Pros: I'm quite happy with this router! It's solid in just about every way!

While unboxing this router, I was a bit surprised at the size of it. I think this is physically the largest one I've reviewed! But, it does have a solid build, and looks sleek. The antennas are removable with standard male TNC-RP connectors, but I'm not sure how using a 3rd party antenna would affect performance. The 12VDC 3Amp power adapter is also well built, and seems to provide relatively flat DC even when plugged direct into the wall – if this router goes bad, it's likely not the power adapter's fault.

Setup was a breeze, and secure. It's about as easy as any modern-day router can be, so I'd trust my grandma to do it. Especially if you're setting it up on a wired connection – no passwords required, and any page load takes you to the router first-time setup. Configuring over WiFi is easy, and still secure with a randomized password, included on the router itself and the pamphlet.

As for performance, I'm impressed. I have about 15 active devices on my network (11 of which are WiFi) including PCs, laptops, cameras, and smart-plugs, and they all have perfect connectivity all around the house and the cameras stream flawlessly. I've always had some connectivity outside my house, but on other routers I find when the signal is this low it just doesn't work. Whatever magic the EA7500's using, it works even on those “troublesome” signal strengths!

It's configured for automatic updates by default. This may be a red flag for some, but for better or worse, I think this is the best option. There's just as much chance of the router shipping with a security flaw as there is in a new update, but at least with automatic updates it'll be fixed in a timely manner.

The USB 3 port is a nice touch you see in a few other routers, and it works well, but I'm not expecting massive USB serial speeds from my router...

You can configure VLANs and static routers, as well as some other advanced functions! Though I'm finding this a lot on modern routers, thus I haven't really needed to flash anything with DD-WRT or OpenWRT these days because the features are already there!

Cons: -The Cat5e Ethernet cable it comes with is rather short (just over 2ft) and seems cheap. Not a big deal at all, but for this price-tag I'd expect something above the average.

-Guess access is on by default. Though it is password protected, I don't think most people are going to turn it off and it's just a wasted broadcast. If they wanted it, I'd imagine they'd want to change the password anyway and thus go through the configuration.

-The light on it is small, but noticeable in dark rooms. There's the option to disable lights on the device, but it only disables the flashing lights on the Ethernet ports. So close! Whip out the electrical tape if you don't like lights.

Other Thoughts: For what this router is marketed as, I think it checks all the boxes and then some. Would I recommend it? I'd definitely recommend this product to a friend who wants a high-end router, but doesn't know enough about them to do his own research (or miss features it doesn't have). If you want more features like VPN services, you gotta move away from the "home router" market.

Pros: -Minimal lighting
-Maximum speeds out of ISP
-Easy to setup and automatically configures IP
-USB3.0 and USB2.0
-Wireless AC1900 + MIMO
-Configure via browser (No software needed)
-4 Ethernet ports

Cons: -USB3.0 transfer speeds via WIFI are slow ~20MB
-MIMO Technology not noticeable from user
-Lacks VPN and advanced router settings

Other Thoughts: Just like its predecessor the WRT1900AC but with MIMO Technology and one less antenna. The package includes the router, 3 removable antennas, installation CD, ethernet cable, power adapter, and quick start guide. Installation is simple, just hook up the ethernet cable to the router and restart the the modem - it will configure itself automatically. Make sure you use CAT5E minimum or CAT6 cables to fully maximize your LAN network and internet speeds especially if your internet exceeds 100Mbps.

The wifi defaults to the provided SSID and you can access the linksys settings by connecting to the network and typing “192.168.1.1”. The network settings itself are VERY BASIC and will satisfy the average consumer that simply use the router for WIFI. The only adjustments I make in the settings are changing the wifi name and channels to the best one in my area. I use the Wifi SCAN on a MAC that tells me the best 2.4GHz and 5GHz channel to use and I change them accordingly in the linksys setting. I also disable media prioritization as I do not want any throttling of my devices. There are guest access, parental controls, and security settings. NO VPN settings- Again, VERY BASIC settings that are available.

