Customer Ratings & Reviews

When I switched from DSL to cable internet service, I needed a router that would efficiently serve the many wireless devices in my apartment (phones, tablets, laptops, printers, satellite receivers, etc.) without compromising the speed provided via cable. This Linksys AC1900 was reasonably priced, easy to install and set up, and dependable from the very start. It offers a host of features (security, flexibility, customization, etc.). I particularly like the speed test feature and the network map feature (the latter gives you a map identifying every device fed from the router). The only reason I gave it four stars is because I have on two occasions had to reset it due to an unexpected loss of service. I'm using the word reset, but I simply unplugged it and plugged it back in to solve the problem...this worked both times and the incidents happened several weeks apart, so I don't think it's a major issue. Aside from that, I absolutely love this thing. It's a very powerful router offering a wide range of features and its wireless footprint covers a significant amount of real estate. I pick up the first hints of a signal as I'm driving up to my parking spot in front of my apartment which is at least 100 feet from the routers location in my apartment...I can literally sit in my car outside and have a bar or two of signal strength!! I'd definitely recommend this router to anyone interested in replacing an old router or setting up a new system.

For years I haven't bought a WiFi router. When installing this routerit was everything recognized out of the box and the only tweaking I had to do was to rename the SSID and change the password. I started noticing an issue with the router right after the return/exchange policy was due. I have made contact with Linksys which promptly replaced my unit once all troubleshoot was made. Even though I had caught a defective unit, 5 stars are deserved here because buying a faulty units may happen with any customer -- a good customer service that will help you after the fact may not.

I have only ever owned Linksys wireless routers and have yet to be dissatisfied with the Linksys brand. This newest router is no exception. I was loosing my streaming video signal at first occasionally then it became more and more frequent to the point where something had to be done about it. The setup and install was easy and I'm far from being a technical person. Up and running in about 20 minutes. Strong signal even downstairs and at the other end of the house.

I purchased this router when my old one finally quit. With this ac1900 I have not yet lost connection or had problems with it. Easy to set up took me 10-15 mins and I was up and running. We have smart phones, 2 game consoles, 2 laptops, and 2 smart tv and everything works great, high speeds through out even if we are all one at the same time.

The linksys ac1900 is a very nice router for the price it has great wifi speeds with decent strength roughly will work up to 1,600square foot home my favorite feature is the linksys app you can do a lot from the app

I had purchased two other brands of routers without a successful install. I was able to install the Linksys AC1900 in under 2 hours!

From being a Netgear user, I upgraded this Linksys router and I’m happy with these faster speeds it delivers.I d.o recommend .

First off I want to say that I received this product for free thru the Linksys Friends and Family program in exchange for an honest review. I want to touch on three aspects of this router in my review of the product. 1. Hardware/design features. 2. Software 3. Reliability and functionality. 1. The design of the product when comparing the device to my two old Linksys routers (e3000 and ea2500) is a bit clunky and large which is why I took away one star, I am a big fan of power and range but at the cost of a rather large footprint I prefer a more streamlined package. An important part to note about this router though is it has exceptional range and I don't drop any bars anywhere in my house. 2. The setup of the router has been by far the best experience I have ever had with any router. I plugged it in and installed the smart wifi app on my phone and it just walked me through the setup and within 10 minutes of unplugging my old one I was up and running. The app is GREAT, super easy to use and reliable I have to say it hasn't crashed once since using it. With this router being a MU (Multiple User) I can easily open up the app and set a new device/program priority, use the port forwarding for game ports, see what devices are connected, set parental controls all within the phone app. 3. My previous router the EA2500 had some connectivity issues and since using this router they are a part of the past. Like I said before this router has amazing range and speed, i don't drop bars and the throughput is consistent. Being that I have several devices I like to use (ipad, PS4, iphones fire tv) I decided to try them all at once and see how the router performed. The test worked well except the downfall has nothing to do with the router. My internet speed was not able to handle all the streaming and gaming . I was able to be online gaming, streaming netflix, streaming twitch, and watching youtube, all while uploading files to google drive. This would've NEVER happened with the other router. I always had to reboot the router and modem due to the signals dropping. Overall I would really recommend the router and its a fantastic choice for a high number device house. Well worth the price tag as well, you get what you pay for when it comes to my router I pay the money for a stable connection. Get this one you wont be disappointed!

