OVERALL
ALTERNATIVES
SPECS
VS AVERAGE
REVIEWS
Scored using Routers Methodology v3.0
Routers Methodology v3.0
Mathematical & Unbiased Scoring
Products in this category are scored under Frontum Routers Methodology v3.0: the technical score from the specifications is the base, and independent expert and video reviews (up to ±0.5 points), owner opinions (up to ±0.3) and best-of lists (up to +0.3) move it up or down.
Explore Routers Methodology v3.0

ASUS RT-N12 B1 review: 77 specs compared

Avg. price:~£25Wi-Fi version:Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n)Wi-Fi speed:300 MbpsLAN port speeds:100 MbpsMesh Wi-Fi:no

ASUS RT-N12 B1 Review: Compare 77 technical specifications and 2 expert and video reviews to see how this product ranks in the Routers category and whether it is worth buying.

ASUS RT-N12 B1
6.5/10

Overall score

Score
6.5/ 10
✕
What it is
Our main score for this model, 1–10. It combines specs, expert reviews, best-of lists and owners.
How we count it
Parts: Technical score 40%, Reviews score 25%, List score 25%, Sentiment score 10%
Marks: Each part gets a mark out of 10. For reviews, lists and owners, a typical model in this category gets about 8 and the best one gets 10.
No data yet: A part with no data shows "?". It counts as the mark of a weaker model in this category (4 in 5 models with data score higher). This way, models with reviews, lists and owners usually come out ahead.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–¼ Worse than 94% of models
Score components

40%

6.0

Technical score

25%

6.0

Reviews score

25%

?

List scoreNot enough data yet, so we use 7.5, the mark of a weaker model in this category

10%

?

Sentiment scoreNot enough data yet, so we use 6.9, the mark of a weaker model in this category

â–¼Worse than 94% of routers
7.5

Value for money

Value for money
7.5/ 10
✕
What it is
An indicator that combines the router's overall rating with its cost.
When it matters
When you are looking for a router with a good balance between network performance, features, and price.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–¼ Worse than 96% of models
Score components

70%

6.5

Overall score

30%

10

Price

â–¼Worse than 96%
6.0

Technical score

Technical score
6.0/ 10
✕
What it is
How good the specs are compared with the other models in this category, 1–10.
How we count it
Areas: We rate the specs in each area against the other models in this category.
Weighting: The areas that matter most to buyers count more. The shares are shown under Score components.
Share: The technical score is 40% of the overall score.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–¼ Worse than 89% of models
Score components

26%

4.3

Wireless

20%

5.1

Ports

18%

7.9

Networking

14%

9.1

Security

12%

4.1

Hardware

10%

6.6

Management

â–¼Worse than 89%
6.0

Reviews score

Reviews score
6.0/ 10
✕
What it is
Average grade from independent test sites, magazines and video reviewers, 1–10.
How we count it
Grades: Each review's own score is converted to 1–10; without one, we grade the review ourselves. Big test sites count more, short reviews half as much as full tests. A video review counts half.
Score: The average grade is 80% of the review mark; the number of reviews is the other 20% (1 review = 5, the typical number in this category = 8, the most-reviewed model = 10).
Enough data: With few reviews, the average grade is pulled toward the typical grade of this category. No reviews yet: 7.7 for now.
Share: Reviews count 25% of the overall score.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–¼ Worse than 94% of models

6.0

Mark 7.2 is below the typical mark 8.1 of this category, so it cannot lift the score above the technical score

80%

7.5

Average grade

20%

6.3

Popularity

Grades by review (2)
2 video reviews, each counting half as much as a written test. Reviews count 25% of the overall score.
User ratings collected online are not part of this score.
â–¼Worse than 94%
?

