Customer Ratings & Reviews

Had a weak Wi-Fi signal in my two-story house with about ten gadgets using the wifi signal. I thought it might be the modem but this router fixed my problem streaming Netflix and surfing the net.

I went to my Best Buy store knowing I needed a new router, but had no idea what size router to get. The Best Buy salesperson asked the right questions and directed me to a router that was big enough to handle our whole house and it was on sale! I got it home, hooked it up and it has provided network service throughout our home ever since. No more dead spots and no more waking up to the network being out!

Disclaimer--I received this product for free as part of Belkin's Friends + Family Program. First impression-- The router was well packed in a box which had all the features of the product clearly highlighted. Main features mentioned included MU-MIMO technology, Gigabit ports, USB 3.0 and ESATA ports and AC2600 speeds. Design-The router itself is asthetically pleasing, has nice design,small footprint and size ( neatgear R8500 is huge like a VCR). It can easily be mounted on a wall. The built quality is great and antenna look nice. Normally I like to hide my routers but would not mind displaying this one. Temprature and power draw-- Router stayed cool to touch after consistent heavy use for a week and power usage was decent compared to my older router. Setup-- was a breeze. It could be also because of my experience with a lot of other routers I have owned in the past. It took me less than 10 minutes to configure all my devices. Quick start guide was concise and to the point and is very helpful if you have not configured routers before. The web interface can be accessed with 192.168.1.1 and is easy to configure. Router did not ship with latest firmware and I had to upgrade it manually. It was simple and is needed with all routers I have purchased over the years irrespective of the manufacturers. Features-- Speed and bandwidth of AC2600 which this router boast of is plenty even for heavy users like me. Was able to wirelessly stream 4K movies with ease. MU-MIMO-- Is a feature meant for the future. This router can help you claim that you have future proof technology but it has no use today as no client is able to make use of this feature ( except for an acer laptop). May be useful once MU-MIMO adapters are released. USB 3.0 and ESATA-- the external hard drives provided flawless performance when connected to either of these ports. Range - was as good as the asus and netgear routers with similar great signal strength. Connectivity -- is where this router FAILED gloriously. I experienced a lot of wifi dropouts and had to reboot router multiple times. It became even worse after a firmware update received during the period I was testing this router. In the present state I find this router almost unusable and went back to my previous router after getting yelled at by my wife and kids. Port aggregation-- is not implemented. If you do not have a home server than you should not be concerned about it anyway. Web interface and app-- are very nice, user friendly and best I have used across any brand to date. In summary, It is a great piece of hardware with a lot of potential which has been released with an unstable firmware. I would not recommend it today because it fails to provide a reliable and consistent connection ( Main function of a router). However a future firmware upgrade can very easily make it a great router.

Works just like advertised. Easy set up. Better signal around entire house.

I received this product for free as part of Belkin's Friends + Family Program I love trying out new technology, and I was excited to try out swap my Netgear N300 for this AC2600, which promised a wider range and faster speeds. The packaging itself was somewhat intimidating, but the nerd in me figured, larger the box (device) the more I get out of it... Even if I was a customer unaware of the product I was shopping for, the packaging itself felt inviting and assuring that this router was a capable device. The device itself was twice the size of the existing router, and the four antenna made it feel like I was assembling a drone... I still reminded myself that the end result would be fully worth the extra space this device was about to take. The power supply is pretty big, and was not suitable for my power strip... I did find it fits well with a two port wall socket though... Switching to this router was extremely easy... The manufacturer has provided a simple document which offers all that you need to plug in your device and get started... The router UI can be accessed from any web browser once you have it up and running. The manufacturer also provides an app to manage your router, or test the speed of your internet connection. The speed of data transfer, and the range of the device is pretty amazing compared to what I had... Streaming video from my PC to my tablets and smart TV work extremely well... I am also able to reach certain areas of my home which previously struggled to keep a signal... now for the BUT... Despite being the best router I have used to date, it also had issues I have not faced with any of my previous devices... 1) Connection Drops - This seems to occur more regularly with this unit... Its not consistent, but I have noticed that I randomly loose my connection... While I could blame it on various factors, like time of day and number of users, its not something I faced regularly on my older device. 2) Issues with Android smartphone - One of the devices in my home simply refused to connect to the regular Wi-Fi. This Android smartphone does not support the 5GHz signal, and refused to connect to the regular WiFi connection with the network password... The only way I could get this device to connect was by enabling the guest network... Now I could have blamed this on the smartphone, but given that it has no issues connecting on my old router, or onto other networks, I will say this is something that should be addressed... 3) Media Priority - This feature is meant to enhance media playback on select devices, and is a feature I have never been able to enjoy even on previous devices. The AC2600 was no different, as I still found speeds had reduced after enabling it... Since the router works fine without enabling it, I would leave that setting disabled as it is In Conclusion, the AC2600 has been good to me, Its a powerful router that for the most part enhanced my experience... Fortunately the smartphone which I had issues connecting to Wi-Fi is not fully dependent on the WiFi connection... Other devices like PCs, Tablets and SmartTVs around the house work seamlessly with this device (with the random kinks now and then). That being said, I would still like to see the manufacturer get rid of the few bugs, and I would be able to better appreciate this device

