Customer Ratings & Reviews

For the past 3 years I’ve had the pleasure of being able to test several routers (Linksys EA9500, Linksys Velop, and Arris SURFboard mAX Pro Wireless-AX11000) and the Linksys MR9600 WiFi 6 is my new all-time favorite router. It has been absolutely rock solid stable and generally faster than all my previous routers. I haven’t had one problem with any of my 42 connected devices. All my streaming devices (TCL Roku TV, nVidia Shield, Apple TV, FireTV, and TiVo), computers, tablets, smart speakers (Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Harman Kardon Invoke) and phones have been performing without any hiccups. It uses the same app that the Linksys Velop uses for setup and therefore was very easy to get up and running quickly. The hardest part in the installation process was my cable modem which can be finicky in reestablishing an internet connection whenever I set up a new router. I like the clean design aesthetics of the Linksys MR9600. It has plenty of vents on the top so that the router doesn’t get too hot (it’s only slightly warm). It isn’t huge like the EA9500 so it can fit better in more places and even has mounting holes on the bottom so it can be wall mounted. I love the fact that it has two usable and working USB ports for connecting hard drives. I connected an external PNY SSD to one USB port and saw 50 MB/sec write speeds and 95 MB/sec read speeds over wireless which is a personal speed record for me. The Linksys MR9600 has also reported the highest link speed I’ve ever personally seen with my Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 adapter. The highest link speed I’ve previously seen was 866 Mb/s. The Linksys MR9600 produced a stable link speed of 1.2 Gb/s! Below are four different wireless adapters that I have used with different computers showing the maximum reported link speed as well as the measured speed of transferring files to/from an ethernet connected NAS. Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165 (Max 433 Mbps) 30 MB/s Realtek 8812AU WiFi USB3.0 (Max 866 Mbps) 28 MB/s Netgear A6210 WiFi USB3.0 Adapter (MediaTek's MT7612U chipset) (Max 866 Mbps) 43 MB/s Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (Max 1.2 Gbps) 58 MB/s In general, the Linksys MR9600 seemed to do really well with my Intel based wireless adapters as it was faster with them compared to the Arris SURFBoard mAX Pro Wireless-AX11000. The Arris seemed a little faster with my non-Intel adapters. However, the Arris was unstable for me (wired and wireless file transfers would time out and corrupt files on my NAS and I never saw one firmware update from Arris). I’ll take stability and better support over a little extra speed any day. The Linksys MR9600 is also a Mesh router and you can use the Linksys Velop as child nodes in a system to expand your range. I have not tried this yet as the single Linksys MR9600 provided good range throughout my 1400 square ft. house. The Linksys MR9600 is one of the best routers available today. The medium form factor and wall mountability is way more practical than routers that look like huge spiders. The setup app is easy to use while offering some advanced configuration options. Here are some of the things you can configure with the app: Set Security Type (WPA2 Personal, WPA3/WPA2 Mixed Personal, WPA3 Personal Only, Open) DFS On/Off Setup External Storage Guest Access Parental Control (Individual Schedule Internet Access per device and block specific websites) Device Prioritization (Add up to 3 devices for prioritization) Setup notifications (for when a child node is offline) Change Router Password and Hint Connection Type (Automatic Configuration - DHCP, Static IP, PPPoE, PPTP, L2TP, and Bridge Mode) Port Settings (Single Port Forwarding, Port Range Forwarding, and Port Range Triggering) Wi-Fi MAC Filters IP Address and Subnet Mask (You can change it from the standard 192.168.1.1) DHCP Server (you can select the available address range and maximum number of users) DNS Settings (Auto/Manual) Supporting WiFi 6 helps make it future proof as well as having the ability to expand its range using Linksys Velop routers as child nodes. The ability to attach USB drives for storage is a welcome improvement over my Linksys Velop. I highly recommend the Linksys MR9600 router. It’s super fast, rock solid stable, expandable, and future proof.

Notable specs: - AX6600 WiFi6 Mesh Dual-Band (2.4Ghz + 5GHz) Gigabit 1147 + 4804 Mbps - 1.8Ghz Quad Core processor - Two USB 3.0 ports - Simultaneous Dual-Band - 4x4 MU-MIMO - WiFi Range is up to 3000 Sq feet - 4 Gigabit LAN ports WiFi6 (802.11ax) technology just came out so there is not a whole out of devices using it right now. The latest Samsung and Apple mobile devices use WiFi6 so check the technical specs of your device to make sure it can benefit using this router but if not, it will still work with 802.11A/B/C/G/N. I am using the iPhone 11 Pro Max and the iPad Pro and they both use WiFi6. I can tell that websites load faster and so does YouTube videos. The device that I noticed a big difference is my Apple TV even though it does not use WiFi6. With my old Velop router, I had to use the wired ethernet connection because my movies would sometimes not load or load very slowly and get buffering issues using WiFi. Tried using WiFi again with this router and the movies loaded up with no problems. One movie did stop playing briefly but still a whole lot better than my Linksys Velop Tri-Band using 802.11ac. My security cams also got a boost with this router. My Nest cams, Doorbell and Home Hub Max, had streaming issues where they would take awhile to start streaming video feeds. They perform much better with this router. This also has Guest access with password. The Linksys app used to separate the 2.4GHz and 5GHz band and let you name them individually. The app now does not let you easily do that. I had to use the web based app to do that. I have to name them differently because I still have devices that need the 2.4GHz band especially during setup. I have the router wall mounted high up near the ceiling. If you plan on doing the same, note that you have to use a screw that has a small head diameter. It was hard for me to find one long enough to penetrate through drywall all the way to the stud and have a small head diameter. In my opinion, I get better coverage when I place the router high up. It can be configured as a router or a bridge. I was also able to extend the coverage area by connecting my Linksys Velop that I replaced with this router. Note that the Velop was not connected when I did my testing and at this point, I don’t think I’ll need it. It has two USB3.0 ports if you want to attach a storage device for sharing with all your devices. It offers an authentication option for securing your stored data. I didn’t see an option to be able to format the drive through the app. You can transfer files from your Mac, Windows, iOS and Android(not tested) devices. This didn’t come with a manual. It came with a small sheet of paper that basically, tells you to download the Linksys app. Don’t worry though, the app walks you through the setup process almost painlessly. The Linksys app is sufficient in managing this router but for more advanced settings, I used the web based app (LinksysSmartWiFi.com). Parental Control is very basic and limited. - You can pause a device internet access or you can schedule a pause for specific days or for each day of the week - You can block specific websites. What is bad about that is that you have to enter all the bad websites that you can think of one by one. So, in short, this MR9600 router works for me. It lets me take advantage of the new WiFi6 technology with my devices that have that technology. By itself, it covered my whole house (1200 sq ft) and removed the clutter that my Velop made. Plus, the design is simple and it doesn’t look like a big spider on the wall.