List score

List score
7.5/ 10
✕
What it is
How often independent test sites, magazines and video reviewers put this model in their best-of lists for this category.
How we count it
Points: The model in the most lists of this category gets 10; the others get 8 to 10 in proportion. In no list yet: 7.5. Lists count 25% of the overall score.
Enough data: Every list counts, even a single one. With fewer than 5 best-of lists in the category, this part is left out.
Lists with this model (0)
Not in any best-of list yet, so this part counts as 7.5. Models in a list get 8 to 10.
Not in any best-of list yet
  • asus-rt-n12-b1
asus-rt-n12-b1
Where to buy
    N/A~ £25
Best rankings
Available: ranking among products currently available (including other versions of this product).All: ranking among all products in the database.
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Technical Specifications of router ASUS RT-N12 B1

Technical score
Technical score
6.0/ 10
✕
What it is
How good the specs are compared with the other models in this category, 1–10.
How we count it
Areas: We rate the specs in each area against the other models in this category.
Weighting: The areas that matter most to buyers count more. The shares are shown under Score components.
Share: The technical score is 40% of the overall score.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–¼ Worse than 89% of models
Score components:

26%

4.3

Wireless

20%

5.1

Ports

18%

7.9

Networking

14%

9.1

Security

12%

4.1

Hardware

10%

6.6

Management

6.0
Reviews score
6.0
List score
?
Value for money
Value for money
7.5/ 10
✕
What it is
An indicator that combines the router's overall rating with its cost.
When it matters
When you are looking for a router with a good balance between network performance, features, and price.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–¼ Worse than 96% of models
Score components:

70%

6.5

Overall score

30%

10

Price

7.5
Brand name
ASUS
Wi-Fi version
Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n)
This router uses Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n), which is less advanced than 65% of routers and equal to 32.7% of routers.
Wi-Fi bands
2.4 GHz
This router supports 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi bands, which are less versatile than 76% of routers and equal to 21.6% of routers.
Wi-Fi speed
300 Mbps
Market range: <0 Mbps – >6k Mbps
This router delivers 300 Mbps Wi-Fi speed, which is lower than 75.8% of routers and equal to 16.7% of routers.
Channel widths supported
20 MHz + 40 MHz
This router supports 20 MHz + 40 MHz channel width options, which is fewer than 63.7% of routers and the same as 31.2% of routers.
Show more
Wi-Fi security protocols
WPA2, WPA, WEP, WPS
This router supports WPA2, WPA, WEP, WPS Wi-Fi security protocols, which are less advanced than 69.1% of routers and equal to 9.4% of routers.
DoS protection
yes
This router includes DoS protection. 9.8% of routers include DoS protection.
SPI intrusion protection
yes
This router includes SPI-based intrusion protection. 4.7% of routers include SPI-based intrusion protection.
MAC address filtering
yes
This router supports MAC address filtering. 1.7% of routers include MAC address filtering.
URL filter
yes
This router supports URL filtering. 2.6% of routers include URL filtering.
Show more
IPv6 support
yes
This router supports IPv6. 8.8% of routers are IPv6-ready.
Dynamic routing
yes
This router supports dynamic routing. 54% of routers support dynamic routing.
Inter-VLAN routing
no
This router does not support inter-VLAN routing. 24.5% of routers support inter-VLAN routing.
VLAN tagging
no
This router does not support VLAN tagging. 66.6% of routers include VLAN tagging.
QoS
yes
This router includes QoS controls. 2.4% of routers include QoS controls.
Show more
N. of LAN ports
4
Market range: <0 – >5
This router has 4 LAN ports, which is more than 34.2% of routers and the same as 59.3% of routers.
LAN port speeds
100 Mbps
This router offers 100 Mbps on its LAN ports, which is slower than 74.5% of routers and on par with 25.1% of routers.
N. of WAN ports
1
Market range: <0 – >5
This router has 1 WAN ports, which is more than 0.8% of routers and the same as 89.4% of routers.
N. of USB ports
0
Market range: <0 – >5
This router has 0 USB ports, which is fewer than 60.1% of routers and the same as 39.9% of routers.
Power over Ethernet (PoE)
no
This router does not support Power over Ethernet (PoE). 1.7% of routers can be powered over Ethernet.
Show more
Management interface
Web UI, App
This router uses Web UI, App for management, which is more advanced than 29.7% of routers and equal to 60.9% of routers.
ASUS Router app
Firmware upgrade method
Web UI
This router supports Web UI firmware update methods, which are less convenient than 75.5% of routers and equal to 23.9% of routers.
Traffic monitoring
yes
This router includes traffic monitoring. 13.9% of routers include traffic monitoring.
Guest Wi-Fi network
yes
This router offers a guest Wi‑Fi network. 7.3% of routers offer a guest Wi‑Fi network.
Captive portal
no
This router does not offer captive portal features. 22.4% of routers offer captive portal features.
Show more
CPU clock speed
0.3 GHz
This router runs at 0.3 GHz, which is slower than 95% of routers and on par with 3.5% of routers.
RAM capacity
32 MB
Market range: <0 MB – >1k MB
This router has 32 MB of RAM, which is less than 84% of routers and the same as 11.6% of routers.
Internal storage
0.007812 GB
Market range: <0.0039 GB – >0.5 GB
This router has 0.007812 GB of internal storage, which is less than 68.4% of routers and the same as 18.6% of routers.
Hardware acceleration
no
This router does not offer hardware acceleration. 75.3% of routers offer hardware acceleration.
N. of external antennas
2
Market range: <0 – >10
This router has 2 external antennas, which is more than 41.2% of routers and the same as 16.5% of routers.
Show more

