Linksys EA9500

SUPER SPEED WIRELESS AND PLENTY OF LAN PORTS MAKE THIS PERFECT FOR SERVING LOTS OF USERS AND DEVICES.

AT THE TOP end of Linksys’ current broadband router range sits the new EA9500, a router with all the wireless features you can ask for. ere’s MU-MIMO for maximum per-user performance, twin 2,137Mbps AC networks with dynamic user load balancing to support a huge number of users at once, and an 802.11n support that deploys 1024QAM to support a theoretical 1,000Mbps. Much like the ASUS RT-AC5300 and D-Link DIR-895L this is pretty much the pinnacle of consumer Wi-Fi right now. (As a small aside, Linksys calls this AC5400. It’s actually the same as the AC5300 of the D-Link and ASUS; we have no idea where Linksys gets the extra hundred from).

One thing that sets it apart from the AC5300 competition is the LAN ports. e double-thick router (it’s a very big router overall) has two rows of four gigabit Ethernet LAN ports, for a total of eight. For households that have a substantial number of wired devices, this is a big deal, sparing the need to buy additional switches and power adapters to support those switches. We wished more vendors would recognise that four ports just isn’t enough anymore.

It uses Linksys standard rmware, which is built to be easy to use and con gure but can’t match the likes of DrayTek and ASUS for features. Although there is a web console available, Linksys expects you to use its PC or mobile apps for con guration, and those apps have been recently overhauled with a much-improved user interface. ey provide almost complete access to the router’s features, including wireless setup, parental controls, diagnostics and network maps, and more. It’s more expensive than the ASUS alternative, but it’s a contender for top spot.