Linksys Max-stream Ac4000 Mu-mimo Wi-fi Tri-band Router Review

Linksys EA9300 Max-Stream AC4000 Tri-Band Wi-Fi Router Reviewed

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At a glance
Product	Linksys Max-Stream AC4000 Tri-Band Wi-Fi Router (EA9300) [Website]
Summary	AC4000 class Broadcom-based 3x3 tri-band router with ii MU-MIMO enabled 5 GHz radios.
Pros	• Smart Connect band steering • Same CPU as ASUS GT-AC5300 at much less $
Cons	• interoperatiliby problem with 5 GHz downlink • Undistinguished routing feature set • Smart Connect works but between five GHz radios • Artificially inflated link rate very few volition come across • No OpenVPN support

Introduction

It's been but most 3 years since our first review of a "tri-band" "Smart Connect" router in the form of NETGEAR's R8000 Nighthawk X6. These routers were Broadcom'southward try to combat the college-full-throughput claims of MU-MIMO based routers when the visitor didn't have a MU-MIMO chipset of its own.

The market place has evolved since and so, with Qualcomm-based MU-MIMO moving from 4x4 to less expensive 3x3 and even 2x2 based designs. Broadcom somewhen shipped its BCM4366 4x4 MU-MIMO radio SoC that appeared commencement in AC5300/5400 products, although not with working firmware. It took another twelvemonth or so and a few device spins for Broadcom to eventually come up up with working MU-MIMO. Not that all this sturm und drang around MU-MIMO matters much to the typical Wi-Fi user, since few have the multiple MU-MIMO devices required to reap any of the engineering science's do good.

Which brings united states of america to Linksys' EA9300 Max-Stream AC4000 Tri-Band Wi-Fi Router. It incorporates a new Broadcom BCM4365 3x3 MU-MIMO radio SoC--actually three of them--into a "tri-ring" design intended to entice buyers with a combination of AC4000 bigger-number-on-the-box at a cost below tri-ring 4x4 AC5300/AC5400 products that also have MU-MIMO.

The inflated AC4000 rating breaks down into 750 Mbps in two.iv GHz plus 2 times the 1625 Mbps in 5 GHz maximum link rates. These rates require a 3x3 device that also supports the not-standard 1024-QAM modulation rate to achieve them, which means simply ASUS' 4x4 PCE-AC88 PCIe adapter. Most of us with newer 2x2 smartphones that support but 256-QAM in both bands volition come across a maximum of 400 Mbps in 2.4 GHz (if you tin can become twoscore MHz bandwidth, 173 Mbps otherwise) and 867 Mbps in five GHz.

Where this leaves the EA9200 AC3200, its first tri-band router that doesn't have MU-MIMO, is apparently on the fast lane to obsolescence, since Linksys has left its MSRP at $329.99, the aforementioned equally the EA9300'due south. (The EA9200'south street cost of $135 sure looks similar inventory is being cleared.) So permit's see if it brings anything to the party.

	Linksys EA9500	Linksys EA9300	Linksys EA9200	Linksys EA8300
# Streams	4	3	3	2
two.4 GHz max. link rate (Mbps)	1000	750	600	400
5 GHz max. link rate (Mbps)	2166	1625	1300	867
MU-MIMO	Y	Y	North	N
Amazon Price (at time of review)	$330	$300	$135	$160

Tabular array ane: Linksys "Tri-band" routers

The EA9300 looks pretty much like the EA9500, just with six vs. eight external antennas. In that location are mounting screw slots on the bottom console will allow facing the rear panel upward or downward. The forepart panel callout diagram below describes the front panel lighting.

EA9300 forepart panel callouts

The rear panel has two USB iii.0 ports, iv Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports and 1 WAN port. Port assemblage is not supported, but every port has its own link and activeness LEDs that should be called out in the diagram. The right side of the router sports a Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) switch. There is no wireless on/off switch.

EA9300 side and rear panel callouts

Inside

Linksys has non released the FCC internal pictures, so I opened the router after testing was done for a look. The starting time photograph shows the top cover removed, revealing a fairly substantial heatsink that's thermally coupled to the RF can tops nether it.

Linksys EA9300 inside

Stripping off all the RF can tops shows the CPU / switch section at top, 5 GHz loftier-band and 2.four GHz radios at lesser left and five GHz low band radio at lower right. The 5 GHz loftier-band and two.iv GHz radios share the left side antennas while the 5 GHz low band has the correct three antennas all to itself. Note the left side radios are combined at the antenna and not in mixing circuitry on the board.

Linksys EA9300 board

The table summarizes the key components for the EA9300, EA9200 and EA9300 routers. The EA9300 has the same Broadcom BCM4908 1.8 GHz quad-core 64 bit ARM processor as the ASUS GT-AC5300, but for much less money. BCM4908 eliminates the need for the external PCIe switch the EA9200 and EA9300 need. The CPU likewise contains a 2.v Gb Ethernet port, although it's not used in the EA9300. This article has other processor details.

	Linksys EA9300 (tri-band 3x3)	Linksys EA9200 (tri-band 3x3	Linksys EA9500 (tri-band 4x4)
CPU	Broadcom BCM4908KFEBG quad-cadre @ 1.viii GHz	Broadcom BCM4709A	Broadcom BCM4709C0KFEBG dual-cadre @ 1.4 GHz
Switch	In CPU	in BCM4709A	in BCM4709C0KFEBG & BCM53125
RAM	512 MB	256 MB	256 MB
Flash	256 MB	128 MB	128 MB
2.4 GHz Radio	- BCM4365EKMMLG 3x3 11abgnac SoC - Skyworks SE2623L 2.4 GHz power amp (x3)	- Broadcom BCM43602 - ii.four GHz Power Amps (x3)	- BCM4366 4x4 2.4/5G single flake 802.11ac SoC - Skyworks SE2623L 2.4 GHz power amp (x4)
five GHz radio	- BCM4365EKMMLG 3x3 11abgnac SoC - Skyworks SKY85408-11 802.11ax 5 GHz power amp (x3) Notation: There are 2 five GHz radios.	- Broadcom BCM43602 - 5 GHz Power Amps (x3) Annotation: There are ii 5 GHz radios.	- BCM4366 4x4 2.iv/5G unmarried chip 802.11ac SoC - RFMD RFPA5542 v GHz PA module (x4) Annotation: At that place are two v GHz radios.
PCIe	None	PLX Engineering PEX8603 iii-lane, three-port PCIe switch	PLX Technology PEX8603 3-lane, 3-port PCIe switch

Table one: Component summary and comparing

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Source: https://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-reviews/33115-linksys-ea9300-max-stream-ac4000-tri-band-wi-fi-router-reviewed

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