Customer Ratings & Reviews

I have a 750sqft apartment and even with a perfectly good Netgear router in the living room and a WiFi booster in my room, I couldn’t get reliable WiFi signal in my bedroom. I was using a crazy amount of cellular data. I took a chance and wow! I get perfect signal everywhere even across the courtyard, at least 50 feet and several walls away. With iPhones and tablets now, the extra 5.0 GHz bands are a must have! When my parents visit, we have 3 iPhones, 2 iPads, 2 different security systems and 2 Roku players all running on the same WiFi with no issues. I also love that I can prioritize my devices over theirs :)

Set up was a breeze. It fits right on top of my DVD player. No problems with streaming. I am pleased with my purchase.

So far I have nine devices hooked up to it handles it very well no slow time.

Because I have four new devices that are MU-MIMO, I was anxious to receive this Linksys Max-Stream AC2200 Tri-Band Router in exchange for an honest review. I was especially curious to see if this router could handle my two Smart TVs and allow buffer-free streaming on both. When my Grand Kids are over my Wi-Fi router has to do a lot of work: a gaming console, streaming on two TVs, and playing music from an Internet music service becomes routine. Then, I have my desktop computer in my home office, my wife using her laptop plus our two cellular phones, Wi-Fi temperature control and Wi-Fi home security system also on our network. It only took a few days of use to convince me this was a terrific replacement for my old router. After three weeks of use and experimenting with the location of the main router unit and the Linksys Mesh Wi-Fi Router Extender I am now thrilled. I have full, Wi-Fi home and patio coverage (wife insists on Wi-Fi on our Patio) without any dead spots. YooHoo! I am super-pleased with this Linksys AC2200 and here is why: ** Wide Range – This is probably the most important reason for choosing a home Wi-Fi router. This Linksys AC2200 with Mesh Extender has outstanding range and coverage. The old two-band SU-MIMO router was placed in my home office, and I just got used to limited coverage and dead spots. However, I found after moving the Linksys AC2200 around my house, that by placing it approximately at the center of my house was optimal for me (see attached pic). That location also eliminated my previous dead spots. By placing the Mesh Wi-Fi Extender in one of the baseboard outlets in the kitchen (see attached pic) gave my wife (her) Patio coverage, and, in the garage too (for me). WooHoo! If you purchase this router move it around to various locations in your home or residence if you can. You may be pleasantly surprised at the range of coverage that is possible. However, additional Linksys Mesh Extenders can be purchased and added to your existing home network for even more extensive coverage. I live in a rural area of North Florida without a lot of neighbors or electronic interference. I can go outside with any of my mobile devices: the phones, tablets, or I-Pad and still be connected for approximately 150 feet on 5 GHz before it drops to 2.4 GHz. 5.0 GHz frequency does not broadcast as far as 2.4 GHz does, but your router and device will automatically adjust the radio frequency for the distance from the router to your device. How cool is that? ** Easy Setup – Linksys furnishes a complete Setup Guide, which walked me through the entire process in less than15 minutes. I first had to download the Linksys App, then physically connect the power supply (LED blinks blue) and Internet, Ethernet cable to my router. After connecting to my Internet, the LED on my router turned purple. I then opened the Linksys App and followed the detailed setup steps. EZ! On your mobile device (phone) you can see the actual status of your entire network (see attached pic), make any necessary changes and allow Guest Access. Guests on this router can access the Internet, but NOT make any changes to any of your settings. I also accessed my Linksys Router Network through my Web Interface from my desktop (see attached pic), laptop, and tablet. My mobile account e-mail and password allowed me to login to check the network from any of those devices. The one big advantage of using a computer to access my Web Interface instead of a mobile phone is that it allows me to check the download and upload speed between the Internet and that device. ** MU-MIMO Technology – I have four devices that are MU-MIMO (802.11ac), Wave 2. My Linksys AC2200 allows my Home Wi-Fi network to broadcast a signal from my router to multiple devices simultaneously. The speed and download rates are very noticeable on my devices equipped with MU-MIMO - Desktop, Laptop, and my two mobile phones (Samsung S8 & S9). There are three radio frequencies, 2.4 GHz ('legacy' devices), which can reach speeds of up to 400 Mpbs and two different 5 GHz, which can reach speeds of up to 867 Mpbs. This Linksys Router supports 'beamforming', which sends my data over a broader range to my devices simultaneously other than the 'stand-in-line' kind of sharing my old router performed.. This results in faster download speeds because it decreases the time any one of my devices has to wait to receive data, and increases the amount of devices my network can handle simultaneously. I have 18 devices, but they are all not on-line at any one time (see attached pic). Even my devices that do not have MU-MIMO technology have a better Wi-Fi connection and over all experience. However, please keep in mind that MU-MIMO only increases the download speed NOT the upload speed. ** Device Prioritization - Prioritization allows me to choose the devices I want the best possible Wi-Fi connections too. All of the devices my Grand Kids use are on my prioritization list. Plus my wife's laptop (she uses on the Patio). ** Band Steering – Another cool feature, when turned ON, senses gaming and video streaming and gives me outstanding Wi-Fi performance. No more buffering and Grand Kids complaining they can't play their games or get their videos. WaHoo! ** Security – Linksys Firewall has the ability to recognize data for different types of connections, and pass through only data from known and recognized active connections. Additionally, Linksys provides DoS network, 'attack' protection. ** Parental Controls – Linksys allows me to block certain websites, and soon will have Linksys Shield available, which is much more comprehensive in blocking malicious websites. I have Parental Control on all of the devices my Grand Kids use, but this adds another layer of protection. ** Automatic Firmware Updates – Updates are automatically added and configured to my router during off-peak times at night. Since my router is 'ON' 24/7 I really appreciate this feature. ** Cons – Although I like the mobile app for setup and everyday status, the web interface is almost another world. There are some things I can only do on the mobile app and others only on the web user interface. Am not sure why this is,but I am hoping the Linksys Developers make both seamless and compatible, or, at least explain the differences in writing in their Setup Guide to all users. ** Conclusion – I highly recommend this Linksys Max-Stream AC2200 Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi Router as an upgrade, and, or replacement for your existing home router. Coupled with the Extender this unit serves my 3,000 plus square feet of service area. And, If I ever build an addition or move to a bigger home this AC2200 Router with additional Mesh Extender(s) will provide me with the Wi-Fi coverage my devices demand. If you have lots of devices, and, or, are going to replace your computer, laptop, tablet, smartphones, or other electronic devices, insure they are MU-MIMO and that you have a router like the Linksys AC2200 to support them. You won't be disappointed.

