Linksys 1750Mbps Wrieless Router & AC Networking

Product(s): Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Router AC 1750 HD Video Pro EA6500
Product(s): Linksys AE6000 Wi-Fi Wireless AC583 Dual-Band Mini USB Adapter
Provided By: Linksys
Price: Find Lowest Price on Linksys Here

Introduction:

A few years ago networking was pretty stale.  Gigabit wired networking was the pinnacle of achievement for consumers and small offices and 802.11n had reached a maximum capacity of 300-450Mbps theoretical throughput.  There was nothing exciting going on so companies decided to once again try powerline networking.  This filled a gap that allowed better ranges and still decent throughput using the wiring in your building.  Still, it was nothing all that groundbreaking.  Recently the introduction of 802.11ac networking has prompted some excitement however.  This new networking standard uses the 5GHz band and is backwards compatible with the 802.11n 2.4GHz band.  This means that a 802.11ac network should work with all of your older 2.4GHz equipment, but at the same time offer you a lot more performance if you have compatible hardware.

The specifications show that we could see wireless speeds of over 1Gb per second (in a multi-station environment) but we should be able to see single-link speeds of up to 500Mbps.  Of course this is all still theoretical speeds, but we are seeing some claims that certainly exceed the boring 450Mbps speed on a dual-band 802.11n network.

Linksys is one of the companies that are on this bandwagon early and today we are looking at the EA6500 AC1750 Smart Wi-Fi router and are pairing it up with the AE6000 Wi-Fi Wireless AC583 Dual-Band Mini USB Adapter.  The router claims speeds of up to 1300Mbps on the 5GHz "AC" band while still providing 450Mbps on the 802.11n 2.4GHz band.  The USB Adapter doesn't match up perfectly as it only has a maximum expected throughput of 433Mbps on the 5GHz band with 150Mbps available on the 2.4GHz band.  We will be taking a brief look at these pieces of hardware and then testing them out to see how this second 802.11ac networking gear holds up to our expectations and to its claims.

First Impressions:

The EA6500 looks pretty typical for a newer Linksys product - but it's super-sized.  It is massive compared to the E4200 series and this is due to all the extra internal antennae to handle the dual-band operations.  This should help with antennae and signal strength for starters and help the plastic housing to remain cooler as 802.11ac routers can get a little toasty.  Overall, this isn't much of a change from their previous generation of products and the design looks good.  It's nothing too dramatic, but it's nice.

EA6500 - Rear

The bundle included with the router is more than adequate and comes with a couple of fun extras.  Included in the bundle is a power cord, a CD with a setup guide, a paper quick install guide as well as a NFC card that will quickly and easily help you connect NFC-enabled devices - even if you forget your password.  Speaking of NFC-enabled devices, such as phones, the EA6500 Smart Wi-Fi router has great Android and iOS Apps that will help you do all of the management on your router - through your mobile device.  This is a fun bonus that sets this router apart from the competition.  We'll continue on through the review to find out if the performance also sets it apart - and hopefully in a good way.

On the next page we'll quickly take a look at the features and specifications of the router before we jump into the AE6000 USB Adapter.