I just want to start this review off by saying I never reviewed a Router before. In fact I never bought one ever and always relied on the ISP’s built in Wifi. I will say I don’t know much about routers but the basics and I am a casual user. So when I heard this was being an insider reviewer’s product, I had to jump on the chance myself. I own many tech devices and 11 Wifi devices all connected to the same network in home. I take the router out the box and followed the quick start guide which only had four steps. SUPER SIMPLE and easy to understand, the last step takes you to their website which allow you to do an auto setup or go through the process manually (I did auto.) Just like that I was online and ready to go with not even 3 minutes of my time gone. It was so easy to setup that I had to do a double take, I couldn’t believe how easy this was! (It comes with a CD but you don’t even need to use it.) Within the settings of the router there are a host of manual options to do. One that caught my eye was a way to hook up an external device. I wanted to test this out and sure enough I hooked up an external 500GB hard drive to the router and it found it with ease once I put in the IP address on another PC. Wonderful and easy feature to use. Can also set up an FTP if you like. Right smack on the front of the box is a sliver sticker that says “Ideal for 4K TV” Instantly this had me curious and this is the first device I want to test it on. My Samsung Smart 4KTV connected to the 5GHz network with ease. Yes it even loads 4K Netflix as if it was connected to a wire. No issues there at all. It seems this one of the main selling points and it deliver. Next up I put two Chromecast on 2.4GHz network. Again no problems. Every claim on the box does what it needs to do. I have an Nvidia Shield Tablet which I set up on the 5GHz network to my gaming PC with a 980 Ti. Finally I can stream games from the PC to the tablet without a hitch. This has always been a problem for me having lag and stuttering. It works and it works well which has me excited to continue using. The router also says it’s made for gaming and having the PS4, PS3, 3DS, and Xbox 360 in multiple rooms all going at the same time and working blows me away. NO lag during online matches. They all remain at the same speed. Which by the way the range is really strong. No matter where I was in the house I had all wifi signals connected at all times especially with my work smartphone and private smartphone. I have to say that the Linksys Max-Stream AC1900 MU-MIMO is amazing, Linksys did an amazing job on this device that’s for sure and I STRONGLY recommend it. Every single word on the box and every single word they say the router can do, it does and does extremely well. This is a router I would also recommend to family and friends due to the very simple setup. Perhaps there are so many features on this router I may never get to use or understand fully. But from a normal user this thing is absolutely the best. Good job Linksys.

I bought it for fios line and it is performing best ever than other routers. Dual make more easier to handle different equipments and mobile app makes lot unstressed access to settings.

This is a great router that has the new AC standard of wireless network. Setting it up as really easy and the quick guide has pictures to help you out (if you're more of a visual person). I had the router setup in about 10 minutes or so. A full user guide is stored on a CD-ROM if you want to read more than just the quick guide. The User Guide contains multiple languages in one document and English starts on page 126. After looking at the User Guide, it doesn't provide that much more detailed information on some of the features. You connect the router by going to the Linksys Smart Wi-Fi site and it is really easy to setup. There is also an app that you can download to manage and change your settings. As of this review, the app is not optimized for the iPhone 6S Plus. The app is nice (it can be a little clunky at times), but you don't have full access to all of the features that you do through the website. Technical specs include a USB 3.0 port that you can share an external hard drive or printer across the other devices on your network, it has a 1.4 GHz Dual-Core CPU, and has 3x3 AC, which is three simultaneous data streams for faster performance. The router also has a 4 Ethernet ports, a USB 2.0 port, a refresh button, a reset button, and an on/off switch. You can connect up to 12 devices on this router. At the moment, I have 9 devices hooked up which include iPhones, iPads, a MacBook, an HP wireless printer, Apple TV, PS4 and Xbox One. There is a device list that you can view everything that's connected to the router. Some of the features with this router include Parental Controls, which you can limit what sites children view on specific devices, which will show a list of all the devices that are connected to your router. There is also Media Prioritization which allows you to prioritize bandwidth for devices you want to have the highest bandwidth. One feature that I have not utilized on other routers in the past was the USB port for external hard drives. I plugged my external hard drive into the USB 2.0 port (since this device is not USB 3.0) and went into the settings via the web and set it up. This external hard drive is dedicated to TV shows that I can now access through our Blu-Ray Player. No need to unhook the external hard drive and plug it into the Blu-Ray player! I copied a 441 MB file to the drive and it took a little bit longer (but that was expected). You can create user accounts for access and set them up with Read & Write or Read Only access. You can also choose specific folders that the user accounts have access to. A Guest Network setup is available for those that would like one, which is also easily managed through the website or the app. It operates like other routers, where you get a default password and you can view how many guests are on your router. This is not a feature that I use, so I didn't look into this in depth. Security features on this router include firewall protection, VPN passthrough, Ipv6 port services, along with DMZ and an Apps and Games tab. At the time of this review, I was trying to access these settings but the webpage was not switching the tab. I did not look into these features as much since I do not use them. Again, these features are something that I didn't spend a lot of time on, but others may. The only cons that I can consider for this router are its size and the mobile app administration. The router was bigger than what I thought it was going to be and depending on your desk, you may have to rearrange it to fit. I have always had great experiences using Linksys products and I do like this router. I would recommend it if you are looking for an AC standard router.