When it comes to replacing my home network WiFi router, I usually only do it when I absolutely have to. I personally just like to grind it through years of use until it dies or it becomes a bottleneck for my networking needs. In our household of five, with phones, tablets, computers, printers, and a smart TV - there are 14 devices begging for bandwidth. Setup I'm pleased to say that the installation and configuration of the Linksys AC2200 Tri-Band Mesh WiFi Router was the easiest I have ever come across. You won't have to call your techie friends to help you with it. 1) The very first step was to download the Linksys App to my phone. It is available for Apple and Android phones. The App guided me the rest of the way. It uses Bluetooth for scanning for the Router. Once found, the App asked me to connect power and Ethernet cable. 2) I connected the Router to power and plugged in the Ethernet cable from our internet modem. The App found the Router and automatically installed the latest Linksys updates. 3) Once the updates were done, the App asked for a new WiFi name and password. Yes, it was that easy. However, even though I used the same WiFi name as our old Router, we still needed to reset the WiFi connection on all of our devices. Performance With so many devices in my household, the old WiFi router would continue to have issues and would need resetting regularly. With the Linksys AC2200 and the tri-band mesh feature, we no longer have problems with throughput and connections. During peak times of the evening, when everyone is on their devices, and we're watching streaming 4K TV, there is no lag or grainy graphics on the TV. The Router automatically routes our devices to the best WiFi bands per device. Configuration Options While the Router is very easy to set up, there are a wealth of options available for security, band configurations, guest access, scheduled internet blocking, passthrough IP addressing, and allocation of individual bands to specific devices. You can even set priorities for particular devices, such as giving the TV priority. (Ha, take that, gamers!) Or if console gaming is your priority, you can allocate primary bandwidth for your gaming. Velop Intelligent Mesh Extender With five people, 14 devices, and a split level home, we also added the Linksys Velop Intelligent Mesh extender. We situated the Router at one end of the house and plugged in the extender at the middle of the house. This greatly improved the signal quality to the far opposite end of the house. Setup and configuration were effortless with the Linksys App. Summary Overall, my household and I are happy with the Linksys AC2200 Mesh Router and the Velop extender. The time saved by not having to do regular troubleshooting and resets makes it well worth the investment in these two devices. I highly recommend this configuration for any large household with many devices.

