Customer Ratings & Reviews

They are good the wifi doesnt disconect anymore and less lagging

Every house seems to have those spots where WiFi does show some signal but the speed is absolutely horrible. If one of those spots is where your favorite couch is - you've got to do something about it! This little device is the perfect solution! Place it in any place where WiFi signal is good and this extender will boost it (or maybe you would like WiFi at your pool for a season?)! In addition to that - it has an onboard Ethernet port which you can use to hook up the devices with no built-in WiFi, such as TV, game console, etc. You can even plug in a network switch and have a few devices connected! That way you can have wired Ethernet connection in the room where you can't run Ethernet cable from your main router. Other problem that you may have - you have a wired ethernet connection somewhere like in your basement or detached garage/shop, but your WiFi router does not quite reach from upstairs... Again - this little device will help! Just plug in the Ethernet cord into the on-board Ethernet port and this range extender will work as an extra access point for you! Or maybe you have a wired only router that you like but it does not have a WiFi access point? This range extender will fix that! Setup is very easy - if your router is WPS capable - just hit the WPS button on it and on this extender and they are linked together, you could be done in like 30 seconds! If you don't have WPS - just attach to the "setup" WiFi network and give it your existing WiFi name and password and you done. Overall pros: - Strong WiFi signal - I did not have any WiFi coverage on my backyard, I've placed that extender in the room that faces the back yard and now I have a strong WiFi signal thru the whole yard for those outside gatherings. - Easy setup - Extender has some logging capability - it does show clients attaching and detaching, plus it lists current attached clients. - LED on the Ethernet port can be disabled so blinking does not bother you at night - ability to work in both directions - Wireless-to-Wireless and Wireless-to-Wired bridge Cons: - it's not clear what to do if you have main network and a guest network, I would think you'll need another extender for the guest network or let's say only extend 5 GHz primary and 2.4GHz guest - lack of WPA2-Enterprise support, which is surprising considering most of the Linksys routers do support it. - lack of IPv6 support for the management interface, only IPv4 seems to be supported - lack of syslog support, you can't have it send logs to your centralized log server - WiFi channels can't be selected manually Things I wish it would have: ability to be powered over Ethernet (PoE) Overall - this is a great booster if you are looking for something to plug-and-play, it will definitely help with the WiFi range where you need it!

Really awesome I now can stream faster because the wireless router was in my bedroom.

I recently moved into a new house and I don't know what my walls are made of but my modem/router from Verizon just was not cutting it in the wireless department any longer. I had even received the newest Verizon 'Blade' modem/router and it could not seem to push a signal to the other side of my house, let alone upstairs. I purchased an extender and this seemed to make everything at least 'usable'. So now I set up the Linksys Max-Stream and all those issues went away. I'm not sure I should even stand next to this thing because it has to be blasting out wi-fi like no-ones business. I was able to unplug the extender and still get great signal throughout the house. Heck, my wife noticed that her iPhone held on to the signal for quite a ways when we were driving out of our neighborhood! That being said there are a few things of which you should be aware: 1. Expect people to comment about your router. I've heard everything from 'What the heck is that!?' to 'Is that a spaceship?'. It is a very large device and has eight blade antennas so it does look intimidating (but I'm sure that is why it is such a beast at pushing out wi-fi). 2. Use the phone/tablet app for setting up the router. I banged my head on the desk a few times before trying this and it gave me quite the headache! When first setting up the device it said that it needed a firmware update and for me to click on a link to update it. This only threw me back to the main control page and caused it to tell me again that it needed a firmware update before it could connect. Wasn't sure if it was a wireless thing or not so I even did a hardwire via a LAN cable and still no luck. I downloaded the app and within a minute of creating a Linksys account I had the router up and running at full steam. Really, Lynksys should really just make this the default installation method. Anyone who is setting up a beast of a machine like this is probably going to have a smartphone/tablet or easy access to one. I am thoroughly impressed with this thing. I had hoped for it to just make my relatively weak but usable system a bit better but it made my wi-fi better than before when I was happy with my signal. Now I'm really happy!

