20 Best Linksys Router For Large Home (Jan 2023 Update)

Recently, my ISP doubled my speed so I thought it was a good time to update my router. I had been using a WRT1900AC for a number of years and did not have any issues. Since the WiFi reception was not great in some areas in our second level I decided to go with the EA8300 router paired with the RE9000 extender. I set this up over the holidays. I used a standard out-of-the-box setup and updated firmware. The extender is set up as a wired access point and I am using a single SSID for all to take advantage of the seamless roaming. I would not say our household are heavy users or streaming a lot of content. We have 2 smart TV’s a few iPhones and a few tablets. Both my wife and I work from home so we are typical “business users” and need a reliable connection during the day. I did not notice any issues until I returned to work after the holiday. Immediately, I noticed my connection to Skype for Business was dropping/reconnecting multiple times per hour and Zoom calls would get very choppy at times, losing audio for 3-5 seconds each time. Zoom logs pointed to extreme 98%+ packet loss during these “outages”. This happens both from wired (tried multiple cables) and WiFi connections. After many days of troubleshooting, I reluctantly switched back to my old router and the problem immediately disappeared. I worked flawlessly for an entire week, no issues whatsoever. After some advice from the community here, I reset the EA8300 back to factory settings, re-installed the latest firmware and tried again. This time, my work laptop was the only device connected, also no range extender. I started experiencing the issues again within the first 30 minutes! When I went back to the WRT1900AC and the problem disappears. Unfortunately, the retailer only has a 15 day return policy so I am stuck with an expensive router that I cannot use nor return. I do not have time to troubleshoot faulty hardware, I just need it to work. If you are considering this, make sure you put it through testing within the return policy, you may find yourself needed to return it.thmb

Forewarning: This will be a long, detailed review. —–NETWORK/PROPERTY DESCRIPTION—– 2500 sq ft, split-level home with 14,800 sq ft property (about 80' wide and 175' long rectangular) at the end of a cul-de-sac. Router is located 20' away from Western-most side, and about 40' away from southern-most side. It is connected to the modem with a 25' run of Cat 5e. —–DEVICES ON NETWORK—– The only ethernet attachment is a cloud drive (Cat 5e), and every other device is wireless (2 dual-band/AC laptops, 2 dual-band tablets, 2 dual-band/AC cell phones, 1 dual-band/N cell phone, a 2.4 GHz printer, 2 dual-band/N smart tv's, 2 FireSticks, and a PS4). —–DEVICE USAGE—– Now, most times we have at least 2 devices streaming HD video simultaneously, but on afternoons and weekends it's not rare to have 4-5 devices all streaming HD video at the same time (We have 3 toddlers, so there's your reason!). —–ISP—– Charter/Spectrum (TWC) 200Mbps speed Free, brand-new Arris gigabit modem (Docsis 3.0) Modem/Router connection made with about 25' of Cat5e Now, for the router's performance and details with my network configuration: —–SPEED—– throughput around 220 latency less than 3ms —–RANGE—– At around 130' south of router I have 3 bars on 5 GHz network, and the full 4 bars on 2.4 (from my Galaxy Note 8 with a good network card-makes a difference). I was streaming HD video from my phone when I walked to my neighbor's driveway, across the cul-de-sac, and I didn't have one break in the video or any signs of signal weakness. I then walked west, 2 houses down to my neighbor's while they were outside. I was connected to the 5 GHz network, with 2 bars (about 200' away, and I switched to 2.4 GHz which had 3 bars. I was able to stream HD video from about 250' away from the router. I have NOT walked north, or east while streaming HD video on either network, and will do so soon. I also did NOT perform a speed test (by Ookla) at these ranges, but felt it wasn't necessary with the quality of the video streams. —–FEATURES—– It's very easy to change the basics of the router with the LinkSys app (the most advanced settings available were Prioritization/QOS, parental controls, DNS servers, Link Aggregation, and network channels/width , but every feature can be changed with the router's "broswer page"). VLAN, network map info, client tables, IPV6 addressing, administration, diagnostics, MAC filtering, schedulers, and airtime fairness are some of the settings available on the router's browser page. —–RELIABILITY—– I cannot vouch for the reliability of the EA8300, yet. However, my experience with LinkSys in the past has been very pleasing (user-end experience with at least 3 LinkSys routers prior to this one, as well as 3-5 Netgears, 2 TP-Links, and 1 Unifi device). If this router decides to be short-lived then I will definitely update this portion of the review. —–COMPLAINTS–NEGATIVES–CONS—– Only 3 DNS server settings are available, and they don't really designate separate DNS servers for IPV4 vs IPV6. I wish there was a way to list these separately under the main LAN settings page. You can only prioritize 3 devices for QOS/Prioritization, and I wish they had at least 5 "slots" available No option for VPN pass-through, although this is not a requirement, for me, at this time. I'd just think that you should have that with a $200 router. Mobile browser support: You can only access the the router's settings from a mobile device by using the LinkSys app. With ALL other routers, in the past, I've been able to open a Chrome tab ,type in the router's IP, login, and make every single adjustment from there. However, I must use my laptop to change every setting, and I find this oddly inconvenient. —–OVERALL— As long as you don't need VPN, or the ability to prioritize more than 3 devices, then this router is an absolute MUST have for anyone who wants to enjoy wireless multimedia while roaming their entire yard (or hanging out with the neighbors). If you found this review to be helpful, then please let me know!! Thanks for reading!STLTwitch

The Linksys Max stream tri-band Wifi 5 router is an absolute powerhouse! With an amazing range of 2000 square feet, the ability to connect over 20 wireless devices, and up to 2.2 GBPS speeds this router will work wonders for making you wifi connection optimal. I have had Linksys routers in the past and have found them to be quite reliable, I picked this one up to boost my Wifi range and connect more devices with ease and it did just that. I also like that this router included a 1 year warranty for any issues that might come up within the first year. I found the router very easy to hook up and connect my devices to using the Linksys App that is free to download and makes it easy to control your network from your phone. This router also is build with advanced security features that safeguard your network with wireless WPA2 encryption and an SPI firewall. I would recommend putting this router in the most middle or central point of your home to fully utilize the range. This router is perfect for gamers or households with a high demand for Wifi speeds due to various devices. Overall a great wireless router.Cobra

I bought this six months ago when my Time Capsule died. Time Capsules are discontinued so I needed a password-protected router to connect to my printer and to a backup disk. The Linksys EA7500-CA does neither well. It DOES NOT WORK with Time Machine, the Mac app that manages backups to the external storage device (a Seagate 2TB slim portable drive). Fine, so I have to connect the portable drive directly to my computer, which is awkward but it works. More annoyingly, the Linksys connection to the printer is very temperamental, not working more than half the time. When it does work it is only after turning the printer off and on, fussing with the USB Control Center, sometimes powering the Linksys off and on again, sometimes rebooting the computer. Lately I have been saving time by connecting the printer directly to the laptop. The Linksys is superfluous. Not sure why I keep it!Macbook user

I bought the router refurbished and it came in a simple both with setup instructions, patch cable, power cable, and antennae. The router is easy to get set up and use with one caveat. The Linksys Smart Wi-Fi android app has pictures and text relating to a very different type of router so it makes you think you have the wrong app. When you go to sign up for an account online the language is also kinda confusing about getting it set up. It didn't work the first time through the app prompts but after that it worked fine. Note the default router administrative password is in the documentation. The app and desktop interfaces are clear and easy to use. Didn't have to do anything special to set up the router itself. It has wall mounts which are nice but they really fit best on nails rather than screws. The router has a nice number of ports as well. No issues thus far.tracestream900

I have been a dedicated Linksys customer for over 10 years. This router was very easy to setup; plug it in,open a web browser,follow the on screen prompts,and setup within 10 minutes. Performance and range are excellent – I have a 1,500 sq ft home with the router on the top floor and get 100% signal strength in the basement! The Smart Wifi web-based software allows you to view all connected devices,setup a guest network,parental controls,media prioritization,and much more. The router also has 3 external antennas for better range but can be removed. Also,the 2 USB ports on the back of the router are very useful for wireless printing and data sharing. I have 2 computers,2 HD televisions,3 mobile devices,PS4,tablets,etc…this router handles it all no problem! This router has been an absolute pleasure and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants a full customizable,high performance router. Worth every penny!Nick67

The Linksys Max Stream AX6000 Dual-Band WiFi 6 Router is a very powerful dual-band WiFi router, being one of the latest products to incorporate WiFi 6. As the name states, it’s a powerful dual-band router suitable for all devices. It features a powerful quad-core processor, and it utilizes MU-MIMO technology to allow for a large number of devices to be connected to the router simultaneously with no loss in speed. Along with its capabilities to reduce power consumption and its security features, this router is no slouch for any household. I’d like to talk briefly about WiFi 6 here, also known as 802.11ax. It is the latest Wi-Fi standard to be ratified by the Wi-Fi alliance for use. To compare, the last standard was Wi-Fi 5, 802.11ac in late 2013. WiFi 6 improves upon its predecessor by allowing a wider frequency range for operation as well as OFDMA technology and improved MU-MIMO throughput. All of the tweaks and improvements in the specification give a theoretical throughput speed greater than WiFi-5, and that is obvious in the testing. The contents of the router are pretty basic: the router, a quick-start guide, health and safety pamphlet, an Ethernet cable, and an AC adapter. Setting up the router was straightforward, and it was all done through the Linksys Smartphone App and Bluetooth. Admittedly, it took some tries to get it working. There was a slight hiccup with Bluetooth, but once I figured out that you had to pair with the router, the rest of the setup was okay. Testing the router with my devices showed a significant improvement with the utilized WiFi-6 band. Results may vary, but I’ve managed to get an average throughput of 88.52 Mbps and 83.33 Mbps download/upload on a WiFi-5 device. Using a WiFi-6 capable smartphone, I was getting results of 113.48 Mbps and 160.38 Mbps download/upload. This shows a significant improvement when using WiFi-6 devices thanks to the addition of MU-MIMO in the uplink direction. The router range is up to 3000 square feet, and my testing area is just barely outside the maximum range. Nevertheless, even while outside of the max range, I still get a decent connection. As a whole, this router delivered on what it promised. Setup was straightforward, though it took a little time to figure it out. It worked well with all of my devices, especially with the latest WiFi-6 smartphone. It covered a wide range, and it definitely delivered on the wireless speeds it claims. All in all, I highly recommend getting this router, especially for its WiFi-6 support. That new standard will become commonplace, and having a router capable of it puts you ahead.Jsyschan

