Head to Head: ASUS WL-530g vs. Linksys WRT54GC Mini Wireless Routers



Firewall Features

Forwarding data requests from the Internet to a server is a common task for firewall / routers. Here's how Linksys handles its port forwarding setup:

Linksys Port Forwarding

Figure 16: Linksys Port Forwarding
(click image to enlarge)

And likewise, here's how the ASUS setup works:

ASUS Port Forwarding

Figure 17: ASUS Port Forwarding
(click image to enlarge)

As you can see, both products have reasonably intuitive interfaces for setting up the same thing. Both products also provide a means of filtering access. Linksys fits it all on one page:

Linksys Access Policy

Figure 18: Linksys Access Policy
(click image to enlarge)

While ASUS uses two separate pages to accomplish the same thing.

ASUS LAN to WAN Filter

Figure 19: ASUS LAN to WAN Filter
(click image to enlarge)

ASUS URL Filter

Figure 20: ASUS URL Filter
(click image to enlarge)

That's generally the way it goes throughout each product's web interface. Feature for feature, the GC and the 530g are very similar. To me, the Linksys interface is better designed, easier to navigate, and more professional. The ASUS interface by contrast, is a bit laborious to click through and not very aesthetically pleasing. In addition, the ASUS interface seems to have been written by someone for whom English is a second language, judging from some of the grammar. It's not a big thing, but it does make the product seem like it's not put together quite as well.