ASUS RT-N12 B1 vs the average router

246810TotalWirelessSecurityNetworkingPortsManagementHardware
  • Supports dynamic routing
    This router supports dynamic routing, while the average router does not. 46.1% of routers support dynamic routing.
  • Removable antennas
    This router has removable antennas, while the average router does not. 27.8% of routers have removable antennas.
  • Stronger Wi-Fi security
    This router supports the Wi-Fi security protocols WPA2, WPA, WEP, WPS, while the average router supports WPA2, WPA/WPA2, WEP.
    WPA2, WPA, WEP, WPS vs WPA2, WPA/WPA2, WEP
  • 3.8x cheaper
    ASUS RT-N12 B1 is cheaper than the average router (£25 vs £95).
    £25 vs £95
  • 3.8x cheaper
    ASUS RT-N12 B1 is cheaper than the average router (£25 vs £95).
    £25 vs £95
  • Stronger Wi-Fi security
    This router supports the Wi-Fi security protocols WPA2, WPA, WEP, WPS, while the average router supports WPA2, WPA/WPA2, WEP.
    WPA2, WPA, WEP, WPS vs WPA2, WPA/WPA2, WEP
  • Supports dynamic routing
    This router supports dynamic routing, while the average router does not. 46.1% of routers support dynamic routing.
  • Removable antennas
    This router has removable antennas, while the average router does not. 27.8% of routers have removable antennas.
  • Limited firmware updates
    This router supports the firmware update methods Web UI, while the average router supports Web UI, App, Automatic.
    Web UI vs Web UI, App, Automatic
  • Slower LAN ports
    This router has a lower LAN port speed than the average router (100 Mbps vs 1 Gbps). The average router has a LAN port speed of 1 Gbps.
    100 Mbps vs 1 Gbps
  • Lower CPU clock speed
    This router has a lower CPU clock speed than the average router (0.3 GHz vs 2x1 GHz). The average router has a CPU clock speed of 2x1 GHz.
    0.3 GHz vs 2x1 GHz
  • Older Wi-Fi version
    This router uses an older Wi-Fi version than the average router (Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) vs Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)). The average router uses Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac).
    Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) vs Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
  • No VLAN tagging
    This router does not support VLAN tagging, while the average router does. 66.5% of routers support VLAN tagging.
  • Fewer Wi-Fi bands
    This router supports fewer Wi-Fi bands than the average router (2.4 GHz vs 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz). The average router supports 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz Wi-Fi bands.
    2.4 GHz vs 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz
  • No hardware acceleration
    This router does not offer hardware acceleration, while the average router does. 75.2% of routers offer hardware acceleration.
  • 82.9% slower Wi-Fi speed
    This router has a lower Wi-Fi speed than the average router (300 Mbps vs 1,750 Mbps). The average router reaches Wi-Fi speed of 1,750 Mbps.
    300 Mbps vs 1,750 Mbps
  • 22.1% lower review score
    Reviews score
    6.0/ 10
    ✕
    What it is
    Average grade from independent test sites, magazines and video reviewers, 1–10.
    How we count it
    Grades: Each review's own score is converted to 1–10; without one, we grade the review ourselves. Big test sites count more, short reviews half as much as full tests. A video review counts half.
    Score: The average grade is 80% of the review mark; the number of reviews is the other 20% (1 review = 5, the typical number in this category = 8, the most-reviewed model = 10).
    Enough data: With few reviews, the average grade is pulled toward the typical grade of this category. No reviews yet: 7.7 for now.
    Share: Reviews count 25% of the overall score.
    Score distribution
    â–¼
    <55-66-77-88-99-10
    â–¼ Worse than 94% of models