The setup of the Linksys MR9600 Mesh WiFi 6 Router (AX6000) was a breeze; I already had the smartphone Linksys App and an existing Linksys account so I was able to get the MR9600 Router setup and completely configured in about 10 minutes. The Linksys App walked me through each step and even let me use my preferred router settings, which made for a seamless transition on the client end of things. Prior to installing this new Linksys MR9600 Router, I had been using an older AC2200 router with two older mesh nodes to supplement low signal areas that were problematic for my old router. Once the setup was nearly complete, even the mesh nodes joined the network again. As a test, I went ahead and powered down the old mesh nodes so I could check the coverage area of just the MR9600 Router operating alone. I did expect to see some signal improvement but what I got was impressive… I had excellent signal everywhere in our tri-level home including the front and back yards. This increased coverage area of the MR9600 router eliminated the need of the two older nodes. As I understand it, the expanded coverage area is largely a result of the WiFi 6 technology it uses to isolate the network by eliminating neighboring networks and various signal noise. Today I counted nearly 40 neighboring networks on my smartphone while standing near the MR9600 router. Our home is full of WiFi enabled devices including UHD Smart TV’s (5), gaming consoles (6), Smart Home devices (16), smart appliances (4), computers (4), smartphones\tablets (8), etc., and on average, I would estimate maybe 30 or more devices are connected at any given time (ISP usage average 2.3TB mo.) . I also work in a home office over a VPN so the Device Prioritization feature is a requirement in our household. I simply added my equipment to the High Priority list (up to three devices) and I get priority usage of the internet connection while the normal/low devices share the leftover capacity. To add, when you enable Device Prioritization, the router performs a speed test to collect the optimized prioritizing parameters with the test results. The Parental Controls are great; parents can set what time and days the kid(s) can be on the internet and/or block access to any specified websites/domains. This router has many features including Guest network access that allows you to share access to the internet but keep them from seeing and/or accessing anything else on the local network. Network storage support for USB 3.0 hard drives (2 ports), that you can configure as shared network storage or protected network storage (requiring authentication). Today is day 60 since I initially setup the MR9600 router and I have not had a single hiccup or problem whatsoever. The coverage area is very impressive (amazing really) not to mention it has proven to be one of the most stable routers I have owned. In the limited testing I have done, I have measured about a 25% increase in WiFi downloading performance using only Gen5 (802.11ac) or older devices over a gigabit internet connection (Cable ISP). I plan to test the Gen6 (AX6000 / 802.11ax) throughput speeds once I am able to get my hands on device supporting AX6000 speeds that is out of stock or backordered. This is by far my all-time favorite wireless router I have owned. The MR9600 Router is packed full of pros and I had to think a while to come up with any cons. The first con I thought of is that it has a large footprint compared to previous routers I have owned and takes up more desktop real estate than I expected. The only other con is that I wish the Linksys App allowed you to configure some of the more advanced settings. With that said, I believe Linksys set the bar high for balancing the users overall experience for advanced, novices and beginning consumers.jlggps

Background: I have had a Linksys router since 2010. I started with the Linksys E3000 Wired/Wireless N Gigabit router. In 2014 replaced it with the Linksys AC1200 to be followed by the Linksys WRT1900ACS. On June 11, 2020 I purchased the Linksys Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 Router (MR9600). Internet Provider & Equipment: I have Wave (Astound) Internet since the first came to SF in 2008. In 2018 I upgraded to 1 gigabit internet speed which also required upgrading my cable modem from a Linksys CM3024 to an Arris SB8200. I kept my WRT1900 and the speed did improved a bit. My home office (wired and wireless network) has multiple Lenovo M 90+ desktops, Samsung Smart TV, IPad, and IPhone. Lutron, Sensi Apps and a Wireless Network for Guest (Airbnb Unit for rentals). I also have the old Chromecast that looks like a Key. The wave installer was very honest. He said that the age of the equipment would affect the speed; true. In 2019 I added Express VPN to my network and it replaced the software in the WRT1900 to make it an ExpressVPN router. Everything was ok, except that the ExpressVPN software takeover eliminates the capacity of having a guest Wi-Fi network. The Linksys Dual-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 6 Router (MR9600) Installation: I first contacted express VPN customer service to see if I needed to return the original programming software to WRT1900. (I didn’t want to lose VPN device control via the router.) They were helpful I didn’t even have to worry about this step once I unplugged the old router and started the MR9600 installation via the App. App was new to me I have always used disc or internet downloads. I was informed that ExpressVPN they presently have no software to make the MR9600 a VPN router. Setup: Loved the App: Setup was incredibly easy. It will walk you through the set up so that you will have no problems with getting your network up and running within about 5 to 10 minutes. Performance: I was blown away when I tested the internet speed: 913! I used the router in a two story building. The Wi-Fi upstairs has never been this flawless and strong. (I currently have a guest that needs to videoconference with China and other countries and she noticed a marked improvement in the speed the moment the router was installed: She only uses Wi-Fi. Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV, Microsoft Edge, Chromecast, Fire TV, Smart TV, etc., are all operating/downloading contest faster that I have seen in the last 20 years. I am finally enjoying the speed I have been paying for the last 2 years! Love this router. Currently there are 14 devices connected and you would never know it. Networks: Glad to have a personal and guest network again…LPC1

Though even Linksys makes some routers that are technically “faster” than the MR8300 because of more cores or cycles in their CPUs etc., the MR8300 is still by today’s standards “fast” (716 MHz, quad-core) but that’s not the reason I have one. Where the MR8300 really shines is its easy hook-up to available Mesh Extenders to make full Wi-Fi coverage of large homes, out-buildings and even outside the house simple. No more walking from one room to another dropping Wi-Fi signals and having to return to the room with the router in it to reestablish a connection. The Linksys MR8300 Tri-Band Mesh Router with active MU-MIMO switching and optional Mesh extenders really has me and everyone in my family Wi-Fi covered and happy. Features: – Easy plug and play setup (no CD required) out of the box with easy to follow instructions on your device’s screen or on the paper quick-start guide. – 4 adjustable antennas allow vertical orientation whether the router body is sitting horizontally on a table or is mounted vertically on a wall. – The Tri-band (up to 2.2Gbps) output delivers both 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz signals operating independently. – MU-MIMO technology means that Wi-Fi devices designed since 2017 to receive MU-MIMO will switch seamlessly between bands and the main router or Mesh units for the maximum signal available as you move through your house. – Beamforming Technology is used to focus the Wi-Fi signal between the router and your device in a narrow beam (like a lighthouse’s focused light), rather than wasting signal strength sending the signal in all directions at once. – Facilitates LAN and Wireless Network connections – Intelligent Mesh Technology adapts to the particular devices trying to use the network by “talking” directly through the ports connected via Wi-Fi at the moment and not wasting precious milli-seconds switching through ports unused at the moment with every CPU Clock cycle. This reduces Lag and Latency during gameplay. Intelligent Mesh Technology is also “Self-Healing”. This term means that if one Mesh node fails or is unplugged, the rest of the nodes will take over for the missing node. Also, if a new Mesh Node is plugged in, the rest of the Nodes will automatically incorporate it into the total Mesh in the most effective way possible. This intelligent switching can handle between 1 and 15 devices simultaneously in the most effective way possible. – Works with all of the latest security protocols in WPA/WPA2 and SPI Firewall. – The Quad-core CPU operates at 716 MHz for fast data transfer speeds. – 1 Year Limited Warranty on Parts PROS: – A Top Spec, High Performance Modem – Easy set-up with Linksys App – Attractive design – Very compact for its power – Well cooled with efficient quiet convection vents – Handles all of the latest Wi-Fi and Internet connection protocols – VERY easy to increase the range of the main MR8300 Router’s Wi-Fi network at any time by plugging optional (not included) Mess extenders like the Linksys AC1300 unit into any 120v wall outlet. Linksys App helps you locate the extender for maximum effect in the total network. CONS: – After a couple of weeks of use I honestly could not think of a single negative in the great increase in speed and range for my home Wi-Fi network that the MR8300 gave me. If I do find anything negative in the next few months, I will edit my review accordingly.Daddio

The Linksys MR8300 Max Stream AC2200 router has the power and bandwidth to cover an average one-story house on its own. However, with the Velop mesh capability, you can expand coverage with a single SSID for as long as you have plugs to put nodes. If you currently have a Velop router, the MR8300 can be used as a primary node for the Velop nodes or you can get the Velop Whole Home Intelligent Mesh WiFi System Plug-In nodes. The plug-in nodes are interesting as there is nothing much to them. They are a small box that you plug straight to a wall outlet, they have a reset button and an indicator light and that is it. The rest is handled by the software and the primary node. One issue I had with the original Velop was that there were only two ethernet ports in which one had to be used for your modem. This one has four ethernet ports and one internet port for the modem and gives the same simplicity of the Velop. Replaced with ARRI Surfroboard Pro Max mesh system which is much better and more stable than Velop.BoeingGeo