This wireless range extender works well, and could not have been easier to set up. I used it with my Netgear router (your router does not have to be a Linksys). No configuration was necessary. None. My router had, as many newer ones do, a WPS "Wi-Fi Protected Setup" button. You press it, go through a process confirmed by colored lights, and your device is joined to the network. If you have both 2.4 Ghz and 5Ghz networks you go through the process twice to join both bands. This is done while you have the device within a few feet of the router. When completed, you then move the router to a location where you want to have it act as a hotspot to extend your wi-fi range. I took my device upstairs where I needed a stronger signal. As instructed, I plugged it into the wall. A yellow light blinks while it connects. If the light turns solid green, you are connected. You login to wi-fi using the same passwords as you do for your router. Using several android apps to show relative wi-fi strength, I got a much stronger and reliable signal upstairs. Then I went downstairs and sat on the couch 10 feet from the router. The extender signal strength equaled or exceeded the strength of the signal from the router. I was amazed. The device can also be used as a wired range extender. Since my house is not cabled with ethernet, that option was not useful for me. In trying various locations, I discovered that I could not move the router to the other end of my 2200 square foot house. I could not get a green light there. I did discover, however, that sometimes I could not get a green light, but the RE 7000 was still working. So I was not able, with only one of these devices, to get seamless roaming throughout the house. That function is only promised with supported Linksys routers, according to the instructions. I could not be more pleased with this product. Push a couple of buttons, and you will have it set up and working in 10 minutes or less with literally nothing to set up. Great speed and strength of signal. It just works.

Along the years, I’ve had many Wi-Fi extenders. Most of them would extend the signal fairly well. But signal alone does not mean much and I was never happy because although the signal would be strong, the actual throughput was rarely higher than 20% of what I would get closer to my AP (Wi-Fi router) and drop outs were common. But this MaxStream RE7000-AC1900 seems to connect to the main AP in a much more efficient way. Not only do I get a much better signal, 4 to 5 bars anywhere in the house now but the throughput is about 70% as when closer and connected to the original signal. I now can stream 4K Netflix to the TV in my bedroom upstairs with no lags and there are no more dead spots in my house and even in my yard which is not very small. This is connecting the Extender to my old AP. I just got a new high end 802.11ac Wi-Fi router and paired it with the the MaxStream Extender which I had to move its location even farther away from the original spot. Now I can stay connected to my network even from a neighbor two houses down the street. It is almost a problem but I couldn’t be happier. Highly recommended! Pros: - Works as a repeater for your existing SSIDs or creates new ones if you prefer. - Fast and easy setup. If you don’t create a new SSID and your router supports WPS, it takes 2 to 4 minutes or less to be up and running without the need of a computer. - It can be moved anywhere in the house after initial setup - Can work as a standalone Wi-Fi router wired to your modem. Its performance is so good that you may consider using it to replace your existing Wi-Fi router if it doesn’t support 802.11ac technology. - Excellent performance and stability - Gives new life even to an old Wi-Fi router - Dual band Cons: - No external antennas. It can be a problem in some houses with thick or too many walls. - It is best for extending a new 802.11ac Wi-Fi router. It seems to be a waste to use such a nice extender with anything else.

The set up was super easy, it came with very simple 6 step instruction guide that was very easy to understand and it configured both bands of my dual band router at the same time. The signal strength is evenly distributed throughout the house and it's actually providing a stronger signal than the router its connected to. Using a WiFi analyzer to gauge the signal, I can see about a 30 dbm improvement. as for the cons, make sure you have a newer grippy outlet to stick it in, because it will fall out of an older one and don't put it in a hallway cause it will stick out like a sore thumb.