    6.0

    Mark 7.2 is below the typical mark 8.1 of this category, so it cannot lift the score above the technical score

    80%

    7.5

    Average grade

    20%

    6.3

    Popularity

    Grades by review (2)
    2 video reviews, each counting half as much as a written test. Reviews count 25% of the overall score.
    User ratings collected online are not part of this score.
    6.0 vs 7.7
  • 7.4% worse value for money
    ASUS RT-N12 B1 has worse value for money than the average router (7.52 vs 8.1).
    7.52 vs 8.08
  • Older Wi-Fi version
    This router uses an older Wi-Fi version than the average router (Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) vs Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)). The average router uses Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac).
    Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) vs Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
  • Fewer Wi-Fi bands
    This router supports fewer Wi-Fi bands than the average router (2.4 GHz vs 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz). The average router supports 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz Wi-Fi bands.
    2.4 GHz vs 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz
  • 82.9% slower Wi-Fi speed
    This router has a lower Wi-Fi speed than the average router (300 Mbps vs 1,750 Mbps). The average router reaches Wi-Fi speed of 1,750 Mbps.
    300 Mbps vs 1,750 Mbps
  • No MU-MIMO
    This router does not support MU-MIMO, while the average router does. 54% of routers support MU-MIMO.
  • 40.3% narrower wireless coverage
    This router has narrower wireless coverage than the average router (111 m² vs 186 m²). The average router offers wireless coverage of 186 m².
    111 m² vs 186 m²
  • Narrower channel widths
    This router has a lower supported channel width than the average router (20 MHz + 40 MHz vs 20 MHz + 40 MHz + 80 MHz). The average router supports channel width of 20 MHz + 40 MHz + 80 MHz.
    20 MHz + 40 MHz vs 20 MHz + 40 MHz + 80 MHz
  • 1 fewer spatial streams
    This router has fewer spatial streams than the average router (2 vs 3). The average router has 3 spatial streams.
    2 vs 3
  • No band steering
    This router does not support band steering, while the average router does. 57.6% of routers support band steering.
  • No beamforming
    This router does not support beamforming, while the average router does. 62.1% of routers support beamforming.
  • No VLAN tagging
    This router does not support VLAN tagging, while the average router does. 66.5% of routers support VLAN tagging.
  • Slower LAN ports
    This router has a lower LAN port speed than the average router (100 Mbps vs 1 Gbps). The average router has a LAN port speed of 1 Gbps.
    100 Mbps vs 1 Gbps
  • 1 fewer USB ports
    This router has fewer USB ports than the average router (0 vs 1). The average router has 1 USB ports.
    0 vs 1
  • Limited firmware updates
    This router supports the firmware update methods Web UI, while the average router supports Web UI, App, Automatic.
    Web UI vs Web UI, App, Automatic
  • No DLNA support
    This router does not support DLNA, while the average router does. 50.4% of routers support DLNA.
  • Less capable NAS services
    This router includes none NAS services, while the average router includes SMB, media server.
    none vs SMB, media server
  • Lower CPU clock speed
    This router has a lower CPU clock speed than the average router (0.3 GHz vs 2x1 GHz). The average router has a CPU clock speed of 2x1 GHz.
    0.3 GHz vs 2x1 GHz
  • No hardware acceleration
    This router does not offer hardware acceleration, while the average router does. 75.2% of routers offer hardware acceleration.
  • 87.5% less RAM
    This router has less RAM than the average router (32 MB vs 256 MB). The average router has 256 MB of RAM.
    32 MB vs 256 MB
  • 93.8% less internal storage
    This router has less internal storage than the average router (0 GB vs 0.1 GB). The average router offers 0.125 GB of internal storage.
    0.007812 GB vs 0.125 GB
  • 8 years older release date
    This router is an older model than the average router (2011 vs 2019). The average router release year is 2019.
    2011 vs 2019