You can also attach a USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 hard drive to the back of the router. This does work great for movies as I have a Nexus Player and can access the HD that is connected to the back of the router via WIFI. It is a great feature since you can watch movies off the HD through Wifi. File transfers VIA wifi to the USB3.0 HD are very slow at around ~20MB, so don’t expect to transfer large files via WIFI fast.

The reliability has been great and I have about 12+ network devices connected at once. Rokus, Mac minis, iPhones, PS4, PCs (LAN), MacBooks, iPads, Android phones all connect via WIFI and work FANTASTIC. In a 2-story house about 60 FEET away I can get MAX internet speeds (on AC devices) as if I was hard-wired.

I am currently paying for 150Mbps/10Mpbs internet speeds from my ISP and through WIFI upstairs my actual speeds are 172Mbps/12Mpbs with a wireless AC device. I am actually meeting and exceeding my ISP speeds which is what you expect from a router.

Also, there is very minimal lighting on the router itself- only the Linksys logo lights up blue and blinks when their is no internet connectivity.

Overall, this is a great looking and performing router but with basic network configurations. Despite the lack of configurations it has suited me well for my needs in streaming movies, internet downloading, internet browsing, online gaming, and streaming movies via attached USB HD. Although it is advertised as MIMO, in actual every day usage it is negligible on the user end. Compared to the WRT1900AC I don’t notice a measurable difference in speed. But, I do notice that internet browsing response and wifi range has been better for my devices. For the price of $199.99 it is expensive but you are paying for a reliable router that you can simply set up and forget about and one that maximizes the most out of your ISP speeds.

Pros: I read the reviews on this router and I honestly have to disagree with those about the manual setup and wireless connectivity issues. The build is nice, antennas don't feel cheap, not lots of lights just linksys logo and link lights on ports but that can also be configured. My firmware version I kept stock, 1.2.x.xxxx.

My setup was like this:
1. Plugged my cable modem to the router and powered on.
2. Connected my laptop to the router and logged into it via default IP address and PW. You DO NOT have to sign in or sign up with a linksys account to do this. Just read the webpage 100%.
3. At the screen where the EULA agreement checkbox is, there is also one for manual setup instead of the quick setup. Yeah, it's that easy.
4. The GUI is very clean and easy to navigate with each section broken down.
5. Changing default gateway (router) address is simple as well as setting up guest access, wireless access times, changing SSID (also hiding it) and PW, security encryption, setting up MAC address filtering, DMZ config, etc.
6. Connectivity has been solid, connected desktop and laptops (wired/wireless), android smartphone, 4th gen iPad, PS4, etc. without issue.

My speeds have all been as expected with my ISP providing 150mbps downstream / 10+mbps upstream

Cons: None as of yet.

Pros: Sleek design, adjustable and removable antennas, two USB ports (one is USB 3), easy setup options.

Cons: Not power-user friendly. If you like to manually setup everything, this is not the router for you. It really wants an internet connection and to go through the smart wifi setup. There's ways around this for the most part, but it takes some tinkering.

I've had nothing but issues with the wireless. It straight up REFUSES to work as a wireless bridge, repeater, etc. Tosses settings on each reboot after applying them, seems like a lot of firmware bugs (I have the newest firmware) or I got a bad unit. Hopefully a firmware update will be pushed out eventually to address the wireless problems.

Not many status lights other then the power light (which is the Linksys logo on the front top). All the status lights for the Ethernet connections & WPS are on the rear of the unit, and there's none for the wireless that I've seen.

Other Thoughts: A little bit of research shows this model sometimes has wireless issues, so I'm thinking more firmware than hardware. Several hard resets and factory defaults later I could not get this thing to function as it should. Next I'll be looking into custom firmware (DD-WRT or Tomato) to see if it has the same issues. Hopefully Linksys will put out updated firmware in the near future that'll make it work up to it's full potential.

Linksys - if you're listening: Give us the option to setup the router manually without the smart wifi setup or a required internet connection. Fix the wireless bridge & repeater modes so they actually work. This has great potential that's being wasted.