I bought this and three Velop AC2200 nodes to replace a EA8300 router I was using with a RE7000 extender. I wanted to keep the 4 hardwired ports and it has a stronger signal. Most things in the house still connect to the router even if they're closer to one of the nodes. See my review of the nodes for more on them. I've setup many Linksys routers through the years using the browser interface, but this is a different animal. You can access the browser interface after everything is setup (they hide it, see the FAQ section on Linksys website for instructions), but you must use a smartphone and the app to set it up first. I think one reason they do it is to force you to use a password other than admin. You can access half the routers in the country using the default password because few ever change it. That and to make setup "easy". The problem I faced is that I have a very weak cell phone signal if I'm not on my Microcell, which uses the internet. But you won't have internet until you get the router setup. Even though I had a Linksys account I was using with my old router, it wouldn't let me log into it, and I kept getting error messages when I tried setting up a new account because my cell signal was too weak and it would time out. If you have a similar situation, before you try to set it up, download the app before you disconnect your old router or go somewhere you have a good cell signal. Turn your phone on airplane mode, then turn back on Bluetooth and WIFI and use the option to connect your phone to the router using Bluetooth during setup in the app. You won't have that option if your phone has any kind of cell signal. You can then setup your Linksys account over the internet via Bluetooth and it will go smoothly. You may notice I've had this for a month; I waited to review it to make sure it would be reliable. So far, so good.Cudd

I bought this and it's little brother to create a wifi-to-wifi hotspot. 'worked great. 'small footprint. 'acceptable price. My only disappointment is that I didn't find a good way to quickly exit wifi-bridge mode in to a conventional mode other than hitting the factory reset button and then reloading a saved configuration. Those steps together take about 3-4minutes after one has saved an appealing configuration to load.JASON

− The 100Mbps "fast ethernet" WAN port hamstrings the router's alleged 1.2Gbps capabilities: it supports LESS THAN A TENTH of the throughput advertised in the description. − IPv6 DNS servers cannot be configured; you're forced to use the ISP's DNSv6 servers, or disable IPv6 entirely. − The entire router reboots, kicking all wireless clients off, when making any configuration changes, even those that DO NOT REQUIRE a reboot or any disruption to existing clients. − Guest SSID cannot be changed, nor can its security mode be changed from a hardcoded HTTP gateway (rendering it insuitable for legacy devices such as a Nintendo DS Lite). − The DDNS client is hardcoded to two (now-defunct) providers, rather than supporting any standardized interface.EDINGTON

This router might be great for people who want to just plug in and take all the defaults. But if you want to delve into just a few options, significant limitations quickly become apparent. After just playing around with this for one day, I realize this router simply cannot work for me for the following reasons: 1) By default, you have to create a Linksys account and then log into your router through their service, as they tout the ability to "manage your router from anywhere in the world!" In all my decades of working with routers, I've never thought, "gosh darn it, if I can't change my port forwarding on my home router while I'm snorkeling in Belize, that's a deal breaker!" On the other hand, I really don't like the idea that I have to give my information to a company for safekeeping so that I (or anyone who happens to obtain my credentials) can manage things remotely. Opting out of this IS possible but it is quite difficult, involving setting up the router without a WAN connection first, letting it decide it really can't phone home (during which time it will slow down to a crawl), and then proceeding. 2) Advanced wireless functionality, such as AP isolation, isn't available in the main GUI anywhere. Seriously, there just is no "Advanced" tab or button or anything. This is the first router I've ever worked with, ever, that didn't have some sort of Advanced section. Everything is basic. After searching reddit, I discovered that if you manually navigate to the /advanced-wireless.html endpoint instead of the default /home.html. This makes me think Linksys doesn't want this functionality surfaced and likely doesn't officially support it. Again, this is a first for me. 3) Guest access uses a captive portal over unencrypted http. For a home router. This is astounding. Why on earth would a decision like this be made? I can't connect any IoT devices to this network because of the captive portal. But I also wouldn't want ANYONE I know connecting to it because of the plain-text password negotiation over http. This is just a brainless design decision. Sorry, Linksys. I've bought several of your products over the years and fondly remember the rock-solid quality of your early routers. I was already a bit disappointed by the increased number of issues when Cisco bought you out but now that you're owned by Belkin, it seems you've fallen even further. You have permanently lost me as a customer.Michael

For today's household this router will do the job. Linksys Smart Wifi software will adequately assist you in getting it started up. That's where this product stops being useful. Ongoing monitoring and device management is on the low end of functionality. And today's big household networking issues are: what's eating my data and having tools to manage/limit my devices. Linksys Smart Wifi falls woefully short in both areas. There's better available.ChicagolandDave

This is an AC2600 wireless router, and for those who are beginners to computing and networking, this translates to very high transfer speeds if you often find yourself at a wireless bottleneck if your internet source is supposedly very fast. If you are signed up with Verizon Fios or something similar that can bring your max internet speed to 1GBps, you have to get a matching router than can provide that kind of speeds. Though the default routers that come with the ISPs often can match that speed, you will have to be pretty close by physically to attain that sort of speeds. The connection drops and decreases the further you are, or if there are many physical obstructions nearby (like concrete walls, etc), it will drop even further. This Linksys AC2600 variant comes with a 4×4 antenna that creates multibeam range. This sort of amplifies the signal significantly as compared to the default router that comes with our ISPs, and ensures you will have a much significant speed as compared. Relatively speaking, if you are very close to the original ISP router in the beginning, you might not see much difference after installing this. But for those who have home offices somewhere further away from the source of the internet in your house, this actually comes into play and you will see significant speed increases. The USB 3.0 ports at the back allow for connection to high speed devices like an external HDD or other devices that you need to access via the network, and can be configured easily within the router home page. The router settings page is easy to access and you can configure a plethora of network settings there. Though for the average individual, the initial connection will need to be done by your ISP, but for most of us with basic-moderate network knowledge, I was able to close out the wireless feature on my ISP-provided router, link this one up via the WAN port from the LAN port of my ISP-provided router, and then create a new network of my own to access to the internet via this router. It is pretty straightforward after that physical connection is made, the rest is just configuration to your liking.SirBews

I acquired this the other week and sought to set it up in an existing home network that already included an existing e1000 router. Upon further review of the cable modem, I discovered that is was a modem/router combo from the cable provider that was not being accessed in our current home. I first configured the modem/router to allow for the dual bands to be used and then tried to cascade the AC1000 from that since there was some existing cat5 cables already run through the house. When I connected the AC1000, I had some challenges putting it in Bridge mode as it didn't seem to save the settings I made. I had to reset it mutliple times and when it was finally set, I couldn't access the admin page through the web-browser any longer because of the IP address change. I ran the speedtest.net test a few times while connected via one of the ethernet ports and found that it was bottlenecking the speeds to the laptop. I then ran the speedtest after disconnecting the cat5 cable and still found the same bottleneck of speed (less than 8Mbs download and 2Mbs upload). Directly to the cat5 cable run through the wall, I was getting about 96Mbs/10Mbs. I opted to put the router in wireless bridge mode which allowed me to realize the speeds I was expecting. I hooked it up to my son's xBox One S and he's very happy with the results. I also ran the speedtest to my laptop using the ethernet port to my laptop again and consistently saw results over 90Mbs/10Mbs. I can't speak as to why I had issues with the router used to extend the network through cascading as I've done this with several other Linksys AC routers and didn't experience that except for the one time I ran cat5 through the Linksys powerline adapters (but knew that speeds would be capped there). Overall, I'm sure this router would work fine at the anticipated speeds if used as the primary router. In my case, it was used to extend the network and I can't rule out that perhaps the a setting was not correct in the admin tool though I've set up other Linksys Routers (EA6500, EA6400) as secondary and tertiary routers in a cascading set-up. The admin interface is slightly different compared to those so I was not as familiar with the set-up. However, this works great as a wireless bridge which serves the purpose of extending the network into the far room. In a couple of weeks, we'll be moving into a new house and I will retry setting this up in the cascading network again as we'll need to cover over 3400 sq ft and I plan on using up to 4 routers to do so as well as two wireless bridges. Hopefully, this will work great in combination with all the other Linsksys products (including the docsis 3.0 modem from Linksys) to cover the whole house. The compact size is desirable as I found that unless you plan to mount this on the wall, other routers take up some desk/table space and can have their signals interferred with with other electronics and items obstructing the signals. Having the 4 rear ports is also handy to connect the devices that would benefit more from a direct connections versus wireless. The range seems to be really good compared to previous routers I've owned as well.mistanave

Just received my Linksys WiFi 5 Router. Upon opening the package I noticed this is a very small compact router with folding antennas. The instructions for setup are very simple and are all onscreen when you connect to the router's IP address. This router is usable with a modem or with a modem/router. I have a modem/router and needed the extra Ethernet ports for my devices. This router also allowed me to have some additional parental controls which my existing modem/router did not have. I recommend connecting the router to a PC by Ethernet cord and then follow the simple on screen instructions to set up the router and any other settings. The router is dual band so you can choose 2.4 or 5.0 bands to suit your device's WiFi needs. The router is very lightweight. Basic black finish. After setup, I ran a speed test to see how it performed, I have to say I'm a little disappointed in the speeds. Both the 2.4 and 5.0 bands clocked in at speeds that were half of what my existing router transmitted. I have cable internet with 150 mbps and I do reach 150 mbps with my wifi 5.0 connection but the Linksys router could only hit 70-80 mbps. This router will do what I need it to but the range and speeds are less than desired. I would probably recommend spending more money and getting a stronger router.Dean