Pros: Easy Setup MU-MIMO Technology Automatic Roaming Technology Size is perfect and doesn't block the other plug Can be used as an wireless extender or as a wired Access Point with the Ethernet port Cons: None Setup: Out of the box this extender was super easy to setup. As detailed on the card in the box simply plug it in to a wall outlet, and either connect to the extender from your computer, iPad or Phone in the wireless networks or use the WPS button. For me it was easier to connect to it then browse to 192.168.1.1. Once there, the setup wizard walked through the setup to connect to the Wifi Networks (2ghz and 5ghz) and automatically configured itself. Setting it up in the right spot is also easy as the wizard walks you through it step by step and helps you find the best location in your home or office. Use: I now have full bars even outside of my home a good distance which is nice when I sit out back to read on the Kindle or iPad. It's easy to move. The automatic roaming is awesome and makes it so with a compatible router you don't have to connect to separate networks. One thing I was worried about is if the extender would block the top plug on the wall outlet as these sometimes do. In this case, the way it was designed makes it so the other plug can be used (as shown in the picture). In all, I highlighly recommend this extender, especially if you have a MU-MIMO wireless router. It'll help make sure you have a solid signal throughout your home or small office. Setup and use is plug, play and forget its even there.

I have had the Linksys MaxStream RE7000-AC1900 Wall Plug In Range Extender with MU-MIMO for about a week now, and it is amazing. I use it out in my workshop, which is a metal building in my back yard around 100 feet away. In the past, WiFi extenders haven't helped much, as they couldn't penetrate the distance fro my WiFi router combined with the building being metal. This product has eliminated any interference, and is operating amazingly. It is best when paired with an AC (the newest WiFi standard) router, such as the LINKSYS EA9500 MAX-STREAM™ AC5400 TRI-BAND WI-FI ROUTER to reach maximum speeds. What's in the box: The packaging on the Re7000 is very nice and minimal. Inside, you'll find the warranty card and quick start documents, as well as the unit itself. The ONLY con for this product is that it doesn't include an Ethernet cable, which would be nice as I have a hardwired device in my workshop. The Setup: It only took about 4 minutes, including opening the package to set it up. The online setup interface is smooth and quick. It also does the nice job of keeping the same SSID name for any signals being repeated, which is nice as everything resides on the same network. Technical notes: Using this, I now have a speedtest.net rating of 48.24 Mbps download and 3.86 Mbps upload speeds. This is far superior to any results I have ever experienced from any similar product.

Works like it's suppose to. Also has a great distance.

