ASUS WL-500g Premium

At Phoronix our hardware focus is not on consumer-grade networking equipment as there simply is not much deviation in features and performance between manufacturers and products. In fact, the last time we featured a review of a wireless router was in early 2005 when we had our hands on the D-Link DGL-4300 Gaming Router. Recently we decided to take up an opportunity when ASUSTek had asked us to look at one of their latest products -- the WL500g Premium.

What sets the ASUS WL500g Premium apart from other wireless routers? Well, thanks to the innovative technology found in the WL500g Premium, it can be transformed into a wireless storage center. Using the ASUS Download Master, files can be directly downloaded to any USB external hard drive connected directly to the router without the need for any computer to be powered up. Not only does the WL-500g Premium support traditional HTTP file downloads, but also supported is FTP and BitTorrent! Other networking innovations include Plug n' Share for turning an attached hard drive into an FTP server, smooth media sharing, and 802.11g connectivity. The bonus of this router is, however, the fact that the firmware is open-source and uses Linux!

Features:

· Smooth media sharing
· Plug it in and Share
· Faster and broader
· Keeps downloading even when you and your computer is gone

Contents:

Distributed across the ASUS retail packaging is a great deal of information advertising this multi-function wireless router. The leading advertised feature with the WL-500g Premium is the ability to automatically download Bit Torrent, HTTP, and FTP files without the need of a computer to be directly connected. Opening up this mid-sized container, inside was a cardboard carton that had separated all of the components. The hardware included consisted of the WL-500g Premium router itself, wireless antenna, AC/DC power adapter, user manual/support utility CD, CAT5 extension cable, and ASUS user's manual. ASUS' other wireless networking routers include the WL-566gM, WL-700gE, WL-520g, and WL-530g.