Linksys WiFi 5 Router, Tri-Band, 3,500 Sq. ft Coverage, 25+ Devices, Speeds up to (AC4000) 4.0Gbps - EA9300

AAA+++ Awesome Router. Note; I did spend a good part of a day if not two days researching routers, from "Reviews" to "What's in side" and "Bench Testing Results". My Results showed me mainly 2 Routers and a couple of close Runner-Ups. Keep in mind; one of my main Points it had to pass... "Is it ready for the near Future?Built for power, built to take a beating...really well designed, especially the ports and WPS button. It has a good amount of weight to it due to the heat sink and is on the larger size but sits perfectly on my shelf.The antennas are large and solid, preset lock positions if desired and again well designed. Owned now for a few weeks...works as expected, no problem setting it up...it was actually a breeze. Configuration is user friendly including the more advanced settings.No problem handling more the 13 devises and the range is good...much better then the D-Link it replaced. I love how it automatically switches from 2.4Ghz to 5Ghz when I move out and into range. I do plan on adding a (matching - Linksys AC1900 Gigabit Range Extender) extender in near future for outside coverage.The second router I pick and Tied in 1st place; NETGEAR Nighthawk X6S AC4000 Tri-band Gigabit WiFi Router.The reason I picked My Linksys Max-Stream AC4000...The Antenna Design and the design, configuration of the ports.

Ok, I was in the same boat as many other negative reviewers here. I couldn't get the Smart WIFI Web Based Setup to work, then the router started to loop and then it would randomly reset/reboot on its own. Now, I am not a network tech or even in IT but I do know my way around most electronic devices. These symptoms that others had written about were the same that I was now experiencing with this brand new router. Heck, I couldn't even make it to the setup page to try and update the firmware because of the hardware resetting/rebooting every 10-45 seconds.Stepping back for just a moment, this reminded me of a 12v audio/computer installation that experienced similar problems/behavior. Our 12v in car PC would have instability and random reboots/random hardware failures. After many hours testing each component in the setup as well as checking each wire in the custom harness, a ROOKIE, yes a ROOKIE got his multimeter out and tested the source power (where the harness was hooked to the battery/distribution box) and the destination connections (where the harness lead into the car PC) and as it turns out, the voltage was below 10V, causing us to realize that we used the wrong gauge wire. We essentially used the bare minimum wire for the installation and whenever the in car PC would have a load on it (cold boot), the voltage would drop just enough to cause issues. We beefed up the power line considerably and all was well after that.Why the heck do I write a router review that includes a story about a 12v car PC? Cause the same problem is here:The Linksys label on the bottom of the router calls for a 12v 2a power supply. I checked the power supply that this NEW router came with and low and behold, the darn thing is rated for 12v 0.5a. This router will NEVER work properly without the correct power supply. I got a power supply from my LED strip parts bin that was rated for 12v 3.0a and plugged it in (same barrel connector). The router immediately came online, downloaded its updated firmware immediately and went online within 1 minute. I have only had this router for two hours since the power supply was corrected and I have had NO issues as of yet.To all of the folks that still have this router and are having any intermittent connectivity issues or having setup issues, check the power supply label and see if it is 12v 2.0a or higher. If it is not, replace it and hopefully that will solve your issues. Keep in mind that you may need to complete a factory reset with the new power supply and go through the setup process (as noted in the forums and manuals). If your router still is NOT working after correcting the power supply and redoing the factory reset & setup, then you may truly have a defective unit.

The AC4000 Wi-Fi router from Linksys is a very capable and fast router. I would have given it 5 Stars if not for the fussy set-up process and its lacking two features that seem to be standard on many other routers in this price range.Set-up. My recommendation would be to create your Linksys Smart Wi-Fi account and confirm the account with the e-mail it generates. After confirmation, use the numeric webpage address Linksys provides to complete the setup.I say this because the link from the e-mail to "continue setup" failed for me. I attempted to go to the next step 5 times and 5 times that action failed with the message that either my e-mail or password was incorrect. I even reset the password and attempted again. That resulted in the 6th failure to advance.I then entered the numeric address Linksys provided and the router immediately connected and updated firmware.The rest of the setup was easy.Features. Two features are lacking in my opinion. Both are found in competitive equipment from other sources. Neither are features that would have changed my choice to purchase this router.First, I'd like to see the router automatically select the best band (2.5 or 5 GHz) for a device instead of having to manually select these. Perhaps even an option to turn this feature on or off. I'm sure there was a reason for this approach but not everyone may find it useful.Second, the Guest network is not encrypted and you cannot assign a password with anything other than letters and numbers - no special characters. It is secured since you do need a password to connect to the internet. Why leave your guest network unencrypted? I'm sure there is a reason why Linksys omitted the feature but it seems to be miss. Again, an option to turn this feature on or off would have been a way to resolve.The router itself is fast. Faster than the 3-year old, twin-band, auto-switching router it replaced. Measurements for data stream, up and down, jitter, and latency showed ~20% improvement across the board.I am very pleased with overall performance and love the Smart Wi-Fi management interface. It provides a great deal more information and control than my previous router. The Smart Wi-Fi interface has not updated dynamically for me. I had to "sweep" the network information, forcing a reboot, in order to get a true display of connected devices. Other than that, flexibility for data and media sharing, FTP, etc. are all in place if you need them.Great value. Would absolutely recommend it as a "great buy".