A year ago the flow of data on our home Wifi network was largely from the Internet via cable modem to the WiFi router to a Wifi device in the form of streaming video, only a very small amount of the total data was not streaming media from the Internet to a Wifi device or from one WiFi device to another WiFi device on the network and only a few Wifi devices needed bandwidth at any time. The early configuration solution was to think out the data flow and locate some WiFi devices to the 2.4GH band of the dual band router and place others devices on the 5 GB band. In the last few months we added a new Wifi enabled DVR that can stream video via WiFi to other TVs and computers (tablets and laptops) in other rooms and the early solution began to break down with a small amount of annoying jumpy video and sound and buffering. I decided to upgrade to one of the new MU-MIMO (multiuser MIMO) router the model selected was the Linksys EA7500 which can support several simultaneous WiFi streams at the same speed to geometrically dispersed Wifi devices. This seems to have solved the jumpy video and buffering issues with the new DVR and it's WiFi video clients and reached an area of the house the workshop in the garage which didn't have WiFi coverage before as a bonus. Physically the Linksys EA7500 is larger but looks very similar to the dual-band N900 Gigabit router it replaces, 1 Ethernet connector to the cable or DSL modem, 4 connectors for Gigabit LAN , 3 dual-band detachable antennas, 2 USB ports (1 USB 2.0, 1 USB 3.0), Power port for AC power adapter, on/off switch, reset switch. The status LEDs on the Linksys EA7500 are at the back next to the corresponding port instead of on the top or front of the router which is a bit inconvenient if you want to refer to them. Configuration of the router is fairly straight forward. I removed the LAN Ethernet cables from the dual-band N900 Gigabit router and plugged them into the corresponding ports on the Linksys EA7500. Connected the AC power, launched a web browser on a computer on the router's LAN and open the Linksys EA7500 default base URL. This brings up the routers configuration application in the Browser and allows the administrator to set such network parameters as the SSID's for the 2.4 Gh and 5 Gh Wifi bands, select encryption and network passwords for each SSID, turn on/off the Guest Access, Parental Controls, Media Prioritization, options to enable access to devices on the home network from the Internet, along with many other options. So far I am very happy with the choice of the Linksys EA7500 to up grade our home Wifi network, there have been no instances with jumpy video since it was installed. The installation was smooth only one PC needing an update to its network drivers out of over 20 Wifi devices. Until MIMO and MU-MIMO Wifi adapters become more common the full throughput won't be realized for the network but it is a step forward even with legacy Wifi adapters. I would recommend the Linksys EA7500 to my friends needing high throughput WiFi.

