review Asus RP-N14 Wireless Range Extender Review

[+Nexus18 MVC]

Once again, thanks to ASUS for providing me with this sample to review! :)

 

This is very similar to the last wireless range extender that I received, the ASUS RP-N53. The extender that I am about to review is more budget orientated and ASUS have achieved this by removing 5GHz support.

 

Packaging:

 

 

And this is everything you get inside the box.

 

 

Features:

• 2 x on-board PCB antenna
  

• 3.5mm Audio Jack
  

• Wireless media playback with ASUS AiPlayer app
  

• One-press setup and worry-free connectivity via WPS button
  

• Back light
  

• Internet radio
  

• Hands-on control for music and lighting
  

 

For more information on this wireless range extender, vist here.

 

Installation:

 

Just like the installation process for the ASUS NP-N53, this is exactly the same, straight forward and simple. At first everything was very slow to the point I thought the control panel had stopped responding but after cancelling everything and waiting for a few minutes and attempting the setup process again, applying settings etc. happened very quickly, much quicker than when setting up the ASUS RP-N53 back in December.

 

There are two ways to install this range extender;

 

 

Build Quality & Aesthetics:

 

This is exactly the same as the ASUS RP-N53, minimal, light and very compact.

 

 

Measures in at 4.5 x 3.1 x 8.5 cm (WxDxH)

 

The front of the device has a cross diagonal checkered textured gloss finish.

 

At the bottom of the device, you have a blue LED strip, this is the signal strength and power indicator, the more lit up indicators there are, the stronger the signal is.

 

 

Above the blue LED strip, there is a touch sensitive panel, which can be used to turn the;

• back light on/off
  

• 2.4GHz light on/off
  

• system light on/off
  

• audio mute/unmute
  

 

You will find all the above options in the control panel.

 

On the right hand side there is a 10/100 Ethernet port and a 3.5mm audio jack.

 

 

On the left hand side there is a reset button, on/off switch and the WPS button.

 

 

On the lower back side, we have a small frosted piece of plastic which is the back light. The light is very subtle. My opinion about this "feature" is still the same, a pointless addition.

 

 

 

Software:

 

In order to access the control panel, you have to type this URL http://repeater.asus.com/ in your browser.

 

As usual with ASUS networking products, the UI is very nicely laid out and overall is easy to navigate around and use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Performance:

 

I am running the latest firmware from here

 

My connection line is 60MB/s download and 3MB/s upload.

 

Once again bear in mind that I am using Virgin's terrible superhub V1 so wireless performance isn't the best, at least according to speedtest.net

 

This time I have used 3 devices to carry out speed and signal strength tests, my PC, HTC one S and Nexus 7 2013. I ran each test 3 times to ensure that the results weren't fluctuating thus a fair test.

 

PC before:

 

 

PC after (using the repeater):

 

 

Mobile before:

 

 

Mobile after (using the repeater):

 

 

Tablet before:

 

 

Tablet after (using the repeater):

 

 

Similar results to the ASUS RP-N53 model, signal strength increased significantly with download speed increase on my mobile and tablet.

 

As for the PC download speed decrease, the same happened with the RP-N53 model, I imagine that this down to my internet setup and not the extender since other reviewers didn't have speed decreases with the RP-N53 (no other reviews are out for the RP-N14 yet)

 

As for stability, so far it seems to be very good, no drop outs yet....streaming, downloading, browsing and gaming is working fine.

 

I have noticed that this extender doesn't seem to get as hot to touch as the ASUS RP-N53.

 

And on to a unique feature, the wireless media playback function. I don't have any speakers with a 3.5mm connection so was only able to give this a try via earphones, it works well but again, I still don't see the point of having this feature, been using the ASUS RP-N53 since December and not once have I ever felt the need to use this feature, I would much prefer ASUS to exclude this feature in order to make the extender even cheaper, smaller or/and include something else to improve signal strength even further.

 

Below is a video demonstration from ASUS:

 

 

Unfortunately the android app still has the same dreadful UI and lack of features/options.

 

 

The app is available on the Apple store as well.

 

Conclusion:

 

Essentially we have the exact same device as the ASUS RP-N53 except with the RP-N14, we don't get 5GHz support, however, it is a decent bit cheaper coming in at ?35 as opposed to the price tag of ?55 (back in December, this was around ?70).

 

Pros:

• Very compact and nicely designed
  

• Simple installation procedure
  

• 3 year warranty
  

• Extends wireless range significantly
  

 

Cons:

• Android app still has a poor UI and lack of features
  

[mrk Reviews]

Nicely done and I think we have the same wallpaper in one room lol :p

 

I've been having a few initial teething issues with the N300 and N600 ones I've been sent for review but am getting to the bottom of it. I think it's more to do with compatibility with my router (Netgear WNDR3700) and how I have my WiFi setup (zoned, guest enabled and both bands separate).

[BoDEAN]

The RP-N53 got a lot of bad reviews, saying the 5GHZ stopped working after a few weeks. On the fence with buying

[+Nexus18 MVC]

Thanks mrk :)

 

Hehe, the BEST wallpaper EVER! :D

 

Look forward to reading your review(s) and seeing the nice fancy photos ;)

 

The RP-N53 got a lot of bad reviews, saying the 5GHZ stopped working after a few weeks. On the fence with buying

Just read some recent reviews and seen that :(

 

Unfortunately I can't use 5GHz due to the crappy superhub V1 and most of my devices don't work on 5GHz anyway :(