I bought it long time ago and it definitely worth it. No issue so far after 2 years, good connectivity and the antennas help too even if I out it inside the TV stand.

I wanted to preface this review by stating that I had hit the same recurring issues with this router that my existing Linksys Velop 3-node system had. So, I reached out to Velop Support and got over to Level 2 support for help. Due to this, I wanted to delay the review a bit to test the stability of everything before publishing the following review. I've owned the Velop system for over 2 years now and ultimately, have become to feel very "meh" about the whole thing. I LOVE the idea of mesh networking on how all the nodes auto-switch the device to the closest node. I love having only a single SSID broadcasted and the devices auto switch from 5Ghz band to the 2.4Ghz band, as necessary. However, with the Velop system, I constantly experience very slow and intermittent speeds. I can do a speed test via WiFi from my devices (iPhone XS Max and iPad Pro 12.9" 3rd gen) and get full throttle (450MB, the max for my ISP plan) one min, then a few hours later, do a speed test from the same position and only get 30-60MB. The Velop system is supposed to have a framework that keeps signals from going stagnant, but I've never really experienced it doing remotely a good job of it. So, enter the new Linksys MR8300 router. I heard about it from CES 2019 in January and promptly got one, with the hopes that having a dedicated router (vs. using a Node as the parent) would resolve some of the issues I've had with the Velop Node systems. Setup of the MR8300 router was a breeze. I took all of my Velop nodes and reset them to factory default, unplugged my modem for a few min, and plugged it back in, let it fully boot up. I then set up the MR8300 and plugged it in. Once I got it up and running, then I used two of my Velop (version 1) nodes and connected them to the MR8300. This all has to be done via the Linksys Smart Wi-Fi app, which I would like to add, has been AMAZING. I did have an issue where I had to delete the app and reinstall it on my phone, but after that, everything was properly detected and installed/connected without a hitch. Once everything was up and running, I went into the Smart Wi-Fi app and began locating, identifying and naming all my devices on the network for easy recognition - all of this had been reset when I moved to the new network using the MR8300. Now, for the test. I let everything sit and used it as per normal for 48 hours. Everything was great and I thought all my prior issues had been solved! But...then...the stagnant signal issue reared it's ugly head back up. Back to what the 3 nodes where doing - full throttle bandwidth one minute, 30-60mb later. Very inconsistent. So...I called Linkys support and explained my issue and that this has been going on as long as I've had my Velop systems. Long story short with Linksys Support - after some basic troubleshooting and given I've had tickets on this same thing in the past, I was pushed to Level 2 support. After the initial call and having received a callback, we tried a few additional troubleshooting steps. And boy, oh boy, I believe it's resolved my issue! So, what was the problem? Apparently, my DNS via my ISP (Charter), just flat out...sucks. They had me change the DNS settings on my router to 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 - this is CloudFlare DNS. I'd heard about it, but never implemented it before. So, I did this and they also had me go in and set the two Velop "child" notes to "Reserve DHCP", which insures the IP address for those nodes that are assigned by the router never changes. And...WOW!!! I have tested this router religiously for the past 8 days straight, as I wanted to MAKE SURE everything stayed performing the way it was and would not stagnate out. I am happy to say that as of writing this review and having this router for about a week and a half, those two changes alone made a huge difference. I wish I'd known to do this back when I was just using the Velop nodes. My ping is now super low - anywhere between 10-30, on average. I get at least 300+ MB speeds now, consistently - usually higher. I do want to add that there has not yet been a firmware update for the MR8300 since release - the firmware is still dated for October, 2018. Hopefully, we will get an update soon. Level 2 also advised me they are working on a new firmware for the Velop system that addresses the channel switching issue and devices preferring the 2.4 band over the 5.0 one. If this comes to pass, this will make a HUGE performance boost. All in all, I now give this router a 5.0 rating. Just keep in mind that if you have any issues, try what I mentioned above and if that still doesn't work, call Velop support. They are pretty awesome.

