When comparing Asus RT-N56U vs AmpliFi HD, the Slant community recommends AmpliFi HD for most people. In the question“What are the best wifi-routers?” AmpliFi HD is ranked 6th while Asus RT-N56U is ranked 19th. The most important reason people chose AmpliFi HD is:
AmpliFi router on its own has a range of 90 feet, which should be more than enough for a small or midsize home.
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Pros
Pro Good routing throughput
RT-N56U achieves a wired bidirectional throughput of up to 1268 Mbps. For wireless throughput the 2.4GHz band provides an average up/down throughput of 80Mbps and the 5GHz band provides an average up/down throughput of 240Mbps.
Pro Intuitive web interface
Pro Has 2 11n radios that support WDS bridging and repeating
Pro LED status indicators
Blue lights in front of the panel indicate status of power, USB ports, wired and wireless connections.
Pro Has 4 LAN, 1 WAN and 2 USB ports
Pro A small or midsize home can be covered with just the router
AmpliFi router on its own has a range of 90 feet, which should be more than enough for a small or midsize home.
Pro Easy network management through a companion app
It has an intuitive companion app that enables instant setup, includes powerful reporting metrics, and provides easy guest access. If there’s a network problem, you can resolve it via your app. There’s also constant reporting on network security.
Pro A snap to set up
To set up the router you just need to download the app and follow the step-by-step guide. The whole process takes a few minutes.
Pro Looks cool
The AmpliFi HD router has a unique design. It is a small white cube, with a round 1.6-inch touchscreen, that can show date, time or your upload and download speeds.
Pro Great throughput
The Amplifi HD averages around 705 Mbps of throughput at a close distance of 5 feet. At 140 feet, that throughput drops to 177.5 Mbps — more than enough to share a 100 Mbps broadband connection, which is the top speed that majority of computers, phones or tablets can handle.
Pro Excellent coverage
The Amplifi HD provides industry leading wireless connectivity coverage of up to 20,000 square feet. The included router and two extenders are best suited for large homes.
Cons
Con Lacks three-stream 450Mbps wireless standard
Con Takes a long time to apply changes through web interface
Con Mesh access points don't look as appealing as the router itself
The two mesh access points looks like antennas that you would put on the roof of your home. They are 9.6 inches tall and can take up much space on your outlets.
Con Currently lacks MU-MIMO for efficient network management
In situations where two people would try to start video streams at the same exact time on different devices, one of them would be prioritized over the other and it would have to wait until the first had buffered a few bits of data for itself. But usually, you won’t notice a slowdown. This technology will be implemented with AmpliFi HD in the nearest future.
Con Mesh networks can be overkill in many instances
Mesh networks are a very good choice for bigger homes but they can be overkill in many instances. If you're living in an apartment or smaller home, the Amplifi HD system won't be the best solution.