#1:Linksys WRT AC3200 Open Source Dual-Band Gigabit Smart Wireless Router with MU-MIMO, Tri-Stream 160 (WRT3200ACM)
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5.0 out of 5 stars The Sexiest, most Classic Router on the Market
Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2019
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
I'm a sucker not only for performance, but also looks. Back when I got my first router, it was a Linksys WRT. The classic black & blue ones. I was absolutely driven to this one first by the looks which were a more modern version of their first models. The specs are also fantastic!! Since I've installed this router, I've had absolutely no problems with WiFi around the house, at all. 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands work very well together. The router was easy as cutting in to pie to setup. The mobile app kind of sucks though.. but I won't grade the router on something like that.
I tried installing DD-WRT firmware on this router and it was very easy and supportive. I highly recommend this router to anyone who wants something that functions very well, looks very nice, and works with open sourced firmware. In the right hands, this router can be a very powerful asset for any home or business. I've owned it for a month now and have not had a single problem. Not a single reboot needed. Cons? I can't think of any! This router truly has everything any residential and even business person would need. I will however gripe about how you can't block a website to every device at once. You instead must block it to each device individually, to my understandings. But open sourced firmware like DD-WRT will have you covered there. One other con I suppose, there's no bandwidth meter that truly works on this router.
Pros:
- Looks amazing. Feels amazing.
- Works very well. Runs without making a sound.
- 5GHz & 2.4GHz bands for home & another set for Guest usage.
- Very fast internet speeds.
- Can work as a homegroup when a USB or eSATA HDD is connected.
- Easy to set up.
- Open Source Friendly (DD-WRT, etc). can have two firmwares installed at the same time (one active at a time) with its two separate partitions.
- 4 powerful antennas which can be removed and replaced if necessary.
- Handles multiple devices & 4K streaming without a problem at all. Great ping in games!
- Future-proof with 1Gbps speeds & bandwidth handling across antennas.
- Guest Networks & WPS (very unsecure) can be disabled.
- Can be used with OpenVPN!
Cons (kinda milking it here just to be fair. The router truly is great):
- No menu for monitoring bandwidth usage or other fun statistics.
- No easy way to block websites for all devices. Only each device individually.
- Mobile app really lacks features & web interface does not allow usage in mobile browsers.
- FTP feature seems not to allow individual FTP accounts to specified folders.
- Almost no updates from Linksys in years.
- Interface is difficult with assigning dedicated DHCP IPs to devices. Very picky with validating the IP, even when the specified IP would work perfectly.
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Desert KnuckleHead
5.0 out of 5 stars Versatile, programmable - it just works well
Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2018
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
I bought this router because of its feature set, most important being that I could easily modify the firmware to include a Virtual Private Network (VPN). The router easily manages traffic from several computers in our home, some 24/7 server types, and heavy use desktops (I'm retired, but a computer nerd, and my wife is frequently streaming)... The VPN shows us popping up 1200 miles away, and having an encrypted path from the router to the VPN server makes me feel comfortable... The router just handles everything without a complaint, and the web-interface is easy to navigate
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Ricardo MB
5.0 out of 5 stars An upgrade from my ASUS router
Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2021
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1800 ft, 15+ Devices, 2.6 GbpsVerified Purchase
Initially, I was going to purchase another ASUS router to replace my aging RT-N66R, about 8 years old. Reading reviews, every router "recommended" in reviews by various publications, I found people complaining that they didn't work well or had problems. So, which reviews do you trust? I had been using Linksys routers prior to purchasing the ASUS, and was very happy with it. I decided not to go with TP-Link as it's source is from China. ASUS is sourced from Taiwan. As electronics from these countries have been questionable, I decided to go back to Linksys. This unit is made in Vietnam.
So far, the unit is working perfectly. Setup was simple and took about 3 minutes. I am able to control the router with an app on my phone. I am no longer experiencing the drops I encountered with my ASUS router. The manual states coverage about 1800 Sq. ft., but it seems to be strong no matter where I am around our property. So far very satisfied.
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Deanna L. Mikiska
5.0 out of 5 stars Great for ExpressVPN Router if that's what you are looking for
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2021
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
I didn't really know how to rate some of these items above as I installed the ExpressVPN router firmware on this router, so YMMV there. That said, I got the mid range Asus Router first (R6700) which they say is lower end. That was true on my case. I finally bit the bullet and bought this one and it's WAY better. I have a very connected house so your environment may be different, but I thought I'd put the specifics below as I did tons of research and no one really shared what I needed.
Four family memebers with laptops / smartphones.
Multiple connected devices (TV, xboxes, PS4s)...
All in all not all on at the same time but the router says I have about 30 connections registered (wow, sad really).
I pay for 100 Mbs from my fiber provider and get roughly that when I use a standard router.
With the 6700 - 50ms ping, under 10Mbs download, under 3Mbs upload. Working from home wasn't possible with Skype / Webex / Zoom. Had to have it call my mobile.
With this router - 8ms ping, approximately 80Mbs download, approximately 75 Mbs upload. Working from home is fine.
I'm using the firmware from their site, not tweaking. So, if you're thinking about it and you're in my situation, you need to get the better router.
One note, Amazon Prime streaming won't work behind a VPN. You can set it to bypass a device by using a device specific setting and just toggle it when you need. I leave it always off for my Plex server so I can use it outside the house, but there's nothing on that and it's still behind the router.
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InQuest2C
5.0 out of 5 stars FINALLY--found a feature filled router that actually works great out of the box!
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2021
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1800 ft, 15+ Devices, 2.6 GbpsVerified Purchase
I have tried multiple wifi routers from every manufacturer I could find and have FINALLY found one that combines great features, rock-solid performance, and ease-of-setup! Furthermore, I did NOT have to download and (temporarily) install an app on my phone just to get it set up -- working great and I could not be happier! This is absolutely the BEST! So many of the others had to be returned because (1) did not run at advertised speeds (2) was very unreliable -- lots of dropped signals (although re-connect was often automatic) and (3) just did not last. I hope this one lasts but at least it performs perfectly so far!
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MrEasy
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent WiFi Bandwidth for Streaming TV * Update for FireStick *
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2021
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1800 ft, 15+ Devices, 2.6 GbpsVerified Purchase
OK, this router is just what the Dr. ordered, reasonably priced and enough controls so that you don't have to be an Einstein to take advantage of the enhanced speed.
First off, PAY ATTENTION to the labels on the bottom of the router (I took photos for reference). Also in the Quick Start guide there is reference to WiFi Name & WiFi Password. This is where you will/might get confused !
You MUST use your cell phone by going to the LinkSys web to start the procedure.... Save some effort here DOWNLOAD to your cell phone the LinkSys App (Apple Store/Google Play).
Launch the app and enter BOTH the WiFi Name & WiFi Password. Once completed you can complete the process through your computer's browser by going to the address/url at 192.168.1.1 or continue using the mobile app.
These few 1st steps if NOT followed will have you pulling your hair out trying to get the router configured.
Do yourself a favor, if you have an existing router that is working then take a moment and do a screen capture of each of your current settings THEN install your new router. Make sure your CHANGE the NAME of your router and suggest changing to a more robust password. I suggest you do the same once the new router is configured too.
Once the router is up and functional you should run a speed test the see the improved performance.
Hope this helps ?!
SEE ATTACHED
After experimenting (I have three (3) Fire Sticks), I have found the best 2.4 & 5 GHz setting for my home environment. Note that 2.4 GHZ is best for homes with the router's signal passing through multiple walls, not my situation. Wherever possible 5 GHz would be preferred and indeed provide excellent coverage for my home (as shown in the attached screen capture).
FACT: With each release of the latest Fire Stick performance increases. I have the latest version and two earlier versions. So your result may vary. Experiment by using a WiFI Analyzer App on your cell phone to view performance (in each frequency) after each setting change.
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Alexandros Sylaidis
5.0 out of 5 stars finally a router that just works
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2020
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1500 ft, 15+ Devices, 1.9 GbpsVerified Purchase
I initially had purchased NETGEAR Nighthawk Smart WiFi Router (R6900P) - AC1900. I got to admit the misleading/fake number of amazon reviews and star average rating - paired with its cool spaceship like design made me opt for Netgear's product first.... But, after spending multiple unfruitful hours with tech support because or poor quality issues and frequent disconnects I decided to return it and purchased Linksys Dual-Band WiFi Router for Home (Max-Stream AC1900 MU-Mimo Fast Wireless Router).
Speed test are perfect as I'm able to utilize my full 300/300Mps bandwidth at full speed OVER WIFI - no need for ethernet cables to reach that full speed ( i have Verizon Fios). With Netgears Nighthawk i had to plug in the ethernet cable to reach those speeds as something in that lousy devise was limiting the bandwidth over wifi.
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Shevi
VINE VOICE
5.0 out of 5 stars Express VPN recommends this unit, and I'm glad they do
Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2019
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
We recently got Express VPN to deal with an issue we've been having, and it's been great. So great, we decided we needed it on our router, so we could share it with the entire house. This is the router Express VPN recommended.
Seriously, you have no idea you're living in the dark ages until someone switches on the light.
First off, we didn't used to get much of a signal in half the house. We now get a strong signal throughout the house. And it's fast, way faster than our old router. Putting Express VPN on it was easy too. My husband tried to do that with our old router, and it was just an exercise in futility. With this router, he was done and our Wi-Fi was zooming in half an hour.
Yes, it costs more, but so does your time and having to deal with a slow weak signal.
I'm glad Express VPN recommended this. So far, so good!
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Russ
5.0 out of 5 stars Wifi in a world gone mad!
Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2020
Size: Wifi 5Style: 2000 ft, 20+ Devices, 2.2 GbpsVerified Purchase
My wife is a teacher and has been holding classes online since the world fell on it's a$$! Our older Linksys (2015/16) router had seen its last glitching freeze frame. "Gone are the days of $50 routers my job site IT tech told me after approving of this model. It took a painless few minutes to install and set up network via the app. Soon after we were basking in the loving glow of wifi streaming and video conferencing! Thank you
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Starr E. Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars This solved all of my issues!
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2021
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1800 ft, 15+ Devices, 2.6 GbpsVerified Purchase
I had no idea that all of my internet problems were the cause of my old, antiquated router! Netflix and Hulu would just stop working randomly and I'd have to restart them. Buy a good router, people! That, along with higher internet speed, makes ALL the difference!
5.0 out of 5 stars Replaced the Verizon Fios G1100 with this...
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2019
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1500 ft, 10+ Devices, 1.7 GbpsVerified Purchase
I decided on this router to replace my Verizon Fios "Quantum Gateway" router, model G1100, which I was paying $12/month for. I am an engineer by trade but I am by no means a networking expert, in fact this is one technical field that I don't have a lot of experience or knowledge about. Despite that fact I was EASILY able to replace my Fios router with this one, literally within minutes. No problems to speak of. Once you disconnect the Fios router (there are instructions for doing this on the Fios website) this router will automatically connect to the service and activate within a couple of minutes. It is that simple. In addition, the Linksys website and app are both useful and very easy to use.
The main reason why I decided to get this, aside from saving myself from the monthly payments, is because I was having connectivity issues in my home. I discovered that there were several reasons for this. But in terms of a direct comparison to the Fios unit, I can tell you for certain that this router is slightly better in terms of overall range. After I switched the Fios unit with this (in the exact same location) my televisions and other devices in my home were receiving a slightly stronger signal and also stayed connected in circumstances when they used to disconnect. I also ended up moving the router location in my home and added a Linksys ethernet switch to further improve the network in my home for streaming, but that really has nothing to do with this review.
Overall I am happy with this purchase. This router has improved the overall stability and range of the wifi network in my home and has reduced my Verizon monthly payment amount, which means it will pay for itself in about a year. Any investment that pays for itself that quickly is probably worth it.
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E. Hildebrand
5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Router -- Mindless Installation
Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2020
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1500 ft, 15+ Devices, 1.9 GbpsVerified Purchase
I installed the EA7500-4B (Linksys) router behind an Xfinity/Comcast modem, and hooked a SE2800 (Linksys) 8-port Ethernet switch into port 1 of the router. When I went to the Linksys web site, it automatically recognized and mapped to 18 devices, some using Wi-Fi and some using the Cat 6 LAN. The devices include a Samsung Smart TV, a Denon receiver, three Amazon FireTV Sticks, 3 iPhones, 3 iPad Air 2, two Apple, Inc. watches, two HP printers, a Chrome pad, and a Wi-Fi extender. All devices have been running flawlessly for two days.
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Robert Karp
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2021
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1800 ft, 15+ Devices, 2.6 GbpsVerified Purchase
I bought this to replace my older Linksys EA3500 router. I was paying for 400 Mbps internet service but realizing only 140-160 Mbps. Working with my provider we determined the router to be the bottleneck. After installing the EA8100 our download speed is consistently 450-460 Mbps or better. My wife works from home via WiFi and reports that her Zoom meetings are very much notably faster and with zero lag or drop-outs. Personally I do not use WiFi much but when I do I can say that I notice the difference even with a very old iPad (4th generation).
