Linksys Max-Stream EA9300 (AC4000) Review

The Linksys Max-Stream EA9300 is an Ac4000 standard Wi-Fi router with stylish design and high-speed wireless connectivity. Most routers, today, use the 4 x 4 MU-MIMO radio SoC. However, Linksys has adopted a new approach in its Max-Stream EA9300 router and introduced 3 x 3 MU-MIMO radio technology SoC.

In today’s article, we will tell you about the wireless performance, design of the router, the hardware powering the router, and the steps required to install the router. Note: The information presented in this article is authentic and based on our testing of the router. Read on!

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Specifications

Size: 11.58 x 9.01 x 2.26 inches

Antennas: 6 (external)

Wi-Fi Spec: 5 GHz 802.11ac tri-band 3 x 3

Ports: 2 x 3.0 USB ports

Peak Performance: 1,625 Mbps

Range: 5,000 sqft.

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Unbox Video

Linksys EA9500 Router unboxing and review

Networking

The Linksys EA9300 Max-Stream is a tri-band Ac4000 standard Wi-Fi router. The company has incorporated a new Broadcom BCM43565 3 x 3 MU-MIMO radio technology SoC into a tri-band design, which aims to entice users with the incredible Ac4000 at a good price.

We tested the router and found that it reaches a maximum speed of 750 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz radio frequency band. The router attains a maximum speed of 1625 on the 5 GHz radio frequency band.

First, at 5 feet, the speed we measured was 1611 Mbps on the 5 GHz band. At 15 feet, the speed went down slightly to 1467 Mbps. At 30 feet, however, it further went down to 900 Mbps. We were expecting it to go down below 800 Mbps. We think the results on 5 GHz are good.

Smartphones with 2 x 2 design will get 400 Mbps max on the 2.4 GHz and 865 Mbps on the 5 GHz band. Next, we tested the router on the 2.4 GHz radio frequency band. At 5 feet, the speed of the router was 812 Mbps.

At 15 feet, it went down to 542 Mbps and at 30 feet, the speed went down 235 Mbps. Overall, the wireless performance on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz was above our expectations.

Design

The Design of the Linksys Max-Stream Ac4000 is beautiful. It comes with 6 antennas. It has a dark grey finish and attractive design. The front of the router is pretty simple. On the bottom panels, there are mounting screw slots, which allow facing the backside panel up or down.

The rear panel of the Linksys Ac4000 has 2 USB 2.0 ports, 1 WAN port, and 4 Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports. There is no support for port aggregation. However, each port has a link.

There is a WPS switch on the right side of the Linksys Max-Stream Ac4000 router. The interesting thing about this router is that you won’t find the wireless “ON-OFF” button or switch. The dimensions of the router are 11.58 x 9.01 x 2.26 inches. Its weight is 3.60 pounds.

Hardware

The Company Linksys has not released the internal FCC photos. Therefore, we researched the hardware and opened the router after we had completed the wireless test.

At the bottom left section, there are 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz high-band radio. The low bands are positioned at the lower right. The 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz high radio frequency bands share the left side antennas of the router whereas the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz low radio frequency bands share the right side antennas of the router.  

The Linksys Max-Stream EA9300 Ax4000 is powered by the Broadcom BCM4908 quad-core ARM processor with a clock speed of 1.8 GHz. The CPU incorporated in this router is the same as the Asus GT-AC5300 router.

However, the Broadcom BCM4908 does not have the external PCI-e switch as needed by the Linksys EA9200 router. The CPU of the Linksys Ac4000 has a 2.5 GB Ethernet port. Moreover, the CPU is supported by 256 MB of Flash Memory and 512 MB of RAM.

Installation

The Installation of the Linksys Ac4000 is easy and requires you to follow a few steps. The first step is to connect a wireless PC, tablet, or smartphone to your default router Wi-Fi. You can find the Wi-Fi credential on the bottom of the device.

It is important to know that if you want to set up this router using a hardwired PC, then, you need to connect your PC to one of the powerful Ethernet ports, which are located at the router’s back.

The second step is the launch of a web browser and types linksyssmartwifi.com in the browser’s address bar. Also, you can enter myrouter.local or http://192.168.1.1. Once you are there, accept the terms and conditions of the software that you are going to use. Then click next to proceed further.

Now, the Smart Setup Wizard will start and detect the internet connection. For DSL customers, the setup prompts for an account name and password from your ISP. Therefore, if you are a DSL customer, it is important to enter the necessary credentials and then click next so that the setup process continues.

In the next step, you will enter the router window where you have to install the router updates. Make sure the “updates” are checked as “automatic.” This enables you to avoid installing router updates manually. Click Next to proceed.

The next step requires you to enter the new Wi-Fi username/network name and the password. These credentials will apply for both the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands.

Once you are done, click next. If you want to create a unique Wi-Fi name for the 5 GHz network, then you can do this after the setup and by logging in to the web-based setup page of the router. You can further configure the device according to your needs.

What We Liked

• Easy to install
• Speedy file-transfer
• Excellent throughput performance
• MU-MIMO & beamforming
• Works with Alexa voice
• Smart Connect band steering
• High-Performance CPU

What WE didn’t like

• High Price
• Lacks built-in malware protection
• Limited parental controls

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