Linksys EA9500 MaxStream AC5400 MUMIMO Gigabit Router
Possessing mesh-like features.
Another kitchen sink router in the vein of the ASUS RT-AC5300, the EA9500 has all the latest wireless tech while also being rather more compact than the competition.
It also happens to be one of the routers in Linksys’ range that supports Seamless Roaming, a meshlite technology similar to D-Link’s Whole Home Wi-Fi. It allows you to set up a Wi-Fi network of MAXSTREAM routers and range extenders using a shared SSID. You can roam from access point to access point without losing the connection or needing to switch Wi-Fi networks — though it is still in-band, so you will have a hit on throughput just as you would with a normal range extender. These circumstances allows tri-band routers to really come into their own.
The Linksys supports 4x4 MU-MIMO on all three of its bands, and with 1024QAM modulation support can technically hit 2,166/2,166/ 1,000Mbps, which is about the fastest you can get in a consumer router. It has a super-generous total of eight gigabit LAN ports, giving you plenty of wired connectivity as well.
It also has one of the best mobile setup and management applications, with very fast, very simple configuration and access to all of the router’s important features from a consumerfriendly interface.
The Linksys firmware does not have close to the feature set of, say, ASUS, but it covers most of the things that an average consumer might need, from device and user management, to parental controls, to DLNA, to automated quality of service.