26.10.2015

The Linksys WRT1900ACS blew me away from the moment I opened the box. The packaging is outstanding with the modem, instructions and accessories all well presented on opening. Inside the box you get the modem; the four antenna's, a flat network cable and (sadly) a power brick. I have been using a predecessor the WRT1200 for a few months and been more than happy; they biggest difference here is on my new macbook pro the wireless network speed is a full gigabit; which as good deal faster than I can get with powerline networking round my home. The downside is not everything I have support full speed; with older machines topping out at 450mb/s.Out of the box the modem is fairly large; and has chunky feet and a big vent on the back to give it some all around airflow.The chunky feat also have screw holes in them so you can mount this to the wall if you want to. On the back you will also find an dual esata port for connecting some external drives; as well as a USB 3 socket for connecting a disk drive or usb printer and share them on the network. If you don't have any esata devices you can share two usb devices as the esata port is also a usb2 port; if your devices are usb3 put the one you are going to use less on the usb2 port as its considerably slower than usb3.The WRT1900ACS doesn't have an ADSL modem so you need a cable/fibre or adsl modem. Connecting them together with the included thin network cable to the clearly marked network socket on the back of the WRT1900ACS. I found setting to be simple but it could be better; the automatic setup failed on my BT ADSL connection. . First time out setup takes you through a wizard that most people should be able to follow. If you do get stuck there is a UK phone number to get help. First time in your configure the name of your network, passwords and the basic options you might want - parental controls etc.So i had to do a manual setup - having a working internet connection on your phone may be helpful for this. The manual setup was a question of entering the username and password into the settings and it found the internet and was away. So my top tip is before your start setting it is to get the PPOE username and password; these are easily found online - search for PPOE settings company name and you should find help - otherwise give your provider a call. If you get stuck link sys provide contact details to get assistance from them.There are 4 extra gigabit network sockets for your wired networking needs Connect the Once that is done; you power up the modem; wait for the lights to all come on. You can also connect your computers into one of the four network sockets on the back. Out of the box the modem has a password (in the cd/ documentation wallet in the box.) Connect to the wireless and then to http://linksyssmartwifi.com and the setup begins.The basic settings leave you with a working secure network (running a shields up test without testing the settings the modem passed first time.) Once that is done you get a fantastic dashboard of devices so you can see what is connected or not at any time to your network. Once it was setup I found that my laptop was able to get 1Gb/s of network anywhere in my apartment; whereas on the netgear I had before I was able to get 200 near the modem but only 130mb/s further away so the wifi coverage seems to be as good as linksys are claiming.The brilliance of LInksys’ modems is the setup wizard and website - once connected getting devices working or configuring rules for your home is very simple. Once you have your network running; there are lots of settings you can use to improve the overall performance - is your kids gaming stopping your Amazon Prime Video stream - you can boost your Amazon Fire boxes network priority which will slow their gaming and improve your viewing; you can prioritize your Amazon Fire device in the network speed and give yourself a chance in a busy home. Equally with parental controls you can block their xbox from working between certain times its a few clicks from the devices screen. This simplicity of setup extended to connecting to my office IPSEC VPN is infuriating on every previous (non link sys) device I have used; on the WRT1900ACS i just had to check a single box and it worked. Once surprise feature to me; was dial in VPN which again is very simple to setup on the device; if you need access to your home away from home you can. You can also configure and manage your modem away from home over the web or your phone (you can turn this off if you want to.) Its a handy feature if you want to be able to sort something out whilst you are away from home - or just want a way to enable the linksys’ WRT1900ACS guest network when a visitor comes around.In conclusion the software makes this modem special; the website setup and phone app make setting up and changing the network a breeze. The Linksys setup features blow away Apple's time machine configuration options as well as netgear’s software. Having features for managing quality of service for devices and dial in VPN access are a nice bonus - that setting them up has been brought to selecting a few options is a delight. The most important bits though were the basic settings setup a network that basic port scanning penetration testing passed with flying colors. Secondly the the wifi speed was outstanding far faster than I had before and the network is faster over a wider range. Given all the praise I am a little reluctant on the 5* rating the modem at launch is pretty expensive. One word of advice thought; If you are getting a new router; don't through away your suppliers modem as often they need that connected to diagnose issues.

