Great Hardware, garbage firmware
345292
Pros:
Great hardware.
Great image quality.

Cons:
Bad RTSP implementation, lots of dropped packets, and generally corrupted frames.
UDP is useless, while TCP is barely usable, have to reboot the camera every day to reduce the corruption.
These are the errors I got:
[h264 @ 0x2463020] error while decoding MB 87 54, bytestream -68
[h264 @ 0x2463020] concealing 1642 DC, 1642 AC, 1642 MV errors in I frame
[h264 @ 0x2463920] concealing 3048 DC, 3048 AC, 3048 MV errors in I frame
[h264 @ 0x2463920] left block unavailable for requested intra mode at 0
[h264 @ 0x2463920] error while decoding MB 0 33, bytestream 85245

There is no reliable way to get the image out of the camera without corruption every few frames.

Web UI is utterly useless anywhere except on Windows for anything to do with image (requires plug-in).
314228
I've had this thing for a couple of years and now it is requiring a firmware update to continue working. Too bad that to get the firmware, you have to have a warranty in place. If you don't have a warranty in place, you have to buy one for ten bucks a year. That's not a lot of money, but SCREW that. This thing will work as long as Obihai decides they will allow you to use it.
4385460
Let me say that first and foremost this is an EXCELLENT router, but the firmware is CRAP, and updates do not help 5ghz radio issues. If you buy this router i strongly suggest flashing ASUSWRT-MERLIN. or OPENWRT. it solves 5ghz radio dropping and allows a few other bug fixes and custom tweaks. before flashing custom firmware i had to factory reset once a week to get the 5ghz band to work. this router is beast when it's tunes properly, i have 2 of these bridged and a couple of repeaters scattered around my garage and basement. We have 4 tablets, 2 Desktops, 2 Laptops, multiple Rokus and Android Boxes, and coupled with my 100mb/s internet the 3 kids and my Wife and I can stream at the same time with zero bandwidth or latency problems
3244688
I decided to buy this NAS to replace my Netgear Stora, which I have been unhappy with since day 1 (slow, finnicky, Netgear requires a subscription for advanced features).

Unfortunately the current firmware on the DS212 (DSM 4.0), judging from my experience with the device so far and confirmed by thousands of Synology forum postings, has severely crippled the device compared to the previous version 3.2.

These are the problems I have experienced so far:
- Very slow transfer speeds, less than 25% of the advertised speed
- The device takes about 1 minute per photo to create thumbnails (this will take a full month for my photos)
- I uploaded all of my music to the device with the correct folder setup etc but I cannot get the music to show up on any of my DLNA devices
- Synology's web site advertises that the Photo Station program allows syncing with Picasa Web Albums - this is not true - only simple uploading is possible (this last one is the reason I chose this NAS over others I was looking at, so I am quite disappointed with this).  Actual syncing to Facebook seems to be supported, but I am not interested in that.

The 4.0 version has been out since May and there is still no fix.  Downgrading to the previous version is not supported.  The very helpful forum community has posted workarounds but they require too much scripting work.

So far the only redeeming feature of the DS212 that I have experienced is the nice browser-based user interface.

At this point I am ready to switch back to my Stora until Synology fixes these issues!  I would recommend staying away from Synology devices in general (most seem to run the same version firmware) until they fix these issues.  Check out the Synology forums before buying!
306793
This is a pretty decent router. I have an Unify AP that works wonderfully so when I needed a new router it made sense to try the EdgeRouter X.

Don't get me wrong, this is a rock solid router at least as good as any other manufacturer's lineup. However the EdgeOS software this box runs on is half-baked. For example, the software version on the router doesn't work. As in I could not connect to the internet. I had to install the latest firmware to get it to work. I'm not even sure how that's possible. Like, how are you supposed to update your firmware on an internet router that can't connect to the internet? Fortunately I had a different router that I was able to use long enough to update this one. And yes, I contacted their help support and their solution to my inability to get connected was installing the new firmware.

The support staff at Ubiquiti is awesome. Because the software is so buggy I've had to contact them on multiple occasions with my Unify AP and they always amaze me. They're the reason I buy this stuff. I wish I could say the software was as reliable.
1144116
Amazing hardware, too bad they took the easy way out with the recent FCC regulations.  A bit harder to put openwrt on it now.
847955
I'm building an Arduino datalogger for my motorcycle and needed to see what the signals from the various sensors looked like.