Purchased this router in may 2020 as part of a grocery pickup order. Have used a free DDNS server for years and when I tried to configure it on the router found that you only have two options for DDNS and none of those are free . Talked to two support people who spoke broken English and spent hours trying to get them to help configure the Free Service I had used for years. At one point they wanted to know why I needed a DDNS server configured. This i supposed to be support. and told me to set up account with one of the two DDNS Services they allowed to be configured on this router. As it turns out those two DDNS Service providers did offer free service but only for a trial period. Bottom line in my opinion, I will never buy another Linksys product and I suggest anyone considering a Linksys product carefully read configuration instructions before purchasing to ensure it will work for your needs.Harold

I'm Spectrum Internet customer, and from the last year I have been issues with the Internet services in my devices through the wifi services provided for Spectrum. I know that not only depend of the servicies, we need to considerate the connections of ours devices too. Normally, the connection between these devices and the router wifi are in the 2.4 GHz band, although the new ones devices are connecting in the 5 GHz band, we need to considerate the interferences electromagnetics of other appliances like microwawes, phones, etc. My point is the router wifi Sagescom Fast 5260 that was provided me all the times had latency issues and never I can watched a movie without buffering issues, many times I changed the router but the problem persisted because Spectrum only changed me the router for the same model, just one time I received a Spectrum gave me a different model, Sagescom Fast 6280 and work very good no more buffering issus, but only worked for four weeks and the gave me a Sagescom Fast 5260 again and the buffering issues come back again too. I bough this router wifi and is working very well, is dual band and for now no more buffering issues. Is perfect for me and I recommended 100%.Jack

I received the Linksys MAX-STREAM Dual-Band Mesh WIFI 5 Router (MR6350) nearly a week ago. I wanted to give myself a few days of usage before writing a review. I’d like to qualify this review by saying that I set it up in our small-ish townhouse. As anyone living in a townhouse knows, WIFI coverage can be sometimes difficult to accomplish to your satisfaction. With the router located on one floor, the other floor may suffer with regard to coverage. That’s not a issue with this router! I had great coverage on both floors of my townhouse. Set up of the system was simple, use the included power source and Ethernet cable. Connect it to your modem and to a power source… that was it! Use the Linksys app and follow the set-up instructions, and you’re set! The app even trouble-shoots any set-up issues by guiding you through any possible issues. Keep in mind, you will need to set up a password during set-up (as well as a guest access PW). Using the Linksys app also allows for the granting of guest access, device prioritization, speed tests, and the all-important parental controls. The speed of the MR6350 was great, we haven’t experienced any buffering in the movies we’ve streamed, or issues when the grand-kids play video games. We stream movies mostly through our smart TV, but watching a movie on my iPad on the patio was a breeze, no issues whatsoever! Reading news sites on our cell phones while someone else is streaming a movie in the living room and the grand-kids play videos games in the guest room causes no problems! All in all, easy set-up and great coverage, equals a system perfect for my situation! Please note that this product was a free sample from Linksys. It was provided to me for my review in exchange for my honest feedback.rmn429

Not a bad router at all. I've had it setup for about six weeks. It does what it's suppose to do, without fault. I would consider this a mid-tier router and it works perfectly in this scenario, as I didn't need a "killer" router for where this is. I normally buy Asus routers, but I needed this in a pinch, and honestly would have no problem using this product again. I would have given it five stars, but I found it annoying that this device is meant to be configured and managed via an app. You can do so via a web browser, but it took some digging online to find out how to do it, and even then it was a bit of a fight. Once I got it configured and was use to the crazy way to access the web interface, it wasn't so bad. Unfortunately I don't remember off-hand how this works, or I would leave the steps here. So, be prepared to do a bit of research online if you want to configure/manage this device via a browser.NEOLurker

The Linksys EA7400 is blessed (or cursed) with MU-MIMO depending on a buyer's patience and aptitude for next generation technology. "MU-MIMO" is a shortcut for Multi-user, multiple-input, multiple-output technology (a.k.a. Next-Gen AC or AC Wave 2). It sounds state-of-the-art because it is. But in plain language, MU-MIMO allows a Wi-Fi router to communicate with multiple devices simultaneously (from a mysterious place in the clouds). Buyers with a working knowledge of present-day routers may find it difficult (and time-consuming) to setup a Linksys EA7400. The MU-MIMO class introduces a technology heretofore unknown to everyday router users. Nevertheless, with perseverance (tested by repetitive trial-and-error maneuvers), a present-day router user can get connected in spite of next generation technology. I recommend this product; but it may not be the best choice for some buyers. Online help is available but much depends on what a potential buyer already knows about wi-fi wireless routers.aadamslink

the router part works ok but parental controls dont. Blocking websites feature does not work. it limits the url to 32 char, logging ONLY tracks IP address not domain name and keeps like 30 entries at a time . totally worthlessthekindbew

I was very pleased with this router at first. Used the WLAN + guest WLAN and connected some IP phones to its wired GigE ports. I got nearly 2 years of great performance. Eventually the WiFi bridge froze up once or more every day until the device was power cycled. Performs like a Belkin, not a Linksys.THE_desert_fixer

So far so good!!! Got my for $80 bucks clearance!! Had a nighthawk that kept cutting speeds. It was old. Updated and check settings and couldn't keep up with new family usage. iPhones ,iPads, gaming consoles etc.
Nighthawk is great but you can tell difference during heavy usage between the two. App interface is easy to use and parental controls as well. I like it so far. Would of stayed with nighthawk but needed speed for family.Derek Ayala

Bought this router to replace my older perfectly working unit for the sole purpose to attach an external drive to it that would be available to everyone in the house. Problem is that it's also disconnecting internet connection every 5 to 10 minutes. Finally found by myself that unplugging the drive makes everything starts running as it should. The drive used is a WD My passport 3TB USB3…nothing unusual there. Linksys live chat assistance was a joke, lost more than 4 hours talking to 3 different persons who only made me reset the router over an over…wow! This is definitely my last Linksys purchaseebuy_esell

I just purchased this router. When I opened the box, the router itself was inside a generic plastic bag inside a generic brown box with a very basic 2 page setup booklet. I've bought several Linksys routers and they have always come in their typical blue Linksys packaging. This router I bought is supposedly new but I am very suspicious of it. Other than the router itself, NOTHING said Linksys on it. This just doesn't seem right to me.Scott

Recently, my ISP doubled my speed so I thought it was a good time to update my router. I had been using a WRT1900AC for a number of years and did not have any issues. Since the WiFi reception was not great in some areas in our second level I decided to go with the EA8300 router paired with the RE9000 extender. I set this up over the holidays. I used a standard out-of-the-box setup and updated firmware. The extender is set up as a wired access point and I am using a single SSID for all to take advantage of the seamless roaming. I would not say our household are heavy users or streaming a lot of content. We have 2 smart TV’s a few iPhones and a few tablets. Both my wife and I work from home so we are typical “business users” and need a reliable connection during the day. I did not notice any issues until I returned to work after the holiday. Immediately, I noticed my connection to Skype for Business was dropping/reconnecting multiple times per hour and Zoom calls would get very choppy at times, losing audio for 3-5 seconds each time. Zoom logs pointed to extreme 98%+ packet loss during these “outages”. This happens both from wired (tried multiple cables) and WiFi connections. After many days of troubleshooting, I reluctantly switched back to my old router and the problem immediately disappeared. I worked flawlessly for an entire week, no issues whatsoever. After some advice from the community here, I reset the EA8300 back to factory settings, re-installed the latest firmware and tried again. This time, my work laptop was the only device connected, also no range extender. I started experiencing the issues again within the first 30 minutes! When I went back to the WRT1900AC and the problem disappears. Unfortunately, the retailer only has a 15 day return policy so I am stuck with an expensive router that I cannot use nor return. I do not have time to troubleshoot faulty hardware, I just need it to work. If you are considering this, make sure you put it through testing within the return policy, you may find yourself needed to return it.thmb