Installing the router was very easy but did take some time which is not a bad thing because the time was spent with the router downloading and installing a firmware update. The Linksys Smart WiFi application is very handy and convenient and easy to use. Also, by ensuring all of our wired devices were connected to the same Ethernet ports on the new router vs. the old router (by port number) AND ensuring we were using the same WiFi network name and password all of our devices behaved as if nothing at all had happened. Really a very positive experience all around.
My only beef is with Amazon. I would have purchased the EA8300 router if I knew it existed but it didn't (and as of this writing still doesn't) appear when I browsed for this router. But if I go directly to Linksys.com I can see it. A minor annoyance only and nothing to do with Linksys or this router.
I would highly recommend this router.
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Geek On The Hill
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Few Routers Specifically Designed to Flash
Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2021
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
I actually bought this router as a spare. I have an identical one in service and like it enough that I wanted a spare. I figure they won't be around forever, and this is one of the few routers that's specifically designed to flash your own custom firmware onto.
Don't get me wrong: It does come with Linksys firmware installed. But it's rudimentary. I guess they figured it was silly to spend a lot of time writing firmware that most people were going to wipe anyway. But it works great with OpenWRT, which is my preferred router firmware.
What's especially excellent about this router is its data transfer rate when used as a NAS controller for attached external drives. I've gotten as high as 150MB/s on sustained transfers, which is incredibly fast for USB 3, and faster than the average consumer or SOHO NAS in JBOD mode.
Another nice thing is that when using OpenWRT, you can plug a hub into the USB 3 port and use multiple external drives. You'll probably have to partition and format them in the terminal via SSH to do it -- I don't think the option to format a drive attached to a hub is available in LuCI -- but it only takes a minute or two to do it in the shell.
There's no WiFi 6, of course, because of the model's age. If that's a must-have for you, then don't buy this router.
In a nutshell, this drive is a great choice if you want to install custom firmware, or if you want blazing fast data transfer. It's certainly the best mass-market router I've ever used with OpenWRT.
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MAT_Blue
5.0 out of 5 stars Works great for us
Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2021
Size: Wifi 5Style: 2000 ft, 20+ Devices, 2.2 GbpsVerified Purchase
I don't get all the negative reviews for this router. For the price, it's a great router. We've had one for almost 2 years with no issues. We have 30 devices connected to it (6 ethernet, 24 wifi) and they are all rock-solid. We have a 2800 sq. ft. house, mostly on 1 floor (only one room on the 2nd floor) and the wifi has no problem connecting throughout the house. We have one TV connected via wifi (AC, 5 GHz) and one via ethernet. Both stream 4K video with no problem. Our video doorbell, wifi thermostat and security camera stay connected for months while we're away. The user interface is no better or worse than any other router I've ever had. It's straightforward to access all the settings I need. Maybe if you're doing something more complicated than a single LAN or with a lot more devices, you might need one of the $300 routers but this one is fine for most users. It only goes up to the AC standard but we don't have any AX devices and I don't really see the need for any at this time. I will note that we have it on a UPS so it doesn't loose power when the rest of the house does, so I can't really comment on what happens if the power goes out. If you're worried about that, get a cheap, 350VA UPS, which will keep the router going for quite a while.
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Adrian R.
5.0 out of 5 stars Awsome router!
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2020
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
This thing is a tank! And looks beautiful on top of that! I'm on a gigabyte connection in a 2500 square foot house. We connect at times 3 active devices plus a slew of other ones which aren't being used all the time (media player, phones, etc), but mostly computers or tablets and much of the day at least 2-3 devices are actively and at the same time involved in video conferencing. No issues at all. Wired I'm very close to the gigabyte speeds. Wireless I get about half of that which is about normal. Maybe a bit faster if I have my MacBook Pro sitting right next to the router. But what I'm trying to say is that the router doesn't choke even when several devices stream or videocoverence at the same time. I left everything default and it suits my needs.
What this router really shines at is if you want to forgo the factory firmware and install the opensource DD-WRT. You can do that with ease. You can also, without any difficulty switch back to factory firmware. I tested and works flawlessly. I initially wanted to install and stick with DD-WRT but I found (after a bitched about it for a while) the "cloud" access and control of this router using the factory firmware very useful, especially for parental control and limiting the use of devices on the network (kids using their tables non stop, for example). The phone app using the cloud account is really neat and convenience and especially the impossibility of trying to teach my wife DD-WRT's interface in a weekend, was what ultimately made me stick with the factory stuff. But you have options and that is why this router is great at!
Overall, a solid purchase. Stable and doing its job properly.
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Joel
5.0 out of 5 stars Just got it, easiest installation I've ever done
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2021
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1500 ft, 15+ Devices, 1.9 GbpsVerified Purchase
Set up took a few minutes. Took longer to go to each TV and ROKU to set the passwords. This is the easiest to set up of any router I've had. Interface seems made for non-nerds, in other words, for me. Signal is good. Speed is a bit better than the three year old unit it replaces.
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EBE
5.0 out of 5 stars WRT1900ACS still solid after multiple years of service
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2020
Size: Open SourceStyle: RouterVerified Purchase
Expedited purchase (relative to usual neurotic research) turned out to be the best value router I've owned. Originally paid more for the open platform design and extra memory, expecting to flash it to tomato, DD, or Open. After almost 2 years, still haven't found the need to.
Pros:
- Hardware is rock solid. Some folks have had problems, likely to a known batch of "equivalent" parts used briefly. Re latency and bandwidth, this router has never been the bottleneck - especially with device priority.
- The WebUI and app aren't bad. Remote from the WAN via the app is sub-optimal, but forgivable; there are other options. Admin settings and logs are intuitive. If you don't like the interface, load a new one.
- You can't brick it. There are 2 full firmware address ranges, and you can swap from the *power switch*!!! Like with the 54G, the open source community has your back.
Cons:
- It doesn't have the range of a mesh. Obviously.
- It's a little big, and only does a vertical mount with screws.
- It hates my cable modem (but I do too).
Overall - unless needing dozens of concurrent users with high bandwidth demands - this old-ish router provides high performance at a reasonable price. Family of 4 streaming video? Fine. Small office transferring large files? No problem. Gamer who doesn't want to pay extra for "X-treme" labels? Yes. Being a dork, I'm trying to justify a move to Ubiquiti or MikroTik for my home setup, but ... nope.
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S. Ritchie
5.0 out of 5 stars Best router ever made!
Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2018
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT54GLVerified Purchase
I have owned this Linksys router for many years. I listened to the news today and it was recommended that everyone reboot their routers to eliminate the possibility of a Russian hacking event. I rebooted and my router died. Fortunately, I had purchased a spare one and the extraordinary tech support gal named Jacque at Linksys Technical Support came to my rescue. Linksys has ALWAYS had the best tech support and Jacque was outstanding! She helped me install my spare new router and she configured it to work with everything, my PCs, laptop, tablets and smartphone.
I cannot say enough great things about this particular router model and Jacque. I just purchased another one as a spare. Jacque told me this is one of Linksys' most reliable and highly rated routers and I truly agree. I recommend it.
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PJ
5.0 out of 5 stars Workhorse
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2021
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
If you use Express VPN, this is the router to use, even if it is not your main router. The firmware is replaced with Express VPN firmware and easily controlled and managed by the Express VPN router application. All of your wired and wireless devices can be protected or choose ones you don't want to run through VPN. I have found the range to be somewhat limited, when passing through walls. Don't expect whole-house coverage, especially with two stories. I use two of these routers with one bridged and connected via ethernet. It is a much better solution than buying a repeater.
5.0 out of 5 stars I flashed this beast with Express VPN's firmware. The rest is history
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2021
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
I flashed this beast with Express VPN's firmware. Now every device in my house can link through this router with fully encapsulated VPN encryption. I stream my WYZE cams. My fire stick 4k. My Ring flood light. You name it. I stream it through this VPN powerhouse. Our phones. Everything. Remote streaming from work 28 miles a way is flawless. That includes two way talk and all the goodies. Its a gigabit monster.
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Matt Eye
VINE VOICE
5.0 out of 5 stars Setup a bit involved, works fine once complete
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2021
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1000 ft, 10+ Devices, 1.2 GbpsVerified Purchase
This brand of router is a leader in the industry, and this product does well for the money. Even though I rate this five stars, it is not just a simple plug in to the wall, connect the cables, and enter a password via the computer. You have to enter the password given in the instruction manual (is also on one of the stickers under the router), which involves going to a website using a certain yet known IP address, and following the instructions. You can change the password to something else near the end of setup. It may take a minute or so for the connection verification to complete. Yes, the instructions are straightforward, simple as need be. This does give extra control with settings to your liking, and added security. A common inconvenience is the plug design, where the prongs in a direction where it covers up an adjacent socket on a surge protector, unlike a standard straight plug end (this is probably due to the DC design standards). Just something to consider before buying.
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George Baldwin
5.0 out of 5 stars but super easy to set up
Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2017
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
As a 70 year old, I am far from a Techie; so when our 10 year old Linksys router started acting up, I was looking for something state-of-the art, but super easy to set up. After reading lots of reviews, I decided to go with the tried and true and stick with Linksys. When the router arrived, I watched a couple of tutorials, plugged it in, connected with the Linksys setup website and Voila! was up and running well within 10 minutes. Because I used the exact name and password for my new Network as my previous one, all my devices immediately recognized the new router, so no glitches at the device contact points. I immediately notice faster Internet page transfers, and no more lags in video streaming. We are even going to get a smart TV for movie streaming! Thanks Linksys for a fabulous product that's super easy to set up!
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Force10JohnCTop Contributor: Camping
VINE VOICE
5.0 out of 5 stars Installation and setup was pretty simple and I'm not computer tech
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2017
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1500 ft, 10+ Devices, 1.7 GbpsVerified Purchase
It was definitely time to replace my old router. I've had this one a week and so far it seems to be a big improvement over my previous 10+ year old Linksys. Installation and setup was pretty simple and I'm not a computer tech. I estimate it took about 15 minutes including thoroughly reading the instructions but you can honestly do it without reading anything if you just go to the website. It will walk you through everything.
It solved my disconnect issues. I have 17 devices in my house that can connect to the internet and it isn't too uncommon for 8 of them to be connected at once with up to 5 of those streaming a movie or video game. The old router just couldn't handle that and it would force disconnects at times. So far this one has handled that volume with no problems.
The 5 GHz connection seems to have helped streaming as well. I haven't had any lags in video streaming like I did before.
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Patrick
5.0 out of 5 stars Great as a bridge device
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2019
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
I have two Linksys WiFi routers now, an older one and this one. I was specifically looking for a WRT compatible router so I can remove my firewall computer (someday, when I get around to it). I replaced a much older and slower Belkin with an AC1200+ and set this one up as my main WiFi. I do have it in bridge mode so I can't speak to how well it handles DHCP, but having the same brand across all my access points has allowed me to change all four SSIDs (2 APs x 2 bands) to the same one and it works seamlessly. My older Belkin was just ready to retire.
The only thing that ever bothers me about setting up APs is reconfiguring the network address (I don't use the default) and I usually have to plug directly into these using a network cable to make the initial changes and configuration before placing it on the network. If I ever get tired of manually configuring these devices I will try out the software that allows for a guest network, but I never even try configuring that part and just switch it over to bridge mode.
I do like that this will mount to the wall out of the way if you need it and that it has a physical power switch.
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AreGee
5.0 out of 5 stars Serves NordVPN to our entire network
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2018
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT54GLVerified Purchase
You can flash this router with DD-WRT and configure NordVPN to secure your entire network with OpenVPN. Versitile, reliable and simple alteration of the router's internal code to provide a very economical alternative to expensive 'flash routers' that are taking the market by storm at hundreds of dollars eash. It really isn't hard to upgrade this router to modern network standards using open source programming. This must be one reason that Linksys keeps making this particular router more than a decade after it was originally introduced. For under $100 you can stack three of these for a bullet-proof tiered home or office wireless system with access for users of all levels of security. Thank you Linksys for continuing the WRT-54GL!
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jimlhardin
5.0 out of 5 stars Easy Set-Up and Does What is Advertised
Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2020
Size: Wifi 5Style: 2000 ft, 20+ Devices, 2.2 GbpsVerified Purchase
Quality design and build. Does not run hot. Looks like something out of a sci-fi show with the design and the four movable antennae. Simplest set-up I have ever completed for a router. Took it out of the box, read the quick startup card. Logged onto the Linksys site as directed. Then plugged in the router to the outlet and the modem. Logged into the site as directed and set up the network and the router's password. Also, I set up another account that lets me access the home network remotely.
I noticed how easily understandable and clear the directions for everything are. The router having a separate password and settings allowing for automatic updates is helpful. Can set up parental controls and can also set up all three bands separately with each having its own log-ins. The guest network is also nice.
I was impressed by the strength of the signal in a 3700 square feet, two-story house with a full basement. It was five bars to the first floor from the router location on the second floor at the south end of the house, four bars to the deck and yard outside, and three bars to the basement Previously, the speed of the old router was 3 bars to the first floor and 1-2 in the basement and 2 outside on the deck. Also, ran some tests for performance (I am not an IT guy) but the results surpassed my old router.
Also, just for our own purposes, we tried to overload the system, so we had three computers, three cell phones (playing music on two and one messaging), and two TVs (one streaming Netflix and the other Hulu). There was no drop off of any device and no buffering delays. I assume this is due to the router being able to manage the devices and the individual data needs, but all I know is it worked. I was worried about needing an extender, but at this point am satisfied with the results.
I gave this five stars based upon the quality of the router build, the ease of and flexibility of set-up, the features, and the performance-based upon less than a day of usage. I will provide an additional review down the road and if everything is still working flawlessly (or nearly so), will be happy to re-affirm the 5 stars then.
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Frank
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Performance
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2020
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
I have dealt with many routers for different purposes, including some of the best brands such as NetGear Nighthawks. I did a lot of research before settling on this router, purposely for use in my living room. Everything is working fine so far and I can say the speeds are insane. One great thing is you can install custom firmware for better customization - from ExpressVPN router firmware, DD-WRT, Open-WRT, Tomato..name them. I have had other routers that would require regular restarts/rebooting to maintain constant speeds, but for this one, I haven't seen that need. So far so good.
Update: 3 months after purchasing this router, my friend finally asked me to order one for him as well. He had troubles with another router whose brand and make I will not mention, and once he saw how easily I enjoyed using this router, he came aboard. As I write this update, it is his 3rd day using it and he is excited. Once again, a great product.
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Memphis
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommend This Router!
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2022
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
I purchased the Linksys WRT3200ACM: AC3200 -open source- for my home network. I made/ provisioned this router as a VPN router with the rest of my home network behind it. I have had no connectivity issues with it. It is operating perfectly. I have this router on a metal shelf with lots of space around it to make sure it can cool itself. The router is fast. I have had no hick ups in my network. The WiFi works great. No connectivity issues at all. I am very happy with purchase/ Router and I would recommend it to anyone who needs a fast open source router. Linksys builds quality devices. I have always had good luck with them. As always, your experience may differ from mine, but I wanted to share my experience with this router. I think its a good, solid, dependable router.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Finally a good Router - EA8300
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2018
Size: Wifi 5Style: 2000 ft, 20+ Devices, 2.2 GbpsVerified Purchase
This is a review for the EA8300. I read so many reviews on so many routers. I tried a tp-link a2300 - I really liked it but under heavy load it would over heat and transmit speeds would plummet. I tried a netgear r7800 - also very nice but lag time was soo anoying, I tried a linksys ea9300 - all radios failed completely after 1 hour of use. I was about to give up and go back to my tried and true netgear r6300v2 ( one of the best routers I have owned if you update the firmware). Then I tried the linksys EA8300 - WOW what a fantastic router - it puts all the others to shame - really really like this one - if you want speed and reliable connections this is the one.
5.0 out of 5 stars Works great for OpenWRT!
Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2021
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
I can't say how the default firmware would perform since I immediately installed OpenWRT on it when I received it. However, it has been working great for the most part with OpenWRT. The furthest point from the router in my house is probably about 40ft away, through 4-6 barriers (floor and walls) at an angle. The signal strength is fair (about 50%, seems like) at that distance, but definitely still usable. Other devices might contribute to that. I've got about 30 devices connected to it.
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Dan Schorr
5.0 out of 5 stars Good so far
Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2020
Size: Wifi 5Style: 2000 ft, 20+ Devices, 2.2 GbpsVerified Purchase
I like Linksys so with WIFI problems my isp told me to disconnect the router from internet and plug directly to computer. My speed went up and I am sending setek range extender back as it did nothing but cause me headaches. I had an old Linksys e1500 and I have no idea how old it is but older than 8 years. I was a little concerned as people said you had to set it up with new phone app. It comes with instructions of what web key and ssid to put in and it will let you set up on computer. Love the setting that shows what is connected to router. Even DVR and PS4. My speeds are back. Took wire cat5 cable off laptop because I had it running across the floor we walk on and speeds are just fine. I pay for 6 speed but only get 5.6. But it is plenty fast enough for me. The phone app is great. So since I know a few things it only took about 15min total. I worked on copiers for 35 years and all are hooked up to a router now. Most problems were with other brands than Linksys. I have always used Linksys even when they were named Cisco I think. 30+ years. If I have problems I will update this. But so far it cured my slow speed problem. I was getting 2-3 and it would fluctuate. I am a big Linksys fan!
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Hawk
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Router!
Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2019
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
If you can go the extra mile and purchase the Linksys WRT3200ACM your network will zoom. I also love there design compared to other Linksys models. Many claim the DD-WRT firmware can boost the performance and give the operator more control over the unit. I'm fine with the Linksys firmware in all my installations past and present, more than adequate for general operations. If your a power user than DD-WRT might be for you but be aware it might affect your warranty. DD-WRT is not a good idea for novice users. Be careful using the media prioritization as it can limit overall data throughput if improperly configured. Your total download speed will be severely limited if not configured properly. Also be aware that it is wise to use MAC addresses to prevent unauthorized wireless access to your router. Users in general are not aware, or if they are, tend to side step this security feature because it can be extra work to maintain but once the MAC address is entered you can forget about it (other than backing up your configuration just in case). By inserting the MAC addresses for each wireless device that connects to your router(s) you will greatly increase the wireless security to your router preventing unwanted intrusions. If the MAC address for a wireless device is not listed in your router (make sure to configure it as an "Allow List") then it is not going to connect to your router, PERIOD! MAC addresses are like a finger print, unique to each wireless device. The password to connect wireless devices is the first deterrent (but only a simple protection) whereas using MAC addresses is nearly absolute. The communication protocol (such as WPA2 Personal) is the third protection from tampering with your network. This primarily protects the communication between the router and a wireless device from "eavesdropping". Similar to hooking a listening device to a phone line and hearing the conversation. The communication protocols basically encrypt the communication so if someone is listening they cannot "hear" what is being discussed (it would sound garbled). In this case the data transmitted is encrypted. It is NOT foolproof but it does make it more difficult to hack. Be sure to disable WPS (Wi-Fi protected setup) if your gifted enough to work around it as this makes hacking your router much easier. Most routers when setup use a strong communications protocol and password protection so the only one left is the use of MAC addresses. If you use extenders with your router they also have similar security features which need to be enabled to effectively "lock up" your network. The extender will typically have a MAC address on the units label but don't make the mistake of using the wrong one and wondering why it doesn't connect. Each channel of the extender (the 2.4 GHz/5.0Ghz channels) will each have a MAC address (typically found in the firmware) that must be entered into the primary router to again achieve maximum security. The WRT3200ACM is a highly recommended piece of gear!
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Marcos Josue Ortega Morales
5.0 out of 5 stars Working as mini-server with OpenWRT
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2021
Size: Open SourceStyle: RouterVerified Purchase
This router + OpenWRT + SSD on the eSata port is like having a linux mini-server.
Two+ years providing wired-network, 5Ghz-2.4Ghz wifi, TimeMachine (for my Mac), Shared Storage (APF, SMB), and IPCameras DVR server (custom) at home, all in the same device.
Just one warning: openwrt-18.06.1 is the last version with stable 5GHz wifi drivers; recent will drop your 5Ghz wifi regularly.
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Stephen L. Mitchell
5.0 out of 5 stars Linksys AC1750...a superior router
Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2018
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1500 ft, 10+ Devices, 1.7 GbpsVerified Purchase
Here is a bargain on a superior product. I used to have a Linksys router and it lasted for years but I needed an upgrade as the need for more speed and new standards. At the time I went with a router from a competitor. It burned out on my after 9 months. I came across these most recent Linksys models and read the descriptions and reviews and did some comparisons. I needed a router to cover a multi floor 2000 foot house plus a garage and some coverage outdoors. The AC1750 fit the bill. It was perfect for my needs. There are some higher end models that Linksys offers that are a bit faster and offer more coverage. Those were overkill for me. The first thing I noticed as the incredibly easy installation. All of my wifi devices connected immediately after I set up the login. The web based dashboard presents all manner of tweaks and adjustments whether you are a geeky technical brain or an average user. I'm getting at least 1.2 Gbps of speed. I have 10 wifi devices accessing my network and one ethernet connection. 11 devices...no delays, no drop outs. Streaming is flawless. I had streaming problems with my last router. There is a USB 3.0 port which I use for a 64 Gig flash drive for sharing various files. It shows up as another drive so there are no extra steps involved. I don't see where you could go wrong with this router. I hope anyone looking for a great router can get some use out of this review.
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PR
5.0 out of 5 stars Reliable, simple, easy to set up
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2021
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT54GLVerified Purchase
I've used several of these WRT-54GL routers in home and remote ham radio projects. They've always delivered day-in and day-out service. Not as fast or as versatile as the newer generation of routers, but in our rural location, where only 10-15 MBPS speeds are available, this product more than meets our needs. And having experienced failures of two high-dollar routers after only 1 1/2 to 2 years of service each, I was ready to go back to this tried and true piece of hardware. Why have some of the other reviewers complained about thermal or setup problems? I have no idea.
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Mark Wilson Composer
5.0 out of 5 stars Works well - Helpful visual device map - Configuration requires internet - slightly annoying.
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2021
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
Seems to work well enough so far. Definitely good for a home setup - the interface is a bit strange - has a cool visual map of connected devices,but requires you to be connected to the internet to use it. Unless I am missing something - so far it seems you cannot connect directly to the router without internet to set it up. However I have read I can flash the firmware and install open source firmware such as tomato so not really worried about it. I used it for a streaming event in a large hotel and it had a bit of difficulty reaching from the center of the main ballroom across the hallway into the smaller room. I used the 2.4 band as that is the best for getting through walls etc. but I did not do any checking for conflicting channels or anything else that could affect performance - it worked - but just barely - but prob no fault of the device itself. So far I do recommend this device but more testing is required.
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RdoDoc
5.0 out of 5 stars Great router!
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2018
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1500 ft, 10+ Devices, 1.7 GbpsVerified Purchase
Bought this the last day of 2017 and got delivery yesterday. It was to replace my 7 year old N300 router.
No manual in the box, just a quick set up sheet of paper which I found rather confusing. Saw some videos on YouTube but still had issues configuring it.
Called the 800 support line and spoke to someone in broken English who asked for the serial number of the unit and explained it was out of the one year warranty with free support. I explained I just got this thing in the mail today and purchased it "new" (I thought) just 3 days earlier. She said okay, they would start the one year warranty effective today then. She talked me through set up which didn't take too long, and I got connected.
I saw speed increases of up to 58 MBS on 2.4 GHz where I used to see just 24 MBS, on 5 GHz I am seeing 115 MBS on my Android devices which apparently has dual band wifi modems.
To sum it up, nice device, decent price , setup challenging for newbies. Tech support could be better.
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ChemProf
5.0 out of 5 stars So far, everything is good
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2019
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
So far, everything is fine regarding this wireless router... purchased as a step-down replacement for a Linksys 9500 ACM that crapped out after about 1.1 years of service (one of the wireless channels (2.4 GHZ) just stopped working)
I decided to go with this model, ostensibly because of the open-source firmware and because one can integrate a VPN into this setup (Which for some unknown forsaken reason, one can not do with the 9500???)
Setup, just like most linksys products I have used, was seamless... the only "hiccup" being that it doesn't work right out of the box, you have to use the setup app and you have to initialize the connection... but that has been going on for a while with Linksys and I knew to expect that this time around.
Hopefully this one will last long past the warranty or at least until the technology gets so much better in the future that you almost have to upgrade.
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JIM A
5.0 out of 5 stars consistent latency is a requirement for things like online gaming
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2018
Size: Wifi 5Style: 2000 ft, 20+ Devices, 2.2 GbpsVerified Purchase
I am not a WiFi fan as a solution for connecting desktops since solid, consistent latency is a requirement for things like online gaming. Because of that, I have always run cable back to the router. We recently moved to a new house with a split design, the router on one end of the house, and my computer on the other end. A straight line from router to computer is probably something like 50', passing through several walls in between. WAF (wife annoyance factor) of running a cable is too high, so I am currently on the 2.4Ghz band (5Ghz is too weak at that distance). I initially ordered a Netgear EX8000 with the router, hoping to ensure consistent latency. After a week of decent connections, I started getting constant disconnections. After removing the EX8000, I found my connection strength was pretty much just as strong and far more stable without the mesh extender. That's how I am currently running the router 99% of the time, with the occasional cable run if I want to play more competitive games. Signal strength is very good. I can stream video and browse without any noticeable problem while also streaming to our TV (between the router and my computer), so in addition to the signal strength, the automatic network traffic management also seems to work well. I have not run any technical tests, but as far as usability, this is a very nice router!
Like: for general use, the signal strength and traffic management for a household with several bandwidth-hogging devices seems good
Dislike: WiFi just isn't made for gaming, but that said, this connection is still the most stable and consistent I've experienced
One person found this helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Refurbed Linksys Max-Stream AC1750 was just like new but at 40% of new price
Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2019
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1500 ft, 10+ Devices, 1.7 GbpsVerified Purchase
I have been using Linksys for over 25 years and am generally happy with their products. They may not be the best in everything, but they are consistently reliable. To me that is more important than bells & whistles. Having said that, I was in the market to update my wireless router to handle movie streaming & other high bandwidth apps.
Everything were so expensive. Fancy ones were going for $300+. Way over my budget. I narrowed down what I felt I needed to the Linksys Max-Stream AC1750. This was listed at $130 and was on sale for about $105. Great price but still more than I wanted to spend. I stumbled across refurbed units at Amazon for about $43!!! Wow!!! I generally don't buy refurb units because of wear & tear, but for a router - once set up - there is no further handling of the unit (no wear & tear). So I took a chance.
I am so glad I did. The refurbed unit came in boxed nicely with all parts and was in GREAT condition. Okay - it might look good, but am I going to have (internal) problems with it?!?!? NOPE!!! The unit worked perfectly!!! I consistently get about 140+ megabits per sec in wireless download speed. I am about 40-50' from the router (other end of house). My old router was giving me about 60+ megabits and constant drop outs. I love this router and for $43 it cannot be beat!!!
The moral of this story is "Do not be afraid to buy refurb!"
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South Dakotan
5.0 out of 5 stars Works with Express VPN
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2019
Size: Open SourceStyle: RouterVerified Purchase
We switched to this because it is compatible with Express VPN service. Installation was pretty easy, but our wireless HP printer can’t connect to it. We solved that by connecting (via Ethernet cable)our old Almond router to our modem, then connecting this Linksys to the Almond. When we need to print something, we connect to the Almond router.
We suspect this is a compatibility issue with Express VPN and HP more than Linksys, so we’re not going to downgrade it for that reason.
Note to Express VPN users: If I had a complaint, it would be that we had to figure out this solution on our own, but that is an issue with Express VPN whose online tutorial wasn’t 100% up to date. For this and other reasons, we should have spent the extra money for a Linksys router that was already set up for Express VPN.
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Duckie
5.0 out of 5 stars The Little Router that Could
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2020
Size: Wifi 5Style: 2000 ft, 20+ Devices, 2.2 GbpsVerified Purchase
I switched to this router from other router, no more FTP, SSH and embedded LINUX cracks. Remote admin is still available, but logical solution on other router is standard. Admin here is for domain needy clients. Its WiFi 5 is friendly to home users with big homes. If your home is experiencing drop signals, available port forwarding let's you daisy chain a 2nd router. For big families, IPv6 SLAAC feature can assist overloaded residential gateway router. I tested 3T/3R USB NIC on it but still don't know if router is 2+1 pairing. Because the NIC cannot 2+1 pair on its own, so WiFi 6 may be a replacement for 3T/3R compatibility.
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Rueg
5.0 out of 5 stars Worried about the non-removable antennas - doesn't seem to be an issue.
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2017
Size: Wifi 5Style: 2000 ft, 20+ Devices, 2.2 GbpsVerified Purchase
This review is for the Linksys AC2200 EA8300 wireless router. I was worried about the antennas not being removable. In the past I used a directional antenna and am no longer able to use it with this router since the antennas cannot be unscrewed and replaced. As it turns out it doesn't really seem to matter - the range seems to be just as good as with my directional antenna. I have around a 2000 square foot ranch house and the wireless router has to be on one side of the house because that is where the bonded DSL line is. I do still have issues in the basement receiving a signal - had issues before this router too - so nothing changed. It may be slightly better, but still requiring a access point. But what I was really worried about was reaching two doors away to my parent's house. I have directional antennas over at their house. My mom's computer is connected directly to this router (directional antenna in a window) and there is also a router in wireless bridge mode (again, directional antenna in a window). I bought this router to replace different brand router that developed a need to be rebooted daily. Problem solved, don't have to reboot daily anymore. Which is the way it should be. Not sure what happened to the other one - why it developed that need as it worked fine for almost a year. Hopefully this one lasts longer than around a year. Another reason I selected this router was because it has auto updates for the firmware. I should no longer have to check for firmware updates which is really nice. I was concerned about the KRACK Wi-Fi security attack and my other routers did not have firmware updates to fix the issue. I am happy with this router.
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Cindy G
5.0 out of 5 stars Strong WiFi Signal!!
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2021
Size: Open SourceStyle: RouterVerified Purchase
Great WiFi signal in a big ol’ 2-story house with lots plastered walls. I get great reception in the furthest corners upstairs without anything additional. I was surprised because I had a net set up before and still didn’t get good reception. This thing easily covers >3000 sq ft. And it was so easy to set up. So easy I thought I’d missed a step. Didn’t need to call tech support. It’s been running strong fir a couple of months now and no issues.
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Agatha Coronado
5.0 out of 5 stars Consistently fast speeds over wide range
Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2020
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1500 ft, 10+ Devices, 1.7 GbpsVerified Purchase
Linksys has been my go-to brand for routers for many years. My recent experience with this one didn't disappoint.
Setting up the router was so easy, it practically did it on its own. After plugging it in and connecting it to my cable modem, its control page was readily accessible via Wi-Fi from my Linux laptops.
The setup was much simpler than in days gone by; most of its defaults were fine, so I had little to do besides setting its name and password.
As promised, it easily covers 1,500 square feet, and with super-fast speeds. Whether we have 4, 5, or 8 devices online, its performance is consistently good, even with heavy streaming on one or more devices.
I find this router to be an excellent product, especially considering its low price-point!
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C. Hayes
5.0 out of 5 stars Finally getting the speed I am paying for from FIOS
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2018
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1500 ft, 10+ Devices, 1.7 GbpsVerified Purchase
I bought this as a last ditch effort to improve the wifi from FIOS before switching to another provider. I figured I could use it in conjunction with a cable modem if I switch. My 4 year old FIOS router was dropping to as little as 1 Mbps at times and would never go higher than 35 Mbps at any time of the day on any devise even though I have 100/100 Mbps wired consistently. I hooked this into the current FIOS router and the setup took just a couple of minutes. Suddenly, I was getting between 92 Mbps to over 100 Mbps, especially when on the 5.0 frequency. Now all our devises are running as expected including multiple Fire TV sticks, phones, and computers. I am still using a TP Link Powerline Adapter for my sons Xbox as it is a wifi bandwidth hog. Once everything was switch over, I shut the wifi off on the FIOS router/modem combination. I have had it over a week now, and it is by far the best router I have ever had. I would highly recommend it to anyone.
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Genevieve L. Hannon
5.0 out of 5 stars WOW! Game Changer!
Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2018
Size: Wifi 5Style: 2000 ft, 20+ Devices, 2.2 GbpsVerified Purchase
WOW! Super easy set up on my own (and I am a novice) within 20 mins. Called my ISP here in town and gave them the ID and they connected their service to it! The software through the link provided is intuitive to use and and you can make your own settings like adding devices and choosing which bands you wish them to be on or mixed (we chose mixed 2.4 and 5.0gHz) and also set 3 of them as priorities, plus you can do speed tests right there. Speaking of speed tests...we live in a two story townhouse and the builders placed our router set up upstairs in our master bedroom closet for some reason, so when we were downstairs where we use our laps tops and smart tv streaming videos, we were getting super slow WiFi speeds and had to hard wire with ethernet everything to get streaming, downloading and uploading speeds we were paying for. Now, with this tri-band router, we are getting just under the 1GB speed we are paying for with WiFi! And the speeds for WiFi are the same as the speeds for ethernet connection! WOW!
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arayray94
5.0 out of 5 stars Initial review
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2019
Size: Wifi 5Style: 2000 ft, 20+ Devices, 2.2 GbpsVerified Purchase
Update: I have had connection issues after the first few days. Randomly the internet would not be useable at all. You could not even log into the router settings and run the speed test option. I tried getting help from Linksys but they were no help. I should not have to mess with the router so much right out of the box, especially for how much you pay for it. It is going back to Amazon.
After a bit of a hassle getting it setup at first (would not connect to internet after firmware update), this thing is great! My previous router could not handle the amount of devices on the network (firestick(s), smart plugs, alexa device, tablet, phones, computers etc.). The speed is crazy fast. I used to have to use a wifi extender for the second floor of our house and with this router that is not a problem anymore. Blazing fast wifi throughout the house. Youtube, Netflix and Hulu play and load so much better now.
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Nikolais L.
5.0 out of 5 stars Very fast. ExpressVPN loaded at the Router Level
Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2021
Size: Open SourceStyle: RouterVerified Purchase
We chose this router so we could install Express VPN directly to the router. Its proved to be excellent, without a hitch. Its still fast despite the VPN with movies etc. running smoothly. The install of the Express VPN software was straightforward.
4.0 out of 5 stars Fix for "Connected, no internet" - (hint: disable MU-MIMO)
Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2017
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1500 ft, 10+ Devices, 1.7 GbpsVerified Purchase
For the most part, this router works flawlessly. The biggest issue I had was with keeping my Samsung S7 Edge connected to the Internet. I would continually see the message "Connected, no internet" on my WiFi settings page of my phone. I would have to disable WiFi on my phone, then re-enable it, and this would work for a few minutes. I had other laptops, tablets, printers, Roku devicess, Nest thermostats, and phones that could stay connected without any trouble, by my S7 Edge was driving me crazy. I'm not sure who is at fault, but either Samsung or Linksys has messed something up in their implementation of MU-MIMO. I say that because the fix for "Connected, no internet" for me was to disable MU-MIMO on the router. After logging in to the router's web admin interface, manually change the URL from "home.html" to "advanced-wireless.html". Look on the available tabs for the option to disable MU-MIMO. I disabled MU-MIMO and now my Samsung S7 Edge stays connected perfectly.
I am giving this 4 stars because of the MU-MIMO issue and the fact that the advanced wireless page is not documented by Linksys anywhere that I could find. I saw another unrelated forum post somewhere and decided to give it a try on my router.
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Tom
4.0 out of 5 stars Overall very good but please be noticed of its mixed mode
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2017
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1500 ft, 10+ Devices, 1.7 GbpsVerified Purchase
I've been using it for over a month, so I think I can say something now just for everyone's information.
I bought this Linksys AC1750 to replace my dead old Netgear N300. I loved my Netgear N300, but it was way too old and maybe something broke inside, and it was not worth of any repair. Then I decided to buy Linksys AC1750 after reading many reviews and comparing with other brands and model, e.g. Netgear, TP-Link and etc.
The Linksys AC1750 WiFi router looks pretty decent, and my experience told me that it's signal is much better than my previous ones, even better than Netgear N300, because of its 3 external antennas. Make sure you pull them upright to receive the best signals.
It worked very well for a few days, then some devices (including but not limited to iPhone 6~7, old laptop, new Surface and etc.) started randomly dropping connections to it, or you just simply don't have connectivity to Internet. Logging to router local admin website shows that it does have connectivity to Internet, as well as some other devices do have access to Internet contents. The only you can do is: 1) wait a while, and it may automatically recover; 2) disconnect your device from router and reconnect, then most of times your device regains access to Internet.
But this is not acceptable. I tried both 2.4G and 5G, and they remained the same. I did some research online, and someone suggested to not use mixed mode, while choose some single mode for each band. I made this configuration on router, and right now it's perfectly beautifully working! I don't know why this could happen, but hopefully you are experiencing the same scenario and this can help.
Overall I like this Linksys AC1750 very much now!
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Patrick
4.0 out of 5 stars A few wifi connectivity issues but overall solid
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2018
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1500 ft, 10+ Devices, 1.7 GbpsVerified Purchase
I've had this about 18 months now and overall I've been very happy with the router. No issues streaming 4k to two tv's simultaneously and running multiple other devices from media server, NAS, laptops, ipads, and desktop all at once. The setup is pretty easy and signal strength is good through all of my property even out in my backyard.
Where I had issues is with our Android phones all of a sudden not wanting to stay connected to the wifi and with one of our smart tv's constantly dropping the connection. They would connect quickly and obtain an ip address and then within maybe 15 seconds disconnect and have a message stating "Wifi connection error" and then not reconnect. I tried everything to fix this from resetting the network cache on each phone to doing a factory reset on the router and manually reconfiguring everything and nothing worked.