I won’t bother going into the advantages of a MU-MIMO setup, but to sum it up at this point it's more about future proofing your setup. MU-MIMO clients are forthcoming and this is the 'next wave' of devices that can unlock their potential. Either way it’s about a device that can match the capability of your router - and like I mentioned earlier - you can pump N300 + AC 1733 through this device making it a great pair with the Linksys EA7500 for extending the range of your network. Personally I always have shied away from this sort of hardware in the past. Generally they’re priced in the same class as full routers but without the external antennas, powerful CPUs, built in Ethernet, and USB ports of their full sized brethren. Of course many consumers aren’t aware of this, and look for these purpose built devices to fill the weak signal spots in their homes. Most routers support AP mode, but not every device supports a wireless range extender mode which this device can do. This basically means you can plug this little guy into a convenient power outlet, configure, and BAM stronger signal! Now it’s never that simple - as your wifi speeds will suffer (and the UI is clear to point this out). That said if you’re trying to extend your network for better Internet coverage, even in wireless range extender mode this device should max out most Internet connections. Truly a device like this doesn’t fit my normal use case. That said after receiving it I fell in love with it. I’m in the minority of the population that crawled under their house and pulled CAT6 cable to most rooms. But that’s a good thing for the RE7000 - since using AP mode helps paint it’s performance in the best possible light. When you do initial setup the device plugins into your wired network for config and gives you the choice: Wired range extender (Access point) or wireless range extender. The second choice comes with this disclaimer: “Extend your Wi-Fi signal without using any cables. This reduces clutter but doesn’t give you optimal Wi-Fi speeds.” Makes sense right? Every WiFi transmission basically gets rebroadcasted to the router. That’s fine and all, but this is an AC1900 device, I have gigabit Ethernet everywhere so let’s go with option A! (In all reality, I know most people interested in this device will want to know how option B goes. No promises, but I’ll try to give it a test). So given that we’re testing how fast this device can act as an AP. Using a 2x2 AC device (866Mbps) I was able to hit very close to the theoretical max my client could maintain (Peaking out around 70MB/sec Windows share copying). Even with 4-5 clients connected, speeds were fairly consistent. My iPad Air 2 and Nexus 6p clients both support 2x2 antennae configs, but their ability to saturate these connections is hampered by their storage and app selection. Even so multiple clients running bandwidth intensive applications still yielded impressive results, with close to 50MB/sec average transfer rates on my Retina MacBook from a local file server while 2 other clients were running speed tests. Using a MacBook Pro w/ a 3x3 antenna configuration yielded good results as well with sustained trainsfer rates around 75MB/sec line of sight. Not the fastest I’ve seen on 3x3 AC, but given the lack of antennas it did well. Even with a few walls I was able to get around 30-40MB/sec sustained. Signal strength was strong on both 2.4 and 5Ghz bands. Performance aside, the web interface built into the device is basic, but clean. No extraneous ‘admin’ username, just a password to manage the device. Once in you can change the operational mode of the device, set a static IP, and set basic wireless settings. While the menu presented encompasses very standard things you’d see on a router, you’ll find their functionality rather shallow. Most settings shouldn’t be touched, or provide basic diagnostic information. If you’re interested, the WLAN statics item will provide a client list. You can ‘ping’ which probably would be helpful if you were diagnosing network uplink issues. Interestingly you can disable one of the bands, but the firmware won’t let you disable both. While this is very much a 1.0 firmware, it’s also pretty stable - even with many clients connected, I never had a dropout. So would you want to drop $150 on this item? At first glance I probably wouldn’t have, but what I’ve realized about these devices is: they’re stealthy! Just like small cube surround speakers took over for the giant floor standing speakers that fell out of fashion, this device can blend with it’s surroundings easily. While it may not look as impressive, the fact you can place this device line of sight with many devices without upsetting the significant other’s feng shui makes it a win in my book. While AC clients tend to handle walls better, older 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz clients will especially benefit from this line of sight. Case in point, I have this placed right next to my entertainment center but line of sight to my couch/family room. I have a Nvidia Shield Portable, which is a 2x2 802.11n 5ghz device. Using the GameStream feature tended to chug a bit even on my high end Netgear R7000, since it was 2 walls and about 12ft away. With this AP plugged in, I have flawless performance - and that’s mostly due to line of sight. If you have living room scenario, where the family sits with their phones/iPads/gaming devices having an AP in the same room can make a big difference, sometimes a staggering difference depending on the generation of device. I can wholeheartedly recommend this device as a wireless AP if you have a room or non-ac clients with high bandwidth requirements. No where else can you get an AC1900 setup in such a tight package that blends in with your environment and provides decent range.

Almost plug and play ability, this range extender helped with our issue of not being able to listen to streaming music in the bedroom, let alone streaming video to the TV inside the bedroom. It connected quickly once you press the easy accessible WPS button on the side. It's bulky once you connect it to the wall outlet I'd recommend using an unused location like in my picture. Pro: Simple to hook up, paired with my N300 router with ease. No software to install. Con: The packaging can be down sized at least it's all recyclable. No other con's I can think of.