Forewarning: This will be a long, detailed review. —–NETWORK/PROPERTY DESCRIPTION—– 2500 sq ft, split-level home with 14,800 sq ft property (about 80' wide and 175' long rectangular) at the end of a cul-de-sac. Router is located 20' away from Western-most side, and about 40' away from southern-most side. It is connected to the modem with a 25' run of Cat 5e. —–DEVICES ON NETWORK—– The only ethernet attachment is a cloud drive (Cat 5e), and every other device is wireless (2 dual-band/AC laptops, 2 dual-band tablets, 2 dual-band/AC cell phones, 1 dual-band/N cell phone, a 2.4 GHz printer, 2 dual-band/N smart tv's, 2 FireSticks, and a PS4). —–DEVICE USAGE—– Now, most times we have at least 2 devices streaming HD video simultaneously, but on afternoons and weekends it's not rare to have 4-5 devices all streaming HD video at the same time (We have 3 toddlers, so there's your reason!). —–ISP—– Charter/Spectrum (TWC) 200Mbps speed Free, brand-new Arris gigabit modem (Docsis 3.0) Modem/Router connection made with about 25' of Cat5e Now, for the router's performance and details with my network configuration: —–SPEED—– throughput around 220 latency less than 3ms —–RANGE—– At around 130' south of router I have 3 bars on 5 GHz network, and the full 4 bars on 2.4 (from my Galaxy Note 8 with a good network card-makes a difference). I was streaming HD video from my phone when I walked to my neighbor's driveway, across the cul-de-sac, and I didn't have one break in the video or any signs of signal weakness. I then walked west, 2 houses down to my neighbor's while they were outside. I was connected to the 5 GHz network, with 2 bars (about 200' away, and I switched to 2.4 GHz which had 3 bars. I was able to stream HD video from about 250' away from the router. I have NOT walked north, or east while streaming HD video on either network, and will do so soon. I also did NOT perform a speed test (by Ookla) at these ranges, but felt it wasn't necessary with the quality of the video streams. —–FEATURES—– It's very easy to change the basics of the router with the LinkSys app (the most advanced settings available were Prioritization/QOS, parental controls, DNS servers, Link Aggregation, and network channels/width , but every feature can be changed with the router's "broswer page"). VLAN, network map info, client tables, IPV6 addressing, administration, diagnostics, MAC filtering, schedulers, and airtime fairness are some of the settings available on the router's browser page. —–RELIABILITY—– I cannot vouch for the reliability of the EA8300, yet. However, my experience with LinkSys in the past has been very pleasing (user-end experience with at least 3 LinkSys routers prior to this one, as well as 3-5 Netgears, 2 TP-Links, and 1 Unifi device). If this router decides to be short-lived then I will definitely update this portion of the review. —–COMPLAINTS–NEGATIVES–CONS—– Only 3 DNS server settings are available, and they don't really designate separate DNS servers for IPV4 vs IPV6. I wish there was a way to list these separately under the main LAN settings page. You can only prioritize 3 devices for QOS/Prioritization, and I wish they had at least 5 "slots" available No option for VPN pass-through, although this is not a requirement, for me, at this time. I'd just think that you should have that with a $200 router. Mobile browser support: You can only access the the router's settings from a mobile device by using the LinkSys app. With ALL other routers, in the past, I've been able to open a Chrome tab ,type in the router's IP, login, and make every single adjustment from there. However, I must use my laptop to change every setting, and I find this oddly inconvenient. —–OVERALL— As long as you don't need VPN, or the ability to prioritize more than 3 devices, then this router is an absolute MUST have for anyone who wants to enjoy wireless multimedia while roaming their entire yard (or hanging out with the neighbors). If you found this review to be helpful, then please let me know!! Thanks for reading!STLTwitch

The Linksys Max stream tri-band Wifi 5 router is an absolute powerhouse! With an amazing range of 2000 square feet, the ability to connect over 20 wireless devices, and up to 2.2 GBPS speeds this router will work wonders for making you wifi connection optimal. I have had Linksys routers in the past and have found them to be quite reliable, I picked this one up to boost my Wifi range and connect more devices with ease and it did just that. I also like that this router included a 1 year warranty for any issues that might come up within the first year. I found the router very easy to hook up and connect my devices to using the Linksys App that is free to download and makes it easy to control your network from your phone. This router also is build with advanced security features that safeguard your network with wireless WPA2 encryption and an SPI firewall. I would recommend putting this router in the most middle or central point of your home to fully utilize the range. This router is perfect for gamers or households with a high demand for Wifi speeds due to various devices. Overall a great wireless router.Cobra

The EA7300 Max-Stream Router is almost as good as Linksys support. For a moderately priced router, it is working exceptionally. You can set it up using the defaults and it works wonderfully with no need for any additional expertise. Juist like more expensive routers, you can place a high priority on multiple devices so that those devices will take priority over other devices. That way, if you are a gamer and do gaming on one to three devices, you will be able to allocate more bandwith to those devices. If you are doing important work; day trading etc; you can get the feel of having private access, even if other devices are using the network. Many companies that allow you to access their systems from a home office require that you have really great bandwidth and security. This router will allow all of that in addition to having the ability to limit access of certain devices at certain times. Although I am not using this feature, it seems like would give someone some fine parental controls to not allow access of internet for childrens's devices after bedttime etc.BigDaddy

Linksys EA 7300 – AC1750 MU-MIMO Router Received the Linksys EA 7300 – AC1750 MU-MIMO Router a couple of days ago and was too busy to attempt to install it at the time. When I finally freed up some time my first thought was it was going to be a hassle to get the router set up and running. So I Started by reading all the information on the box before opening it up. It states on the back of the box, “EASY SETUP, EASY TO KEEP UP”, I said to myself “sure I’ve heard that before”. Upon opening the box, the first piece of literature you see is the Quick Start Guide, a small booklet of 3 pages of instructions and illustrations to guide you with the setup of your new router. There is also a booklet of Regulatory and Warranty Information, The Linksys EA 7300 – AC1750 MU-MIMO Router, the power cord and an Ethernet cable. Following the Quick Start Guide, the Linksys EA 7300 – AC1750 MU-MIMO Router was setup and running on the internet in 5 minutes, they are not kidding when they state “EASY SETUP”. It took another 30 minutes to set up all the wireless and wired connections. It really was very very easy to set up the router, not a hassle as I expected it would be. With the old router, (Linksys EA6700 – AC1750 Dual Band Router ) when we had too much going on, streaming movies, surfing the web on phones & computers and playing games, everyone would experience buffering to some degree. With the new Linksys EA 7300 – AC1750 MU-MIMO Router we have not encountered any buffering at all. We have not changed our usage of the internet, still downloading movies on two different TV ‘s, surfing the internet on a computer and texting, gaming and surfing the internet on two phones and not once was there any buffering. This new technology MU_MIMO (Multi-user, multiple-input, multiple-output technology) is amazing.Neil

I received this router to review, but I was not expecting much since I was already using one of the top rated routers. I have 4 teenagers and 2 businesses based in my home and it is not unusual for 4+ video streams plus Audio/Video conferencing and music streaming to be going all at once. The performance and connectivity has been so strong that I held off on my review for a week to make sure it was not a fluke. With my prior router, I would usually see good performance for about 12-24hrs and the performance of the network would then drop until I needed to reset the network. The EA7500 has been able to handle 14 high usage devises (Gaming and videos on PC’s, PS4 with gaming and streaming, VoIP phone, Webex/Skype audio and video, 5 iPhones) at one time plus a VoIP Phone and it has performed fantastically! Installing the EA7500 was quick and easy. I connected to the wireless signal that was pre-installed and then entered linksyssmartwifi.com in my browser's address bar, which launched the Welcome Page. From there it was about 2 minutes to configure the router. If you have not already been using a router and don’t know what you want, the Setup utility analyzes your connections and walks you through the initial wireless settings (SSID and security) and router-password setup. When the setup is finished, you can create a free Smart Wi-Fi account to control your router and your home network from anywhere using a mobile app. The Linksys Smart Wi-Fi has been very helpful for me because it allows me to quickly see who is on the network, limit the time that my kids devices can be connected, determine which devices I want to give prioritization and allow guests to have separate Wi-Fi access. The literature lists the EA7500 as a “Medium Residence” product. I have a 3-level home with 2000+ sq. ft. per level with the router in the bottom level. I paired the EA7500 with a Linksys RE6300 repeater that I already owned and there are no dead zones in my home. Over all this router has been a great improvement and I would recommend this router to anyone that wants fast reliable internet for multiple devices including small businesses and especially gamers.MikeG

I was initially incredibly frustrated with this router, like, “this router only deserves 1 egg” frustrated. However, I can’t express how much this router turned my opinion around. It really is a router that stands by itself in terms of usability and interface. The widgets may be the main star, but there are lots of more subtle UI features. For example, the device list has an icon for each connected device. These icons (and the name too) can be customized to reflect what the device is (e.g. a laptop, a tablet, an iMac, etc.). The icons and names will also be used in things like QoS, which makes the setup process super easy. I did not purchase any of the apps that Cisco makes in conjunction with this router (one of which is a parental control/content filtering app), however, I find it good to have this as an option. I’ve seen other comments about this router on Newegg and other sites, and I know this router seems to cause a lot of frustration. However, Cisco has some incredible support. There is lots of information on their site, and they seem to be prompt about responding to support emails (though I personally didn’t email them). I hope they stick by this router, because it is fantastic. I highly recommend this router! Some technical/random information: – My ISP is Comcast; I have an average of 18mbit down/3mbit up in speed. – my modem is an Arris DOCSIS 2.0 modem, firmware 6.1.120 – I used WPA/WPA2 mixed security for both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks – I broadcasted mixed N/G mode on channel 11 (result of auto selection) with an auto channel width for the 2.4GHz network; the 5GHz broadcasts on channel 48 with a width of 80 MHz.Brandon W.

My biggest complaint, and why the unit was returned for and ASUS unit, is that every night it would drop the wifi network. The hard connection remained, but the wifi network would stay down until I power cycled the unit. I dealt with tech support three times over this issue, there solution was to change random settings each time. Eventually they tried to cast blame on a microwave or cordless phone, but none of those are within 40 feet of the unit (we don't even have a cordless phone), and weren't running during the outage. It's my belief that the firmware is causing the problem because the unit is running the old firmware and will not update to the latest version. I went over this with tech support each time, but they skirted the issue, opting to change settings again. It's my belief that the only way to update it is through a command line process that the average customer won't be able to do (myself included) and they know this. The unit comes with no physical instructions like most units do. A simple sheet of paper with a quick start guide would have saved at least one online tech support chat. The most confusing thing for me was that between this router and my last Cisco router they've done away with a software based UI for a web based solution. A simple piece of paper outlining that would have saved more than they paid in tech support than they saved by not printing the paper. My frustration with this unit led me to look up articles on routers and I found that the comparable ASUS router is much faster. I've had it hooked up for three days now with no sign of the dropped network issue that the Linksys was plagued with leading me to conclude that the problem was not environmental as Linksys tech support wanted me to believe, but instead was caused by the router itself. It was as if they just wanted me to get comfortable with the idea of needing to power cycle the unit every morning when I got up, as if that was a good solution for a router this expensive. I've been a loyal Linksys customer for years, but it looks like Cisco rushed this to market a little too soon, the result of which was the loss of my trust in them as a customer.David N.