I got this Linksys router to upgrade from an old router from another brand that I’ve had for probably close to 7 years now. I had a Linksys router back in my college days (nearly 15 years ago) and I remember how rock-solid dependable it was. Like that one back then, this one has been dependable so far as well. However, the biggest surprise so far has been the ease of use and setup of this router. I added a node to go in our bedroom as it’s on the other side of our house from our router. With our previous setup, we would occasionally have drop-outs in our part of the house which was disappointing because we have an Fire Stick, an Echo, and a few other devices that depend on the connection. Adding a node in our bedroom has solved every one of those issues and the connections are noticeably faster; especially our Fire Stick. Adding to the convenience, Linksys had the foresight to come up with an app to help with setup, use and administration that is actually a really good app and works well. Being able to keep tabs on my network even while I’m away from home is a really neat feature. If I have a guest or a family member over and need to address an issue, I could potentially do so without even having to have them explain to me what’s happening. That’s pretty cool. The app doesn’t allow you to do a lot of “deep” administration things and I’d prefer to be able to select which network (5GHz vs. 2.4GHz) that individual devices use but it seems the router tries to determine this for you instead. The capability might be able to be accessed through a web browser on the network but I’ve not tried this yet as it’s not a make or break issue for me. I really enjoy the ability to rename specific devices on the network rather than having to sort through MAC and IP addresses. I know this isn’t a unique feature but again, the app makes changing all of these things fairly effortless and can be done from anywhere as long as the device is already connected to the network. Connecting devices was extremely simple. Essentially, I’ve found the most appealing part of this router so far to be the Linksys app rather than the router itself. That’s something I definitely did not expect at all. If you’re considering this router I’d say absolutely go for it. You won’t be disappointed. Add nodes if you have problematic coverage areas in your setup, they are fantastic.

Got our first Velop nodes about two years ago, but because we have the main internet connection in the basement, we were using another standard router and connected the Velop via ethernet, in bridge mode. With the MR8300, it can now be all integrated. The router itself is somewhat hefty, with four external antennas, four LAN ports, the internet (Ethernet) port and USB 3.0. It also has a power switch. While this can just as well work as a stand-alone Wi-Fi router, this can actually act as the central unit of a Velop mesh system. This is no ordinary router. It's a 3 band (two 5 GHz radios + one 2.4 GHz -- Linksys calls this Tri-Band AC2200). Velop systems try very hard to make things as simple as possible. While the initial install can be done like a traditional router connecting a laptop to it, the best way is to install the Linksys app (iOS or Android), and go through the guided setup from the phone, which will initially use Bluetooth to set everything up. Once it's setup, Bluetooth is no longer used. Because this is a mesh system, one of the 5 GHz radios is then dedicated to connect to other Velop nodes, when set up, so then the more nodes the more dense the mesh radio (more stable) and because the channel is dedicated for the mesh, it doesn't degrade the speed when connecting to other nodes. Our internet is 100/100 and got full bandwidth from one of the two satellite units, so the mesh system works as promised. When we got our first Velop systems two years ago, the software was very limited, but over time Linksys kept on updating it, improving the app, adding functionality. The router itself is very simple, it even has one single light on top (which coincidentally is like any other Velop system) to provide status. The phone app can control most settings either locally or optionally, remotely via the Linksys Smart Wi-Fi service (This is optional). Entering the router from a desktop shows more detailed settings for most users. For advanced configuration mode, there is a somewhat hidden mode, clicking on the CA at the bottom left that enables setting most everything on the router, for someone who understands what they're doing. Otherwise the standard mode is great for keeping things simple. This router can be set up as either stand-alone, part of a mesh router; in router mode (standard) or in bridge mode, when someone is stuck being forced to use a router provided by the cable company. There is also Amazon Alexa integration to turn on or off guest networks, or read the access credentials. The Alexa skill is currently unpublished and Linksys promises it will expand it. I found it after some googling on a 3rd party skill listing, while Linksys is promoting that the Alexa skill is available. Adding additional nodes is simpler using the phone app, because it will use Bluetooth with the phone to assist in initial pairing. Once a mesh node is set, everything is administered from the main node, so changing the Wi-Fi password in a single place sets the whole house. Additionally, blocking content to specific devices is done from the master node.