I received this product for free as part of Belkin's Friends + Family Program. No tech advice or analysis here. I am just a fellow who was offered the opportunity to try out a newer, better router. That is the review you will get. I live in an old wooden country home that has always been tough to get a wi-fi signal in. I have tried three other routers with some success, but still had poor coverage and dead spots. This new multi-beam router has improved coverage and signal strength over two floors to a noticeable degree, and I am very pleased with it. I unpacked it, assembled the four sturdy antennas, powered up, set up a network, and added all our devices in about 30 minutes. For me, this was the smoothest and easiest setup so far. I easily understood the setup process and could find the info I wanted in the interface with no problems. I did not have to search through countless menus and documents to find out what I needed to know. I then added the Smart Wifi app to my phone and found that I had remote control in my pocket from anywhere. I can even turn off a kid's device until their homework is done if I want. Such power! We have many devices connected, and all those on the second floor now have better signal strength and more stable connections than we have ever seen. Even the gamers are happy with it. What they don't know is that with the ability to prioritize devices, my streaming video now takes priority, and they cannot slow my streaming video down. The four adjustable antennas allowed me to experiment with coverage, and for the first time ever, I have a decent signal in my garage about 40 Ft. and three walls away. For me, this is one of the biggest benefits. The dead spots are gone now, and we have full coverage for all our portable devices. Hoping to stream to a video projector on the deck come summer. In review, I found a stronger, more stable connection throughout the house. I have service where there was none before, and my man cave is now within reach of a decent signal too. Setup was smooth and easy, all devices connected with no problems, and this was the easiest switch I have ever made. All in all, I am very happy with this powerful multiband router. You will be too I think.

We are very satisfied with the product. Our internet is working great and we are not having any issues like we did before.

I am very pleased with this product. The WiFi signal is strong through the entire house.