I received this router to review from Linksys/Belkin and I must say I am quite impressed I was using a Linksys EA6350 and i have about 20 devices connected to my network including smart tvs (3), Playstation 4's (2), 4 High end cell phones, cell tower, voip phone, wireless printer, 2 laptops, 2 desktops and 2 chrome casts I have a 50 down 5 up internet connection on the old router there was issues with all the devices working smoothly together (especially when i play COD online connection is every thing) upon opening the box I saw all the necessary accessories needed to connect with any additional hardware. (see photo) before hooking up the EA7500 i did some speed tests (see photo below) I had the router hooked up in minutes and wall mounted (see photo below) there were easy to follow instructions that prompt right on the Computer screen. you can set it up manually or automatically and change settings later. The very first thing i did after hooking it up and naming all my devices (through the easy to use interface ( to get to the settings type 192.168.1.1 in a web browser) was to do another speed test. look at the results WOW just look at the results. i went from a always 48ms ping to a always 25 or 26ms ping (see photos) my Bandwidth increased from 48Mb down to 62Mb down, beyond what i even pay for (i pay for 50Mb dn/5Mb up) I will note that the new speed test is wireless AC and so was the old router test the Dual Core processor In the EA7500 makes everything so smooth no matter how many of my devices are on. And if you are a Gamer I instantly started getting 30 and 4 games in TDM on Black Ops 3. with out the struggle i had before. I will say that there is a media prioritization that will prioritize whatever device you want and it works well. the signal on this router is very powerful also. I have a 3200 sq FT home and needed a repeater to get good signal through out the house with the old router I dont need it AT ALL its in a drawer now. you can also set up 3 networks on this one router. (great for busineses) I do have one Con but just one and its small and only affects advanced users. the software needs to be able to have more in depth QOS that includes upload and download bandwidth settings for each device or certain device. Over all this router is a Total beast and can easily support multiple devices with no buffering or Lag. I would recommend this router to anyone that wants fast reliable internet for multiple devices including small businesses and especially gamers Robert

When paired with my frontier modem it works like a charm and definitely speeds up the connection I would recommend to a friend.

UPS just delivered my new EA7500 Max Stream MU-MIMO Gigabit router. Out of the box it is elegant, just beautifully designed. I received this product as a free sample from Linksys in exchange for my honest feedback. Set-Up: As a longtime Linksys User this was as easy as pie to set-up. The Linksys Smart WiFi app/website makes it simple. One glitch on my part was when I changed the network names and passwords I forgot I needed to power off the router after changing and applying the new settings for 30 seconds and restarting the router. Connecting all my devices was flawless after the restart. Initial Impressions: I was/am so impressed with the speeds. My internet service is provided by Satellite Internet which is already slow by nature. However, the EA7500 is already proving to maximize my internet signal to its fullest potential. Videos are no longer pausing to buffer more data and streaming smoothly and excellently. Keep in mind, this is straight out of the box and only 1hour in use so far. It is totally outperforming my old router which was the Linksys EA6500 which by all accounts was another great Linksys product that has served me well for years. Beginner or Expert, this is going to be a tough router to beat per my initial trials. Elegant, easy to set-up, security I already know I can trust as a longtime Linksys user, Media prioritization easy to configure, everything about it so far is exactly what I anticipated while I anxiously awaited its arrival. I can't wait to start playing with all the other features for streaming, sharing, and gaming. Linksys is a trusted name and a top performer and all I can say now is Great Job Linksys on this wonderful Power House, the EA7500 router. NOTE: I gave 5 stars in reliability though it is new out of the box. Based on previous experience with Linksys products, I honestly don't think reliability will be an issue. I've used their products for years and have never ever experienced any issues or had to contact customer support for technical issues.