I've been using the RE7000 for about a week now. Setup was super easy. Using the WPS feature, it was connected and online in about two minutes. You can extend both the 2.4 and 5 Ghz channels of your AC router which is a nice feature, depending on the mix of wifi devices in your home. Most of my devices use the 5Ghz band and that is the band I was most interested in extending. While the connection strength was fairly good, the speed just didn't impress me. This unit does not have external antennas, it's all internal, so while the connection and speed were adequate, they weren't super impressive. The spot finder function built right into the menu is a great tool, allowing you to trial and error place the extender in various places to gain the optimum placement for connectivity and speed. However I saw mixed results. I had the extender in the sweet spot of the app, and the speed was so/so, then i would move it and be "too far" on the spectrum, but the speed would go way up. If you have pretty good coverage already just using your router, you might want to skip the RE7000. If you have areas that are complete dead spots, this might actually work. Just don't be expecting full connectivity or speed. I had been using an older RE6500 unit, that has external antennas, and when they were placed in the exact same locations extending the same network from the same router, the RE6500 outperformed the RE7000. Maybe it's the external antennas? I live in a large two story home, so the RE7000 might be perfect for larger single story homes or businesses. Performance on the 2.4 Ghz channel was pretty solid and remained consistent overall, but the 5 Ghz performance was lacking to me. I think I'll stick with my RE6500.

I have tried many extenders in the past and have had multiple issues. My favorite feature of this extender is the ease of installation and the fact that it will automatically connect to my wireless device as needed. It streamlines right into my Linksys AC5400 router and doesn't even show up as a separate network. I have full bars now wherever I am in or outside my home. It has a nice streamline look to it and puts off very little heat. You can also place this in a room that has no Ethernet jack and use the jack on the device for a hard wired device, say a older TV, game system or PC with no WiFi capabilities. So far I have yet to have to reset the device like I have in the past with other extenders. That is the best part in my book. If you need a WiFi extender you can't go wrong here and it will work with any WiFi router.

I'll start off by saying that I've owned over 10 routers—probably more than most people. I've also tried using different range extenders, but have had poor experiences in the past. This Linksys RE7000 changes my perception of Range Extenders. INTRODUCTION (My setup): I currently have 2 wireless access points in my house (both are dual-band 802.11ac). One in the basement, and one on the second floor. The router in the basement is hooked up to the cable modem, while the other on the second floor is being used as an access point via ethernet. My house has ethernet routed throughout the house, but like many others, I have many wireless devices. Despite having 2 routers, certain parts of my house have weaker WiFi signals. While I could opt for the 2.4GHz band, this would result in significantly lower throughput/bandwidth. I choose to always stay on the 5GHz networks for the increased throughput, but in exchange for a weaker signal. UNBOXING (5/5): When you open the box, you are greeted with the quick start guide, a warranty booklet, and the RE7000. It does not come with a CD, but it is incredibly easy to set up. SETUP/EASE OF USE (5/5): The setup process for the RE7000 is wonderfully simple. It can be done from any browser (mobile or desktop). In my case, I chose to use the nearest device—my smartphone (which has 802.11ac). The important thing is to place the RE7000 somewhere in the house that is close enough to your router to catch a decent signal, but also near the weak signal spots of your house. The booklet that comes in the box explains this well, and the browser application can even help you find the best spot. But for simplicity's step, here was my step-by-step process: 1. Plug in the RE7000 to the wall. 2. Wait for the unit to come online and show a WiFi network on your client device (e.g. your smartphone, tablet, or computer). 3. Connect to the Linksys RE7000's WiFi network from your device. 4. On your device's browser, navigate to 192.168.1.1 5. The setup page should appear. It will ask you to create a password for the settings page. 6. Once you enter the password, it will ask you to setup as an Access Point or Range Extender. 7. I chose to setup as a Range Extender, and it scanned and displayed all nearby WiFi networks. 8. I selected my home's WiFi Network (it also noticed that I had a dual-band network, 2.4GHz and 5GHz). 9. It asks for the passwords for both your 2.4GHz and 5GHz connections (if you have both). 10. After verifying that the network credentials are valid, it asks you to specify an name for each new connection (e.g. MyWiFi_2.4GHz and MyWifi_5GHz). 11. The device restarts, and in 30 - 60 seconds, the new networks display on your device. 12. Connect your device(s) to the new network and voila! You're ready to go. PERFORMANCE (5/5): I have been very impressed with this device's performance. I tested a worst-case scenario by putting my WiFi router and the RE7000 at opposite corners of the house (definitely not optimal). I then connected the RE7000 to the WiFi router, and performed speed tests using my iPad Pro 9.7 (which has excellent 802.11ac and MIMO support) and the Ookla Speedtest app. Please keep in mind that these results are indicative of only the 5GHz network, and I've only tested using a single device on that network. Additionally, I placed the RE7000 as far away as possible from the router to test the device's reception. As a result, these results would be even higher if placed in an optimized spot. Before testing, I verified that I could achieve a max of about 140Mbps down / 12Mbps up from my ISP, Comcast/Xfinity. My results conclude that from all the opposite corners of the house (even from 2nd floor to basement), I was able to obtain excellent throughput. I usually saw 130Mbps down / 12Mbps up. The minimum being around 90Mbps down / 12Mbps up. This excellent performance is likely due to the beamforming technology, which focuses the WiFi signal directly to your device, rather than in an omni-directional fashion. That being said, there short bursts where my ISP seemingly capped my speed, but that usually only happened if I ran a speedtest consecutively without waiting between individual tests. During these times, I saw a *minimum* of 60Mbps down / 12Mbps up. The lesson here is to not run Speedtests one after another, as it can skew the data. Waiting 10-20 seconds between tests proved to provide the best results. A better test would be to do some large file transfers between machines on my local network, rather than relying on my connection to Xfinity. But the majority of people will be interested in their internet speeds. Compared to other devices I've tested, this one has had the best throughput with the lowest physical footprint (being a small device). CONCLUSION: I think very few people would be worried about things like build quality and such. This isn't the type of product that you'll be moving around a lot. Even then, this product is small, looks nice, and performs very well. Pairing the RE7000 with a 802.11ac router is your best choice to achieve optimal performance. This is a great product by Linksys, and I am very happy with the results I've achieved—despite the fact that I purposely placed the RE7000 in a spot that would not optimize the signal and throughput. I would highly recommend picking this device up.

