Amped Wireless - Athena-EX High Power AC2600 Wi-Fi Range Extender - Black
Model: RE2600M
SKU: 5053902
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Customers find value in the Athena-EX High Power AC2600 Wi-Fi Range Extender's ability to significantly improve Wi-Fi range and coverage throughout their homes, making it easy to enjoy reliable internet access in previously unreachable areas. The extender's ease of setup and strong performance are also frequently praised. Positive feedback highlights the noticeable improvement in signal strength and the device's effectiveness in providing whole-home Wi-Fi coverage. There were no negative customer comments reported.
I have a small strange dead spot in my study. It is a corner where while I receive signal, it’s annoyingly slow. It’s the same corner where I tend to sit up, read my iPad or compose an occasional email from a comfortable chair. I picked up the Amped Wireless Extender for my home so I can cover a few more small deadspots. My Asus RT-AC68U covers my home nicely, but once you go outside, the signal is a bit hit or miss depending where I am on my property. As it stands without the extender, majority of the time I get a solid 2.4GHz anywhere inside the house, and a semi-solid signal outside my home. I placed the extender in my study as it is able to still pick up a decent signal in other parts of the room. Immediately it blankets my study nicely and I’m able to use my iPad and iPhone reliably in my study corner. My study sits facing the front of my house and I’m able to pick up a 5GHz WiFi signal from the front of my house. It’s stable enough to do some light browsing, but using the 2.4GHz WiFi I’m able to walk across the street and reliably use my own internet from my neighbor’s house. Speedtest reports that I’m able to download 143Mb down and do 20Mbps up. I’m fairly confident though if Speedtest was running longer on my phone, it would hit the 200Mbps easily. What annoys me however and caused me to ding one star is the User Interface and the lack of HTTPS. HTTPS is crucial for me as I want to ensure data I’m sending back and forth to the Amped Wireless Athena is encrypted. Otherwise crucial passwords (like WiFi passwords or administrator passwords) is sent over wireless or wired that is human readable if someone was monitoring my internet because the connection is unencrypted. In terms of the user interface, everything is laid out nicely, but what annoyed me every single time was that it kept prompting me whether I wanted to restart the wireless extender now or later because I changed a few settings…on each screen’s settings after I saved it. Thankfully I do not need to poke inside the settings of the Amped Wireless Repeater all that often. Pros: Connects and Repeats both 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi Spectrum Independently of each other, Easy Setup, Solid Performance. Cons: Lacks HTTPS Encryption, Annoying to Configure with never ending screens asking if you want to restart the wireless extender after configuring it. Wish: ability to create a seamless network. I’m required to actually have a different WiFi access point for the network. I’m not sure the logic behind it, and I’m not inclined to knock a star off for a wish. Environment: Internet: Time Warner Cable 200Mbps Down/20Mbps Up Router: Asus RT-AC68U Router w/ Merlin Firmware Device: OnePlus One Apps for Testing: Speedtest.net and WiFi Analyzer App from Google Store
Posted by Josh
I only have a SR300 model of the same brand to compare but otherwise it's a great difference on how far it can reach. However, it's price point is a bit high for a device that just repeats a signal. With concrete in my way it can't be further than 25 feet across from where my router is at but its selling point for me is that the reach of its signal is almost 3 times larger than its SR300 model (from a point A to point B standpoint) now reach from my front living room to next door front lawn sidewalk with little trouble where the SR300 signal dies the second I take three steps out my door from interference. Bear in mind that staying that far is great but your speed will drop so to watch videos for example I'm better off staying within 50 feet from it with my testing just to use YouTube normally with my connection speed.
Posted by Rick
I have experience with previous wireless extenders. However, my experience with the Amped Wireless - Athena-EX High Power AC2600 Wi-Fi Range Extender has been excellent. The setup process was a breeze compared to the setup of past wireless extenders. Furthermore, accessing the interface of this product is an enjoyable experience and the accessor is presented with a clean user interface that is easily navigated and intuitive. The range is superb and enhances the performance of my already outstanding router. The additional channels available to users through this extender provides further options to my guests and reduces congestion. The LEDs or indicators on the device are minimal and compliment instead of distract from the modern, pleasing aesthetics of the device. Although the price may be more than some want to pay for a wireless extender, I would highly recommend this product to any who want to increase the effectiveness of their home network. There is an old saying that states, “You get what you pay for.” In this instance, you receive a first-class product that will give your users and you the performance you expect from a “well-greased” home network.
Posted by Clark5
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