If you do some additional research on this router you'll find it got off to a very rocky start. It appears with some of the later firmware updates Linksys finally stabilized the device. I checked for updates until it stopped reporting any and in the end was at 1.1.40.153731. Still, though they may have stabilized it, they did not manage to make the overall performance anything to get excited about. It also appears this router has been discontinued and replaced by a more recent version. (It was previously showing on NewEgg as discontinued, I see that it is now available via other sellers. Maybe the stock just fluctuates.) One touted feature is cloud configuration – "Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Account". I see arguments at times about helping parents / friends by being able to manage their router remotely. Personally I think if you have that many problems you need a new router. And it seems like most of the time I need to help someone with their network it's because there's no access at all. But perhaps it's worth it to you for the occasional instance when you need it. Also, Linksys promotes their tap to connect, NFC feature. To me it's more of a hassle than it's worth to use. First you have to download an app to your device, and then use that to configure it with the router. The feature definitely feels like a first attempt with little added value, but maybe we'll see this grow into something more useful in subsequent generations.Zach B.

Pros: Easy to set up. Fast. Good range. Three nodes give blanket coverage. Cons: Price has fallen but still a tad expensive.Paul

Pros: Upgrading to WiFi 6 is super important as devices are using more bandwidth and need more speed. I was looking at this router for a while and I saw a good price and purchased. Cons: Price… nothing more!Marcus

Don’t buy a Linksys Velop if you want product support from Linksys! I bought two Linksys Velop 5300 mesh WiFi whole home routers and had them installed in November 2020 to improve WiFi speed and coverage in my home. While speed was initially great throughout the home, it soon deteriorated. We have 1 gigabyte cable service from Comcast, but after a few days the connection speed thru the Velop would deteriorate to as low as 2 Mbps (on an iPhone capable of download speeds of >500 Mbps)! Linksys’ app that monitors and manages the Velops suggests that if you have slow speeds, you should reset the Velops, and they conveniently include a reset feature in the app (that should tell you something about how often you can expect to have to reset them! ☹️). Resetting the Velops did bring the speed back up to what you would expect—for a few days, but little did I know that I would have to reset them at least once a week to cure the speed deterioration! After returning from the holidays, and with the speed deterioration problem continuing, I finally got tired of resetting the Velops and contacted Linksys technical support. I sat through two separate, and lengthy (c. 1+ hours each) sessions with Linksys “level 1” and “level 2” technical support agents who confirmed, but could not fix, the problem with my Velops. Then, rather than offering to replace the defective Velops, Linksys’ level 2 support agent said he was escalating my case to Linksys’ “level 3” technical support personnel. That was in early April. The level 2 support agent said I’d be contacted by the level 3 support team within 24 to 48 hours. I gave them my cell phone number to contact me as expeditiously as possible, as the level 2 agent had instructed me to disconnect one of the two Velop nodes, so it was completely nonfunctional. I wasn’t happy, but figured I could wait another day or two. Well, it has now been FIVE WEEKS since I first contacted Linksys about the defective Velops, and A MONTH since Linksys referred my case to the black hole that they call their “level 3 support.” I have yet to receive a call from Linksys’ level 3 “support” personnel. I finally got fed up waiting for support, and contacted Linksys’ customer “service” to ask for a return materials authorization and a refund for the defective Velops which Linksys failed to fix or replace in FIVE WEEKS (and counting). Linksys has refused to authorize a refund. DON’T BUY LINKSYS ROUTERS — if they ship you defective ones like they did with me, THEY WON’T GIVE YOU TIMELY SUPPORT OR TIMELY REPLACEMENT UNITS, and they won’t refund your money. I will never buy a Linksys product again.Michael Grady

The EA7300 Max-Stream Router is almost as good as Linksys support. For a moderately priced router, it is working exceptionally. You can set it up using the defaults and it works wonderfully with no need for any additional expertise. Juist like more expensive routers, you can place a high priority on multiple devices so that those devices will take priority over other devices. That way, if you are a gamer and do gaming on one to three devices, you will be able to allocate more bandwith to those devices. If you are doing important work; day trading etc; you can get the feel of having private access, even if other devices are using the network. Many companies that allow you to access their systems from a home office require that you have really great bandwidth and security. This router will allow all of that in addition to having the ability to limit access of certain devices at certain times. Although I am not using this feature, it seems like would give someone some fine parental controls to not allow access of internet for childrens's devices after bedttime etc.BigDaddy

Linksys EA 7300 – AC1750 MU-MIMO Router Received the Linksys EA 7300 – AC1750 MU-MIMO Router a couple of days ago and was too busy to attempt to install it at the time. When I finally freed up some time my first thought was it was going to be a hassle to get the router set up and running. So I Started by reading all the information on the box before opening it up. It states on the back of the box, “EASY SETUP, EASY TO KEEP UP”, I said to myself “sure I’ve heard that before”. Upon opening the box, the first piece of literature you see is the Quick Start Guide, a small booklet of 3 pages of instructions and illustrations to guide you with the setup of your new router. There is also a booklet of Regulatory and Warranty Information, The Linksys EA 7300 – AC1750 MU-MIMO Router, the power cord and an Ethernet cable. Following the Quick Start Guide, the Linksys EA 7300 – AC1750 MU-MIMO Router was setup and running on the internet in 5 minutes, they are not kidding when they state “EASY SETUP”. It took another 30 minutes to set up all the wireless and wired connections. It really was very very easy to set up the router, not a hassle as I expected it would be. With the old router, (Linksys EA6700 – AC1750 Dual Band Router ) when we had too much going on, streaming movies, surfing the web on phones & computers and playing games, everyone would experience buffering to some degree. With the new Linksys EA 7300 – AC1750 MU-MIMO Router we have not encountered any buffering at all. We have not changed our usage of the internet, still downloading movies on two different TV ‘s, surfing the internet on a computer and texting, gaming and surfing the internet on two phones and not once was there any buffering. This new technology MU_MIMO (Multi-user, multiple-input, multiple-output technology) is amazing.Neil

I received this router to review, but I was not expecting much since I was already using one of the top rated routers. I have 4 teenagers and 2 businesses based in my home and it is not unusual for 4+ video streams plus Audio/Video conferencing and music streaming to be going all at once. The performance and connectivity has been so strong that I held off on my review for a week to make sure it was not a fluke. With my prior router, I would usually see good performance for about 12-24hrs and the performance of the network would then drop until I needed to reset the network. The EA7500 has been able to handle 14 high usage devises (Gaming and videos on PC’s, PS4 with gaming and streaming, VoIP phone, Webex/Skype audio and video, 5 iPhones) at one time plus a VoIP Phone and it has performed fantastically! Installing the EA7500 was quick and easy. I connected to the wireless signal that was pre-installed and then entered linksyssmartwifi.com in my browser's address bar, which launched the Welcome Page. From there it was about 2 minutes to configure the router. If you have not already been using a router and don’t know what you want, the Setup utility analyzes your connections and walks you through the initial wireless settings (SSID and security) and router-password setup. When the setup is finished, you can create a free Smart Wi-Fi account to control your router and your home network from anywhere using a mobile app. The Linksys Smart Wi-Fi has been very helpful for me because it allows me to quickly see who is on the network, limit the time that my kids devices can be connected, determine which devices I want to give prioritization and allow guests to have separate Wi-Fi access. The literature lists the EA7500 as a “Medium Residence” product. I have a 3-level home with 2000+ sq. ft. per level with the router in the bottom level. I paired the EA7500 with a Linksys RE6300 repeater that I already owned and there are no dead zones in my home. Over all this router has been a great improvement and I would recommend this router to anyone that wants fast reliable internet for multiple devices including small businesses and especially gamers.MikeG

I will be the first to admit that I am not the most tech-savvy person. I do know how to navigate my way around the computer. My family and I use a lot of online streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon video just to name a few. We also have quite a few gamers in our family. At any given time we can have one or more people streaming movies are playing games at the same time. Because of this we are constantly faced with buffering. Buffering occurs when there are several devices online at the same time 10 result and slower internet speeds. I was told that one of the ways to alleviate this problem would be to purchase a Wi-Fi router. I was not familiar with wireless routers or what exactly they do. After doing some research I found a wireless router may help to alleviate our buffering issues. A Dual Band Wi-Fi router helps to increase Wireless speed and range by creating a simultaneous dual band Network to increase internet speed. In simpler terms a Wi-Fi router is a device attached to your in home modem which creates a second wireless network. By creating second Network you're in home devices can be split between the two Networks. By doing so it alleviates all Wi-Fi devices pulling internet from one modem. Having simultaneous dual-band technology helps the devices stream faster. This is maybe a huge difference in our in home online experiences. There is less buffering and internet interruptions. Although this is not the newest version of this Dual Band Wi-Fi router it works very well. My only suggestion would be to use extension cords to help secure the modem and routers in areas where they or less likely to fall or be damaged.savabuck

I was drawn to this wireless router because of reports on the ease of setup. Not being too adept with the various security options and how to apply them correctly it all worked out. I was particularly interested in how it seemed to be rated regarding security, and how comfortable I was after the setup process. I was changing from a 5 year old g system and concerned about better range, too, and the Linksys E2500 fully met those expectations. I would highly recommend it. Linksys E2500 N600 Dual-Band WiFi Router This is a perfect router for me. I had purchased 3 cheaper brands first and that was a big mistake. I had issues staying on line and was constantly resetting the other brand. I was able to pick up the Linksys E2500 Advanced Dual-Band N Router. It’s been almost 2 weeks now and I have never lost service due to this router. I sure wish I would have gotten this the first time! For a mid-price router, this has been a great choice for me. It’s basically plug and go, no long set up process. No needed calls to tech support for help. Its slim case and no antennae to get in the way makes it easy to tuck away. I would highly recommend this brand and style. Just a quick tip if you need to reset the router and start over it’s as simple as pressing the reset button at its bottom panel for 30 seconds. I hope this helps someone in the future.hackjoe