Starting with the box and packaging it is well protected without going overboard. In the Box is the WiFi extender and a Quick Start Guide. The extender itself is wrapped in a nice foam bag to keep it from getting scratched. Unboxing was as simple as it gets. The extender itself also has an Ethernet port if you want to connect something to it wired as well. The set up itself also couldn't have been easier. I thought I would have to use a web based set up page, or an install disc but it was simple. Just plug it in and wait for the LED to turn Amber. Then it was as easy as pressing 2 buttons..literally. All I had to do to set it up was press the WPS button on my router then the push button connect on the Extender until it blinks green and wait until it is solid green to set up the 2.4ghz band, then the repeat the process for the 5ghz band. After it was fully set up I checked my WiFi settings on my Galaxy S7 and saw it had created 2 new networks with the same name as before, but with "ext" on the end. Once I had it set up near my router I unplugged the extender and took it to the main room of the house, plugged it back in and immediately noticed a jump in signal strength. For the 2.4ghz it went from about 2-4 bars up to 3-4 bars (4 Being Full bars). But the biggest jump was in the 5ghz band which is what I use the majority of the time. I use to drop as low as 0-2 bars when I was in a different room from the router, up to 3-4 bars. This is a huge improvement since 5ghz has a harder time going through walls when compared to 2.4ghz. And like I said I mainly use 5ghz because there is a lot less interference with it. I have quite a few devices that run on 2.4ghz such as the phone and a wireless keyboard and mouse. So now that the 5ghz is so much stronger I no longer have to switch to 2.4 when the signal strength gets low or even use to drop completely at times before the extender. I also ran a few Speed tests comparing the routers 2.4 and 5ghz bands with the extenders 2.4 and 5ghz and again noticed improvements. Here are the results of a few simple speed tests I did with my Galaxy S7. