMO devices (such as the WL-106gm mentioned above) will find that putting their network together is significantly simplified thanks to the EZSetup feature.

This is a combination of a software utility and a button on the back of the router that automatically sets up your wireless network within a couple of clicks.

In essence it will improve your wi-fi connection speeds but you'll need to replace your existing networking products to get the real benefit.

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Netgear Rangemax Next DG834N
Verdict: A good router, but it's not quite worth the extra money. The extra tools are excellent but since a bare-bones router is much cheaper, there's not much incentive to spend the difference.
Rating: 3
Price: £75

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