Manufacturer Response:

Hi Chris,

Your detailed feedback on our product is appreciated. You can setup the router from a web browser even if it does not initially have an Internet connection and is on factory settings. For instructions, check this link: http://www.linksys.com/us/support-article?articleNum=142526

You may also find these links useful:

http://www.linksys.com/us/support-article?articleNum=141083
http://www.linksys.com/us/support-article?articleNum=136155

Let us know how it goes at LinksysCares@linksys.com with your contact details, location, and the link to this review for reference.

Regards,

Linksys Support
www.linksys.com

Pros: - Ease of setup
- Speed
- Range
- Reliability

Cons: - Unable to use without it giving out DHCP
- Devices not connected to the router do not see router devices
- No connection history

Other Thoughts: This is my first wireless ac router, and it replaces a very reliable 802.11n router I bought in 2011. After using it for a week I have mostly good things to say about it - it was easy to set up, the speed is great (My ac devices are pulling down the max internet speeds my wired devices are now), the range is good, and I have not had any hiccups in the connection.

Also, I ended up setting both the 2ghz and 5ghz to the same network name, and told the router to exclusively give out 5ghz access to 802.11ac devices. For some reason I was worried it wouldn't be smart enough to do that, but it has actually been fine! And I enjoy the network map that shows up to show what is connected currently and on what band.

Three nitpicks keep this from getting 5 stars, though.

1) While I can see everything currently connected to the network, there does not appear to be a network history anywhere. I would really like to be able to look at even say the past 7 days and see what was connected to my network, it would help weed out any possible issues (especially if I turn on the guest network).

2) I was unable to turn off DHCP on this and let my cable modem/router handle it. My cable modem gives out a 192.168.0.x subnet, and the Linksys router thinks that is an invalid address. So I had to do some rewiring to have everything run through the Linksys.

and 3) Why was I trying to turn off DHCP in the first place? Because my devices on 192.168.0.x (like my desktop) were unable to communicate with devices on the Linksys 192.168.1.x subnet. If there was a better way to fix this besides either turning off DHCP, or connecting everything to the Linksys (which is what I eventually did) I was not able to find it.

Manufacturer Response:

Hi, Jerome,

Thank you for posting this product review. A network history would be a good addition to the features of this router and we'll share this with the Engineering team.

For the challenges that you've mentioned, we'd be happy to assist you. To disable the DHCP feature, go to the Connectivity tab > Local Network subtab and tick the check box next to the DHCP Server label. We are not sure yet if your modem also acts as a router but if it does, you may follow the steps for the LAN-to-LAN setup. This would allow you to configure the router with the same subnet as the modem. Check out this article, http://www.linksys.com/ph/support-article?articleNum=132275.

You can email us at LinksysCares@linksys.com for further assistance. In the message, indicate also your full name, phone number, location, and the link to this post.



Regards,

Linksys Support
www.linksys.com

Pros: -great coverage over whole house and outside
- lots of software features
- fantastic hardware features

Cons: - initial setup login request was confusing
- should provide mounting screws or at least state size to purchase

Other Thoughts: This is a great router and definitely recommend purchasing it if you are needing a new router. The cons are so very minor, there isn't enough to not love about this device. It is giving me far better WiFi coverage than the previous devices and the download speeds with comcast are way better, I think I may actually be getting the speeds that I've been paying for!

I really love that this thing has a power switch. That's a silly sounding thing to love, but you know how it is trying to guess with transformer is powering the device when it needs a reset or pulling the barrel connector out and trying to plug it in from the front the device. No more! A power switch near the power connector will make it easy to reset it though I have not yet had a reason to do so.
Few lights. I really don't want a lot of blinky lights, and in the configuration of the device you can turn some of them off.
Also in the setup/configuratin the WPS button can be disabled. I have not used the WPS since it was introduced a long ways back so maybe my experience is outdated, but I found this button can delete manual configurations. At the very least it could allow unauthorized devices on the WiFi, so disabling this is a very big PRO for security minded people.
Speaking of security, it comes with some initial security enabled rather than disabled. But you should still take the time to read through the configuration and make tweaks that will fit your desires and security profile.

My advice is buy this one! Hang it on wall up high and enjoy some amazing coverage and throughput.