16.6.2015

The Linksys WRT1200AC is a dual-band router (not modem/router) that is a development from their current top-of-range WRT1900AC and which has apparently proven to be quite a popular choice. That may have prompted Linksys to offer an alternative with a slightly lower specification and selling at a lower price. It shares an almost identical design although using only two external antennas rather than the 1900's four but the major difference is with the data transfer speeds possible; it offers 400Mbps at 2.4GHz and a nomimal 800Mbps (actually 867) at 5GHz although you will probably see a maximum of about 550Mbps or less.Some features are standard; it has a single WAN port and 4 LAN ports that provide Gigabit speed.It provides expansion possibilities via the included USB 3.0 port and a combined USB 2.0/eSATA port. Although not currently a personal issue, reports suggest that Apple's Time Machine is not supported although Windows devices present no such issue. It has a 1.3GHz processor which is actually a little bit faster than that within the 1900AC. The router is fairly large and is designed to stack readily with other WRT products, including the 1900AC and an 8-port Ethernet switch.Operationally, the router offers something relatively new, smart technology that helps ensure as close to a continuous connection as is possible. It cannot prevent drop-outs, speed fluctuations and other such 'normal' day-to-day occurrences, but will minimise them as far as possible. It uses an almost identical software front-end to earlier Linksys routers and modem routers with extras to allow for its additional functions. They have a reputation for ease of use and consistency. Set-up is very friendly and should be easy for users of almost any level of experience. Curiously, and perhaps because of its faster processor, it offers slightly improved transfer rates when in moderate proximities to a receiving source than is the 1900AC probably due to its faster CPU but is a little slower at greater distances where it may suffer due to its weaker beam-forming capabilities owing to the smaller number fitted of external antennas.The external appearance of the series follows a much older product range from Linksys although with a rather different colour scheme and may be described as both 'retro' and 'technical'; you may like it but it may not match universal taste. However, unlike the older products upon whose designs they are based and which were rather compact, the WRT series are quite large and imposing with most dimensions identical across the range although heights vary a little.There are a number of reasons why you may need this. It could add speed and functionality to an older modem router, especially one that may be compatible with the earlier N standard and especially those that pre-dated final ratification of the standard or replace a much older router. Via the 5GHz transmissions, not only will it offer improved speeds but the frequency band is far less subject to interference from other devices. To get its best performance, you will need an AC-capable computer or a suitable adapter and just about any will work - it isn't fussy!Of those routers offering a similar speed (1200-1300 overall), it is certainly close to being at the top of the pile. It offers some facilities that others may not, includes smart technology that few others do, but may not quite match some on overall speed. It has one slight negative, and that is its typical selling price which may be higher than some offering broadly similar specifications. There are also some that are closer in specs to the 1900AC but which retail at prices lower than this, which therefore make this seem less good value. Linksys are a long-established brand and now part of Cisco, one of the largest and most respected organisations with a history in networking.

23.12.2016

First impressions of this router come from simply opening the box. Wow, this is a serious piece of kit! The build quality is exceptional - its rock solid plastics (felt like metal to me, I'm unsure, but it is solid!) and with a few appropriate rubberised sections on the base. I was expecting good build quality because of the Linksys brand. My expectations were surpassed.I have previously purchased and reviewed the Linksys EA6400 Smart Wi-Fi router (AC1600) and I was very happy that the Linksys WRT3200ACM was just as easy to set up. The word 'effortless' comes to mind.To get the router setup, I simply ran a network cable to my modem using the labelled 'Internet/WAN' port, before powering up the WRT3200.Once connected, I fired it up. In the background it configured it's own IP range so as to not conflict with my modem. Once powered up, I browsed for its wireless network on my laptop. I didn't even need to check the Wi-Fi password on the router as I was able to use the WPS easy connect button - it authenticated my laptop with a simple press of the WPS button. That is the basic configuration of the router done. Simple.In order to customise the router, I browsed to it within my internet browser. It detected that it was my first attempt and so took me through a few simple steps to change settings for Wi-Fi name and security settings. I took the opportunity to do this. Again, painless.Performance:My key performance indicator for this device is for streaming games wireless on Steam as I have previously had to run a dedicated network cable from my gaming PC to my laptop. My second KPI was for reaching a difficult area of my home which has always been tricky to get solid signal to. WRT320ACM sorted both of these, effortlessly, no fiddling required. Top marks!As this is a premium product, there are countless security and connectivity features built-in:1. Wireless Security - Guest Network on/off, MAC Filtering on/off, WPS on/off, Wireless Scheduler.2. Security - VPN passthrough, Firewall, Internet filters, DMZ, DDNS, port forwarding.3. Storage - FTP, Media Server and folder sharing4. Smart Wi-Fi app account - great feature, gain access to administrate your router from your phone, from anywhere!5. Connectivity - VLAN can be configured for the LAN ports of router.6. It goes on...A 'nice' addition worth mentioning:The 'Activity' lights can be turned off, great if you are conscious of seeing flickering lights at night. (The power light always remains on).In summary, this is now my prized gadget possession. It may sound corny, but I'm genuinely chuffed with it - a router capable beyond my needs, exceptional build quality and a great looking to boot!For the price, if you intend using a few of the additional features, its extremely good value. Like me, even if you don't intend using all of the features of this router, it could represent a solid investment and something to simply make you happy (like owning a sports car, it's not always about practicality). However, if you are simply looking for a basic router to connect a few household devices to, then this is not the router for you, you could find something else at a far lower price point, even within the Linksys range.

19.10.2015

This WRT1900ACS router is a significant upgrade on Linksys previous best-in-range router, the processor is 33% faster and the memory is 100% larger… quite an impressive improvement. These enhancements give it a greater WiFi range. With a now 1.6 Ghz dual core processor, with 128Mb flash and 512 RAM memory and with x4 Ethernet capacity, it is more than capable of functioning with multiple users, PCs, tablets, internet TVs, simultaneously without over-load or cut-outs. Music, movies, games, file transfers… it seems to be able to cope with them all easily and simultaneously. Guest users can be assigned a individual password to protect your own system integrity.The USB 3.0 ports and eSATA compatibility are very useful if you are likely to run such high grade equipment and it is probably immediate future proof. The eSATA port can also be used as a USB 2.0 port if required. So… there is a great deal of flexibility in this Linksys router, and more adaptability, and more advance features than you possibly conceive.It has 4 sturdy looking antennae, which should be immune to accidental damage, and has the ability to automatically select which three are functioning the best so as to optimize file transfers. Its power consumption is lower than for comparable devices and therefore it operates at a lower temperature giving out less potentially damaging heat. One advanced feature enables you to prioritize which devices on your network get the most bandwidth, even to restrict internet access on specific devices, or to impose parental controls etc, if required. You can monitor and control the whole network in the building from this router.This router does not have an integrated Modem as do some other routers, but that should not be too much of a problem since it will connect to the modem your ISP, internet service provider, will have already supplied. This Linksys router is specially designed to have the capacity to operate with fast and superfast broadband networks. It incorporates new beam forming technology which directs signals to specific devices rather than broadcasting widely and randomly, and this gives it both extra range as well as improving transfer speeds. The build quality appears to be high and it is relatively easy to connect and set up, especially if you use the auto set-up option. Naturally make sure you get the password provided and your user name correct, otherwise it will not work. Full, easy to understand, set-up details are provided in the PDF manual in the accompanying CD. There is a 2 year warranty which looks a bit mean, a 5 year should be the norm for this quality of electrical equipment.This is a great piece of equipment for a small to medium size business, or for the modern household with several young persons all wanting to use their smart devices, all at once and all the time. This router can handle it all. The word excellent comes to mind.