I received the Linksys E2500 N600 Dual-Band WiFi Router and I’m so I got it. I enjoy the power of simultaneous dual-band Wireless N (802.11n) technology with double the capacity for surfing the web. Another great feature is to connect your computers, wireless printers, smartphones, and other wireless devices at up to 300 + 300 Mbps of transfer speed. With the double network bandwidth with simultaneous dual bands (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) it helps avoids any interference. The superior range provided by a MIMO antenna array is great. You can use four Fast Ethernet (10/100 Mbps) ports to directly connect your wired devices. Another great feature is, you able to give visitors password-protected Internet access on a separate network so your visitors have access to the Internet. You can keep your network protected with customization security settings, including WPA/WPA2 personal and SPI firewall protection. The setup of your wireless network in three easy steps using included Cisco Connect software. I would totally recommend this to anyone thinking too of trying to improve their Wi-Fi system, it will take your Wi-Fi uses to a new level. This Linksys E2500 N600 Dual-Band WiFi Router is well worth the price.eyecandymena

Though even Linksys makes some routers that are technically “faster” than the MR8300 because of more cores or cycles in their CPUs etc., the MR8300 is still by today’s standards “fast” (716 MHz, quad-core) but that’s not the reason I have one. Where the MR8300 really shines is its easy hook-up to available Mesh Extenders to make full Wi-Fi coverage of large homes, out-buildings and even outside the house simple. No more walking from one room to another dropping Wi-Fi signals and having to return to the room with the router in it to reestablish a connection. The Linksys MR8300 Tri-Band Mesh Router with active MU-MIMO switching and optional Mesh extenders really has me and everyone in my family Wi-Fi covered and happy. Features: – Easy plug and play setup (no CD required) out of the box with easy to follow instructions on your device’s screen or on the paper quick-start guide. – 4 adjustable antennas allow vertical orientation whether the router body is sitting horizontally on a table or is mounted vertically on a wall. – The Tri-band (up to 2.2Gbps) output delivers both 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz signals operating independently. – MU-MIMO technology means that Wi-Fi devices designed since 2017 to receive MU-MIMO will switch seamlessly between bands and the main router or Mesh units for the maximum signal available as you move through your house. – Beamforming Technology is used to focus the Wi-Fi signal between the router and your device in a narrow beam (like a lighthouse’s focused light), rather than wasting signal strength sending the signal in all directions at once. – Facilitates LAN and Wireless Network connections – Intelligent Mesh Technology adapts to the particular devices trying to use the network by “talking” directly through the ports connected via Wi-Fi at the moment and not wasting precious milli-seconds switching through ports unused at the moment with every CPU Clock cycle. This reduces Lag and Latency during gameplay. Intelligent Mesh Technology is also “Self-Healing”. This term means that if one Mesh node fails or is unplugged, the rest of the nodes will take over for the missing node. Also, if a new Mesh Node is plugged in, the rest of the Nodes will automatically incorporate it into the total Mesh in the most effective way possible. This intelligent switching can handle between 1 and 15 devices simultaneously in the most effective way possible. – Works with all of the latest security protocols in WPA/WPA2 and SPI Firewall. – The Quad-core CPU operates at 716 MHz for fast data transfer speeds. – 1 Year Limited Warranty on Parts PROS: – A Top Spec, High Performance Modem – Easy set-up with Linksys App – Attractive design – Very compact for its power – Well cooled with efficient quiet convection vents – Handles all of the latest Wi-Fi and Internet connection protocols – VERY easy to increase the range of the main MR8300 Router’s Wi-Fi network at any time by plugging optional (not included) Mess extenders like the Linksys AC1300 unit into any 120v wall outlet. Linksys App helps you locate the extender for maximum effect in the total network. CONS: – After a couple of weeks of use I honestly could not think of a single negative in the great increase in speed and range for my home Wi-Fi network that the MR8300 gave me. If I do find anything negative in the next few months, I will edit my review accordingly.Daddio

The Linksys MR8300 Max Stream AC2200 router has the power and bandwidth to cover an average one-story house on its own. However, with the Velop mesh capability, you can expand coverage with a single SSID for as long as you have plugs to put nodes. If you currently have a Velop router, the MR8300 can be used as a primary node for the Velop nodes or you can get the Velop Whole Home Intelligent Mesh WiFi System Plug-In nodes. The plug-in nodes are interesting as there is nothing much to them. They are a small box that you plug straight to a wall outlet, they have a reset button and an indicator light and that is it. The rest is handled by the software and the primary node. One issue I had with the original Velop was that there were only two ethernet ports in which one had to be used for your modem. This one has four ethernet ports and one internet port for the modem and gives the same simplicity of the Velop. Replaced with ARRI Surfroboard Pro Max mesh system which is much better and more stable than Velop.BoeingGeo

I bought this and three Velop AC2200 nodes to replace a EA8300 router I was using with a RE7000 extender. I wanted to keep the 4 hardwired ports and it has a stronger signal. Most things in the house still connect to the router even if they're closer to one of the nodes. See my review of the nodes for more on them. I've setup many Linksys routers through the years using the browser interface, but this is a different animal. You can access the browser interface after everything is setup (they hide it, see the FAQ section on Linksys website for instructions), but you must use a smartphone and the app to set it up first. I think one reason they do it is to force you to use a password other than admin. You can access half the routers in the country using the default password because few ever change it. That and to make setup "easy". The problem I faced is that I have a very weak cell phone signal if I'm not on my Microcell, which uses the internet. But you won't have internet until you get the router setup. Even though I had a Linksys account I was using with my old router, it wouldn't let me log into it, and I kept getting error messages when I tried setting up a new account because my cell signal was too weak and it would time out. If you have a similar situation, before you try to set it up, download the app before you disconnect your old router or go somewhere you have a good cell signal. Turn your phone on airplane mode, then turn back on Bluetooth and WIFI and use the option to connect your phone to the router using Bluetooth during setup in the app. You won't have that option if your phone has any kind of cell signal. You can then setup your Linksys account over the internet via Bluetooth and it will go smoothly. You may notice I've had this for a month; I waited to review it to make sure it would be reliable. So far, so good.Cudd

The Linksys E5600 AC1200 Router was easy to setup with the mobile WiFi App and took less than 10 minutes to get online. I setup the Linksys E5600 in a 1690 sq/ft home with a gigabit cable internet connection utilized by over a dozen wired & wireless devices. The router administration interface is quick and organized. I was able to locate all configuration settings I required easily. I have been playing with this router for only 2 weeks but have had no issues with reboots, disconnects, or dropped connections. This router is extremely stable in all modes, as I tested as a router, wireless AP, wired bridge, and wireless bridge. Although this is not the latest or fastest WiFi technology, it works as advertised and does so with ease. This router includes many features you come to expect these days such as Guest WiFi access, Parental Controls, Push Button Connect with WPS, and 1 WiFi network. There wasn't a feature I needed that I could not find. Once I had this router online, I did have to update the router firmware, which was quick and easy using the Administration > Firmware Upgrade menu. There I was able to set "Automatic Firmware Upgrade" for future updates. While the Linksys E5600 AC1200 Router did meet my requirements and was extremely reliable, it is limited to the entry level wireless AC speed of 833 Mbps. I would highly recommend the Linksys Dual-Band AC1200 E5600 Router for a entry level WiFi router for it's range and excellent reliability.Roshambo

After unboxing, I simply had to connect an Ethernet line from the modem to the router and another from port one on the router to my computer. Once that was done, I plugged the router in and flipped the power switch on. After about a minute, the WIFI networks popped up on my computer. I connected to the 5GHz wireless network and followed the instructions for the web browser-based set up in the Quick Start Guide. Once I set my network and access information, I was tasked to upgrade the router's firmware. Once the firmware update was complete, I was taken to the System Status page in the browser. The router's System Status page provides basic router information. There are some configuration options for network administration and routing as well as parental controls. However, the moment that you click on "Configuration," the true amount of control is revealed. For an entry level router, there were a lot more administration settings than anticipated. While you can more or less set it and forget it after the step where the firmware is updated, the ability to customize connections and routing can get deep. There is also plenty of security to protect the router from outside access, but I would like to see a few things better explained in the configuration. For example, in "Security->DMZ," you can check mark DMZ and save it. If you are just playing with the settings and have no idea that DMZ does, you could inadvertently open someone's computer to the Internet without protection. By the way, it means Demilitarized Zone and it is used in cases where the firewall prevents access to another server. I like this router's sleek black look. I have gotten so used to multiple antennas on a router that when I first saw this router's box, I thought it was a modem. Watching the dimly lit blue lights blink as the router works surely beats the old days with the bright LEDs. Directly in front of me, on the top shelf of my desk in my office, the lights do not blind or distract me. The connection to the Internet via both LAN and WIFI is easy. Web pages load quickly, downloads are fast and streaming video is as smooth as butter. If you are looking for an entry level router with many of the features of more premium routers, you cannot go wrong with this one for general gaming, video streaming and web surfing.Ntanel

I bought this product about 5months ago… Linksys was great but after few months I started facing wifi signal drop issue on my smartphone. I researched and found out that Linksys router Firmware has some problem with recent Samsung devices. I personally own Samsung M31 which gets disconnected automatically from the wifi whenever I lock my phone and I have to manually reconnect each time I unlock my smartphone. This doesn't happens with any other router on any other network with my phone. Actually the problem is also faced by other Samsung users who use the same E5600 ROUTER around my house. I strongly suggest Linksys to provide a firmware upgrade and make the software more easy to useAk02