Works great with all my devices and my smart home devices as well. It’s more powerful then what I need it for, but it gets the job done. It’s perfect for my Ring devices.

Mine got hacked into!!! Don’t buy!! I bought at Best Buy new but the sticker was removed on the box. I should have returned it!! Not sure if that’s how it happened. I do not own a Samsung phone or any Samsung products. Also, not sure what the Google connection means.

The Linksys MR8300 Max-Stream AC2200 Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi Router (what a long name, huh?) is a standalone router whose purpose is geared towards expandability. It's not the most powerful, it doesn't use the lastest Wi-Fi standards, and it doesn't allow the highest bandwidth. It does offer simple expandability to eliminate any deadspots and give strong coverage for large homes or businesses. It's designed to handle dozens of seperate connections over a wide area. The design is fairly ho-hum, and with it's 4 antennas the unit is a bit bulky, and it will take a fair amount of space. You'll find 4 Ethernet ports and 1 WAN port on the back along with a single USB 3.0 port. One other item you’ll find in the back is a red reset button. For some reason, Linksys this button highly accessible. The typical position of this buttin is recessed on most routers so that people don't inadvertantly push it, having to use a pin or needle to use the button. And while it’s bright red color should prevent people from accidentally pressing it, there will always be that one person who indadvertently (or maybe curiously) pushes it -- wiping away the current network settings and restoring the MR8300's out of the box settings. It also makes the router a little less suitable to be placed in a public place. The router can be setup by following along the Linksys app. You basically just install the app, connect the equipment, and then give your network a name and password. Simple. After your network is configured, the app continues to be useful because it allows you to monitor your network. For example, it might tell you that 10 devices are connected, and let you know how much current bandwidth is being used. You’ll be able to access guest controls, parental controls, and device prioritization (QoS). The app allows you to manage as many as 50-guests, and create separate wireless networks specifically for those guests. Linksys includes automatic firmware upgrades for the router. Whenever there’s a new update, you won’t have to head to their website and search for it. In fact, you won’t even have to remember to update your equipment at all. By itself the MR8300 covered most of my 2500 sq. foot home, but there were a couple of low signal spots - low enough for instance my smart sprinkler system control located downstairs and on the opposite side of the house from the Linksys would not connect. Since the router supports Mesh WiFi technology, I simply added a Velop Mesh WiFi node to expand the coverage, and it literally took a couple of minutes to do so using the Linksys app. The MR8300 had 2 goals in mind - easy setup and management, and easy expandability. It does this well. From its installation to the execution of your network on a daily basis, everything was made simple. Adding a node and expanding the coverage of the network was simple as well. While it's not branded as a gaming router or entertainment router, it handles those tasks just fine. It doesn't use the latest AX standard, which most people simply don't need. Still, its a limitation that’s worth noting. All this makes Linksys MR8300 Max-Stream AC2200 Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi Router a good choice for a mid-level router that will see high bandwidth usage - especially if you have a large area that needs coverage or you need the ability to easily expand the WiFi coverage of your network.

This is an absolutely horrible router. I pay for 500MBPS and the router can detect it in my pictures... However, IN THE SAME ROOM my computer wirelessly connected to this router is getting 15 MBPS using 802.11a... 802.11a is a wireless protocol from 1999. You know the best part? YOU CAN'T CHANGE ANYTHING ON THIS ROUTER. It is completely dumbed down for ease of use, but the issue is there is no possible way to troubleshoot this issue. I can't force the 5GHZ channel to run in 802.11ac. It just does whatever it wants since it runs as "Mixed" and that's all you can select. Literally buy any OTHER router. This one is absolute trash. Linksys support just told me it's my cable provider and not the router, even though the fact they remoted into my computer was eating up my bandwidth so it was only displaying 120 MBPS. This same computer ran on a Netgear Orbi satellite wirelessly with about 4 walls between the router and satellite and I was getting 150-200 MBPS easily. DO NOT BUY THIS ROUTER!

This was a great purchase so far so good. I have a 2000sq ft house and it's doing great so far.