23.10.2017

So I need to be open and honest about my review, when I received this for review, I was not aware that although this router is excellent on its own, you need a bit more hardware to really benefit from it. I have a decent enough gaming setup, an upgraded MSI gaming desktop that's a few years old, but the issue is that the motherboard doesn't have the killer engine built in - and as I use mostly a wired connection I've never needed to think about the issues connected to wireless.As a result, I set to work installing this router, and switched to wireless access on the desktop and began to use it. The good news is that it works well. This is part of Linksys'gaming line of routers - which I think they run in conjunction with Belkin if memory serves me right (or was it Belkin bought Linksys? one of the two) anyhow, the line is pretty well respected from what I've heard. The design is pretty standard and blocky - what you'd expect from a gaming router really. The four antennas are a nice touch though, and I definitely saw better signal from this unit than either my Airport Extreme AND other high end Linksys router which I have. Unsurprisingly it has 4 LAN ports and a USB/Esata port should you wish to connect a network drive.So clearly. This is pretty capable. Actually, on that note, the installation of this was much smoother than usual. The UI is quite a bit nicer than my other Linksys router which runs our second network at home which we use for IoT devices. It made the set-up quite a bit easier. I Particularly liked the dark look and the detailed dashboards.This is of course also where you find the Killer settings.. but ,more on that later.So signal is good, build quality is good, and even range latency was decent - much better than just our Airport Extreme but obviously struggled to provide the same range as our overall mesh network which uses 4 routers. However, this would be useable.I then managed to get a friend to bring his newer Alienware laptop last weekend so we could try this killer feature. You know what, it works. Even further from the router, if we say played some music on Spotify and downloaded some files from iTunes the killer engine dropped the ping by around 25% when switched on. Evidently, the stuff works - you just better have the hardware in-hand to use it.Unfortunately, I did find the setup a little-complicated having never used it before, my friend, however, did know what he was doing and said it was fairly standard.So, in conclusion, I do think this router delivers what it promises, in droves. The range is good, the killer stuff does work but overall it's a really good premium router. Now I'm not the biggest gamer - I just enjoy it from time to time, but there is some great tech here that you can enjoy even if you don't game. It'd certainly be cool if the killer stuff worked with modern consoles though - maybe one day ey?

29.10.2015

Review of the Linksys SE4008 WRT Family 8 Port Gigabit SwitchI was running out of Ethernet ports. Had used an old ADSL router in WAN mode to give 3 ports out in a daisy chain from my Linksys WRT150n. It worked but put what was connected off the home network into it's own but didn't really matter since what was connected only needed broadband not access back to other IP addreses e.g. Youtube box, Bluray, Android TV.Virgin upgrade my cable broadband as part of the TIVO combined VIVO offer of up to 200 mbps. I never liked the Virgin SuperHub2 as a WiFi router due to poor signal strength and loosing the network. Put it in cable modem mode and continued to use my WRT150n which was reliable.

16.12.2017

Make no mistake, this is a fine router from a great and reliable, tried and tested, manufacturer, Linksys. There is a but however. Unless you have a PC with specific "Killer" network functionality (essentially a tweaked quality of service (QOS) application), this is "just" a comparable router in terms of features and performance, to any other similarly specified AC3200 router out there. So think twice if you're buying it solely for the claimed lag reduction etc. Unless you have Killer kit, you will not notice a difference.The WRT32X is clearly a premium product for a premium, gamer orientated market.Right from the off, it arrives in swanky packaging replete with magnetic flappy bits on a neatly packed box filled with the router,

22.7.2015

The ease of set-up of this cable router is certainly the best that I have come across. Unlike previous generations of router, this assumes that the set-up will be done by a wireless device, not a laptop connected by an Ethernet cable.The only essentials were knowing my logon credentials to my ISP, its setup wizard did the rest.I'm an IT consultant who works with secure commercial systems. This may be a home router, but its standard settings provide good usability combined with good standard security settings.Adding devices using push-button WPS was easy and flawless, even for my partner's NVidia Shield, which is notoriously difficult to connect using WPS. Connectin my wirless printer was equally easy.