I'd previously used a Linksys router that I'd been very happy with right up until it died of overheating. It was a very good router for everything I needed, but had a very poor design as far as heat dispersal went. It left me a little cautious with the brand ever since, so I was not expecting to be quite so impressed with this one! First up, as you might imagine the first thing I was watching for with this thing was heat. I'm pleased to say that they obviously learned their lesson - the heat dispersal is vastly improved, and it's never gotten much more beyond "mildly warm" to the touch. The new case might not look as sleek as the previous designs, but it's far better in terms of performance. The downside though is that this also means it's substantially larger. This occupies about twice the footprint of my old Linksys, and about 50% more than the router that replaced it. I'm more than willing to put up with that for something that gives me a substantial performance boost without making it prone to suicide, but it is something you might want to consider if desk space is at a premium for you. Speaking of performance, WOW, the new AC standard is a step up in regards to speeds! Advertised rates go up to 1.3 gbps, but that's really just a measurement of burst speeds. In real world conditions you generally don't get anything near advertised rates, so once I'd set it up and made sure it was running cool I went and started running some benchmarks to see what I actually was getting. And it's very good indeed! On the 5ghz band I was easily maintaining speeds of about 900mbps. These routers really are to the point where they're comparable to a wired connection in terms of speed, and so far my attempts to get it to choke as far as reliability have been thwarted every time. The connection is fast and stable. Going a little deeper, the router maintains networks on both 2.4 and 5 ghz bands. I'm liking this feature more than I thought, as it lets me separate out my devices into the networks best suited for them to make sure that routing speeds aren't negatively affected by a few older devices. This is made very easy through the highly customizable and very accessible router interface, which lets you be as technical or simple as your skill level requires. Some of my favorite features here include a prioritization system which lets rank the three most important devices on your network in terms of bandwidth priority, which is great if you've got a network under heavy load from a dozen bandwidth hungry devices but really just want to watch Netflix, and the very clever feature which gives you a dimmer switch for the onboard lights for the router, even letting you turn them off entirely! Were I still living in a place where my router was located in my bedroom this might have almost been a deciding factor alone in choosing this router. The MuMIMO feature, of course, is a big selling point. I'm sorry to say I can't quite say for sure if it's all that it's made out to be based solely on my tests. Things were improved, yes, but not so much so that I can rule out the possibility that I'm just seeing the results of the higher bandwidth capacity. I give this feature a cautious thumbs up for now. It's probably not going to blow your mind on its own, but it certainly won't make your performance worse with multiple devices. There are really only a few nitpicks I can offer. While the case design is improved, there's still some niggling issues I noticed. First is the antennas. Like the rest of the router they're big, solid, and serviceable. But maybe a little too solid. There are pivot points allowing you to adjust the angle of the antennas for the best reception - but the resistance on them is pretty high. Higher, in fact, than the resistance of the screw holding them in their socket. The right antenna kept popping off on me when I was trying to make adjustments. Second is that all of the link lights and status indicators are on the rear panel of the router, making them pretty much impossible to see. I understand this was probably to cut down on light pollution, but if you're already adding a dimmer switch, why not put them somewhere where they'll be visible without having to lift up the router? And finally, there is the size issue. I don't think I've seen much in the way of small AC routers, and I think this is going to cause a lot of people some annoyance as we've all gotten used to being able to hide these things out of the way. There's really no hiding this thing. It's about the size of a lower end commercial grade access point. The performance you get in terms of speed over 802.11N is probably worth it in my view, but if you're looking for something you can hide behind a houseplant and don't have a lot of in-network traffic, you might want to stick with the N standard for now and wait for the AC tech to get a bit more mature.

Wow! Is all I can say about this awesome little router!! Set-up took about 10-15 minutes and was as easy as could be. Once up and running, the difference was incredible. I was skeptical in wondering just how much of a difference a router can make as the same bandwith, but my doubts were quickly assuaged. We have many devices utilizing wi-fi in our home and before installing this router, when everyone in the house is using internet there was an obvious slow down in performance. NOT ANY MORE!! It's as if I had all the bandwidth all to myself. The range is also a big boost as well! I can get a clear wifi signal in my garage, as soon as I pull in after work. All in all, this is a great router that has functioned seamlessly from the moment we have plugged it in. We have not had a single problem or complaint.