Video reviews

Hands-on testing, unboxing, and real-world video evaluations

6.0
FishandCheese
≈ estimated
05/01/2018
Hands-on review · speed tests against a rival router
Verdict
ASUS RT-N12 B1 is good for wired use on a budget, but the Tenda router is the better choice for future-proofing.
4.0
techchop
≈ estimated
15/10/2012
Long-term use review · wireless drops and failure
Verdict
ASUS RT-N12 B1 is cheap and easy to set up, but unstable wireless and an early failure led to a replacement.
Hands-on video, no verdict
Hands-on video, no verdict
Shop video

Third-party reviews

What customers like about ASUS RT-N12 B1

  • Versatile 3-in-1 functionality (Router, Access Point, and Repeater modes) with a convenient hardware switch
  • User-friendly AsusWRT graphical interface that is easy to navigate even for novices
  • Solid stability for budget price; remains reliable without frequent reboots
  • Supports multiple SSIDs (up to 4) for managing guest access and bandwidth
  • Compact design with two high-gain 5dBi antennas for decent coverage in small apartments
  • Includes advanced features usually found in higher-end models, such as VPN support and IPv6

What customers don't like about ASUS RT-N12 B1

  • Limited to the 2.4 GHz band; lacks the faster 5 GHz band found in dual-band routers
  • Only features 10/100 Fast Ethernet ports; no Gigabit Ethernet support for high-speed wired connections
  • Wi-Fi range is average and may struggle with signal drops in larger homes or through thick walls
  • Maximum wireless speeds (300 Mbps) are theoretically possible but often lower in real-world environments with interference
  • No USB ports for connecting external storage or printers

Verdict

The ASUS RT-N12 B1 is a 300Mbps Wireless-N router operating on the 2.4 GHz band, specifically designed for small businesses and home offices. It features a versatile 3-in-1 design that supports router, access point, and repeater modes, manageable via a hardware EZ Switch. Technical highlights include 2T2R MIMO technology, two 5dBi high-gain antennas for extended coverage, 32MB of RAM, and four 10/100 Fast Ethernet LAN ports. Its main pros include an easy 3-step 'Plug-n-Surf' installation, support for up to four multiple SSIDs with dynamic bandwidth management, and the intuitive ASUSWRT graphical interface. However, its primary cons are the lack of 5GHz band support (single-band only), the absence of USB ports for storage sharing, and its limitation to 10/100 Mbps wired speeds rather than Gigabit.

Compare ASUS RT-N12 B1 with other routers

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