4.8.2015

Upon opening the packaging you are greeted with a large, blue, menacing looking box –there’s no denying this thing is a beast! The router is well packaged and comes with a 2 attachable antennas, a power supply, LAN cable and a CD. The router was easy to set up, but I would say this is definitely a product aimed at the enthusiast. If you are looking for minimal connections and a plug and play type experience all wrapped up in a discrete package, then this probably isn’t the product for you. However, this product is full of features that would be really useful for a small business or home setup involving network drives to back up to. The guest access is also useful for separating out the guest network from private networked computers for added security.

16.10.2015

Linksys have got just about everything right with this high end consumer router.Cons====High Price. It is well worth shopping around, but even then the high price is still an issue, not just for you own wallet, but because it will restrict the development of open source software.Running Costs. Most users are getting far more power than they need, and there will be a wasted electricy cost for that.Pros====Great connectivity. The eSATA port is one of the best distinguishing features to take note of. The labelling on the ports could be better, but that is a minor issue.Super Fast. Every is fast with this device. Even the most power hungry households will struggle to slow it down.Great range.

29.7.2017

I recently switched ISPs to a provider offering me "up to" 300Mbps - once I was connected it quickly became apparent that I wasn't even getting "up to" 100Mbps. I contacted my ISP and explained the problem. After numerous frustrating phone calls to them and resetting the hub countless times, I decided to threaten to leave as I was within my first 14 days and not satisfied. The ISP sent out an engineer to my house, who took out his phone and ran a speed-test via the Speedtest.net app. I was informed that as he was receiving a download speed of 90Mbps on 5Ghz that the ISP was providing a fast enough connection. He also continued to tell me that all of my equipment was old and not capable of reaching 300Mbps.

6.7.2015

First off, this is my first ever dedicated router, I usually just use the one Sky or Virgin supply me with, so my knowledge on all capabilities may be sparse.My main reason for using this is that I have recently set up a dedicated NAS media server to stream music and movies around my house and found that the standard Virgin one really wasn't up to the job.Initial thoughts are that the router itself is bit of an ugly beast and pretty large, it's certainly not something you would want to leave on display and are more likely to want to hide away, but that is purely cosmetic.Set up was a little bit of a pain as the manual isn't that great but it is all fairly automated with it downloading and

13.11.2014

It's certainly an attractive beastie - somewhat reminiscent of a component in a Hi-fi system rather than a home router. It's certainly not small - far larger than comparable router units, and most of its bulk is empty space - the more charitable may view this as a design benefit to reduce the temperature of its components and prolong its life. In actual fact, it's as big as it is in order to give it presence - this is not a shrinking violet - it's a boy racer of routers with all the trimmings from the sexy styling to the unusual front indicator light styling. This is not something to be hidden away. Its size helps it to be more stable as the base for other stacking components,

18.10.2015

This a very impressive bit of kit – but then you would expect that for the premium price. It does not include an ADSL2 modem, and is probably well over the top for the majority of domestic users who want a simple one stop solution. The main attraction from my point of view was the wifi coverage, and the connectivity which includes eSATA, as well as USB3.The coverage really is impressive, the four antennae are clearly an important part of that, but maybe the beam forming software helps too. Speed is second to none, and assuming you have a superfast capacity on your broadband, this will allow multiple users to make maximum use. It seems very well built, does not run too hot,

4.11.2017

• If you have a Virgin Media Super Hub, as I do, you'll need to put it in "Modem Only" mode. (It also works with phone lines like BT, Sky, TalkTalk etc.)• I've got to say, I haven't really noticed much — if any — difference. This is why I've given it 3 stars. It's fine, but is it really worth £300?• Granted, I don't have a fancy PC from Alienware, Gigabyte, MSI or Razer with a Killer network card. (I'm trying to get my hands on one.)• You cannot use the Killer option on a PS4 or Xbox One.• This device is just Linksys WRT3200ACM with custom firmware..·:*¨*:·.·:*¨*:·.·:*¨*:·.·:*¨*:·.·:*¨*:·.·:*¨*:·.·:*¨*:·.·:*¨*:·.·:*¨*:·.Optional reading=========• The box has a nice magnetic flap.• The router is beautifully presented,

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