I received this product for free as part of Belkin's Friends + Family Program, nonetheless my review and opinions are not affected by the program and I am providing my honest opinions. The Linksys Max-Stream AC2600 is a great router for most users. The Linksys AC2600 is small sized with 4 removable and adjustable antennas. I really enjoy the antennas can be moved around and can be removed. The router has one LED in the front of the router that is solid white when everything is good or blinking when there is something wrong. This LED makes it easy to diagnosis if something wrong is going on when the router. I do wish it had a few more LEDs in the front for more quick diagnosis for when things go wrong (but this is mostly a personal preference for me). The router has a USB3.0 port and eSata/USB port on the back which is a bit unique. Installing the router was as simple as plug and play. Once we had our modem connected and our Ethernet cables for our switches, everything quickly was setup via the routers webpage. The interface is very easy to use and quite simple for most users. Furthermore, the router has a feature that it will also automatically update firmware which is wonderful for more novice users, allowing the router to keep everything well protected. We know that most people do not check firmware on their routers so this can really improve wireless security and general home network security. One of the issues I had with the device is that I thought I did not have access to enough settings to change as an advanced user. For example, by default the router comes with the Guest WiFi enabled. This Guest WiFi uses an unsecure network but then loads a web portal for the guest to login. I personally prefer a method where my Guest WiFi is protected with WPA2 versus a web portal, however there is no option to change it from an unsecure network. For hardcore users, some of these settings not being available can be a negative. The Linksys is an AC2600 router which is great. It has wonderful speeds on both the 2.4Ghz and 5.0Ghz bands of the router. The thing that really differentiates the Linksys from other routers on the market is that it can do MU-MIMO, which allows for better speeds on the network and being able to hold more devices on the network. In other words, some other routers will broadcast 2- 5GHz signals; whereas the Linksys will only broadcast 1 5 GHz signal but performs as well due to the MU-MIMO. The router performed well with various video streaming services. I had no problems streaming on Netflix, HBOGo, and Amazon Instant Video. I also had no issues streaming live TV via HDHomerun either using the WiFi to my Nexus Player. I had no issues connecting my USB drives to router. The Linksys performed well with various drives of mine. I was able to stream various video files from my USB hard drive just fine. Everything loaded quickly and effectively. Overall I recommend the Linksys EA8500. Being that it is MU-MIMO the router is future proof and likely to improve with time. It has great WiFi coverage and speeds throughout our entire home. Due to not having more advance features, I am knocking 1 start from the router, otherwise I would have no reservations about it.

I received this product for free as part of Belkin's Friends + Family Program. Don't worry though, below are my honest impressions AND a comparison with an equally high-end TP-Link that I already owned. First off, the device is nicely packaged and takes just a couple minutes to screw on the beefy antennae, connect it up and get up and running - I would say 10-15min tops. It's a little bit bigger than many of the high end routers out there but it isn't the largest AND being a bit bigger has some benefits including better cooling. I've also used a very comparable TP-Link Archer C3200 that ran significantly hotter and boasted a very similar feature set and speed. The router is very nice looking with low-key lighting to tell you it's on and connected without blinding you or blinking like mad which is great at night or if it is somewhere visible. Range is also excellent as I was able to get outside and a few hundred feet away and still pick up on the network in my next door neighbor's house. No problem covering every inch of our house and yard. There are a ton of other features in this thing that I can't cover here because there are just too many - USB 3.0 attached, network storage (it works like it should), parental controls, guest networks, etc. So yeah, read the features in the product description and I would be shocked if this was missing something that a home user would need. All in all, this is a great router that has won a place in my home as the hub of our extensive internet usage - lots of streaming, MMO gaming on wifi!, more than 15 connected devices at a time. But let's get down to it - this thing is fast and can easily push out your maximum speed to any wifi device you own. For instance, I saw complete saturation of my Comcast 50mb/s line while downloading a Steam game to a wifi connected pc, 3 rooms away (7.2MB/sec). One reason I think the speeds can be THAT good is the QoS features which don't lie when they say they are prioritizing speed for the devices you specify. I was even able to do all the things I normally do while big downloads like the game I mentioned like surf the web, watch YouTube, connect to smart home appliances via my smartphone at great speeds. That seems to be thanks to the MU-MIMO feature but I'm not certain. In any case, the QoS settings are very powerful and really help to ensure that the devices with the highest bandwidth consumption are never held back. The included app for your phone is a nice touch as well. It's very handy for checking in on your network (what devices are connected, speed, etc) without having to log into the complete dashboard via a browser. I've used router companion apps from competitive products like the TP-Link mentioned above and they are no where near as polished as the app included by Linksys. The TP-Link C3200 is a great comparison for this router as they are similarly priced and similarly equipped. Long story short: The Linksys is a big bigger in overall size, has bigger, heartier antennae, has better QoS performance, and I think it's actually faster despite the quoted speeds. The TP-Link had some interesting features where it would intelligently choose the right band for the right device but I think connection was always a little flaky when I had this setting on. And on the topic of speeds - the quoted speeds are a little unrealistic because A) almost no one is setup to use BOTH 2.4 and 5 GHz connections simultaneously which is how these things are normally advertised, and B) even if you had gigabit internet, you wouldn't saturate this device. To sum up - this is a top tier router for home users. It's fast, has lots of features, and good range.

