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.
I intentionally waited a month before reviewing this router. I got it on Deal of the Day or it would have probably been out of my price range (or needs). I work from home, have 8 desktops/laptops, 2 printers, security cameras, various tablets and smart phones, smart TVs and devices, netflix, Amazon Instant Video, etc. My needs are more than most, but still not necessarily so extensive that I would need this router. But, I got a good price, and decided to splurge. I've not been disappointed.
This router replaced a Belkin RT68U that was about 3 years old, so I do typically purchase high end routers.
Setup:
Simple and quick. I configured my Network name and passwords exactly as in my old router, and all my devices connected without the need to re-configure. This was a huge time-saver. Setup time took less than 20 minutes, including connecting cables, going through the setup, and updating firmware.
Speed:
I have Xfinity (Comcast). I did a speedtest (wired and unwired). Download speed went 80 Mbps to 180 Mbps and upload speeds from 25 to 40 Mbps. These speeds can vary and I only ran the test once.
Range:
Awesome. No other word for it. Placed the router middle floor, same location as the old Belkin. I now have 5 bars on top floor and basement and 4 bars in far corners of both. I have a fairly large yard (3/4 acre) and I'm connected all over the yard.
Features I like:
Linksys Smart Wifi allows connection to the router from anywhere and the ability to setup alerts.
Static IP: reserve an IP for a device (like security cameras, printers, etc.) by simply clicking on the device in the network map and selecting reserve DHCP address.
I can't say I've used many of the advanced features I payed for, but I'll get there. I hope this review was helpful.
First of all, all I can say is WOW! All of this time I have been complaining to my ISP about slow internet speeds and not getting what I am paying for. I have been signed up for 100mbps for the longest time, but on the best of days I would only get 35mbps. I checked my modem, it's a DOCIS 3.0 so I guess I just chalked it up to being in a bad coverage area.
The slow speeds really started annoying me as the wifi in my bedroom would barely reach 5mbps and I would end up switching to LTE on my phone to get webpages to load. I purchased my wireless router in 2010 (seven years ago) and the whole time in between I was ignorant to think that WiFi technology hasn't changed and that I didn't need an upgrade. Boy was I wrong.
I finally concluded that the problem has to be with my router so I hit up Amazon to find a new one since mine was so dated. I looked at various NetGear routers but decided against them from the many negative reviews. I stumbled across this router, and even though it is on the pricier side of the house, the reviews were solid and I took the plunge and boy am I happy I did.
My internet is now faster than ever and I am finally getting what I am paying for! I couldn't be happier. These are the speeds I was getting before and after purchasing this router:
Living room:
Before -- 35mbps
After -- 118mbps
Bedroom:
Before -- 5mbps
After -- 102mbps
Bathroom:
Before -- 1mbps
After -- 50mbps
As you can see, the speeds have been significantly impacted. The antennas on these bad boys send the signal all the way to the back of my house and I can finally browse in peace where ever I am. Honestly, I can't believe I waited this long to make the upgrade.
If you have terrible service and aren't getting the speeds you are paying for, your problem very well may be in your dated router, as mine was. If you have a few extra bucks to spend to finally get those speeds you've been dreaming of -- GET THIS ROUTER!
I had a Linksys router before and needed a replacement, after looking through reviews and determining my needs for home wifi this model seemed the best. It was very easy to setup it was up and running with minutes. I was able to connect all my devices (2 TVs, 2 Tablets, 2 Phones, video game console, Fire Stick and Chromecast) within 30 minutes. That includes labeling them in the app, which I feel is one of the best features of the Linksys routers. All in all great buy for the price and I get to have 2 wifi network on 2 different frequencies (2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz). I highly recommend buying this product especially if you run a lot of devices and do a lot of streaming.
I replaced an old model of Linksys model WRTG. It was still operational and must be 10 to .15 years old,maybe older.Nonetheless with cutting the Comcast Cable I now have Amazon Fire T.V. ,Netflix,Amazon Prime video and Hulu.While watching movies it took a while for them to load up and at times that buffering effect was going on .So I figured I'd try replacing the router.Stayed with Linksys and purchased the EA6350,it has a second band at 5 ghz.The old router had only the 2.4 ghz band. That did the trick,all movies stream great now at 5ghz.The EA 6350 was a breeze to install,just followed directions and it was operational in 10 minutes. I was able to set new passwords one for each band .It has been about 1 month now and all is well.I would have to assume that this unit from Linksys will perform just as well as the last.I would recommend this router to anyone.I don't have a lot of devices using the band width,at present 3 Kindle Fire tablets,Amazon T.V.,2 cell phones and a laptop.All seven have been used at the same time with no problem at all.
Feature Product
- Next-Gen AC Wi-Fi - Multi-User MIMO technology. Operating Temperature : 0 to 40 degree Celsius
- Combined dual-band speeds up to 1.7 Gbps for powerful Wi-Fi performance,Beamforming technology focuses Wi-Fi signal to each device on your network
- Featuring a new look, Smart Wi-Fi app provides parental controls, guest passwords and much more to fully manage your home Wi-Fi from a mobile device anytime, anywhere
- Certified Operating Systems:MacOS (10.X or higher), Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10.Minimum System Requirements:Internet Explorer versions 8 and newer,Safari 5 (for Mac),Firefox 8,Google Chrome
- Wifi bands:2.4 and 5 GHz (simultaneous dual band).Wireless Encryption:Up to 128-bit encryption
Description
Wi-Fi for all. Family no longer has to negotiate for home Wi-Fi; everyone stays connected with the Max-Stream AC1750 Router (EA7300). It eliminates buffering for everyone in your household. Next-Gen AC Wi-Fi - Multi-User MIMO Technology – is like a dedicated router to multiple devices at the same time, same speed. Enjoy Seamless Roaming when you air the Max-Stream EA7300 Router to a Max-Stream Range Extender enabling your device to switch to the strongest Wi-Fi signal as you move freely throughout a home. Plus, with a 1-year warranty, dedicated tech support and the updated Smart Wi-Fi app, you can take advantage of great features to help manage your home Wi-Fi from anywhere, anytime. Refer to page 15 in User Manual for troubleshooting steps.
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.
ROCK SOLID. Easy installation. The router is well built - heavy duty. Note: Please download and use the Linksys app for set up - as it makes it smooth and easy. The in installation in total took about 30 minutes, not including logging into the new wifi on all our devices.
I am getting great reception throughout my larger house - full bars everywhere. Consistently great speeds when tested. Great speeds even at other end of house. I use to use (2) routers EA4500 - before one died - prompting me to buy this one. The E7500 - AC1900 blows them out of the water with its performance. I wish I would have done this sooner.
Also,the concurrent speeds of our devices (when they are all in use at the same time), seems much faster and more stable. I do not pretend to understand the MIMO technology - however the results have been are impressive.
Buy with confidence if you have a larger more spread out home and have many online devices. It will deliver a strong signal and great speeds.
**Updated** 1/19/2018
I was beginning to notice deteriorating performance on my Motorola Surfboard SBG6580 WiFi Cable Modem likely due to both its age (~5yrs) and the increased number of WiFi devices in my home. I have 2 Android phones, Android tablet, 4 LiFx Mini Smart Bulbs, 2 Google Home, a Google Mini, a Chromecast, a Chromecast Audio, a Roku, and occasionally my work laptop all connected to my home WiFi. Therefore I decided to upgrade my router and based on the reviews the AC1900 seemed like a good mid-range, dual-band WiFi router.
I disabled WiFi on my WiFi Cable Modem and setup the new router. I connected the 4 LiFx Mini lights using the 2.4 Ghz "802.11n Only" mode and the rest of my devices using the 5GHz "802.11ac Only" mode. At first I didn't notice much improvement over my 5 year old router so I suspected that something was wrong. I factory reset the new router and immediately noticed a significant improvement in speed, range, video quality when streaming video via Chromecast/Roku, and VOIP phone calls via Google Home. 802.11ac does make a noticeable difference over 802.11n and so far performs as fast as an ethernet connection. I'm very happy with my 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.
This is the right router for the average home (meaning average suburban middle-class home around 2500-3000 sq ft). I have his is on the main floor corner office. I have a basement and 2nd floor, and I get coverage throughout the entire house, though the 5gz (as expected) is only 3 bars in the far opposite corner of the basement. For 2.4 gz I get full 5 bars most places, and 4 in the upper or lower floor far corners.
It is easy to set up, I got it going with minimal effort. I'd read other reviews that there were lots of extra management items in the setup, but I'd say this has typical set of setup & advanced options as compared with Netgear and other peers. True geeks can flash DD-WRT or something like that if they want and probably will anyway, so this has enough.
The only areas I would like to see improved are:
1. Optional activity lights per-port on the front--ie, I don't want that blinking in my face all the time but I'd like to optionally enable them when I'm doing setup or testing of the hardwired devices. (And in the correct order--ie, most routers put their front lights in the same order as if you're looking at the back--which is really the *reverse* order--I want the lights on the front to actually indicate the ports directly in-line with them in back. But I digress).
2. The power switch is really tight and hard to get at between the antenna base and the adapter plug in. If you're not 4 years old with toothpick-thin fingers, you are probably better off just yanking the power adapter if you want to power-cycle this.
3. Really minor--I'd like better wall-mount holes. The "keyhole" type mounting slots have a too- tiny diameter in the center spot--it can't take the average screw one might use.
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