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:
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;
Option 1:
Option 2:
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;
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:
Cons:
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;
Option 1:
Option 2:
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