The hardware is perfect for that job--the signal frequencies from the motorcyle are low (audio range), and the voltage ranges are perfect.  That would have deserved 5 stars, except...

to avoid disappointment, understand that it's more of a project/kit than a "works out of the box" product like a plug and play USB PC printer.

The firmware that comes installed on the scope is pretty awful.  The manual is a B&W photocopy with about 6 half size pages in English.  The screen images in the manual were unreadable.

The manual tells you to upgrade the firmware, but the manufacturer's URL didn't have the files I needed.  An hour or so on the web & YouTube, I thought I had the files and the procedure I needed.  Tried to install the BenF firmware version 3.64 which had .dsu files.  Works out for the base device firmware of v3.2 or higher, you need .hex files.  Found them on the web, installed them, and the screen just flickered white when I turned it on.  Googled "white screen DS201" and found you need another .hex file [BENF_CUR.hex] that updates the BenF firmware to handle the screen resolution on this model.

The 19 page PDF instructions that come zipped with the BenF software are quite helpful.  They cover a couple of different models, so you have to keep track of which button does what on your model.

If you're a Rasberry PI or Arduino hobbyist, you're probably pretty good at finding and installing software from the web.  You can  teach yourself how to use an oscilloscope and figure out what all of the menu settings do.  So if you're in that hobby category, buy one--you'll have fun with it.

A tip--the device will show up as a USB drive when you connect it to Windows.  When you drag the .hex files (one at a time!) onto the file explorer, they are converted to a .RDY file.  When you reboot the scope, the .RDY files disappear from the file explorer.  I found that confusing and thought I'd done something wrong.  Apparently, when it writes the files to firmware, it erases the .RDY file.
4290415
Overall a very nice toy with plenty of storage. Accepts WMV and AVI video files flawlessly. I'm on my third unit as I tried to upgrade the firmware on the 1st two and it totally destroyed them. Beware of firmware upgrade 10.5.xxx. After doing it's thing it says it needs to reboot, please wait. 90 minutes later, after getting tired of waiting, I unplugged the player from my computer and did a reset. Not only did the player fail to boot up (just a dimly lit blank screen) but it no longer would sync up to my computer. Creative has a system recovery software program for this player but it won't work if the player no longer syncs up. So I have left well enough alone and the default firmware works just fine in my 3rd unit. The memory card (4gb SDHC) works well but is independent of the main menu.
1643840
Good and inexpensive piece of hardware, particularly if you plan to flash dd-wrt or tomato firmware.

UPDATING BelkinShareN300 f7d7302

Download "dd-wrt.v24-15396_NEWD-2_K2.6_mini_f7d3302.bin" and rename to "dd-wrt.v24-15396_NEWD-2_K2.6_mini_f7d7302" (not sure if that is necessary but that is how I did it).  Flash firmware directly to Belkin using the firmware update feature of the native firmware.  No CFE access is necessary.  Wait until update is complete (give it about 10 minutes, it takes a while).  Download Shibby "tomato-K26USB-1.28. RT-MIPSR2-105-Big-VPN.trx" and update firmware from within dd-wrt.  Tomato Media server tends to crash while scanning a large library, probably due to limited RAM.  It is possible to avoid crashes by adding music library into the media folder in several smaller portions.  After that the system works fine.
1431722
Link sys quality is totally gone.  i have two of these and neither one will stay connected to my network (router is also Linksys so no excuses there).  all equipment has latest firmware but doesn't work worth a pile of dog droppings.
388092
This router was amazing when it first came out. When you can log into the interface it still is. After the last two firmware updates though, It constantly brings you to a blank page after signing in. I have contacted Asus Technical Support and their only solution is to factory reset it. I have multiple of these in different locations for our business that have VPN and port forwarding setup. To go to each location and have to factory reset them is just not acceptable. I have never had this issue with any other router I have used.
4382791
The router is fast, there is no doubt, but some of the key features billed as reasons to buy just aren't much more than a headache. All of my comments reflect the original and most-updated firmware, both of which were tested prior to this review.

First, while there is a USB port for a printer, good luck getting a printer to work. The website you're sent to to check if your printer is on the compatible list is several years old and only lists a handful of units. Neither the utility for connecting a printer, nor the LPN routine described in the manual, result in anything more than a Page Before Dying because rebooting your computer causes the connection to fail on restart. Even when I could get the printer to work it required Monopoly Mode which locked out anyone else on the home group. My Linksys E3200 that this replaces had one-button print setup through the Cisco Connect utility.

