Linksys - Atlas Max AXE8400 Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 6E System- (3-pack)

I have been using multiple brands of Mesh systems in the last four few years that support only 2.4 and 5G Hz. until Wifi 6 joints the other wifi versions of 2.4 and 5G Hz and be available in one wifi system. I had to replace my old system and get a wifi 6-enabled system since wifi 6 is meant to fix slow wifi speed as well as providing more channels to have less frequency interference issues that make some devices slow down. Design: Linksys Atlas Max 6E Tri-Band Mesh Wifi System offers a sleek design and does not take much space. This attributes to its tower shape design that can be placed vertically. Setup: The whole process can be initiated through the Linksys app on a smartphone or tablet. The steps are clear and straightforward, and it took me 30 to have the whole system up and running, knowing that I used my old Linksys account, so I did not have to create a new account from scratch. Note: Linksys app on IOS devices is a bit glitchy, and I had could app crashes, and I fixed that by deleting and redownloading the app again. Not a big deal, but I hope the will be a future update with fixes. Performance: first foremost, I use AT&T fiber 1000 Mbps service and my older wifi system was trio band just like this Linksys, but because my home is automated and have multiple devices up to 104, I had two issues with my old system, first, IP conflict where devices lose wifi connection and unable to connect and sometimes being promoted to type in the wifi password, even though It does it fix the issue until I reboot the entire system to resolve it, second, is coverage, with my older system, I have a smart display and smart lights in my garage where devices disconnect periodically knowing that my old system is a mesh and has three nodes and one was very close to the garage and not only coverage but also slow speed. Comparing with Linksys Atlas Max 6E Tri-Band Mesh Wifi System: The first thing I noticed in my first week of use is the wifi connection reliability, the connection is stable, and speed boosted a little bit compared to what I had before, coverage is significant, I walk up to the end of my driveway almost to my neighbor, and my phone is still connected "impressive!". Each node has four Gigabit Ethernet ports which allow me to get rid of the ethernet switch in addition to the USB port for hard drives to enable sharing ability with whoever is on the same home wifi network. The overheating issue, the Linksys system has vents on top to help with cooling down the system, which I missed in my older system that was completely closed like a box, and I had to place a desk fan next to it. Linksys app: The app UI is simple and has plenty of features such as create a guest network, speed test, parental control, block internet access for chosen devices, device prioritization to set which device receives the faster bandwidth, especially for watching 4K or gaming, and the ability to set individual wifi password for each wifi band of 2.4, 5 or 6 GHz. Overall experience: With 105 active devices on this trio band wifi system, I have a reliable connection and stable wifi speed, and excellent coverage. My Arlo Pro wireless cameras have a strong signal, and my Philips Hue lights are working as they are supposed to be through HomeKit integration on my Apple devices. I loved this trio wifi system, it offers faster internet speed and reliable connection, and better coverage. Great products!

This system is replacing a Linksys Max-Stream AC3000 router that served me well. The biggest draw to me with this system is the 6ghz spectrum and the device capacity. I have probably 50 devices connected to my WiFi network and with the 195 device capacity of this system I shouldn’t have to worry about it bogging down. At this time I don’t have any devices capable of using the 6GHz spectrum, that’s where the future proofing part comes in. The end of 2021 into the beginning of 2022 should see many more devices capable of using that spectrum. I’m using this on Fios gigabit service and though I don’t see a significant increase over the Max-Stream AC3000 this replaced, I definitely see more consistent coverage and those speeds throughout my whole house. I have a 2 story house with a finished attic and this system gives me complete coverage and fast speed on every level that I didn’t have before. Setting up the device was extremely simple thru the Linksys app, just as is was when I did it for the first time with the AC3000. The app makes setting up and maintaining a router alot easier than it used to be back in the day. The Linksys app really shines in my opinion when it comes to controlling your network. The simple things such as being able to restart your network from the app is huge to me, no more having to pull the cord and wait to plug it back in! The one thing that is different with this system compared to all previous routers/mesh systems I’ve used, is it combines all the networks into one. So instead of having a 2.4GHz, 5GHz and a 6GHz network, it will all be under one and the system will automatically choose the spectrum for each device. You can change that in the app and make it individual if you so desire, though I decided to leave it as one. Devices will automatically switch between nodes depending on which one you’re closer to, though sometimes I would like to see them switch sooner. The Atlas Max 6E isn’t cheap, but if you look at them as individual routers the price makes since. As a whole I’m very happy with the performance I’m getting. If you have a large house, tons of devices, want to future proof your home network than the Atlas Max 6E has you covered.

