Linksys Mesh Wifi 5 Router, Tri-Band, 2,000 Sq. ft Coverage, Supports Guest WiFi, Parent Control, 20+ Devices, Speeds up to (AC2200) 2.2Gbps - MR8300

The Linksys Mesh WiFi 5 Router has been a game-changer for my home internet setup. The tri-band technology provides a strong and consistent signal, and the 2,000 sq. ft. coverage easily handles my entire space without any dead zones. Setting it up was super easy, and I love the option to create a Guest WiFi network it is great for keeping my main network secure while letting visitors connect. Streaming, gaming, and working all run smoothly, even with multiple devices connected at once. It’s sleek and doesn’t take up much space, which is a bonus. If you’re looking for a reliable and hassle-free WiFi solution, this router is a fantastic choice!

When my internet service provider increased the price of renting their wifi router, I wanted to buy my own. That turned out to be quite complicated due to several factors, including the compatibility of the router with the desktop PC provided by my workplace. At first I bought a wifi 6 router, but the VPN on my work computer wouldn't allow a connection, so IT suggested a wifi 5 router. This Linksys wifi 5 router was less expensive with higher megabytes per second, and it works great. The app and setup were straightforward. It was a little difficult to find the 2.4 GHZ network in order to connect my Alexa smart plug, but then I realized that the guest network I created upon setup was 2.4, and that worked out well.

I recently upgraded to the Linksys WiFi Mesh 6E Tri-Band Router, replacing my 11-year-old router, and the difference has been incredible. With my old setup, I was only getting around 100mbps on wireless devices near the router. Now, with the Linksys, my internet speed has skyrocketed to over 600mbps throughout my home. Even though the router is placed in the middle of the room at a height, it delivers excellent coverage to every room, doubling the speed I previously got with my Asus router.The installation process was simple, thanks to the user-friendly app, which also allows me to monitor all devices connected to the network. The router automatically selects the best channel based on the device, such as assigning 2.4GHz to my printer. It also has solid parental controls, guest network management, and upgraded security features. While it’s great on its own, adding nodes would make it even better for gaming and other heavy-use activities. Overall, it's a fantastic upgrade for both speed and coverage!

Before you read the review below, I wanted to briefly detail my small internet/network setup struggles. We moved into a new apartment which has solid concrete walls. It is a 1600 sq ft home with two levels. The modem connection is up stairs in the living room. Our two bedrooms are on the lower level.My main issue has been trying to get a strong and decent signal on the lower level. I tried multiple set ups (large router, mesh router, wifi extenders/repeater, and powerline), but I ultimately ran a wire from the upper level to lower. The main reason for running a wire was that I was only getting a fraction (at the most 200-300Mbps on the download) of my 1gb speed on the lower level.My current setup (update):1. TP-Link Wifi 6 AX6000 (main router on upper level).2. TP-Link Wifi 6 AX6000 (lower level router as access point. Cat7 wire from main router). My second AC4000 5G signals became very unstable. I did not have this issue with my first AC4000. I could not get a AC4000 replacement so I upgraded the lower level router to an AX6000.3. I am still getting download speeds in the 900-950Mbps wired, 500-600Mbps 5G, 40-60 2G.The devices I tried include:1. Linksys Tri-Band Mesh Wifi Router for Home (Max-Stream AC2200 MU-Mimo Wireless Mesh Router, Fast Wireless Router)2. NETGEAR Orbi Ultra-Performance Whole Home Mesh WiFi System - WiFi router and single satellite extender with speeds up to 3Gbps over 5,000 sq. feet, AC3. TP-Link AC4000 Smart WiFi Router - Tri Band Router, MU-MIMO, VPN Server, Advanced Security by Homecare, 1.8GHz CPU, Gigabit, Beamforming, Link Aggrega4. TP-Link WiFi 6 AX6000 8-Stream Smart WiFi Router - Next-Gen 802.11ax, 2.5G WAN Port, 8 Gigabit LAN Ports, MU-MIMO, 1.8GHz Quad-Core CPU, USB 3.0 Ports5. ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 AX11000 Tri-Band 10 Gigabit WiFi Router, Aiprotection Lifetime Security by Trend Micro, Aimesh Compatible for Mesh WIFI System, Next-Gen Wifi 6, Wireless 802.11Ax, 8 X Giga (Purchased at Best Buy)6. TP-Link Powerline Adapter AV2000 Mbps - Gigabit Port, Ethernet Over Power, Plug&Play, Power Saving, MU-MIMO, Noise Filtering(TL-PA9020P KIT)7. WiFi Range Extender - 1200Mbps WiFi Repeater Wireless Signal Booster, 2.4 & 5GHz Dual Band WiFi Extender with Gigabit Ethernet Port, Simple SetupLinksys Tri-Band Mesh Wifi Router for Home (in a two story apartment with solid concrete walls)SetupThe setup was very quick and simple. It took no more than 15 minutes. I decided to broadcast the Wifi signals separately, so I can dictate myself what device connects to which Wifi band. However, the Linksys Smart Wifi does work very well.There were no issues accessing the router from the app or the webpage. More detail settings and configuration are achieved from the webpage access. One thing to note that with this router, you need a node to access the second 5G band.Range and SpeedI have Xfinity 1gb internet connect. The router was placed on the upper level. The wired speed from the modem averaged low 900s Mbps. On the same level the Wifi range and strength was phenomenal. I got strong 2G and 5G signals anywhere on the upper level. Max download speed on my iphone XR Max and laptop was 600Mbps for 5G and 20-30Mbps on 2G. I had no issues with random disconnects or slow downs. However, on the lower, the signal strength was very poor. For the 5G band I was getting on more than 10Mbps, even when I was located under the router. The 2G signal faired a little better at 20-30Mbps.I also used this router with a powerline and it work great. I used powerline and moved this router to the lower level. Modem to powerline (upper level), then powerline (lower level) to router. Through the powerline, my speed 200Mbps (wired). After connecting the powerline to the router, my wired speed was 170-180Mbps, 5G 120-130Mbps, and 2G 20-30Mbps. However, moving the router to the lower level meant I was sacrificing the Wifi signal on the upper level.Why did I return it-Need to have a node to access the second 5G band.-Wifi could not penetrate to the lower level. However, this is more of an issue with the concrete walls.Would I recommend this router?I would definitely recommend this router based on the following:-Reasonably priced.-Simple and quick setup.-Consistent range and speed (if you have a single level home without concrete walls).