HERE IS WHAT FIXED IT FOR ME:
On curiousity (because phones were connecting to other wifi no problem) and out of any other ideas I decided to separate the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands into 2 different SSID's with different passwords since prior they've always shared the same SSID & password. I then logged the phones and tv in again and now have zero connectivity issues. I don't know why or how this made a difference but it has solved the problem so I am happy. All tv's, phones, and everything else connects with outstanding speed. I can't quite get gigabit wireless out of it but I was hovering around 750mbps on my laptop which is good enough for me. It makes for excellent usability of the media server on the network, playing videos from mobile devices on tv's, and greatly exceeds anything my isp is capable of coming in.
Overall since I've been able to resolve hiccups on my own I say its a solid 4 stars. I was hoping to get 3-5 years out of this when I bought it so if it gets me that I am happy.
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Ozark Chris
4.0 out of 5 stars In response to op "Horrible Firmware - Don't buy!"
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2020
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
I really have to disagree with the OP stating horrible firmware. Although (s)he lays out very specific issues that were found, I really have to wonder if (s)he is as knowledgeable as is being conveyed in the post or if the problem is with the the actual router. It may also be that the OP is using the open source software to control everything - I currently do NOT have the need for the open source programs.
Like the OP, I too have had this router for about 2 1/2 - 3 years and have NOT had any of the issues that the OP states. I am using an smb drive that has been formatted ntfs (the router ONLY recognizes NTFS, FAT AND HPS+ - NOT ExFAT - this IS documented in the manual). As far as security, the OP is in error that ONLY Admin has rw privileges. When you set up the share, you set up the user name, password and access (r or rw[d]). You can share the entire drive or individual folders - not sure how many folders, but a logical guess would be 256.
I've had at least 4 firmware updates since I purchased this unit so unless the op flashed the firmware with an open source version I really can't understand why his router isn't updating.
Finally, I believe the op mentioned that the unit was incapable if keeping assigned names, non-browser items e.g., printers, scanners etc and constantly looking at internal ip's. I have numerous "named" items that have a dedicated IP address assigned (by MAC address) and they have NOT changed nor reassigned to a different device. Maybe the op isn't assigning a static ip via MAC filter which might cause this kind of error - dynamic ip addressing could give the same device a different ip each time it assigns ip's which in turn could screw up names assigned to a specific ip. Non browser related issues, again I have not experienced this issue and I currently have several different printers, scanners etc that have dynamically assigned "static" ip's that do NOT & did Not use a browser to get setup - just assigned a dynamically assigned "static" address.
Last, but certainly not least, the op stated that the router ONLY used its internal linksys dns server and constantly pinged all the attached addresses. Once again, I have NOT experienced this issue. I use OpenDNS for my dns server and the router really doesn't care - maybe the op didn't setup his dns server correctly or possibly didn't point the router to the correct STATIC address of the dns server. This "Could" possibly cause the router to be seeking a dns server on anything attached to the intranet e.g., pinging every internal ip constantly looking for a dns server and when not found resorts to a "known" dns server hard coded by linksys.
The Only "possible" issue I've had with this router is the inability of Android file manager to find the smb share. No problem with Win or Mac items and I just found this issue late last night from a friend that uses an android phone. To be fair though, I really haven't had a chance to really troubleshoot the issue yet, quick search on Google regarding androids and smb on this router didn't result in any results.
This is a great, rock solid router that has over performed in every area I've put it in to. It will reboot if it gets confused but in my application this has only happened 2-3 times since it was put in service (2.5 - 3 years ago).
Oh, and I almost forgot, I've spoken to the linky support folks a couple of times - prior to COVID - and never had an issue and typically was on hold less than 15 mins (again, this WAS pre-Covid so it may well have changed since Covid).
I have to recommend this unit if you A) are NOT needing a mesh system B) are NOT planning on using Open Source programs with this device - I really believe it would still work fine with the open source, but I have NOT tested this theory C) have researched known issues (or work arounds) with Android and smb drive D) want a corporate grade gig router with mu-mimo wifi - with the typical corporate issues regarding user friendliness during setup (unless you can deal with basic "default" settings)!
Hope this helps!
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AmazonGuru
4.0 out of 5 stars Good enough I purchased two!
Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2020
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
I just purchased my second WRT3200ACM. My first was 2017, and the product has been solid for me since then. Very recently I purchased a second one.
I put the first one through HE LL and it keep on perfoming. I Went to DDWRT and back, went to Expressvpn and back, backed up, restored, etc. I put it through a lot.
I love the inbound VPN as it’s so reliable. The interface and app provide me with what I need to manage the router.
While I did like the product enough to pay 250 twice, I gave it a 4 star because it’s definitely not perfect.
My gripes:
Why does the speed widget use flash? Fix that please with embedded ookla.
Why do you encourage cloud login/use? To me this is a security risk giving them a back door into my network.
The wireless can be very fast. See my pic with 347 down recorded by ookla. BUT it’s inconsistent! Sometimes I cannot get above 170, then I reconnect and boom 350. Why? All that said, I can honestly say I never had the wireless issues many have reported. I set just set my 5Ghz to 802.11an with Auto channel and 80Mhz. I get stable connections and drops are few and far between.
Wired speed consistency surpasses my contract. I pay Xfinity for 300 down, and my wired speed down is 340+ always. Wireless is normally 250 to 350 down to iPhone 7/8+.
Bottom line, it’s a great router with room for improvement. My second one will be used for ExpressVPN and primary gateway. The original will continue to serve my network of 50 devices and inbound vpn server.
Customer imageCustomer image
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I33t
4.0 out of 5 stars Set up is unecessarily confusing.
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2021
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1500 ft, 10+ Devices, 1.7 GbpsVerified Purchase
So, I just purchased this router in 2021 because I cannot use the Wifi 6 newer routers due to the stupid idea that you need to download an APP on your smartphone. I lived in a rural area where celluar "data" or service is non-existent. So, this might be the last Linksys I own unless they allow web browser access again.
This router is LITERALLY connect and it works right out of the box. The ONLY problem is the Quick Start set guide makes is super confusing. You have to be connected to the internet "somehow" to upload firmware and they FORCE you to register your product ..etc...etc... COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY.
IGNORE step 6 INSTEAD use your laptop/desktop computer or even your ipad etc..
open a browser and type: Use myrouter.local to access router admin settings and thats IT!!!
No need to UPDATE FIRMWARE because my router already had the latest version. Just beware of that the quick set up guide makes it way more complicated than it is....
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TomM
4.0 out of 5 stars Good for my access point
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2021
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1000 ft, 10+ Devices, 1.2 GbpsVerified Purchase
Like most, I am only tech familiar. Not a network pro but confident enough
to set up a home network. This router has performed flawlessly as an
access point for my home network. Both bands now have a strong wifi signal
throughout my home and, the added benefit of a wired switch for local wired connections.
Currently it handles 1 Roku Ultra, 2 phones and 1 tablet on wifi and, 1 Roku Ultra, 1 television and
1 laptop wired. I have had zero dropped connections and a rare buffering of 4K content.
If you need an upgrade to your main router, there are better or, more feature loaded
routers to consider. If you need to add to an existing home network, extend your
current connectivity, this is a good option. It is a little pricey but just a little and
I have had very good service from my other Linksys equipment.
This one was a win for me.
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Liz
4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good so far
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2021
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1800 ft, 15+ Devices, 2.6 GbpsVerified Purchase
I have had the Linksys EA8100 router for a week now, and so far so good.
Set up was easy. I used a the browser instead of a phone. Once I clarified a catch-22 instruction in the included Quick Start Guide: after plugging in the router to a modem, Step 5 says to connect to the default WiFi name and password, noting that you will not have Internet access until the router setup is complete. Step 6 then tells you to enter the LinkSysSmartWifi.com link in a browser—that is, to use the Internet. Catch 22. You get around this apparent impasse by connecting your PC via Ethernet to one of the router's LAN ports, which then allows access to your browser. (You DO have an Ethernet cable and a PC with an Ethernet port, on your PC, right? Or if your PC is missing an Ethernet port, be sure to have or buy a USB to Ethernet adapter before you start this setup.)
I live in a 1,000 sq ft one-story house, am not a gamer, have no intensive WiFi needs, and my PC is a WiFi 5 client, so this cheap little old router meets my needs well. I can't even press it for speed, since I only pay for an ISP download speed of 200 Mbps. Within these very unchallenging needs, however, this router has been working fine, and maxes out the ISP-limited 200 Mbps consistently.
The User Manual is pathetic, but the online support articles are usually pretty clear and easy to Google for answers.
I have only have a few gripes about the router so far:
ONE: the 4 antennas do not screw on securely, so they easily flop over after you attach them.
TWO: I cannot find any way to disable Remove Management Access, which is a major security hazard.
There are generic Linksys articles about ENABLING it, but nothing about disabling it, and nothing specific to the EA8100. Under this router's interface Connectivity > Administration, there is a section called Local Management Access, but I can't find any explanation of just how this works and whether it can be used to disable remote access.
THREE: There does not seem to be any way to confine access to the router settings to local use of the IP address (192.168.1.1). Even If you enter this, you still get shunted over to the Smart WiFi web page (another security risk). Apparently the login in on this web page once allowed you to specify local access, but that option no longer exists. I think there may be a way to limit access to the router set-up interface by starting over (Reset) and setting up the router manually, but that would be huge pain in the neck for me at this point.
I chose this router specifically because I didn't want to buy a router made in China (goodbye TP-Link), didn't need or want a Wifi-6 router, and didn't want to buy an Asus router that would require I give up personal info to Trend Micro in order to use some of the router settings/options. I considered the Netgear R6700 router, until I read the Amazon review reporting that they switched chips, etc in later production runs while still labelng the model as the same good original. Creepy. Would have considered the Asus AC66u B1 but it was out of stock everywhere and my old router was dying fast so I couldn't wait weeks for a router.
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Christopher S.
4.0 out of 5 stars Signal strength is very good, but not great.
Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2020
Size: Wifi 5Style: 2000 ft, 20+ Devices, 2.2 GbpsVerified Purchase
I purchased this wifi router to replace my aging (8-yr old) EA6300 dual band wifi router. Now that my household streams TV via PC or Roku devices, I wanted something that was more robust for streaming. I was also hoping for a sizable boost in strength, as this product is advertised to cover a 2,000 sq ft household. My home is under 1,300 sq ft. While the signal strength is slightly better, it's nowhere near what I had hoped for. That's likely due to the placement of the router and the structural elements around it. Short of upgrading to a "mesh" system, which is considerably more expensive and would require running Ethernet cables through walls to really take advantage mesh network features, it's likely the best I can do given the current state of technology. The set up and interface is similar to the EA6300, with the exception of the band steering, dfs, vlan, and airtime fairness options. While I like the band steering feature, I would have preferred greater control over the channels used for each band. Unfortunately, to take advantage of the band steering feature, you must allow the router to "automatically" chooses the channel for each band. Interference from my neighbors' wireless access points limit the amount of channels that work in my home, and the router has a habit of choosing less than optimum channels. Of course, you can opt-out of the band steering and designate the channels for all three bands, but now you have to connect to multiple bands manually. The band steering works more like a mesh system, which IMHO, is much more convenient. Life seems to be full of these compromises, doesn't it?
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Robert L. Mcconnell
4.0 out of 5 stars Linksys SmartWiFi
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2020
Size: Wifi 5Style: 2000 ft, 20+ Devices, 2.2 GbpsVerified Purchase
I have been an avid Linksys router users for over 20 years. I still like the product, however twice in the past year I have had problems with their software to access the router. Users are forced to use the Linksys SmartWiFi cloud based software instead of their older application. I have had issues with corruption of the cloud based program. Even tech support believed it was my old router going bad. Until I bought a new router I assumed that was the issue, but when setting up the new router I ran into the same problems. I created a new Smartwifi account to resolve the issue... for now. I will take the software into account when I decide to buy my next router. Maybe its time to try another brand.
3.0 out of 5 stars Inconsistent performance. Better routers exist at a quarter of the price. *UPDATED*
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2020
Size: Open SourceStyle: RouterVerified Purchase
Linksys really ruined their name with this one. I've used Linksys routers for as long as they have existed. This will likely be the last Linksys product I will ever purchase.
For starters, the "network map" feature, which is supposed to give you a visualization of all the devices on your network, is inconsistent, "temperamental" at best. Sometimes it shows things, sometimes it doesn't.
Configuration is very strange. There are numerous discussions on "matching the MTU" size with your ISP, and setting the correct ISP maximum speed. These settings don't even make sense for use on a home router, but in several forums, the "linksys experts" insist this is how you correct all the issues with it.
For reasons unexplained, and after trying all of the different speed settings suggested in the Linksys forums, this router would never deliver consistent speeds, even to a direct wired computer.