Before my review of the Linksys Max-Stream AC2600 router, I want to disclose that I received this product for free as part of Belkin's Friends + Family Program. I have now used the Linksys router for a month, and on the whole I am pretty pleased with the performance of the router. There are some minor issues that I mention below, but overall it is a substantial speed boost over my prior router, and I can recommend this router to friends and family. Hopefully my review adds some value for your buying decision, but to help you know where I am coming from, I should explain that I have tested more than 2 dozen routers in the last 5 years, and this router sits in the top 3. For reference, this router replaced my Asus RT-N566U, which when I first purchased was in the same price bracket as this Linksys is today (Jan 2016). I was pleased with the packaging when it arrived. I like that the end caps of the box it clearly listed the features and functions, unlike some other brands that had tiny 6-point font outlining the features. I also like that the package showed a photograph of the the ports, with them labeled. One thing I wish the Linksys had was a matrix comparing the different router models available and their core features and functions to simplify a buying decision, but not a big deal. Inside the packaging was form fitting, and more aesthetically pleasing than other router packaging I have seen (which are normally a single, form fitted/shape fitted cardboard mold). The contents included: • the router itself, wrapped in a soft foam envelope • 4 individually wrapped antennae • a documentation CD • a single sheet instruction quick start guide • a power cable • an Ethernet cable that was no more than 3 feet I would have liked to get a longer Ethernet cable with the router, which is my only complaint. I like the fact that both the router and the quick start guide had a default wireless network SSID and password sticker that were unique, which I have not seen on other brands. Hardware: The router itself is solid and a good footprint size. It has holes on the back so you can mount it on the wall, and when setting up the router you install the antennas by screwing them on. I had a little trouble getting them tightened the way they needed to be and then positioned. Invariably I would tighten them on, then try to position them, which would cause them to come loose. I found the best way to attach them was to position them how I wanted, then hold them with one hand positioned and tighten with the other hand. The nice part about having them attachable is the fact that I could stick on different antenna if I ever want to upgrade. The ports and switches included are: • USB 3.0 • eSATA/USB 2.0 • 4 gigabit Ethernet ports • 1 internet port • a wifi on/off button • a wifi protected setup button • reset button • power input • power rocker switch Software Features The router software can be accessed by the linksyssmartwifi.com URL or by the standard 192.168.1.1 address. Once logged in, it has a dashboard for the core feature functions that can be modified (think widgits). There are a couple that are not removable, including a box for advertising for Linksys smart wifi router apps, which I am not a big fan of since it feels like advertising. Here are a couple highlights I want to mention, both good and bad. The network map function of the router I wasn’t a fan of because it was difficult to identify which devices were which. I would have preferred a list option, but since I don’t use it much, it wasn’t a big deal. Once a device is identified on the map however, I can name it whatever I want which is nice for those unknown devices sitting out there. Guest access is another feature that was on by default, and I quickly shut off. Some individuals may want it on, but I would prefer the default to be off. It normally sets up the SSID with a –guest amendment to your private SSID. The built in speed test gave inconsistent results for me compared to running a test from a browser, which I never really determined the root cause of. It’s not a major feature to me, so no big deal. External storage – I can say this feature I like. I plugged in a USB 8 GB drive right away, and have been using it at lighting speeds ever since. I was able to map it with Samba as a drive, and now a month into it, the connection has been great. It’s easy to access with just the \\192.168.1.1 address, and has other features like FTP and DLNA servers, which has been nice. One feature that is kind of buried down in the Connectivity area is the ability to turn the activity lights on and off. This was one of my annoyances with my old router is that they were bright in a bedroom at night, so it’s nice to be able to turn them off. Another feature kind of buried down in was DDNS options that I was actually unhappy about. In my old router I was able to set it up so that I could use OpenDNS to filter content on my network, and my router would feed by dynamic IP any time it would change to OpenDNS via dnsomatic.com, but LinkSys only supports NO-IP.com and DYNDNS.org, so I have had to revert back to a PC based update client, which is fine, but an annoyance. Firmware updates are a little weird. The update option is under connectivity, but the option to restore previous firmware is under troubleshooting/diagnostics. I would have expected them to be together. One feature that I am still not sure I like is the ability to automatically update firmware. In concept that is great, but in practice I wish I could specify a date/time that those automatic updates would be applied. As it is, it’s not clear when the update will happen, and whether I lose connectivity when they do. In addition to the standard URL, Linksys, unlike other brands, has a few handy iOS and Android apps to update your router. They can be accessed externally from your network, if configured on your router that way, so you can reset the router when your wife calls you on a business trip to tell you Netflix stopped working. :) No worries, I love her! The app does not have all the features of the web UI, but it has enough to be functional when away. The downside about the app is that it’s the only thing that works on my Android tablet to change the router settings when on my home network. In other words, if I try to change the router through the IP while on the LAN, I get an error from my tablet that the browser is not supported. For me, that’s annoying when I need to do a reset or something from downstairs. When it comes to performance, the Linksys made major improvements in the throughput for my home network where my old Asus did not shine. Those dark wifi spots where the Asus didn’t reach are now getting nearly all network connection bars, and I can now surf from my basement, which is great! There is a downside, however, and that is stability. In the last month running the router, I have had 4 instances of it loosing connection and stability, which required me to reboot it. In those instances, if I leave it, it appears to eventually recover itself, but it takes a number of minutes to self-recover. As a result of my impatience, I normally just pull up the app and choose reboot. I know this is an annoyance, but, every router I have ever owned has this problem occasionally, even my old Asus. In conclusion, the Linksys is a nice upgrade for speed alone, but has a few nagging issues, including some software quirks, a missing feature or two, and the occasional loss of connection. Those issues aside, our network connectivity in the house has never been better! Given my experience, I would rate this router as a 4 of 5 stars.