Manufacturer Response:

Hi, Kevin,

We're happy to hear that you are enjoying the features of the router. Allow us also to take this opportunity to thank you for writing this product review. Wall-mounting this router is a good idea for a better wireless reception. Check out this article to know the size of the screw you should use and for the wall-mount setup instructions, http://www.linksys.com/ph/support-article?articleNum=140774.

For other inquiries, we'd be happy to assist you via email at LinksysCares@linksys.com.


Regards,

Linksys Support
www.linksys.com

Pros: This was a replacement for a Linsys WRT 1900 AC and I was skeptical that it would perform as well but in the end I was very surprised how great this router is! Setup was a breeze on this unit and just a matter of logging into the routers 'web page' and entering my network name/password, changing the admin name/password and I was up and running. The signal for both 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz covered the entire house and were constantly rated very good and up and the far end of the house. The unit itself is very nice looking and, unlike the previous blue router I was using, my wife doesn't complain that it clashes with the drapes or some such nonsense. It blends into the rest of the house. I've had it running continuously for the last couple weeks without any drops. I had to actually look up MU-MIMO to understand what it was. It seem to be the next advancement in router technology. It sounds like a great feature but unfortunately I don't own anything that can take advantage of it yet and I even attempted to purchase wifi adapters for my computers to take advantage of it but was unable to find any on the market.

Cons: I really can't think of anything I didn't like about this router. The only glitch I've run into was in the first hour it lost the signal and required a reboot. Since that point it's performed flawlessly. Some people may not like that lack of flashing lights on the unit. The only lights that show up is the lighted LINKSYS logo and that one appears to have an option to turn off in the setup/admin screens. The unit only has one USB 3.0 connection and the other one is USB 2.0. I don't find this a con either but some might.

Other Thoughts: I would highly recommend this unit to just about anyone. I get great signals and fast download speeds through this router and look forward to getting use out of the MU-MIMO technology.

Pros: • Clean, efficient packaging
• Quick Start Guide is simple, and gives all you need to get up and running
• The Smart Wi-Fi site is easy to navigate
• Twin USB ports have enough space between them to accommodate larger flash drives
• Beefy antennas that screw on securely
• Zero dropped connections in over three weeks of constant use
• Speeds are comparable to other routers in this class

Cons: • Expensive purchase if you are just looking to buy a “nice” router
• Runs pretty warm (but no performance degradation to speak of)
• Smart Wi-Fi site will not appeal to the user looking for absolute control over their device

Other Thoughts: I’ve reviewed a few Linksys routers, and the EA7500 follows my status quo – the lower-end Linksys routers that I’ve reviewed are signal-droppers, have setup difficulties, and underwhelm with their performance (AKA Wi-Fi speeds, as wired connections are usually pretty consistent across brands) - -and the higher-end models hit big home runs into the bay. The EA7500 is excellent in just about every way.

Setup was super-easy. My wife has zero patience for technology – she just wants it to “work”, and then never deal with it again. Surprise honey – you get to set this up. She is usually less than pleased when I review a router, as it means tearing the network down, and the end result sometimes being me tearing it down AGAIN…because the router performs poorly. I was confident enough with the experience I had setting up a Linksys EA8500 that I promised her I would refuse to take on any new router reviews if she struggled with this one. I have to admit her eyes lit up on that, so I poured her a glass of wine, and let her get to it. Using the quick setup guide, she had us up and running in about 20 minutes – and that includes placing the router, and running a few cables. She figured out the wireless security, set a password, poured another glass of wine, and then started cruising the net on her laptop. Nailed it.

Wi-Fi performance was solid for our 2400 SF home. We have a centralized location for our network gear, and the EA7500 took our Comcast Blast bandwidth, and gave us coverage out as far as our backyard, and through a few walls, into our garage. Over a three week period, we had at least three laptops (one was connected to my employer via VPN for the majority of that time), two phones, and a pair of Wi-Fi streaming TV’s, all running off the EA7500 – no issues. Constant Netflix streaming, sharing music over USB 3.0 (not sure why both ports aren’t 3.0) – no drops, no hassles. Only concern was how warm the EA7500 runs. Heat breaks down all electronic components, so less heat is always good. Any complaints about the footprint it leaves on a desk or counter are definitely valid, as it’s pretty large for a consumer unit, so plan accordingly.

