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Linksys EA9500 Max-Stream AC5400 MU-MIMO Gigabit Router Review

Others/Networking Gear by stefan @ 2016-07-09

The Linksys EA9500 Max-Stream AC5400 MU-MIMO Gigabit router looks massive when compared to regular home routers and via its eight high-power Wi-Fi antennas it can deliver up to 5.3Gbps speeds on a tri-band configuration (1000 + 2167 + 2167 Mbps). The LAN ports are also a total of eight for connecting a larger number of devices on the wired interface and also comes with two USB ports for connecting additional storage or printers. Since we are dealing with a Wave 2 802.11ac standard implementation, the router fully supports 4x4 AC, MU-MIMO, while the Band Steering feature balances the load between the two 5GHz bands so each device does get a better data transfer performance.

Packaging, A Closer Look Part I

Linksys Max-Stream AC5400 MU-MIMO (EA9500) router is not your run-of-the-mill product, but features Multi-User, Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output and also the next-generation 802.11ac Wave 2 technology. Wave 2 moniker is practically a marketing term; while Wave 1 products did come with a partial implementation of the 802.11ac standard, the Wave 2 ones have a full implementation. Besides the previously-mentioned MU-MIMO standard, the router also features no less than eight high-power adjustable antennas which enable using the tri-band Wi-Fi configuration (5GHz+5GHz+2.4GHz). For the 2.4GHz band we do have available connection speeds up to 1000Mbps, while each 5GHz band can provide up to 2166MHz. The box EA9500 is offered in is practically the biggest we have seen for a product in this category; on the top area shows a photo of the router in operation and we will also learn that it is backed with 3 years of warranty and 3 years of free tech support:

Linksys mentions that this product is good for all activities and that it incorporates tri-band quad stream Wi-Fi which sums up 5.3 Gbps:

On one of the box sides, we will get to see an explanation of the router interfaces along with the list of package contents:

Nearby, the manufacturer is listing the minimum system requirements along with the technical specifications:

A more detailed product description and a comparison with other routers can be observed on the back:

After removing the top cover, we will get to see that the insides are fully protected by foam material:

A Quick Installation Guide is offered to the user, but for more detailed instructions we recommend checking the Linksys website or the included disk:

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