I had an older mesh system with two points and had a couple areas around the house that were typically spotty, even when moving one to another spot it didn't help. Started looking at upgrade options, which there are quite a few out there and ended up getting this Atlas 6 from Linksys. The three points would definitely improve my signal, while adding WiFi 6 and other newer standards that I didn't have before. The Atlas 6 comes with three nodes, three power adapter, an ethernet cable and some documentation. I downloaded the linksys app and looked at the nodes to see if any of them were marked to say primary, didn't find anything stating to set up in any order so I grabbed the first one and set it up connecting to my ISP modem. The set up was pretty straight forward, following the prompts and looking for the indicator light to be a specific color to progress. The app does guide you through some troubleshooting steps, at first the one I was using as the primary didn't connect to the net, but I was guided to unplug my modem for a couple minutes, which then connected afterwards. After going through the setup, and adding the name/location, I then plugging my second node in. The two points connect, they then communicate and transfer over the SSID configuration to the newly plugged in node. The node will run through a few additional steps such as picking the location (so you know which is which) and lets you know if the location you picked is good for communication between the nodes. Once that was setup I placed the third and followed the steps in this last spot. Once done I went to the spots I noticed to have consistently poor signal and found that the new setup helped to cover these areas. I have been using the Atlas 6 for a few weeks now and am happy with the performance. I don't have any issues when gaming or streaming videos, these nodes also appear to keep in good connection, any time I've looked they appear to have the blue indicator light. I wasn't too sure initially what the lights were, I like that under help on the app you can easily find information for the mesh system, which allowed me to understand what they meant to know what to look for. You can run speed test and easily see a list of devices connected to your WiFi. When selecting a connected device in the app, you can see information such as MAC, IP, device details and the name. The name can easily be modified to help you identify devices if they're not straight forward based on what is told to your router, you can change the picture if you choose to also. In the selected device you can easily set Parental Controls, set as a Priority Device (Can choose 3). You may also hit Reserve DHCP next to the IP address to statically assign the IP to the selected device. App is a little slow to launch, but once it's working you can jump through the menus pretty quickly, the overall design is fairly simple and doesn't feel too cluttered. The coverage of the Linksys Atlas 6 has been very reliable, I have yet to receive any negative feedback from the family, no buffering, no slow down, or dead spots. The support for 75+ devices will be nice when I have some family coming over in the upcoming months, I am pretty confident with the performance we have had up to this point, that it will be able to handle the extra phones and any other portable device they bring!ZBMILLER

Linksys' newest WiFi system brings the same great features and simplicity from previous WiFi systems into a modern WiFi system. The Linksys Atlas 6 comes with 2 nodes (WiFi devices), 2 ac adapters, an ethernet cable, and documentation including the meaning of the activity colors displayed on the nodes. Each node is WiFi 6 capable and offers speeds up to 3Gbps, has MU-MIMO technology, and supports Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS). In addition to this, each node has four ethernet ports, one for connecting to your modem (or linking two nodes via wired ethernet) and three 1Gbps ports that can be used for connecting computers or other devices directly via ethernet for internet connectivity. Setting up the WiFi system was very easy and straightforward. First, you download the Linksys app from the app store. After downloading and opening the app, you are prompted to create a Linksys account. After creating an account, you are then asked to connect your Atlas 6 devices to a wall outlet. One will go near your internet modem or gateway (your internet provider's "internet box") to connect the supplied ethernet cord from the modem or gateway to the Atlas device and the 2nd Atlas device preferrably in another central location of your home. On the bottom of the Atlas 6 device are the default WiFi settings like the WiFi name and password. After locating this, you can connect your phone to the Linksys Atlas WiFi using this information. After you are connected, navigate back to the Linksys app and you are asked to change the WiFi name and password. This process personally took me 15 minutes and was up and running with faster WiFi speeds when all was said and done. The Atlas 6 system allows for multiple configuration changes via the app. Features such as Parental Control, guest access, port settings, and setting device priority are some handy features this system offers. The Parental Controls feature allowed for me to set a schedule on when specific devices had access to the internet and also set restrictions on which sites those devices could access. Guest access allows for you to share your WiFi without the device that is connecting to it being able to access other computers or hardware connected to the network. This is a great security feature that helps protect your network while letting friends and family to connect to your WiFi. The device priority setting allows for you to set a priority rule on up to 3 devices. The devices on the priority list will have priority of having better bandwith (better internet speed) and the devices outside of the list will share the remainder of the bandwith. Another nice feature I noticed from within the app was the ability to send the WiFi information via text message, email, or copy it with a click of a button. In addition to the above features, I noticed this system was a big upgrade from my internet provider's hardware. Not only did my internet speed increase, but the signal range also increased. Using both Atlas nodes, according to Linksys, should provide WiFi coverage for up to 4500 sq ft. Living in a one story, 2500+ square foot home, I noticed that the WiFi signal reached every corner of my home and compared to my service provider's router, the Linksys Atlas 6 system also provided faster speeds where previously the signal woukd drop and had slower speeds. I always recommend upgrading from the equipment your internet provider provides you to truly enjoy the internet speeds you pay for. The one downside I did notice about this system is not being able to choose what the second nodes priority is, whether to extend the WiFi signal or to be used as a dedicated backhaul unit. Being able to use one of the nodes as a dedicated backhaul would help to reduce the load of different devices that are connected to the network and was a little disappointed not seeing this feature available. Nonetheless, I did not experience any reliability issues and speed along with range was much better than what I previously had. Overall, I recommend the Linksys Atlas 6 for anyone looking for a reliable WiFi system that offers great speed and signal capabilities. After setting up and using this system, I don't think I can go back to the days of dropping the WiFi signal in parts of my home and Netflix lagging.MoGJ

The Linksys Atlas 6 is our third mesh WiFi 6 system from as many brands. As an entry-level mesh system, its network speed is AX3000 running on a 1GHz dual-core processor which supports ~600Mbps and ~2400Mbps on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands respectively and has access to 160MHz channel widths. The 3-pack covers up to 6000 sq ft and up to 75 devices, though the system is expandable and can support up to 50 nodes. This kit includes 3 identical routers with power adapters, and you can use any of the units as the primary node with the other two as client nodes. In our 3-story home, we placed one node on each floor for full wireless coverage of the house. Since the modem and primary router are located on the top floor, we usually experience significant signal strength and speed drops on the first floor, but this was not the case with the Atlas 6 mesh system. The data transfer speeds our first floor are much improved with average download and upload speeds around ~500Mbps and ~25Mbps respectively, whereas with our previous mesh system it was about half of that. The node on the first floor uses the node on the second floor as an intermediate hop, rather than trying to jump two floors to wirelessly backhaul directly to the main router. All of our IoT/smart home gadgets, switches, and mobile devices stay reliably connected to our network, and we haven’t noticed any dips in internet speeds even when multiple devices are streaming at the same time. You can also enable the higher DFS frequency channels for the 5GHz band to avoid interference, but your client devices would have to be compatible, and this option may cause intermittent connectivity issues if you live near an airport since this range overlaps with radar systems. To setup and administer the network, I downloaded and installed the free Linksys app to my smartphone. The app connects to the routers via Bluetooth, and you have to set up/add each node one at a time. It took me about 15 minutes to complete setup for the entire system. Folks who don’t have access to a mobile device can still setup and use this mesh system by manually connecting a WiFi device to the setup network printed on the bottom of each router. There, you’ll also find a reset button, WPS button, and on/off switch. The routers have only one small LED indicator on top that uses color and flashing patterns to show its current status; while the light cannot be dimmed or disabled, we didn’t find it to be a huge source of light pollution in the bedroom at night. Since we have two WiFi networks, one for our data hungry devices like computers, video streamers, and mobile phones, and a sub-network for less demanding devices, the Atlas 6 is replacing our primary network. I like that all the routers have four Gigabit Ethernet ports (1 WAN and 3 LAN) as this enables us to connect multiple wired devices at each node, so for example, our sub-network’s parent node on the second floor can be hardwired, as well as the control unit for our smart water timer on the first floor, without having long runs of Ethernet cables through walls and between floors. However, if you prefer to or already have the wiring in place, you have the option for wired backhaul to the parent node. The Linksys app is user-friendly and straightforward to navigate and use to modify the handful of available settings like enabling and password-protecting an optional guest network, changing the network name and password, and activating WPS for new devices. You can also prioritize up to 3 devices for limited connections (under 200 Mbps) so that your work computer, media streamer, and/or gaming console, will always have the best connection for more stability where you need it. There are some more advanced setup options too, like MAC address filtering, port forwarding, and DNS settings. Security-wise, the router employs an SPI firewall and WPA2/WPA3 encryption, though this can be changed in the settings if you experience connection problems with older devices. A couple parental controls help you protect your kids if you need to block specific websites or URLs (you must enter them manually), and you can also pause internet access on-the-fly or on a recurring schedule. These settings must be entered separately for each device connected to the network, as there isn’t a way to create a single block list and apply it to multiple devices. Overall, the Atlas 6 is an improvement over the mesh network we were using previously, providing stronger, more consistent, and reliably fast signal throughout our home. While there aren’t a lot of advanced configuration options, it should still meet most users’ needs. Setup was very easy and quick, and the network is expandable for larger homes and spaces.ReviewedByPhil

I bought this model in May of 2021 and have nothing but problems with it since. A few times a week it will drop internet and network from everything – so much that the Internet light will remain steady, but none of the PCs connected to the router directly will see each other. I like the fact it can have MAC address added manually for the WiFi, but when it doesn't work it defeats the purpose. This is the 2nd Linksys router I have been through and it gets annoying real quick.BenN