Cost for the EA7500 isn’t high for the performance, just a chunk to drop on a new router. If you don’t need the features, you would be better off saving money, and buying a less expensive unit (plenty of solid choices out there). For our household, it’s everything we would want. We already run the aforementioned EA8500, and while the EA7500 isn’t going to knock that router off the top of the heap, it is definitely a good performer, and provides a lot of features. Just a matter of whether or not you need them. Highly recommended.

Pros: - wave 2 technology, moving towards streaming to more than one device at a time (current is round robin approach). Limited support for MU-MIMO client side.
- Dual Band AC1900 Wireless speeds up to 1300 Mbps 5 GHz + 600 Mbps 2.4GHz, which is a combined speed up to 1.9 Gbps (depending on device and enviroment)
- 4 gigabit Lan ports and 1 gigabit internet port ( most homes speed will be lower but will change over time).
- One USB 3.0 and One USB 2.0 ports for connecting printers, storage and more

Cons: - Linksys wifi app still needs some work. Support for features.
- 2.4Ghz band is not the best (so-so at best) 2.4Ghz devices had better speeds on Netgear or WRT 1900AC router.

Other Thoughts: - 3 Adjustable adjustable antennas for maximum coverage
- Qualcomm IPQ 1.4GHz Dual Core Processor

- Over all router looks plain and nothing like some of the classic linkys routers, Has all of the bells and whistles that people are looking for, plus some for the more advance users (NAT, DMZ setup, Firewall )

Main server connected ASUS Rog Mobo, 16GB memory, 2600K proc
Lan test GA SOC X99, i7-5820K 32GB Ram
2.4 Ghz NUC i5 16GB Ram running Centos 7.2
AC test Asus Rog Gaming laptop 16GB,

Pros: The interface is pretty easy to get through and allows me similar features to other same in class routers. Performance over Ethernet was to be expected. I like the adjustable antenna they've been using with their routers. The CPU on it is fantastic. NAS speed when I connected a USB 3.0 drive to it was faster than I could have expected.

The parental control settings are really nicely done. It's very easy to configure and see when you have WiFi turned on/off for devices.

Cons: The design is similar to their previous iterations however it stands flat rather than upright on some previous models which takes up more space.

I've had connectivity issues on both the 2.4 GHz and 5GHz network. I thought at first my forcing 80 Wide for 5 GHz which works in Wireless AC only could have been the issues so reset all to defaults other than my SSID and password. Not the case. This was disappointing as the previous EA9200 I've been using has been phenominal.

It does some strange DNS business where it becomes a DNS server itself so when your system gets a DHCP address the DNS1 will be set to the Linksys Gateway IP and then to the DNS you add for DNS1/2. This can cause some problems and I'm not sure why they bother. Mind you if they were to do full DNS where you can add ARecords and CName entries it'd be more useful but as it stands I'd rather they just push my DNS settings to each device and not theirs.

No PPTP VPN/OpenVPN. For a router of this stature it should in my opinion have PPTP and/or OpenVPN availability. While there are some security issues PPTP can have there are times I still want to use it. At the very least OpenVPN. They've been missing this for years forcing me to run my own VPN server elsewhere.

Other Thoughts: Without the ability to get devices on WiFi (only a single laptop would connect) I am dissatisfied. A factory reset didn't help it in case it had a unique issue though I can claim it to be more widespread than other devices given other reviews seemingly work.

Manufacturer Response:

Hi Todd,


This is clearly not the experience we wanted you to have with the Linksys EA7500 and we appreciate you bringing this to our attention. We understand the inconvenience you've encountered and we'd like to take this opportunity to help you out. To improve your wireless connection, we recommend you set the channel of your 2.4 GHz network to either channel 6 or 11. We also recommend enabling ‘Automatic firmware Update’, on your router. A new firmware was released recently that should address your connectivity issues. In case you still can't add another device, please go to Troubleshooting>Diagnostics and click on the Share router info with Linksys. You can also email us with your contact information at LinksysCares@linksys.com along with the link to this post. We would be more than happy to help you resolve the issues you are running into.

We look forward to assist you.


Regards,
 
Linksys Support
www.linksys.com