Wifi - Wifi consistency was even worse than wired for speeds. We live in a low density area, and can only pick up one or sometimes two other neighbor's networks barely, so there is little to no wireless interference. However, our wireless speeds and connections would never remain consistent. At best, we could get 8 or 9 mbps over the wifi connections, and that was when it would actually stay connected. Phones, tablets, laptops all exist on our network, and they all suffered the same speed and connectivity issues with this router, regardless of age, brand or model.
After suffering through this router for about a year, convinced that it must be something else with the then nearly $250 price tag router, I did some reading, and purchased a basic $44 TPlink router. About two minutes after taking it out of the box, our speeds dramatically increased. Our Roku TV hasn't buffered or lost connection since. Pandora works on everyone's devices without buffering, and no one has any issues connecting on any device.
Really Linksys? To top it all off, they haven't issued any firmware updates for this router like they used to do for all their other models in the past. For over $200, you would think there might be at least a little follow-on support. And a $44 router from the competition smokes it in every category? Really?!
Like I said, last time I'll ever buy a Linksys anything.
*UPDATE* Linksys has still lost my business, but I was able to solve all of the problems I had with this router by installing DD-WRT on it. I tried it just for fun as I was about to throw it away. Has worked like a new router for over a year now. On DD-WRT it operates with the performance Linksys promised on the new units, but failed miserably to deliver. Linksys never put out another update to correct the erratic performance of this unit on their software. Apparently now Linksys is selling them with DD-WRT on them because their team couldn't do any better with their own crap software.
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Bob
3.0 out of 5 stars Major flaw in this router but Linksys is (now) trying to make it right - call them
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2018
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
Router gets 1 star 'cause it doesn't work for me but 3 stars as linksys has genuinely tried to make it right and finally came through with a replacement to a different model. Bought in October, worked for a week then the parent controls vanished one day, and I spent an extra two hours identifying/renaming all my devices and setting up parental controls again. Ok, glitch, but not that bad. Then, a few weeks later, my 2.4Ghz starts dropping connection. I've got a million devices, they all lost it. I'd reboot router and it would come back - sometimes - but then lose again a few mins later. The 5 Ghz kept working so moved everything I could to that. A couple of older computers could only use 2.4 so I hard wired those to the router with Cat 5. I briefly felt like I was in 1996 and it was fun, but after tripping on my 50 foot cat5 runs (right through the living room) a couple times, not so fun. But then, a few days later, in mid to late Nov, the 5Ghz starts dropping too. What? I've been using wifi routers since 2004. I had my first one 7 years before upgrading and it worked fine at upgrade. My second one worked six years before I decided to upgrade. Is it me? I couldn't get through a netflix show without rebooting. After many hours with linksys tech support, over multiple days - of course no solution works - they send me a new one although I pay the $20 returning shipping on the old one. Plug in new one, no honeymoon, immediately drops off line and continues for the next weeks. Now, thanks to Amazon reviews, people here claim it's due to a chip set and an interaction with Android devices. Could be? I've got 3 Android phones in the mix and 4 Chromebooks, some of which run Android, along with lots of other things such as Google Chromecast, Rokus, Windows, etc. In any case, my last call to Linksys, yesterday, was a pleasure. They immediately responded, we know the issue, we are sending you a new, but different router ASAP, and keep the old one for a doorstop (my words). Confirm your address and off it went. That took all of 10 mins. I'm glad they are stepping up, thus the 3 stars for now. They are sending an EA8300 as others here on Amazon have recently mentioned. If the new one works, they get a 5 star for making it right. How many other companies just bail completely? Yeah, the new one is $50 less than I paid for the WRT-AC3200, but as long as it works I'll walk away.
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John H. Zimmerman
3.0 out of 5 stars THIS ROUTER MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR YOUR HOUSEHOLD
Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2020
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1500 ft, 10+ Devices, 1.7 GbpsVerified Purchase
This is an unsolicited, uncompensated Review for the Linksys EA7300 Dual Band Wi-Fi Router. Purchased this unit to replace a Linksys WRT54GL Router which recently died. The "autopsy" revealed that the old WRT had succommed to old age. It has been serving our household for over 10 years, 24/7/365. I would have liked to have replaced it with the same model, but when I went shopping for Linksys routers on amazon, it was not a suggested product. So, I did some research, and searching, and came across the EA7300. Read the reviews and the features and felt it would make an excellent upgrade to my home Wi-Fi net. I was skeptical that the manufacturer does not include a CD-ROM for set-up. I'm a retired IT professional so I thought it would be a snap to set it up myself. Tried following the steps as listed in the quick set-up guide. At one point it says to go to a particular website when the white "Linksys" light on the top of the unit stops flashing. I was never able to get to the website after carefully ensuring that my connections were properly in place. One of the tips in the quick guide advised to connect my PC directly to my modem, which I did. The internet came up immediately. Next I placed the Router back in the chain but was still unable to 'connect' via the Network Set-up on my computer. (currently running with Windows 7). It was rime to call the 800 Help Line. First call: noisy, static-y connection to a foreign woman who asked me a few questions and then put me on hold--for over 10 minutes. Hung up and called again but got the same annoying background music and message stating an overwhelming number of calls. Third call: Got a gentleman who I thought was going to be helpful, but was not. Eventually had me take some cables out of the loop, which dropped my VOIP phone service. I gave the operator my phone number, but he never called back. After three frustrating hours trying to get the EA7300 to work, I gave up and took it out of my system. Before this all happened, I was surprised to discover that the old Linksys WRT54GL was STILL AVAILABLE as a new product, from amazon no less. I ordered it and I already had it on-hand. I made all the connections, inserted the CD-ROM Set-Up disc, and had my system up and running in less than one hour. Items on my net include a desktop PC, Laptop PC, two Roku streaming devices, and a wireless printer. The WRT cost is only $35 compared to about $80 for the EA7300. Now when I think about it, I really don't need all the features of the EA7300. We don't play games, don't have any 4K video devices, or have the need to ultra-fast speeds. We returned the EA7300 to our local UPS store, for free, courtesy of amazon. One other thing--I like the front panel LED indicators on the WRT54GL. They are absent on most other newer Linksys Routers. Sure some people equate them to "idiot lights" like those on the dashboard on older vehicles, but they give me a sense of what activity is going with the router.
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Fool
3.0 out of 5 stars kinda flaky
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2022
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1800 ft, 15+ Devices, 2.6 GbpsVerified Purchase
It works very well ... until it doesn't. For whatever reason it will just stop working, in a very very strange way. Google searches will continue to work, and some other apps will also work. But for other apps it just loses connection. I use the speedtest app to check when it is in this state, since speedtest will be the first to fail. Yet I can switch back to google and it will search just fine, and links will load too. But go back to speedtest and it fails. It's the sort of thing that makes you question everything you thought you knew about how wifi is supposed to work. This happens about once every couple days on every device. To fix it I just toggle wifi on the device that is having an issue and then everything is fine. It's not really a big deal it's just that my 10 year old router never did stuff like this.
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Aaron Fox
3.0 out of 5 stars Did not live up to the glowing reviews.
Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2017
Size: Wifi 5Style: 2000 ft, 20+ Devices, 2.2 GbpsVerified Purchase
My apartment is tough for WiFi range. It's a long rectangular shape, and the router must be located on one end, because that's where the internet line comes in. I was hoping that I could improve on the poor range of my previous router, the ASUS RT-AC68U (T-Mobile Version). Several reviews mentioned that this router greatly improved the range in their home, so I was hopeful that I could do the same without having to make the larger investment of getting a mesh system. After getting this router set up, I tested WiFi range around the apartment, and found that there was almost no improvement.
Another issue with this router that I really disliked is that the guest network is not secured by WPA (or anything else), and it uses a captive portal (web page login similar to hotels and airports). Aside from being insecure, this form of authentication is annoying and prone to issues. I hate using it at hotels, and I certainly don't want to put my guests through it at home. Generally, the web setup interface, which I prefer using for configuration instead of an app, was not very intuitive compared to others like ASUS and Netgear.
I ended up returning this router and spending the extra money on a Netgear Orbi system, which has completely solved my range issues, and is unique among mesh systems because it has advanced configuration abilities (port forwarding, guest network, and other tweaks) similar to most routers.
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m
3.0 out of 5 stars 15 months in - unreliable
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2021
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
Bought this January 2020, it worked well for the first year however for the last 2-3 months it's been extraordinarily unreliable. First, it suddenly stopped transmitting a 5ghz signal, but it was weird, it was off and on. Now 5ghz is back but it's CONSTANTLY saying there's no internet despite my 2 other non-Linksys routers in our home confirming that there is internet. It's not an ethernet cable issue either, I've swapped out multiple cables and still have the same problem. I'm constantly having to re-set it 4-5 times to get it to finally recognize the signal and start transmitting internet. I'm DONE with messing around with this thing and am switching back to our ASUS that we had for years with no problems. Thought this would be the ultimate in wifi routers with a powerful signal and coverage, which it does provide, however it's completely unreliable with transmitting actual internet signals which is why I bought the thing! Having a wifi signal does not good if it's not transmitting/receiving internet!
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Truthinadvertising
3.0 out of 5 stars WiFi signal is no better than my old router+dropping out daily
Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2021
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1000 ft, 10+ Devices, 1.2 GbpsVerified Purchase
Need to contact Linksys. My signal is no better than with my very old router and it keeps dropping and reconnecting. None of the wifi router manufacturers have done the customer any service by the newer methods they use to set up the routers out of the box. Make sure you don't start out with trying to set up with a desktop with no wifi capabilities. Not very happy with this router so far. I will contact support to see if they can help.
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dawhoo
3.0 out of 5 stars Not happy - not what I was hoping for ...
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2019
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1500 ft, 10+ Devices, 1.7 GbpsVerified Purchase
Wanted something easy to use and working well for traffic shaping, but this isn't it. Even with full strength, but signal is weaker than my old router - and slower! I could understand the weaker, but the slower kind of blew my mind.
Transmitting speeds were slower, a lot slower. Traffic shaping with the hardware is not possible for anything real and the range is worse. Even with 2 devices connected, the performance is lackluster and less reliable than my ancient Linksys.
It gets HOT. Way hotter than I imagined and I even turned the lights off and made sure it had good clearance and ventilation. Not, set something on fire hot, but seriously at least 110F or better
I was so excited, I put the box in the recycle bin as soon as I opened it and played with all the settings a few days later. If I wouldn't have recycled the box, I would have sent it back.
Edited: Even worse than I first thought. The range is worse than expected. nobody makes a 3rd party firmware. No traffic shaping. You can't really have any control over the guest network other than the name, and in general. It's actually slower than my 2.4GHz ATT Ariss XXX589 Modem.
I tend to research to death, but figured Linksys is hard to go wrong with, but instead, I made a $130 mistake. Get something that allows WRT, Tomoato or any third party to work better, because this is an expensive brick. A $99 Apple Express has higher performance and about the same control, but actually better controls via MAC for time schedules, guest network and a much better range.
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Douglas Nikkila
3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2021
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
After years of using an Airport Extreme and loving it we were forced into purchasing a new router as this one has bit the dust. I did a lot of research and settled on the Linksys because of good reviews on the web.
Set up was not as easy as I had hoped but CS was great about getting me up and running.
We have a small house and the router is upstairs and the media room is downstairs about 20ft from the router. Upstairs we get a great signal but down its about 50% less. Moving antennas and the router doesn't change the signal and now streaming Netflix etc is painfully slow.
I don't understand how up-to-date wifi technology can be worse than an 8 year old Apple extreme but it is.
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David
3.0 out of 5 stars This one is in fact new as promised
Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2021
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1500 ft, 10+ Devices, 1.7 GbpsVerified Purchase
Unlike the $200+ EA7500 I was sent, this unit is in fact new and in a factory sealed box with the power port sticker in place. The EA7500 had the power sticker removed and it arrived in a generic brown cardboard box. It was used sold to me at a new price. When it failed, I happily returned it for a full new price store credit. Yea for Amazon.
Why do I say this? Easy ... be careful who you deal with and know how to return bad product.
I'll update this with actual use experience at a later date. The refurbished EA7300 I bought for $40 worked for about six weeks or so; I hope this one works longer. Oh, I got the $40 back so yea for Amazon again. If you don't mind making [easy] returns that is.
2.0 out of 5 stars DO NOT USE for dd-wrt
Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2020
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
As of 2020-12-01
I bought this router (two of them) for my family since I'm the designated "computer person" -- I majored in Computer Science and work in cybersecurity. I run dd-wrt on all WiFi routers due to the notorious publicly disclosed bugs in NETGEAR, Linksys, etc. routers that can be exploited. Sure, those companies' firmware has gotten better in security over the years, but since I majored in cybersecurity and it's what I do for a living, dd-wrt is chosen for stability, constant updates, wide support, and open-source.
