Looking for the best mid-range router? We present our editor’s pick to you: The Linksys EA7500 Max-Stream Router. The router is available for a modest price tag of $139.99 but in consideration with the features which we are going to highlight, the router would be totally worth the buck.
Design and Ports
The Linksys EA7500 Max-Stream isn’t one with aggressive looks or something. It is rather a modest looking router which considers its job more important than its look. It is still not something you can hide away from the size of the router can be easily twice than that of an average router.
The body is all plastic and sprouts more three seven inch antennas from its back. The router courtesy its large size is able to offer a number of ports though. There is the usual 5 Gigabyte Ethernet Ports, one of which is the WAN port to which you can connect your broadband modem. In addition to this, there are two USB ports too. One of them is the newer USB 3.0 port while the other is the rather obsolete USB 2.0 port. You can easily connect your storage devices to one of these ports for fast access to files over the network.
Specs and Features
The Linksys EA7500 Max-Stream is powered by a 1.4 GHz dual-core processor. This essentially makes up for the highest theoretical bandwidth of 1.9 Gbps. Not only this, but the bandwidth can be used by multiple users connected to the router. Therefore if you find your home to be full of video streamers, and gamers, then you would find the bandwidth to be more than sufficient.
In addition to this, you can safely future proof yourself courtesy the MU-MIMO technology capable by the router. Basically, it is a form of beamforming, therefore, signals are rather focused on where they are actually needed, rather than just spreading them around equally. This way your signal strength in dead zones could increase and cause a solid performance. The MU-MIMO is the technology of the future and is yet to find itself on lower end routers.
There are two simultaneous bands being used by the 802.11 ac router. One is the 2.4 GHz one, while the other is the 5 GHz. The speeds offered by the bands are up to 600 Mbps and 1300 Mbps respectively. Therefore, you would be seeing two different Wi-Fi networks when you turn on your router for the first time. This is because both the networks would employ one of the bands each. This is largely to your benefit since you can use the 5 GHz network for network intensive use like gaming and 4K streaming. While the 2.4 GHz network would be sufficient for common day to day tasks like surfing and social media. This also means that if the whole house is on one of the networks, you can switch to the other one and it shall be all yours to use.
Easy to Setup and Mobile App
The router is rather easier to set up as compared to other routers since no CD is required. Moreover, with the Linksys Smart Wi-Fi app, you can easily configure your router easily from your smartphone. The app allows you parental controls, as well as guest access for up to 50 guests. Not only this but courtesy device prioritization, the devices which need the most speed, would be granted prioritization too.
That said, the choice is yours. With the plethora of features the router offers for a very moderate price, it is our editor’s pick for the best midrange Wi-Fi router out there.