Setup and WebUI

While there is a setup wizard of sorts on the RT-N16, it is only to help you establish a connection. For everything else you have to get into the WebUI.

But if you ever have an outage at the other end (cable or DSL) the RT-N16 will be sure to let you know.

Once in the WebUI you will find that ASUS has made this a very easy to navigate piece of software. Even if you have never worked with a router before you can quickly understand what is happening on your network with this UI.

From the home page (called the Network Map) you can get anywhere in a couple of ways. The first is the menu along the left side while the second method is a little drop down menu in the lower right hand corner. Both will get you where you need fast.

Moving down the left side menu in order, our first stop is the UPNP media server. This combined with a USB HDD can turn the RT-N16 into a media storage hub. From there you can share audio and video files out to other devices on your network. We did this with our 1TB Seagate FreeAgent + and streamed video files to both a PC and to a Seagate FreeAgent Theater + both worked without issue (as we will cover below).

The AiDisk function allows you to setup more than just video file sharing. Here you can setup your own FTP and turn the RT-N16 into a NAS with only the cost of an external HDD.

ASUS gives you multiple options for security right from this simple wizard. You can also head into the Advanced section for more granular control.

If you are looking to setup an FTP ASUS also offers a Dynamic DNS service for you to use.

For Quality of Service, ASUS is giving you a very visual way to shape your traffic. All you have to do is click the icon of the items you want to give priority to and you are set.

Of course, you cannot get by on the simple wizards alone. ASUS has made sure to include more advanced options for greater control over your RT-N16 and also to allow the more experienced users to feel at home, too.

Again, following the menu we kick things off with the Wireless setup. While you can also configure this right from the Network Map page, here you have more options to give greater security and control over your wireless network.

On the Bridge page you can setup a WDS (Wireless Distribution System) network. This allows you to connect multiple wireless access points without the need to cable your house of office.

The RT-N16 has quite a bit of security built in and more options to add to it. You can filter systems on your wireless network by MAC (Media Access Control) Address to ensure that only systems you want are on the network. You can also establish security using a RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial In User Service) server (in a more professional network).