I've been a long-time Linksys Mesh WiFi user, ever since they were one of the first to market with their original Mesh Network system, the Velop AC6600 with 3 tower-like nodes. I was used to the growing pains involved with setting up the network, with some issues with nodes dropping off, but over time, with firmware and app updates, my Velop network has been rock solid and high performing. So obviously when I had a chance to review the new Linksys Atlas Max 6E mesh system, I was ecstatic, but being bleeding edge tech, I wasn't expecting the process to be seamless. While I was able to set up the first parent node without issue, I did run into issues setting up the child nodes. The Periscope icon in the App had to go through 3x before nodes were added. I was able to add the first child node without issue, but after that the 2nd child node wouldn't add no matter what. At this point, I HIGHLY recommend you contact their Support number. They are excellent and they can guide you through undocumented admin-level steps that bypass the app, such as the local router settings via http://myrouter.local and the CA console. You can then set up each node very easily in the same room without the time it takes using the app, which still takes a long time at up to 10 mins per node. Using the web-browser GUI with each node in the same room, it takes probably half the time. Two recommendations for existing Velop network users: 1) If you want the new MX8500 Atlas 6E to be your primary parent node, you will need to tear down your existing Velop network and start from scratch. The App will tell you this is the best approach. You just need to factory reset each node on the network. 2) Delete the existing app, make sure you know your login info. After setting up the new parent and mesh network, log back in on the new SSID and it will accurately pick up your new mesh network. Otherwise you will have problems accurately detecting devices on the mesh network if you don't blow out the old network and app first. Performance-wise, the Atlas Max 6E is no joke. 6E and the 6GHz band isn't widely used right now for consumer devices because it is so newly approved, but Linksys cleverly uses the 6GHz band as a dedicated wireless high bandwidth backhaul for the nodes to communicate. While still not as good as a dedicated wired ethernet Gigabit backhaul, this is a great solution for rooms and areas in the house you can't get a dedicated home run to that node. Another major bonus is this system is completely compatible with older Linksys Velop nodes. AC2200 nodes, MR8300 router, MX5300 AX6 nodes all can be added seamlessly to add additional coverage to your mesh network. I was amazed to see my new PS5 was able to do its system update using a wired connection to a wireless 6G backhaul on my Atlas 6E in about one minute. My iPhone 12 Pro was able to get roughly 450Mbps to that node which was just under the 700Mbps when connected to the parent node in my home office, so the performance is quite excellent. Really amazing wireless performance, can't wait to see what true 6GE devices can do!!! I also saw some comments about poor performance with Verizon Fios. I didn't see any of these issues, nor did I see them with my older AC6600 network. I'm connected directly to the ONT and get near max theoretical download/upload speeds for Fios at 870/960. Lastly, each Atlas Max 6E has a 5G broadband/internet input. This is useful if your ISP supports higher than 1Gbps (gigabit) but also has outputs that are more than gigabit. If so, you can send more than 1Gbps to your first Atlas Max 6E, however, the LAN outputs are limited to 1Gbps still, so if you had 4Gbps going in, you could still have up to 1Gbps for up to 4 devices. Performance on these routers are great, they are like their predecessor AC and AX routers but further improved with AXE 6G. If you want the best, and want to still use your older Velop nodes, this new Atlas Max 6E system can't be beat!!!!

Since I purchased this system from Best Buy with the 3 devices. I have had to reset the router system 6 times and have run a channel review 11 times… we have a Gigabyte internet and the tests are always 900+ for download and upload. I don’t understand why we periodically have slowness in a 2500 SF home with this overkill system. Should I get it exchanged? Please advise