Adding 100+Mbps upload and download to my att internet WiFi !!!!

My family had poor WIFI before our Best Buy purchase.

I want to first say this was so easy to set-up. I have never owned a store bought router before and have only used the modem and router that came from our internet service provider. We pay a lot each month for the fastest speeds and the modem we have does not transmit the fastest speeds. As soon as I set up the Linskys I could already see the difference. I had so many problems connecting my Ipad pro and my dell laptop, it was ridiculous. I literally could not use my Ipad or laptop in the living room because the main box would not allow me to connect and on the occasion that I could connect, my laptop would run so slow. My internet is running so much faster than it was before. Why are we paying so much for internet to get the fastest speeds and they give us a standard box so we don’t get the speeds we are paying for? It makes no sense to me. I never realized how much of a difference a new router could make. The Linskys was packaged very nicely and the directions were so easy to follow. The box had the mesh wifi router, the power adapter, an ethernet cable to connect to the modem and the directions (which were super simple to follow). I felt like all I did was plug it in, download the app and the router did the rest of the work. All I did was click next when it prompted me to. I also received a velop, an extra connector to connect in another room, and that was also easy to set up. You can purchase more velops to connect to your main Linskys router so wifi can reach throughout your whole house. I owned a wifi extender and that was way more difficult to set up than the extensions for the Linskys products. I would def reccommend this product to anyone who is having trouble getting the speeds they are paying for (even those who arent tech savvy like me because the set up is so easy). You wont regret it.

High speed mesh with 2.4 and two (2), 5 GHz bands for great coverage and video streaming. My router came with a plug in range extender which gives me whole house coverage. Expandability allows me to add another extender if I need more coverage say in the garage or out by the pool. The four (4) Gigabit ports allow high speed ethernet connections for further expansion or when direct wired connections are required. The four (4) antennas boast six (6) separate radio amplifiers for unmatched coverage and beam forming. No need to switch frequencies or extenders as this is done automatically (mesh). There is a built in USB port for external devices; hard drives, printers, etc,. Works with other LinkSys Velop products so you can truly expand as needed. The LinkSys app has been updated to work with this new router. Setup is straight forward, though some patience was required as i was replacing an existing router. My modem required a few restarts to connect back to the Internet. The range extender connected flawlessly. It was worth the time spent. Worked great with Alexa, WINK, and google home products.

1. You must use the mobile app to create an account before you can access the browser control settings. 2. randomly drops wifi connection, screws up my mobile gaming. 3. consistently low download speeds on both wifi and ethernet, getting between 10-20 Mbps. Every once in a while it can get 100-120 Mbps. My Comcast Xfinity data plan is up to 400 Mbps. 4. the browser control setting keeps "timing out" when I'm trying to adjust the settings. I've tried adjusting all the different settings on the mobile app and on the browser control settings to no avail.

---SETUP--- The setup of this Linksys Router was fast. After connecting the router, you wait for a blinking light to turn purple (around 1 minute or less). While you’re doing that, download the Linksys APP to you mobile device and the app will search for your router. Follow the onscreen prompts to set up the router. The app itself will ask you if you want to add more nodes to extend the WiFi around your home. ---FEATURES--- The key feature router is that you can easily add multiple nodes to extend your WiFi network across your home and have them work without having to change networks or enter a new password. It also has 4 ethernet ports for a more direct connection. ---PERFORMANCE--- The performance of this router is excellent. The router that it replaced didn’t reach all the way to my kitchen area but this new router, before the node was added, gave me some coverage in my kitchen. Adding the node just one room away gave me the extra coverage to my kitchen allowing me to use WiFi devices in a location I previously couldn’t. ---EXPECTATIONS--- The product meets my expectations. Installing the nodes was incredibly simple and hassle-free. I had 3 other nodes from the original Linksys Velop system (3 white towers) and those work with this system as well, allowing me to increase my coverage even further. I can’t imagine having a large home and not owning these extension nodes. ---VALUE--- The price for the router in terms of value is comfortable enough to add on at least one node to have wider coverage in your home. ---APPROVAL--- I highly recommend this product for people that have a large home with areas of that home receiving poor WiFi signal. This router will allow you to add nodes and provide extra coverage at your own pace, whether that is over time or all at once.