This router is supposed to be designed to work well with open source firmwares. I tried four different builds of dd-wrt on this router, all of which FAILED MISERABLY. My usage probably isn't the majority case, but it also isn't complicated: I want to disable this router's DHCP server and use it as either an Access Point or a Repeater, not as a Router (as termed in dd-wrt configuration). In this case, the router completely failed to forward DHCP requests/responses from clients to the actual router, and WiFi was completely broken. In addition, 5 GHz bands (AC) dropped connections further than only a few meters. Like I said, I tried multiple builds of dd-wrt that should have all worked; they are the specific builds listed on the router database for this router. Complete failure.
Could this all be dd-wrt's fault? Yes, perhaps. But if a company is going to release a router intended to work with open-source software, they should at least certify a specific version or whatnot that it WORKS with, 100%. I instead now have a NETGEAR R7000 installed at my house and three other family members' homes with dd-wrt, and with the exact same settings, it works beautifully. I recently checked the uptime of my home router, which is on a UPS backup. It has been working for over 600 days of uptime with no issues whatsoever, such as the issues mentioned above.
I wanted to switch to this newer, improved, more powerful router over the R7000 and thought it would make a great Christmas gift for my family to upgrade their WiFi. It ended up being a nightmare. To re-address: could this be a dd-wrt problem? Yes. Could this be a Linksys problem? Yes. Could this be a Marvell (the internal WiFi chip) problem? Yes. Unfortunately, I do not have the time to dig into it, nor do I care to. My time isn't worth debugging this. Other routers work without issue. Other Linksys routers certainly do, as I have used several older models with dd-wrt just fine. This one, though... Returned and refunded... And disappointed.
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Gerardo C. Guzman Lozano
2.0 out of 5 stars Avoid this router, stops broadcasting on 2.4 ghz everyday.
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2017
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
I've always trusted Linksys, I have the WRT1900ac, and decided to get this for my office. I'm returning and changing to ASUS as this router stops broadcasting on 2.4 ghz and you have to continously reboot it. then the 5ghz wont let new users in when that happens to. so there you go, you are rebooting the router everyday to have it fixed.
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miker
2.0 out of 5 stars DD-WRT and the Linksys WRT3200ACM
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2019
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
First off, this model IS NOT configured as an Open Source Router - But is configured with Linksys firmware - and getting the DD-WRT BIN file to load with Linksys firmware is a treasure hunt. Once the **only available version of DD-WRT** firmware (as of 6/6/19) is loaded onto the Linksys WRT3200ACM, multiple problems surface:
1. Unit drops Wan connections randomly
2. Unit drops LAN and WiFi connections intermittently
3. Frequent buffering of WiFi traffic occurs often
4. The unit does not get an NTP time (important for VPN services), unless specifically stated in the startup command. This should occur, when configured on the DD-WRT router's setup page, automatically!
I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS "Open Source" Router, because
1. This is cutting edge hardware with not-ready-for-prime-time firmware (on all sides), and
2. There is NO alternative fully functional firmware available
PS. I did load OpenWRT, but one cannot disable IPV6, which is required for most VPN service providers -- AND just wait until you try to load a DD-WRT image with OpenWRT in control of the system! :-)
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kaljcloTop Contributor: Cooking
2.0 out of 5 stars It's only getting more than 1 star because it worked great for the first couple of months
Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2017
Size: Wifi 5Style: 2000 ft, 20+ Devices, 2.2 GbpsVerified Purchase
We have had nothing but issues with this router. We have had it for about 8 months now and have to reset it almost daily. The 2.4 Ghz channel just doesn't work at all any more no matter what we do. We renamed the channels once and it worked for less than a day, then went back to telling us nothing can connect to it. We have connected directly through an Ethernet cord and our ISP and modem work perfectly, so we know it is the router. We only have a 1600 sq ft house and cannot access the internet at all from our bedroom in the back with the router located in the living room not quite on the other side of the house.
When you pay this much money for a wireless router, you expect to be able to connect to it and to access it from the other side of a tiny house...I'm incredibly frustrated. It's only getting more than 1 star because it worked great for the first couple of months. No issues with any of the channels or connection speeds/reliability during that time.
**UPDATE** We contacted Linksys for a replacement and they told us that our only options are to either 1) Send the router back and be without one until they get around to sending us the replacement. This is not an option as my husband is a remote software engineer and must have internet to work. OR 2) Pay another $180 for a new router and then send in the old router after it arrives and wait for at least 3 weeks to receive our refund (that's assuming they actually follow through and issue the refund, but we know how companies are when it comes to this sort of thing....). Either way, we have to pay return shipping. Never purchasing another Linksys router again.
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MC1457
2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing stability and poor UI
Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2017
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
I tried DD-WRT. WiFi won't stay up and router needs to be rebooted several times a day.
I went back to the Linksys firmware. It worked fine for a while. Then it started dropping my WiFi networks several times a day and/or becoming unresponsive. I'm back to rebooting the router several times a day. Since turning off IPv6 and setting the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz radios to a fixed channel it has improved.
The user interface is very basic. I would like to see some detailed traffic statistics over time. All it provides is a point in time measurement of which device is using how much bandwidth.
Overall, not impressed. The WiFi issues outweigh any value the router provides, and I am replacing it with an ASUS RT-5300 ROG, however, even the ASUS RT-AC88U has a better UI and similar feature set at about the same price.
I love my WRT54G's and still use them for APs. The WRT3200ACM is a disappointment.
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VM
2.0 out of 5 stars OK, but not very Raspberry Pi friendly
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2022
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1500 ft, 10+ Devices, 1.7 GbpsVerified Purchase
I have phones, tablets, netcams that connect and work great. I have many Raspberry PIs that connect ok, but when I stream, the connection drops. I have been on with tech support for the better part of a week going through all of their steps and still no success. The connection is good for a couple minutes of streaming or large file transfers and the connection drops for about five minutes and then reconnects again.
I have an older Linksys "N" WiFi that the PIs work great when streaming, transferring large files, etc, never a loss of a single packet.
I have two of these WiFi routers at two different locations. Both have webcams, tablets, etc that work great. Both have Raspberry PIs that drop connections after a few minutes of streaming. When I switch the PIs back to the older WiFi routers (no other configuration changes) everything is rock solid for days. Switch the PIs back to this WiFi and they start dropping like flies after a few minutes.
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cubesmind
2.0 out of 5 stars Constant Pain On Large Transfers
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2019
Size: Open SourceStyle: RouterVerified Purchase
When the device works, it works great, but the problem seems to be any large file transfers over WiFi will completely shutdown the router. This happens when I'm transferring files from a computer to a NAS or even just downloading large video games from Epic or Steam. It'll be going and then after maybe 15-20 minutes I lose connection and all the lights on the router are off except the power light.
When that happens, I have to power cycle the router to get it working again. Thankfully there is an actual switch on the back so I don't have to unplug cords, but now I wonder if the switch is there because they knew how often customers would have to power cycle it.
Everything looks fine in the settings, and I don't see any error logs about any issues so far. I'm starting to wonder if the router just has a cooling issue, because whenever I run down to cycle it, it's really warm bordering on hot to the touch. I've even elevated it about two inches off the table so there is more air circulating around the entire unit. Maybe I'll try putting a fan on it next. Kind of disappointing for having to drop 174$ on something that I have to constantly attend to.
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TooTechnical
2.0 out of 5 stars Great looking unit but not worth the time
Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2020
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
I've learned that if something doesn't give you what you want or need after 15 minutes of trying, wrap it up and simply send it back! When you purchase an item that gives you USB ports for hard drive access across your network, yet you have issues right from the get go, AND you have 40 years IT experience, don't pull your hair out. Just put your other wifi unit back in place, and start shopping all over.
That said, after my disappointment with my current Netgear R8000 where my USB ports constantly fall asleep (so many people complained about this), and then after getting this unit and the USB ports lose the hard drives within minutes of finding them, I read one reviewer in this listing say something about the TP-Link AC3200 and how after 1 year he never lost hard drive access once. So I jumped on over to find one and lo and behold, the newer model AC4000 was less money than its predecessor. So, I decided to go for it. After all, it would get the same 15 minutes ;)...
I can only say, this is not the place to review TP-Link, but, after 1 month, WOW!!!
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Drew Cicconi
2.0 out of 5 stars Guest access doesn't work
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2022
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1800 ft, 15+ Devices, 2.6 GbpsVerified Purchase
Just purchased this router, replacing an earlier LINKSYS model that suddenly developed problems for guests connecting to the internet. I run an Airbnb. This new unit, an EA8100, would not allow guests to connect to the internet RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX. We called tech support and they informed us that we would have to wait for a firmware update coming in March! Nowhere is this mentioned in the advert for this product. In fact, the advert touts the ability of multiple guests to use the internet. This company should not be allowed to sell products such as this in the United States. I am going to submit a complaint to the FTC about this company.
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Amazon Customer
2.0 out of 5 stars Not a great signal
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2022
Size: Wifi 5Style: 2000 ft, 20+ Devices, 2.2 GbpsVerified Purchase
Previously had another Linksys router that had a lower house range and would reach out to our driveway. This supposedly nicer model has less range than the previous model even though it's supposed to have way more range. I lose connection in my bedroom and no connection outside the house. It's supposed to have a larger range but not for our house. We may switch back to our previous Linksys router.
1.0 out of 5 stars The WORST Router on the market -- but read my review. It's pretty good.
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2020
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1500 ft, 10+ Devices, 1.7 GbpsVerified Purchase
(This was written by my husband, Ian, who was sent over the edge by this product .. ;) )
I have been a loyal Cisco customer for years. Like over 20. That is the only brand of networking equipment I ever bought. My IT Bros would be like, "Check out Netgear, Homeboy!" And I was like, "Nah, Man. I ain't mad at Cisco." And then it happened. All of the consumer products became Linksys and then our relationship began to sour. I bought a cute little E2500. She was a decent router. Small. Petite, strong, but not strong enough to support my love of all things Internet. But she was loyal. Then, then things changed. She constantly needed assurance that she was my girl. Yeah, I rebooted her once in awhile. Hell, I even updated her firmware when she would let me. I guess she just got tired of our relationship. Maybe my wife and my son took me away from her. No more X Box, Netflix, Hulu. I'm sure you all know the story. Maybe it was me. But I knew she wasn't enough for me anymore. Late one night, after the fourth reset to get my Internet back I said to myself, "Mayhaps it's time to move on?" A quick search of my beloved Internet and I saw her.....The EA7300 V2. Oh, man, was she beautiful. Everything a guy could want in a router. Not one, not two, but THREE antennae. I'm telling you guys, it was love at first sight. She said she had blazing speed and could send WiFi to not only my house, but my neighbor's and the other guy that lives in the trailer down the road that steals my cable and looks at my wife kinda funny. Also she was V2! Not some tired old V1 that you find sitting at the bar alone after last call and say to yourself, 'What the Hell? V1 routers need loving, too." So I spent my $70 (Notice it's $129 now.) and hoped for the best. I waited and waited, all the while still rebooting my old but semi reliable E2500. (I remember you! Heart emoji.). Then one day, my dog went crazy barking, and I heard my trusty USPS carrier come up the driveway. Could it be? Is it here? I slowly rose from the couch in my mustard-stained tank top and the boxers I had been wearing for a week. Yes!! Yes, it was finally here. I carefully sanitized the Amazon Prime box and ever-so-slowly opened the lid, My heart be still. There she was. Man, she was big. But I knew I could handle her. After 20 plus years in IT, I know I could. So I set her up. You know, plugged her into the computer, opened my browser and entered the magical numbers. You know, <whispers 192.168.1.1> Wow!! Sweet interface. Like a two-dollar hooker before she does her first trick. I hooked up my TV, my phones, a printer and my kid's tablet. I even had two devices hooked up via wired Ethernet. My wife's computer and a SWEET Samsung Blu-Ray player. Anyway, I digress. Oh, did I mention how sexy it looked with it's three antennae? I think I did. So there we were. The wife and kid were in bed. It was just us. I tuned my Netflix to Better Call Saul. The picture was perfect. There was no buffering. Man, it was beautiful. As I cracked open another beer while Jimmy and Kim did the same, all of a sudden, no Netflix ... Huh? Surely this can't be my new router making my night worse than my week stuck at home with my barky-ass dog, sassy-mouthed kid and my beautiful wife who worships the ground on which I walk? So I checked my Aris Surfboard totally bad ass Cable modem that is 11 years old. All of her lights winked at me like a drunken teenager wanting me to buy her a six pack of Zima. I said, "Okay. It can't be you. It's never you." So I looked at my sultry new EA7300 V2. The Linksys logo was winking at me like crack head on meth. I thought to myself, "This doesn't look right at all." So I powered her off with a quick jab to the power button. She went down like a sack of potatoes, but I lifted her back up. At first she blinked slowly, like coming out of a domestic assault in the local trailer park. Then faster and faster until she looked me right in the eye. Better Call Saul "I'm BACK BABY!!!" 10 minutes later Jimmy and Kim's nightly tomfoolery was gone. You know what? Old EA7300 V2 passed out again. It's like every time I turned my back she was chugging the bottle of Smirnoff Vodka. This went on for days. Every night between 9:30 and 10pm I had to wake her back up. I updated her firmware, I turned off auto updates and yet she still passed out every night. Finally after days and days, much to my chagrin (Did I mention I have been in IT for 20 plus years?) I bit the bullet. I called a counselor. Yeah, Linksys tech support. Apparently I had configured the router improperly. Say what? Me? I was devastated. So, I ate my humble pie and did what "Sally" asked me to do. I factory rest the the EA7300V2. I changed the 2.4 and 5Ghz settings to what they asked. I sat and I waited. This night it was Always Sunny. You know the one where Frank climbs out of the couch? As soon as he squeezed his ginormous man boobs out the couch and almost showed his naked butt cheeks ... !!! Alas, no connection to the Internet. At this point I was perturbed. Not drunken dad mad, but you know the feeling. I checked my Surfboard. Ahh yes, a good girl. Still staring at me with her loving, blinking eyes. And then. Then I looked at the EA7300 V2. She had done it again. Now I am done. I called up my ex-router and asked her to come home. I also told EA7300 V2 that she needs to move out. She said, "Where will I go? What will I do?" I said, "Frankly Linksys EA7300V2, I don't give a damn."