Physically, the Max-Stream AX6000 is attractive but quite large and will take up a fair bit of room on a shelf as there is no way to turn it on its side. However, there are mounting holes on the underside should you want to save space and mount it on a wall. I had three issues setting this router up (hence the 4-star review as it would have been 5 stars otherwise). Out of the box, it was up and running almost immediately, but does require the installation of an app on your smartphone for setup. I don't believe I was presented with the option to complete setup any other way so if you are unwilling or unable to use a smartphone app, this may be an issue. Once set up, it is possible to access the router using a local web browser. Once configured through the app, I immediately had a challenge with some of my smart home devices. Linksys support was able to walk me through troubleshooting and it did require some firmware updates to a few smart light bulbs and manual selection of my new 2.4GHz WiFi network to get everything up and running. I don't count this against the router however since the issues were all resolved by changes on the device end. Just be aware that you may need to put in some extra work to get everything on the network. My second issue was performance. I have multiple WiFi6 devices at home and bought this router specifically to make better use of my gigabit fiber Internet connection over WiFi. It took some additional setup to make sure the fastest devices were in the list of 3 (max) "Priority" devices as well as making sure they were on the 5GHz frequency to see measurably better performance than my old router. I am still only able to achieve maximum speeds of ~300Mbps up and down when the router reports ~600-700Mbps available speeds over my fiber connection. (Tested late at night when the chances of bandwidth sharing within and outside my home were lower). This is faster than my older, non-WiFi6 router but not by a huge margin. Finally, I wanted to connect a spare hard drive to this router via one of the two USB-3 ports to share a disk on the network for backup and file sharing. After clearing out and reformatting a suitable external drive (NTFS and FAT32 are your only options - exFAT won't work), I am able to connect directly to the drive and mount it as a shared drive both from my PC and from my phone (I transferred the pictures for this review from my phone to my PC using the mapped network drive). Setup was not hard but did require some extra steps on the PC to get the drive persistently mapped - you have to use the file explorer to access the IP address of the router (gateway) directly, select the folder presented at that address, right click it and "Map network drive" from there. The storage won't automatically present itself on the network as a shared drive otherwise. I also know that this router will accept Velop mesh network satellites, but in my case it was not necessary to get one. Our two-story house, which our old router could not cover alone, is now completely covered by the Max-Stream AX6000 without the need for a satellite though some of the most distant devices are using the slower 2.4Ghz band. Your experience may be different depending on the size of your location and construction materials (the fastest 5Ghz band does not penetrate certain denser materials well and is better used for devices that will remain in closer proximity to the router). Overall, I do love this router and would only quibble about three minor issues: The physical configuration that does not provide a way to sit on its edge and save shelf space (likely to keep the four antennas separated). The relatively modest performance gains for WiFi6 devices and the somewhat arcane storage implementation that does not automatically advertise an attached drive as a network drive. These are all relatively minor complaints, however and should not prevent you from picking this router, especially if you need a solid base router with the ability to add satellites to expand your coverage.

I wanted to upgrade my home wireless to WiFi 6 to take advantage of the improved coverage and overall speed improvements. After much research I chose the MR9600 due to large coverage, expansion capability for mesh in case additional coverage was required and positive reviews. Overall I have very mixed feelings on this router. It connected great to my iPhone, iPad, Macs (wired and wireless) but failed miserably with HomeKit devices, particularly plugs and light switches. The problem that I was having was that although the HomeKit devices connected with the router, the router would not allow HomeKit to discover the devices. I contacted Linksys Tech Support to try to resolve my issue as many of the plugs which I had were Belkin Wemo Mini Plugs (Model F7C063) with HomeKit firmware upgrade. Belkin is part of the Linksys family of products. Online chat support realized that the issue needed to be escalated and I would receive a call back in about 30 minutes (which I did). Live Tech Support really offered no help in the situation. The tech had me unplug and replug in the devices. The plugs appeared again in HomeKit and the tech felt the issue was resolved. I stated on the call that I did not believe anything constructive had been done to address the issue. As I really liked the overall performance of the router on my other devices I continued to search for a solution. I learned that HomeKit uses a network broadcast or mDNS to send out a request to HomeKit devices. Those that respond in a given time period are added to the Home app. Additional research pointed me to the “Airtime Fairness” setting which many routers including the MR9600 support as the probably reason for this issue. A little bit unfortunate but this setting is not available though the iOS app and only available through the webpage interface. Almost immediately after enabling this function the HomeKit devices connected and started to work properly. The router and network has now worked smoothly for the last couple of weeks and I am glad I continued to dig for a solution. Hopefully Linksys Tech Support will pick this review up and will do their own research and provide an update to the instructions, iOS app, router firmware or all of the above.

Great unit that instantly expands your reach even before you have a wifi 6 device to connect to it. We are even getting great coverage around the exterior of the home and the device is in the center of the basement. I mowed the lawn without a drop in a live stream of a football game on Sunday! I have never been able to do that. We started with the Netgear AX11000 which did an OK job with 5ghz but was down right terrible with 2.4ghz devices. The Linksys however does both very well. After 2 weeks I can safely say it is 2 stars above the Netgear with $100 less in cost. Even their app functions better.