NOTE: I received this product for free as part of Belkin's Friends + Family Program. Test time: Two weeks. Pros: Easy to setup, no CD required. Average to high performance. Decent parental controls. Cons: Cheap plastic feel. HUGE size. HUGE power brick, Short Ethernet cord included. Four prominent antennae. Wireless drops. Requires an online account to setup the router. No local access from tablets or cellphones. Feature lacking 'app' for Android/IOS. Many features buried under layers of menus. Poor logging. As an experienced home network user, I would recommend this router to individuals who want a quick setup and don't really need to do a lot of configuring.

I heard about the new Linksys Router from an email from Linksys. Best Buy had it in stock. I needed more speed and range from my WIFI since newer devices need more bandwidth. The router setup was super easy. My wife did it while I hooked everything up. The %K is awesome and a big improvement. I am really happy with the performance.

I sat in the chair at the store and thought it was good but my son put MY chair together and can't make the back straighter. I want to sit straight up at my computer and this chair lays back too far ...great for taking a nap!!!

I've had this router for 3 weeks now and it's pretty good. The speed quality is excellent with very short response lag, I have two Xbox gamers in my household and both reported good connectivity quality while gaming simultaneously with peer groups. Use with my AC1500 wireless adapter on my desktop computer was excellent and speed tests measured almost exactly the same wired connections! (very nice!). The user interface is easy and allows you to name your devices if you want and the management software is intuitive. Pros - good speed, excellent range (better than my Netgear AC1450). Good feature set, simple to add a hard drive and WPs devices. 1G ports on the back make it nice for wired devices, the on / off switch, and reset button. Super good range throughout my home. Cons - Large footprint makes it a bit clunky to find a place for it, plus it is a bit heavy. I also don't like the lights on it. It has one big LED light under the Linksys label. I would prefer lights to indicate when wireless is up, power, etc. even if they were small. The power brick is huge and heavy. The brick just makes it hard to put a lot of devices on the same powerstrip. I'm a bit skeptical on the routers ability to recovery from internet outages. I did have to power cycle it a few times after having ISP issues. Overall I would recommend this router. It has an easy to follow install guide, cell phone app, and very good range. The 4 adjustable antennas may be of help to you as well. For me I just left them like pictured and the coverage was excellent. Overall i like this router much better some of my previous ones like the Dlink AC750.

