USB-AC56

What can I say really. This card is VERY powerful even when used with d/g/n networks.I use this to get a signal over a large distance with walls on another floor and it does so perfectly. I have an effective speed of 48mbps from the 144Mbps network, which is very satisfactory considering the distance, floor difference and the many walls in between. Lowest speed of 24 Mbps only when all wifi devices nearby use the router (more than 10). My Belkin n card I replaced got 1-24 mbps with the speed varying but sticking mostly to the slower side. That is to say i'm not even using the antenna on this one. It's a bit bulkier than other USB sticks but can host a detachable antenna and also has a usb docking base, which is what I'm using. (Back of the PC is not an option, almost stuck to the wall and don't want to put it in front for fear I might brake it with my leg accidentally, which is what happened to the Belkin-RIP).Buy this it's totally worth the money it's a monster and comes with 3 years Asus warranty. If you have an ac router, you should have bought this yesterday. I don't have experience yet as the router here is d/g/n, but it seems to be the best ranking card up to now for ac as well with impressive speeds and antenna

I live in a house with thick stone walls, which has had multiple extensions over the years, meaning that some of my internal walls are actually external thickness.I could either have added wireless access points all over the house or purchased a dongle.I went for the ASUS AC56 as I have AC wireless in my home already, but it would equally work with slower network standards.The item performs well, and has allowed me to go anywhere in the house, or outbuildings, with no issue.The only point to be aware of is that it protrudes quite far out from the USB port, if you are in the habit of moving around with your laptop, you need to be careful when placing it on soft surfaces so as not to stress the connection.I imagine this is to facilitate the aerial.It comes with a stand, which is great for when it's being used at a desk.

I also bought a Edimax EW-7811UTC AC600, and at first thought this was no better. They both had the same low signal strength a couple of rooms away from the router, plus this thing is huge, especially with the antennae.However, doing some ping tests and some speed tests I found that despite the laptop being in the same position, and both dongle's having the same 2 bars of wifi signal, the Edimax EW-7811UTC was getting a ping of around 500-600ms, and the Asus USB-AC56 was getting a constant 15-20ms ping. Web pages loaded faster, and were more responsive.So if you're going to be travelling around the house a lot, get this dongle, it's large and cumbersome, but it works.(I did tests with and without the antennae and saw no difference with or without it.)

I've had this quite a while and its been sitting in its cellophane wrapped box until now, however...I've followed the installation instructions to the the letter, insert CD and let the software install and nothing happens, it doesn't matter whether I elect to install the USB 3 drivers or not (my system has full USB 3 capability) and nothing happens, reboot, insert the stick, nothing happens. No desktop link or anything, bar on one occasion when no matter what I did try to use the utility all Windows 10 says is insert the device before starting the utility (I HAVE! ARRGH!)The device appears in the device manager, I disconnect the Ethernet cable to setup the wireless link, nothing. I cannot get Windows to use this Wi-Fi device that's correctly installed and showing in both the device manager and the internet connection settings.I've reinserted the Ethernet cable and downloaded the latest software from Asus's site for this device and it still makes no difference, I've tried plugging it into all of my USB 3 ports and still no joy of wireless connectivity.I don't know what options I have left other than to put it back in it's box and leave it there. Useless.If you have Windows 10 Pro x64, don't buy this device as there aren't any Windows 10 specific drivers which maybe the issue for its complete lack of functionality.

The dongle is well made and has a modern looking texture. The package included an extension cable and a base, which means I can set it up at the top of my PC tower for better signal. It comes with a huge antenna (compare to the size of the dongle itself), which helped to boost the signal further. Hardware wise, I would like to give it 5 stars.However the software does not quite work. First, the ASUS util does not work on windows 10. So don't bother to looking for the shortcut to launch it after you install the driver. Anyway you don't need the asus utils. Once you install the driver and plug-in the dongle, windows will set it up "correctly". However if you stops here, it works exactly like a 802.11n dongle with 2.4hz band. It requires further setup to make it fully functional as 802.11ac dual band. It frustrates me that ASUS didn't mention any of that in its support manual.Here is what you need to do:1. Open "Network Connections"2. Open "Properties" of the WiFi connection3. Click "Configure" -> "Advance" tab4. Set up the properties as below:BeamCap: VHT BEAM TX|RX & HT BEAM TX_RXLdpcCap: LDPC DisablePrefered Band: 5G firstStbcCap: DisableWireless Mode: IEEE 802.11acMy connection speed improved from 150Mbps to 570Mbps. My router (Apple Time capsule) was set up in a different room. You might get better speed if your router is closer. (Disclaimer: I do not want to pretend I am a networking expert, these are my own configuration which helped me to improve my connection speed. Try at your own risk.)Overall, it is a great dongle but completely useless unless you know what need to be done. Hence the 3 stars review.