Interface: All the configuration was done via a web brower with a modern interface. There is a well organized network map widget that displays useful information about connected devices. The router will suggest you go through an assisted setup; or skip it and configure it manually. I tried manually first; and end up resetting and starting again with the assisted setup first; because the assisted setup provides better default options. Assisted Setup: - Note that assisted setup; which link sys calls ‘Smart Wi-Fi Setup’ won’t run unless the router is connected to the internet; so it’s best to connect it to the cable modem or an existing network first. Note that some cable modems need to be rebooted when changing routers in front of it. The link sys setup lets you ‘clone’ a MAC address of another device if you cannot reboot the cable modem. The first thing the setup does is to check for firmware updates. Then lets you configure both WiFi bands under the same name or select different names for each (i.e. homeNetwork or homeNetwork-5G). My preference is to set up both with the same name. Most AC capable devices will pick up the 5G network first and downgrade to 2.4Ghz as necessary. Linksys setup defaults to different names. There is no default admin password when using assisted setup (better security); so you’ll need to enter a new password for administering the router. If the assisted setup isn’t used; the default password is ‘admin’. At the end of the setup; the router will guide you to crearte a link sys account. This account (optional) can be used to access the router remotely (unless is in Access Point mode; see below). This is optional; and it’s in addition to the local user. This is also used by the mobile apps (iOS / Android). USB ports: There is one USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0 ports that can be used to shared storage (but not for printing). - Connect an external storage on USB ports and by default if’s open for windows shares with no password. Network Security: IPv4 and IPv6 SPI (Stageful Packet Inspection), IPv6 port filters, DMZ settings, IPv4 Port forwarding, triggers. Security concerns: - WPS is done through a button on the back of the router; or through its web interface; so you don’t need to walk to the router to pair a new device, if you have web access through another computer. - Firmware updates are not automatic in manual setup; but automatic updated are enabled if assisted setup is selected (Smart Wi-Fi). - Local management supports http and https but https is disabled by default. There is no way to load https certificates. - The default WiFi mode is WPA/WPA2 Personal. I can’t find a good reason for having the old WPA mode enabled. WPA2 is mandatory in WiFi devices in the past 10 years or so. Network: Local network: Allows to define a netmask so there is no pre-set limit of how many DHCP reservations it can handle. By default is only 50 devices when using a /24 mask (255.255.255.0); but can be set up to 155 devices when using this mask. For some reason; it leaves IPs 1-100 reserved. This is way better than other basic routers that don’t allow much flexibility; however the DHCP parameters are not configurable; except for external DNS servers (like Google DNS, OpenDNS or DynDNS). Configurable DHCP parameters are useful in some home offices with IP phones that sometimes need extra help booting. - Activity lights can be disabled; except for the power / status indicator; which is a bright white ‘Linksys” logo, and by far the brightest on the device. Advanced Network setup: Can toggle between NAT routing or RIP (but there is no way to disable RIP if NAT is not checked). It also supports static routes. QoS settings: Only allows three entries; that can be either a device, a range or ports; or defined applications (like Vonage, certain games, etc). This would give certain applications priority when competing for broadband access. I think it could be more comprehensive without making it more difficult but it’s sufficient for the most basic home applications. It’s ny no means required. Ethernet ports support VLAN tagging on ethernet WAN port and LAN ports 3 and 4; but it’s confusing on how it’s expected to work. There is nothing on the routing tab to define what to do with VLANs; so it looks like a hardcoded workaround for certain providers. Could not find a way to define different networks between VLANs nor any type of VLAN routing. VoIP: - It supports a SIP ALG. It’s either enabled or disabled. It’s disabled by default; which is probably good; since there is no documentation on what it does to SIP signaling, and no way of configuring ALG ports. Parental controls: - I was excited to test the advertised parental controls; but found them quite lacking: - It allows time of day settings per device (MAC Address) which is good; within a weekly schedule; in a nice chart interface to select the time ranges. - Then it allows a list of optional web sites to block; that’s