Pros: - Immediate improvements over AC WiFi - Easy device management and parental control - I have WiFi coverage in my backyard now Cons: - Although the design is sleek unlike other routers that resembled spider or StarTrek craft, but the horizontal design takes too much space. - Users are encouraged to use app to set up router. - Power adapter is humongous! Overall, I'm extremely pleased with the performance and I am one to favor function over form. This certainly has improved my Work From Home experience during this pandemic.

Pros: Super Fast, WiFi 6, Easy Setup, Simple straight forward interface, effortlessly connects 30+ devices, parent controls, guest network, WiFi works great and delivers WiFi to parts of my house that my previous router couldn't reach (did not try meshing any other access points) USB ports for external network access storage. Cons: Not as much advanced control as other similarly priced routers, no 3rd party firmware available, no built-in VPN server, no built-in malware protection. Overall this is a great router that will go above and beyond what most people want or need. I am satisfied with it but there are a few other routers that I would buy before this one.

I previously had a netgear router that kept dropping connection and rebooting in its own after a intense battle on Warzone and was a kill away from a win the netgear router dropped connection...... instead of throwing the controller at the TV I decided to purchase the AX6000. Best purchase and last router I need to buy for a long time. This router covers 2400sq ft with no issues, since buying it, it has not dropped connection once. After installing the app I am able to see the devices connected set parental restrictions if I need to and setup devices with ease. With 100mb internet I am seeing 92-95megs hardwire and 85-92megs WiFi. If your looking for the best of the best this is it.

I was using two AX1800 (MR7350) as a mesh network (backhaul/wired directly with each other) in my home. The AX1800 didn't quite pack enough power to hand all my network traffic as the parent node, so when I saw the AX6000 on sale for $279, I had to take the upgrade. So now I have the AX6000 as my main router (parent node) and one of the AX1800 on the top floor of my home as a wired mesh node. I must say quite an improvement over my previous setup. At the full price of $350, the AX6000 was questionable compared to competing brands, but below $300, it becomes a much more enticing option. Setup is easy via the app, and I was up and running in less the 10 minutes, The app gives you the option of replacing a node or adding an additional one, so I didn't even need to start from scratch. Atheistically, I really like the look of this line of Linksys routers, and being able to wall mount the router is a big bonus as well. Many buyers have mention the limited options for more advanced settings with the router, which is a little annoying. BUT!!! If you go through the routers web interface, NOT the app, and when it finished loading after login. Click the itty bitty tiny "AC" at the bottom right of the main page, this opens up the ability to change channel bandwidths (20, 40, 80, 160) and the name you 2.4/5GHz channels separately, and to change wireless protocols vs the greyed out "mixed".

Love the speeds and the ease of setting up this router with the linksys app. However, I have a couple issues. First, any time there is a power flicker (which happens a lot here), you have to restart the router to get it back online, even though the linksys app says it is online. Second, if you have older items especially printers or "internet of things" items like a WiFi enabled Sleep Number bed, your device may not recognize the wifi signal. We found that this can be fixed for most devices by setting up and using the guest wifi for these items. But we never did get our printer working on it (this could be the printer, since it is old). But overall, a steady, easy to set up router.

Recently changed providers and needed a new router. I figured upgrading to WiFi 6 was worth it as it was future proof. This router has great coverage and does not disappoint on speed. The only disappointment is that the software is heavily locked down and makes it harder to steer certain changes (channel selection on WiFi channels). Setup is super easy and the channel and frequency steering are great.

Straight forward set up, the instructions walk you right through what needs to happen. have not had any issues with download speeds/buffering while using this and with multiple people in the house and game systems and people streaming. Has a larger area that it covers now. Think standard house and its in the back corner furthest away from your garage, i have it working in mine now which is nice for streaming music while working. only thing that was a little iffy was the amount of time it took to have it go through the program and set up the router, thought it would take only a few mins ended up taking 15mins but once past that, it has worked since. I also purchased this on sale for 120$ off its price so that was a huge bonus to getting this one too.