Lets start with the Improvement of having this router replace my current service provider router. In my case this router replaced my spectrum WiFi 5 SAGEMCOM Model: 5280 branded Router that you would get from Spectrum in the Los Angeles area when you subscribe to their Ultimate 400Mbps internet service or their 1GB service which is also known as their 940Mbps service which requires that $200.00 "Installation Fee Thing" So, does it make a difference when it comes to improved wifi speeds and Ethernet speeds? The answer is YES! But there are some requirements that need to be met to really see a difference in DATA speed performance and to make it worth buying such an expensive router. Please allow me to explain as much as i can from my experience. 1. You need to be subscribed to a minimum of 400Mbps Internet service to really see an improvement on your wifi and Ethernet speeds, however my recommendation is to only buy this router if you have the 940Mbps service from Spectrum, Xfinity, Comcast or that super fast fiber optic speed internet from Google Fiber, Verizon Fios or AT&T Fiber Optic. If You have a lower service speed then 400Mbps? you will NOT really benefit from having this router and i am being honest here as a consumer just like you. I wouldn't want you to waste your money on this and be disappointed by the limited results. 2. Ethernet cables are really important here. So CAT5e is NOT going to cut it for this router i tried it snd it was worse then the spectrum speeds from the wire being plugged in from the modem. You will need to use at least some CAT6a cables or what i used which was the Monoprice branded CAT 7 Double Shielded Cables to see a speed improvement. I replaced ALL the Ethernet cables with CAT 7 even the cable that plugs in from the modem to the Router which is the most important one in my opinion to get the best wifi speedsfrom this router. I also have some CAT 8 cables (Same Brand) and those in all honesty did NOT make a difference in speed performance vs the CAT 7 cables i had connected to this router, they were the same, speed wise! However it did make a BIG difference from the CAT6 vs CAT 7/ CAT 8, as an upgrade The speeds were much higher from CAT6a to CAT7/CAT8. 3. To really get the max performance out of this router based on your internet provider service, you need to have devices that are WiFi-6 Capable or again you will NOT see a BIG improvement in wifi data speeds, when it comes to ethernet speeds as long as you are using some GOOD CAT6a or CAT7 cables you will see an improvement on Ethernet speeds to your computer or game consoles that support close to the 1GB data speeds. The ports on this router are far more faster then the speeds from my Spectrum's Router which makes me feel like they capped the speeds onnthe Ethernet ports as well. In my pictures you will see what i mean. Now for the bad or not so great info about the router. 1. If you have Wifi 5 devices, they will pretty much max out at around 440 to 550 Mbps if your service is 1GB of datat speeds. This happend with my Samsung galaxy NOTE 9 which was supposed to accept up to 1GB of data speeds. My wife's ipad pro 2019 model was able to get up to 680Mbps of download speeds and 43Mbps upload speeds though. 2. I noticed that the wifi range for both the Wifi bands 6GHz, 5Ghz and 2.4GHz were exactly the same on the Linksys. There was NO range improvement from each GHz Bandwidth but compared to the Spectrum router, YES! there was about a 100FT Longer range distance that i was able to get a WiFi signal from with the Linksys WiFi-6E Router vs the spectrum router. I was able to get 79Mbps download and 23Mbps upload With WIFI 6 with my door from my house closed and 100ft away from the front door! At 2.4GHz i was able to get about 15Mbps download and 7.6Mbps Upload speeds which was not so great but still a great improvement as I couldn't even get a wifi signal at all from my spectrum router at that range. 3. There were Connection issues with my Nest Doorbells that Refused to connect to my 5GHz Bandwidth on the Linksys and even gave me a hard time connecting to the slower 2.4GHz which was capped at 224Mbps download and 41Mbps upload speeds. However after doing 3 Factory resets on the nest doorbells, i was finally able to get them to connect to the linksys through the 2.4GHz wifi Bandwidth ONLY! Which the front door was about 16 feet away from the router. Its probably a nest thing but i though it would be worth mentioning. All my other wifi light switches, smart led bulbs etc from TP Link connected to 2.4GHz Bandwidth with ZERO issues. Maybe the nest thing is a compatibility issue as I had zero problems with the Spectrum router when it camento the nest doorbells connecting to wifi. Anyways, for my test I used my samung galaxy Note 20 Ultra which was the only REAL wifi 6 device i had and my PS5 via wifi and CAT 7 Ethernet cable. I do apologize for not showing the wifi speeds from Spectrum with my PS5 but to be honest it was so bad that it wasnt worth showing however it was about 150Mbps download and 34.9 Mbps Upload. However i hope you find my review helpful, as of right now i see it 100% worth it but only if you meet those requirements i mentioned. Otherwise you may be very disappointed with this router and would be worth looking at a longer range Wifi 5 Router as the farther you are from the router the slower your wifi speeds get in your connected devices. But it is 100% compatible with Spectrum Internet service in the Los Angeles, CA area if you are wondering. Thanks for reading my honest review.

The Linksys Atlas Max System is expensive, but its well worth the price. I have over fifty 50 devices on my home network, and my previous Asus Mesh system had issues with that many devices( losing wifi connections). Since buying this system, I haven't had any issues.

THE BREAKDOWN: This product was nicely packaged. Everything you needed to get this product up and running was in the box. This Linksys Atas Max 6E (AXE8400) is a dual node mesh Wi-Fi networking system. What is 6E you ask, basically it means that 6GHz band offers twice the bandwidth of 5GHz band. I must admit that I own the previous version (MX10) of this product except it has nodes. This system is very simple to get setup and running. Once you download the app it walks you through each step and it really doesn’t take but about 10-15 minutes to get it up and running. I actually kept my Wi-Fi name and password the same so that all my devices would just connect automatically. I only had one device that I had to reenter the Wi-Fi name and password. If you are a previous owner of the Velop system (like the one I mentioned above) then it is good to note that the new system is compatible with the old system. What does that mean? Well, it means that this system is backward compatible with the old system and will also work with the new system. You can use the old nodes to help further extend your Wi-Fi if you wanted. I have found that the 3 nodes were very similar to the 3 nodes that I used to have. Performance was excellent. With my old system I was getting speeds around 290Mbps down and 24Mbps up wirelessly. As soon as I got this system up and running I immediately tested it and it far exceeded my expectations. I tested this in all the remote areas of my 3000+square ft home. Another new feature that I really liked is the addition of 4 Gigabit LAN ports. I use this for hardwiring some of my devices and this was a huge plus for me. You can also add a USB storage device to the 3.0 port and share other devices like printers over your network. PRO’s: -Easy to use and setup -Feels solid -Tri-band AXE8400 with 4x4 MU-MIMO -4x4 MU-MIMO -2.2GHz quad-core processor -four Gigabit Ethernet ports -USB 3.0 port -Great app CON’s: -Very Pricey SUMMARY: Overall, I feel that this product worked very well, and I would recommend this to a friend if they are in the market for device like this. This is hands down my favorite mesh Wi-Fi system. Don’t let the high price deter you, this is well worth the money.

This in parallel with my new Nighthawk modem is great. My only gripe is that the ports going out are only gigabit so when my provider supports multi gig my wired back haul nodes will be capped but there aren’t any routers on the market with this yet.