Finding a reasonably priced router that provides exceptional performance might be difficult. If you have a big number of devices connected to the same wireless network, such as a family or roommates, you may find it difficult to maintain a stable wireless connection. Linksys has recently introduced a number of excellent routers that provide improved bandwidth and traffic shaping capabilities. Again, such routers were offered at a high price, and most consumer-level gear is simply incapable of using the high speeds it provides.
The feeling of being caught between a rock and a hard place can be overwhelming for many people. On one end of the scale, you’ve got low-grade consumer routers that simply cannot keep up with the demands of today’s technological advancements. On the other hand, you have high-end routers that are both overpowering and pricey for your requirements. With the Linksys Max Stream EA7300, Linksys is assisting you in finding a happy medium between the two extremes. A huge number of connected devices can benefit from the strong capabilities of this router, which allows you to take advantage of high-bandwidth internet connections. Consider the following scenario and see how it operates in the actual world.
Design
The Linksys Max Stream EA7300 offers a sleek, modern design that complements any environment. Its slick black casing is both functional and professional in appearance. Even while it doesn’t have the same intimidating appearance as other of their higher-end routers, it also doesn’t have the typical “appliance” appearance that some of their older routers had. It is undeniably a high-quality router, yet it does not necessitate any more effort on your part. Depending on your preference, you might leave it out in the open in your living room or store it in a closet. Whatever you pick, it will not be out of place in any setting.
Because of the accompanying set-up wizard, getting the Max Stream EA7300 up and running was an easy and uncomplicated procedure. You just connect the WAN connector of your modem to your computer and plug in the electricity. Following a brief boot-up procedure, you’ll be ready to proceed to the last stage. You have two options for logging into the router: either over the open network connection or by physically connecting to one of the gigabit Ethernet ports on the device.
You’ll be able to stroll through Linksys’ step-by-step configuration tutorial as soon as you open a web browser. You’ll choose a name for your network and a password, and then you’ll be ready to start using it. You have the option of continuing on to adjust sophisticated network settings, or you may simply begin utilizing the internet immediately.
Performance
Despite the fact that the promised 1.7 Gbps speed appears to be amazing, we all know that these theoretical rates are never achievable in the actual world. We made the decision to go all-in and see what type of performance we could put together.
The system was tested on a laptop equipped with an 802.11ac wireless networking card in order to ensure correct functionality. A PC was connected to the gigabit Ethernet connection on our network, and we exchanged some files over the network in order to assess the transfer rate. In our initial speed test, we were in the same room as the router, with a distance of around 10 feet between ourselves and the router. After transferring a few ISO files, we were able to reach an outstanding average transfer rate of 245 Mbps. This is excellent, more than sufficient for streaming 4K video or accessing distant material in real time in terms of performance. However, we are all aware that speeds may rapidly degrade as you are further away from the router, so we decided to test it again from the opposite side of our house. At the time of this test, we were around 90 feet from the router, and the signal was traveling through many walls. Our transmission rate has dropped to 115 megabits per second. Although this may appear to be considerable, it is still more than sufficient for any use we could think of. This is the bare minimum amount of bandwidth you can anticipate in most families.
To check for signal quality, we transferred data while keeping an eye out for any dropouts or extended buffer times that could occur. We discovered that file transfer rates were steady no matter where we were in the home and that there were no signal difficulties at all. It is for this reason that a router is an excellent option if you reside in a large building and have difficulty receiving a strong signal.
MU-MIMO
The Linksys Max Stream EA7300 is equipped with MU-MIMO technology, which is one of its most notable characteristics. A multi-user system with multiple inputs and outputs is referred to as a multi-user system. If you’re like most others, you’ve probably observed that when a large number of people are using the internet at the same time, your connection might be quite slow. Because a wireless network can only handle a certain number of requests at a time, when the network is heavily used, some requests may be lost. The term “MU-MIMO” refers to the fact that this router really produces three different wireless networks.
If you have three devices, each one will have its own dedicated network, which is really convenient. The connection will only be shared by one other person if your group size is six or more. In our experience, this significantly increased the connection speed by a significant margin. When it comes to torrent files, routers have a hard time keeping up with the demand, as there are sometimes 200 or more connections per torrent. However, because of MU-MIMO, our connection remained fast and responsive, regardless of what other users were doing.
An often-held belief is that multiuser multiple access (MU-MIMO) will result in several Wi-Fi networks, each of which must be manually selected before connecting. This isn’t the case at all. All users need to do is log on to the network in the same way they would with any other router, and the Max Stream EA7300 will disperse your connections as needed. A sophisticated traffic shaping system, which re-organizes connections as needed, is included as part of this solution. Consider the following scenario: you have five devices connected to your network. Four of them have cellphones, and they only access the internet to check for alerts every now and again. The final device is a gaming console that is capable of running a network-intensive online game. In this situation, the user with the highest bandwidth requirements would be assigned their own channel, while the users with lower bandwidth requirements would be shared among the other channels. This means that you’ll always have the greatest connection available, with no need to make any concessions.
Verdict
For the ordinary user, the Linksys Max Stream EA7300 router may be one of the greatest deals available on the market in terms of performance and price. It is especially intended for use in houses with a large number of gadgets, all of which require high-speed internet connectivity to function properly. Even if you don’t have the most up-to-date equipment, you’ll be able to make use of traffic shaping and MU-MIMO technologies to guarantee that everyone has access to a decent amount of bandwidth. If you do have an 802.11ac card, you’ll be able to take use of the massive bandwidth that is now feasible.
Parental controls are also a convenient feature for families to have. Alternatively, if your family’s primary worry is regulating how and when your children use the internet, you may prefer the powerful parental controls offered by the Netgear Orbi. Upgrade to the EA9500 router is recommended for those who have a 100 Mbit or greater internet connection and want the fastest possible speed from their internet service provider.
In contrast, for the ordinary customer, the EA7300 achieves the ideal balance between price and performance and does it in a straightforward manner.
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