For the holiday pricing of $200, I think it's a fair price, but wouldn't recommend for the full retail price of $400. I'm still debating on this one. It took some adjusting in the advanced settings via PC to get the correct speeds and to separate the 2.4/5 bands. The router reset on me a couple times so far and I've only had it for about a week. Fingers crossed it was just a firmware update or something. I normally go high end Asus and have a LOT of connected devices but not a lot of users. Range seems good. Speed seems good. No experience using mesh yet but I like that I can expand and use Ethernet backhaul.

Used This for a few years and does what it should and then some

I have owned several Linksys routers over the past 15+ years. This router is the best one yet. It’s very easy to setup and works great. I have full coverage in my house (2 levels, 1800+ sq ft). With Wi-Fi 6 the speed is great - it supports all of my devices. I love it!!

Greatly improved the range and speed compare to my old router. Simple and easy to setup. You don't need to use the app to setup up if you don't want to. Just login into the router default address and click the wording under the QR code.

In the 3 weeks I've had this product it has worked great. consistently fast speed (with optic fiber service). currently on my 1gb service, running through cat5e to the router i have speeds of 150Mbps down and 210Mbps up, compared to the 350 Down and 625 up on ethernet, from roughly 10ft away. i have not noticed any lag moments, no spikes, and have been able to watch video on multiple wifi devices with no problem. I can not speak to the range, as I live in a 850sqft apartment. It performs well through walls without the antennae being positioned optimally. I bought this during the black Friday sale and it was worth the price to me.

TL;DR This router is giving just slightly better range and speed compared to an Asus AC68U that it's meant to replace, but it absolutely can't handle smart devices connected to its 2.4GHz band, specifically TP-Link Kasa ones, which cause it to choke and reboot significantly often throughout a day. After trying out things with Linksys Tech Support for several days after we got it, by the time I'd had enough and wanted to return it, I was exactly one day too late to return it. Best Buy's policy being what it is, I was stuck with it. And, being the engineer that I am, it was down to troubleshooting the crud out of this thing. 2nd TL;DR What I've ended up doing, so far, after weeks of troubleshooting, is that I have our old AC68U router set up in Access Point mode, all Kasa devices connected to its 2.4GHz band, and all other devices that support 5GHz connected to this Linksys router. I haven't mustered up the desire to try connecting anything else to the Linksys 2.4GHz band. Instead, I shut it off and have gone exclusively ethernet and 5GHz from it. Since we can't post links in reviews here, just search on Linksys (particularly Velop Mesh) and Kasa devices. You should find some lengthy forum threads about this issue going back at least a year. As for anything else to say about this router and Linksys in general, I do like the phone app much better than the Asus one and the browser site is fair, albeit not intuitive to get to a lot of things at first. As mentioned earlier, the range is a lot better with this one. Since I got it into a pretty stable state, it's been pretty reliable. The signal strength measured on the 5GHz band reaches more devices that are in the same locations and the speed to them has a significant improvement. Previously, they would be just on the edge of the coverage area, where they would either drop or try to reload content often (i.e. when streaming a movie on an Xbox or phone). Those were the main two reasons (signal strength and speed) we decided to get a new router. No one should need to go through troubleshooting like I did. Linksys support was of absolutely zero help. They defaulted to the router must be rebooting all the time because of the power supply. Whereas I understand that issue, it was not at all the case from the beginning. At least I still have my old router, whose only purpose now is to control smart devices, but I'll call it a win in the end, but a pretty expensive one for money and time. They need time to develop better firmware, maybe even hardware, before I can recommend it.

The Linksys Max-Stream AX6000 Mesh Wi-Fi 6 Router has been foolproof since I purchased and installed it 4 months ago. No dropped signals to any of the 13 devices I have on the network. If you’re looking for a reliable router that’s simple to setup and use, this is a great option. I had purchased two other highly recommended WiFi 6 routers and this is hands down the best of the three. Don’t expect to see drastic improvements in speed, though, as this or any router will only handle what your ISP delivers.

Work from home. Speed extremely fast for my needs. I like having the app to change wife passwords and check connection