Long story short, I am returning this total piece of trash and buying a Netgear.
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apples to apples
1.0 out of 5 stars Wireless woes, courtesy of Marvell and Linksys
Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2017
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
TL;DR: This router seemed amazing on paper. However, I should have listened to the reviews claiming that it had severe wireless issues. It does have issues, and they make it unusable. I only wish I had the sense to return it before my window closed.
I purchased this in March 2017, and tried so hard to make it work for my household. I shrugged off the wireless lock-ups or weird issues as something that I was configuring incorrectly. I even tried the tried-and-true DD-WRT firmware (which is now mostly compatible with the WRT3200ACM) to see if the issues would disappear.
They did not. I still have the exact same problem as of May 29.
Basically, what happens is this: after a variable amount of time from being rebooted, the wireless radios will work and everything is fine. However, within a few hours to a couple of days, the wireless radios stop working. The router will not accept new wireless connections, and existing connections can't access internet. Wired (Ethernet) appears to work during this time.
The current rumor circulating on the internet is that the wireless chipset's driver, published by Marvell, is broken or doesn't work well. Returning and replacing these routers has been proven not to be effective at resolving this issue, as it's likely you'll receive another defective product. So at some point down the road if you buy one of these you'll likely get stabbed in the back by the poor wireless driver. Until there's lots of evidence that this is fixed and that both Linksys and Marvell have their act together, you should not buy this router. Like me, you'll end up eating a ~200 cost for a broken product.
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HebeTx
1.0 out of 5 stars Problematic Router, Problematic Support
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2017
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
Purchased this router if Jan 2017 based on the good reviews and belief that Linksys produced a good product. It worked okay for 10 months with good 2.4ghz service but the 5ghz was a bit disappointing. Then like others have reported in their reviews, suddenly this Nov. the 5ghz and 2.4 ghz started dropping and refusing connections requiring me to reboot the unit daily and in some cases every few hours. Even after defaulting it to factory, reloading latest firmware, etc. the problems would always reappear after a few hours.
Contacted Linksys support Nov. 27th, after some brief trouble shooting with the tech, they determined my unit needed to be RMA'd...fine. I gave them a credit card number for an advanced replacement the said would be arriving in 7 business days. On Dec. 7th I notified my replacement router had just shipped....Yes, that's right.. almost two business weeks just for an "advanced" replacement to ship! I called Linksys and was told they had trouble finding an available replacement to ship. That sounded ominous but I am in it now. I was assure I would be receiving the replacement sometime within the next week (mean while there is a hold on my credit card for the cost of the replacement waiting for this replacement to arrive so I can return the malfunctioning one).
We will see how the replacement performs when it arrives. But for now, I would recommend checking the other available routers before purchasing the WRT3200ACM (or if you do...keep the your old router as a spare until Linksys figures out how to properly handle problematic products).
***Update***
Received my replacement unit from Linksys in a couple of days....the same WRT3200ACM model. Got it online, updated the firmware...bam same problem.
Now on the Linksys support site only a firmware version from months ago is available with a note that people experiencing problems should roll back the firmware to the old version (which btw doesnt address the KRACK exploit vulnerabilities). I did the roll back as instructed. Still having issues with devices staying connected.
Guess I will have to stand in line with the other WRT3200ACM owners waiting for the Linksys team to let the customers be their beta testers. Wondering if Linksys will make this right.
***Update***
Still dealing with this fiasco. Called Linksys Support again 12/26 because I am...like everyone else having problems the WRT3200 ACM router dropping wifi. Was told they were very sorry and they would ship me a EA8300 overnight as a replacement. I called them on 01/02 since I had not received the replacement nor the promised email with a tracking number. Support told me they had a record of the replacement request but it had not been properly finalized by "Tech Support". Now I am again waiting on a promised email notifying me the replacement has shipped.
So in review...If you would like a month long odyssey of tech support calls, hours on hold listening to bad music, and to be witness to a failed support program and a broken product with no fix in sight...This is the product and company for you!
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Blake
1.0 out of 5 stars Do not buy this
Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2020
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1500 ft, 10+ Devices, 1.7 GbpsVerified Purchase
The router will work fine, until the firmware auto updates, then you will no longer be able to log in and manage your router. This has been ongoing for years. Once it becomes inaccessible, all you can do it a hard reset and set up your router again. Then inevitably, even though you select "do not update firmware", linksys will push you the firmware and you will be unable to login to your router again. Do a quick google search, and you will see all the users continually frustrated with the lack of response to this issue.
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Brian
1.0 out of 5 stars So there's evidently a bug in the Marvel chipset that ...
Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2017
Size: Open SourceStyle: WRT3200ACMVerified Purchase
So there's evidently a bug in the Marvel chipset that powers this router. If you hook up any recently patched Android device to this router wirelessly, you can expect your entire Wi-Fi network to come crashing down within a few hours. No client device should be able to bring down an entire network. The blame is squarely on Linksys and/or Marvel. It has been almost a month and still no fix. I am finding the fact that this still is not fixed unacceptable and I will be avoiding both company's products in the future as a result of this experience.
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ddev
1.0 out of 5 stars Hopelessly wretched stability - avoid
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2017
Size: Open SourceStyle: RouterVerified Purchase
I had a Linksys AC1900 AC from Amazon in Oct. 2015 for about 1.5 years and really liked the performance and network tools - at least I did when the unit was not routinely requiring a full reset to return to a stable Internet connection. I ultimately just got fed up with resetting and looked into a replacement router. Foolishly, I settled on the AC1900 ACS expecting that Linksys must have resolved the instability; maybe the memory design on the AC was too small but now the ACS has 2X that memory. I was absolutely Wrong. I bought the AC1900 ACS from Amazon on April 12, 2017, installed it immediately, and it ran like a dream till the first reset 5/23/17, then the second reset 5/29/17 (lines dropping, email links can't resolve URLs and can't be sent, etc.). Too late to return to Amazon. Next reset 6/2/17, then Again 6/6/17. Just hopeless instability and ~ $500+ out of pocket. I have nearly 2 decades as a consultant in high tech - but the pretty looks of the WRT devices still managed to fool me twice. Linksys WRT AC1900 Dual-Band+ Wi-Fi Wireless Router with Gigabit & USB 3.0 Ports and eSATA, Smart Wi-Fi Enabled to Control Your Network from Anywhere (WRT1900AC-FFP)
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Stopping the Men in the Shadows
1.0 out of 5 stars AVOID - JUNK
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2019
Size: Wifi 5Style: 2000 ft, 20+ Devices, 2.2 GbpsVerified Purchase
I have been building my own PCs and OC them for 20+ years. I did the networking in my home, fished the walls, installed and did my own patch panels, etc. Routers are and SHOULD be simple to install, configure and set up. Not with this piece of junk. If you have ANY sort of network (mine in multi-zone wifi) that has anything a step above, this thing will be a bear and beast to install. Their Linksys Web Based set-up is deeply flawed and makes things overly difficult. It would not keep an internet connection... seemed to get into an endless loop trying to get into the router and what should be a 5 - 10 minute set-up, most of the time waiting on the couple of router reboots was already on a half an hour and no progress. Threw the overpriced brick back in its box, started the return process, and plugged back in my trusty, but dated, 5+ yr old router. It still performed circles around this junk, since it was at least able to connect and be configured.
Routers at the core should be easy to connect to and set up. If it needs automated firmware updates, FINE... let that happen AFTER it has been configured and has at least been added to the network.
To call it junk is doing disservice to trash which can have at least some value. It is sad when you are happy to throw a 5+ yr old router back in the mix, because it performs better and is more stable.
Having an internet based setup is stupid for a piece of networking equipment which is basically establishing the connection and may need tweaks to integrate with your network topography.
On the bright side... At least I saw early on that it was a POS and not something I had to deal with down the road with the instability and dropped connection issues. The only downside, is I may have to pick up another TP-Link for my parents set up, as I was going to install my old one for them after I got this set up.
Web setups need to be avoided. They are unreliable, and you should be readily able to configure a network appliance to add to topology and then add it to the network.
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jose ortiz
1.0 out of 5 stars well the first week works awesome but the second week i start notice my devices ...
Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2017
Size: Wifi 5Style: 1500 ft, 10+ Devices, 1.7 GbpsVerified Purchase
well the first week works awesome but the second week i start notice my devices looks ok but not open any webside so i contact linksys the only answer was reset the router , resetting will fix it but only for couple hours nd u have to resetting again , looks a lot of people has the same problem, after researching its a software issue but linksys did not fix it and looks they wont fix it thats a shame but not worth it waiting, i have to return it
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Jessica
1.0 out of 5 stars Completely false advertising regarding the parental controls!
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2018
Size: Wifi 5Style: 2000 ft, 20+ Devices, 2.2 GbpsVerified Purchase
The parental controls on this router do not work at all! The app to control when each device has permission to access the internet looks slick, but it does absolutely nothing. We had a blocking schedule set up for each child's device, but then found our son streaming a movie during a blocked time. This prompted me to further investigate why he was able to access the internet during "blocked" times, and I found that the blocking had no effect on any of the devices. We could browse the web and stream even though the app showed the device as blocked. I read through support forums and talked to Linksys support, and found that the problem is that the parental control feature does not work with ipv6. This is not noted anywhere on the product information used to advertise & sell this router, and parental controls that can only be used in ipv4-only mode should not be advertised as a feature even since a router supporting ipv4 only is outdated technology. In forums, Linksys tech support suggests to disable ipv6 through the router settings as a workaround to get parental controls functioning, but that didn't work with my router (and is an unwelcome capability limitation). The last technician who called me back regarding my Linksys support ticket told me that I needed to call my ISP to have them disable ipv6 coming to my house (I humored the technician and called my ISP, but they said this was not something they'd ever even heard of doing and a bad idea even if they could do it). It was very frustrating overall to find out that the advertised feature we bought this router for, Parental Controls, does not really work at all and worse yet, Linksys knows this and still falsely advertises this feature. Thank goodness we caught this defect early.
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BasicTek
1.0 out of 5 stars In the junk pile of my garage before it was used 6 months
Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2019
Size: Wifi 5Style: 2000 ft, 20+ Devices, 2.2 GbpsVerified Purchase
To be fair to Linksys I choose not to deal with their tech support and dumped this router after many problems. I bought it on sale back on black friday 2018. I installed it in december because my 4 year old ASUS refurb started becoming unreliable. This router seems good at 1st and I have to say the management interface is lightyears ahead of any I've seen. However what we really want is a great performing router and that is not what I got. From the beginning I found range issues and had to get an extender to reach some of my devices. I have a 2000 sq ft single story home, I didn't think I should need that. Later I had random disconnects from various devices especially after a power outage. I often had to reprogram the devices and though this was a device issue. After a more recent power outage I had devices that simply couldn't connect even after reprogramming. I have a large home network consisting of maybe a little more than 60 devices (10 LAN, 10ish 5G the rest on 2.4G). I finally tired of the problems and bought a netgear ax8, which claims to be a better router for large home networks. After my 1st power outage I found everything working and didn't have to reprogram anything, all of my random connection issues have been resolved so far and I no longer need a range extender. Ya I had to spend about double what this router runs (triple considering my black friday deal) but to lose the headaches I'm done with linksys for a while.
My router is still under warranty and I could sell it or give it away, maybe even get a new one through support but I think it would be too difficult, intermittent issues are impossible to troubleshoot, and I would wish these problems on anyone, so it's the junk pile for this router and a 1 star rating for not performing at the most basic level that we need a router to perform at.
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