There is also a USB 3.0 port for a hard drive, a big selling point  for me because the family is always screaming about running out of storage, and access from iOS devices to the drive would be important. Well, while you can set up multiple accounts for drive access through the Samba server, only the main admin account can get in. Who thought it wise to use the account that give access to every single router feature as the only way to enter the storage unit? So, total fail.

As I worked through the manual yesterday on my day off from work, it seemed I experienced more sadness than joy with my new router. I have been doing this for well over a decade, starting with my Linksys WRT54G and custom firmware, and haven't been this disappointed. Maybe I shouldn't have changed brands?

******UPDATE JULY 27, 2014*****

Well, one of the LAN ports died and I had to RMA it (RMA#USBW461173). I bought a LINKSYS WRT1900AC because I can't depend on this ASUS and the LINKSYS works like a charm. I now can print over the network, I can access my USB 3.0 drive, and everyone's wifi access has been improved--even in the far corners of the building. I was right: I never should have changed brands.
4548403
I bought this router today. Installation was easy using the CD, took about 20 minutes. Got a great range and very high speed. So much is good. After some time the connection was lost, and then it regained, and lost again. Based on other reviewers comments, I went to their website and downloaded the new 2.02 firmware. Updating the firmware is a hassle. You cannot update it automatically or by re-installing by the CD.

Here is a step by step guide:
1. First you download the firmware, unzip it and move the .bin file to a known location (I put it on my desktop)
2. Then you have to go online ([...]) (hopefully the router will be functioning when you try to connect).
3. Once you sign up, and then you have to click on tools tab. Then click firmware from the left links. My firmware showed as 2.00. I clicked "check now" for latest firmware, and got a message that the 2.00 is the latest. What?#%$#? This online tool does not even search its own server for latest update. This is totally nonsense.
4. I went to the Firmware Update section, browsed to the file on my desktop, and clicked upload.
5. I got to a new screen that asked me to wait for 178 seconds for the whole process.
6. Crossed my finger, said a prayer,  and ultimately got the 2.02 updated.

I think the router is good, but upgrading the firmware is a total mess. Hello d-link, can you hear me? Can you make your customer's life little simpler?

Nove 9, 2009: After using a month, this router is performing well. Connection is good always. Happy to use this after the trouble of installing.

June 8, 2010: The router frequently drops signals. When it has signal, it is great, but you never know when it will drop a signal and for how long. I dropped one star for this reason.
740995
I started out loving this router and the functionality of it but after taking advantage of those features as a wifi nerd and power use of my network, the firmware starting crashing and freezing. 7 months later, I'm tired of factory resets and a lack of firmware updates for this model. Now I'm shopping for another. The features are rich and amazing if only the firmware worked and wasn't so buggy. It comes with the power user in mind but the features are apparently for show only. I'm rethinking ASUS purchases in the future.
2094907
This is a fantastic piece of hardware, but the software bundled with it is rather disappointing - the download manager doesn't work as well as it should (won't download very large files, often won't show a reason why your torrent isn't downloading, etc.), it restarts the whole system whenever you change the smallest setting (e.g. you enable torrent seeding, it disables all your wireless network, reenables it after a few seconds). Also, I was unable to rename the default volume and share - it seems they have to be named "MYVOLUME1" and "MYSHARE1". Was also unable to delete files from it without enabling user-level authentication.

I'm really looking forward to installing OpenWRT on this, then it'll be a great system.
1523253
Works great now but I had a less than ideal experience setting it up.  My unit seemed to have some firmware issues.  I had to run factory reset at least 20 times before it would successfully update and run a connection wizard without freezing and fatal errors.

Ubiquiti customer service is non-existent!  No phone or chat support available.  Their only available option of support by email was a joke.  I received the equivalent of brief chat responses via email that took between 4hours and three days per response.  If you actually needed troubleshooting it would take you over a week to get any instruction.  They were really disorganized too, I ended up with 5 open tickets.  Truly awful support experience.

I was able to resolve my issue by stubbornly continuing to do factory resets until it would function error free.

Also be aware it is not at all plug and play but if you're comfortable with basic networking line assigning IP addresses it's not hard to setup (assuming your unit doesn't come with the problems that mine did).  The wizard from the more recent update makes it extremely easy.

I'm getting 800 to 850+mb throughput from a 1gb fiber line.  900+ at the modem.
2890539
have 3.  1 was reliable, till last firmware update.  now it connects 50% of the time.  the other 2 were pos, always had problems.  This is pretty sad, great concept, but Nest just can't get it to work reliably.