it. It would be very easy for a teen to get around this very simplistic filter. - If you’re interested in some form of parental controls with this router, your best option would be to set MAC based time restrictions (if each restricted user has their own device), and set up a DNS based filter like OpenDNS for the whole household. Naming resolution: DDN Support: Dyn.com and NO-IP.com It supports bonjour but its name is hardcoded to ‘myrouter’. It does not match the UPnP / DLNA name; like any other service offered by the router. If the router is changed to Access Point mode; the hardcoded mDNS (Bonjour) name becomes ‘Linksys’ instead of ‘my router’. This seems like a double oversight. Network shares: It supports sharing via SMB (Windows shares) with local user names; and the workgroup advertised is ‘WORKGROUP’; which cannot be changed. It supports FTP but not SFTP nor WebDAV. This limits how data can be accessed; and offers no encrypted access. DLNA: It offers a DLNA media server, on the drives configured for network sharing. The only options are which folders are accessible through DLNA and selections on scan intervals. IoT: There is a setting to enable ‘AllJoyn Notifications’; which is disabled by default. There is no documentation on the router. What it is; as simply as possible; it’s a standardized gateway for IoT devices (like WeMo lamps; etc); which provides additional interfaces and security ( https://allseenalliance.org ). Access Point: Changing the router into an Access Point mode is an interesting process. It almost feels like a whole different firmware is running when in this mode: It’s done by changing the mode (Connection Type) on the WAN port; however; this setting is only available when logged in as the local admin user; it’s not possible to change it by using the Linksys account created during the initial setup; and there was no indication on the router’s interface about this. Once it’s in access point mode; it’s not possible to use any other additional feature; like the network map nor the USB ports; and it’s not possible to log in with mobile apps or remote access. Hardware: Remains rather cool; with plenty of ventilation. It has three removable external antennas; so it’s possible to replace them with high gain antennas. One gigabit WAN port and four gigabit WAN ports. One USB 3.0; one USB 2.0; power plug and a power switch!. It consumes between 5 and 6 watts. The power supply is a power brick type that is actually quite large (It takes what it amounts to four plugs on a power strip). The power supply is rated 100-240V; so it should be good for use in any country; with a plug adapter. WiFi Configuration: Very flexible configuration options. Allows automatic channel selection on both radios; or manual. Automatic channel selection is a nice feature on some newer routers that selects the least congested channels for each radio. This is the default mode. It has Network mode controls (i.e. which wireless protocols are allowed, like in most routers of this type) and supports Radius for WPA2 Enterprise; has MAC filters, and scheduler with hours and days of the week. As noted earlier; The security model enabled by default is WPA/WPA2 Personal. It would’ve been preferable to leave only WPA2 enabled by default. Wi-Fi performance: In my few days of using this product; Apple MBPs, iPhones, Amazon tablets, Surface Pro; etc all connected reliably. As a point of comparison, I’m also currently using older Apple routers (5th Gen ’N’) that are over three years old. I set up one Apple router next the Linksys, in a house that is two stories high plus basement; so set them on the basement; using different channels for 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz. Computers and tablets right above the router get about -20 dBm more with the Linksys than the older apple devices. Moving to the 2nd floor and on the opposite side of the house; the differences are not as pronounced. On 2.4 Ghz, the Linksys provides between -10 and -5 dBm more than the older devices. The newer radios in the Linksys should perform better when multiple devices are transmitting large amounts of data; yet I had no issues with either device with at least two Netflix streams and several other devices connected. I didn’t test performance outside the house; but this unit should reasonably be able to serve a medium size house with usable signal reaching outside the house; so I could replace the two 802.11N units at each side of the house with this; centrally located. Support: Tried to contact Belkin, d/b/a Linksys by email and I was surprised to find out I couldn’t open a support case by web or email. There are community forums, live chat, twitter support ?? or phone support (90 days complimentary); but no way to send them a detailed explanation on my questions. Phone support is nice; but email or web support would’ve facilitated more technical support exchanges that are simply not possible with current options.