I received this product for free as part of Belkin's Friends + Family Program It was very easy to install, after putting the antenas on the body, We connected the router to the Comcast modem/router , which we are leasing from Comcast , then we chose the name of the router “Linksys23004_5GHz” and entered the password from the “Quick Start Guide”, the last step was to open the internet browser and opened the link provided for the router to finish and followed the steps and that’s it. It comes with a documentation CD. This router makes our internet connection faster since we have a lot of items connected to the internet (1 iPad air, 1 iPod touch, 2 smart TVs, 1 desktop computer, 1 Mackbook laptop, 2 iPhones, 1 Nintendo DSXL and the Playstation 4), this router is fixing the problem we have with our internet connection since we have a very low connection, or netflix stops working, Playstation stops too, or just constantly disconnecting, Comcast had told us than we need to buy a better router from them to a very expensive price because the router we have from them now doesn't handle more than 3 items at the time. Now our gadgets, which are connecting constantly to the internet, don’t see low connections or disconnection as often as before (we still have some), and we are really very happy with this router.

I purchased the Linksys EA8500 (also known as AC2600) on the recommendation of Consumer Reports (top-rated router, Jan '16 p12). While the EA8500 is fast and provides excellent coverage throughout our 2 story house, I felt that the setup was not that straightforward. I used the EA8500 to replace a Verizon Actiontec router. Getting the new router online required a phone call to Verizon tech service in order to break the DHCP lease with my old router. In fact I had to do that twice - first when I initially subbed the new Linksys router for the old Actiontec router and I second time when I had to do a reset of the Linksys router due to problems I was experiencing after the first setup. For example, I was unable to cast from my laptop to a new google chromecast (they were on different bands) and I was also unable to "see" or connect to my printer even though it was on the same band. By default, AP isolation is set to DISABLED (you have to go into an undocumented advanced mode to see this setting) which means that both bands, 2.4GHz and 5GHz should be able to communicate with one another, but I still experienced these problems. However after doing another Reset/reconfiguration of the router and rebooting (turning off and unplugging, waiting a few minutes and then starting it up again), my home network seemed to stabilize and now everything seems to be working fine. (I ended up combining the 2.4 and 5 bands into a single SSID rather than listing them separately. This doesn't allow me to put some devices on the slower 2.4 band and other devices on the faster 5 band, but I figured combining the bands might lessen the chance that the configuration would isolate the 2 bands. I don't think this was necessary but since I had a problem the first time I configured the router, I guess I got superstitious.) Overall, connection speeds have increased substantially versus my old 802.11n router. Devices that have older 2.4GHz-only N radios have increased from 59mbps to 75-150mbps, while newer AC devices are connecting at speeds of up to 430mbps. After purchasing the EA8500 I noticed that Linksys had released a new WRT1900ACS. While this newer router doesn't have MU-MIMO or quite the max throughput (1900 vs 2600), it seems to have a faster processor and the customer ratings are better than the EA8500. It might be worth a look.

THIS ROUTER WAS EASY TO SET UP. IT IS VERY FAST AND HAS EXCELLENT RANGE. SOME OTHER ROUTERS I TRIED JUST WOULDNT CONNECT FROM CERTAIN AREAS IN MY HOUSE.

This is the first router to ship with MU-MIMO enabled (all other routers that support MU-MIMO have yet to have the feature activated by the manufacturers). Unfortunately, MU-MIMO requires support in both the router and wi-fi client adapter so while support on the router side has now been taken care of, MU-MIMO wifi client adapters are few and far between. Nevertheless, as the EA8500's performance as a standard 802.11ac is very good. Personally, I have found the range and stability to be excellent, outperforming the AC1900 class Asus AC66U that was my previous router. It does not have the flexibility and tinkerer's appeal of other routers such as the Asus AC-RT87 (another router that I had but was plagued by bugs from its release and has only recently become relatively stable) that allows you to load third party firmware onto it. However, if you're interested in an stable, high performing router that works well out of box, I think the EA8500 is an appealing choice.

Needed to update routers, after reading reviews and talking to a company rep. Decided to give it a try. At first the unit was slow, but within a week it picked up speed. It was easy to install and program. It greatly improved my reception in and outside the house.