This router screams premium compared to my previous routers. It looks good and quality feels durable. In the box was the 3 antennas, router, ac adapter, ethernet cable, information cd and the quick setup booklet. Setup was so much easier than I thought it would be. I had up and running in about 30 minutes only because I had to configure my modem since it was provided by my internet provider. What I like the most is the control of who have access to my WiFi and the ease of disable anyone at anytime using the app downloaded on my smartphone. I also like how I'm able to have devices of my choice with top priority so I can have uninterrupted streaming. This router is capable of speeds faster than what I'm paying for from my internet provider but when I'm ready for faster speed my Linksys next gen router is also ready. What I do not like is when some of devices disconnect without me knowing after I already established a connection. I will look into this problem more to see if I need to be doing something different possibly with the settings. I'm happy with the router and will definitely be using it from now on.

I am posting this review after about a week of use. If I find anything more significant after posting I will add it as a reply to my original post. Be sure to check there for additions. I needed to upgrade my WiFi because the internet service in my area was about to be upgraded to exceed the capacity of my current wireless N solution. This router seems as if it was marketed towards moderate power users as well as people with less technical skills who need an upgrade. Packaging is minimal the same as most routers today. It comes with a CD for documentation but it is not used for setup. This is a good thing because as an AC router most people upgrading to this would have newer devices, few of which have an optical drive. For the non-technical This is not very hard to set up. You plug power into the only spot it fits. There are three antennas that screw into very noticeable spots on the back. And the internet plug is clearly labeled. The instructions tell you what to do in a few steps to get the device to take care of the rest. It also has the wireless already set up if you are afraid to do it and even comes with a sticker with the information so you will know what the password is to get on the WiFi. It already has a guest WiFi too but there is a separate login so someone can’t just borrow your internet without you giving them the password. If you feel more comfortable there are apps for iPhones and Android phones to control the device. Speed and range are very good but if you can it is always recommended to install it as close to the center of your house and avoid metal. The router can pretty much take care of itself after that and it shouldn’t require any further work. For the technical people If you are looking for a device with tons of granular settings, this might not be the device. Of course the power users I am referring to would probably be better suited sticking with the WRT series. I doubt this device will ever see an aftermarket firmware. It attempts to have a clean interface but that means it will feel slower than a power user router for some settings changes as transitions and animations run their course. Setting changes that require a reboot happen nearly as fast as the fastest routers out there. Although the stock firmware attempts to look fancy and simple it still has a decent amount of settings for all but the most extreme power users. The antennas use a standard connection so if you wanted to upgrade to larger ones later that is possible. Hardwired speed has been very good. I’m just a casual gamer but this hasn’t slowed me down at all and I cannot tell the different hardwired from my old gaming router. Wireless speed is actually very good as well although I was never able to achieve the 1300Mbps link speed advertised even right next to the unit. I maxed out at 900Mbps and it is possible that is related to my AC devices. My old router would drop down to the 39Mpbs on the opposite side of my house whereas this one can maintain at least 177Mpbs and often more. So far during my ownership the stability of this device has reminded me of the old Linksys routers how even the cheap ones never locked up. I’m hoping it stays this way. If you want to change settings, you can do so the standard way most technical people do via the IP address or it has a built in URL. Thankfully it doesn’t require some odd application for initial setup. Unlike standard routers, this one is cloud connected when you choose so meaning remote access is passed via the cloud. It does support some dynamic DNS options but they seem more to push you towards connection via their cloud. Fortunately, this is optional except if you want to take advantage of the built in USB ports and access files remotely. I don’t have a spare drive to test right now so unfortunately I could not test the NAS performance. It does have a very basic QoS which allows you to set up to 3 services or devices as high priority but that’s pretty much it. It has some newer options but then oddly has more old services, such as Real Player and Rhapsody. Pros Large, replaceable antennas Great Range Reliable Gigabit Ports Fast Processor Status lights can be turned off Decent amount of features for all but the heavy power users Doesn’t require a special application for setup or CD Has USB ports for attaching a hard drive Offers automatic firmware upgrades to keep security up. Good for keeping non power users safe (Can be turned off) Documentation is thorough if you need help. You just click help on the top bar Major changes that require a restart are almost unnoticeable to users as it restarts fast Has WiFi secured by default and requires a password to be configured during setup. This is good if you are buying one for family and just want it secure without needing to help them. It even has a handy sticker with device specific WiFi passwords so someone can’t just look up a default WiFi password for the unit and borrow internet. Cons Interface tries too hard to be attractive slowing it down with animations Only supports 2 Dynamic DNS providers. QoS settings seem to cater to power users but offer little customization QoS rule changes require moving service or devices boxes around and the interface jumps quickly between sections. This often causes you to accidentally move something you didn’t intend to. Included “Apps” are of limited usefulness and only work on iOS and Android which leaves out anything Windows (No Windows 10 Universal Apps) and no Mac. No configuring your router with touch, like via a Surface, using a Windows App. Final Notes Higher end units near this price point I have owned have had large aluminum heatsinks to dissipate heat. This one has one very small heatsink. I suspect heat stress will be higher on this unit and might be why this case has such a large open cavity you can easily see straight through the vent holes. I suspect longevity will be lower but only time will tell. So the unit has not felt very warm so fingers crossed.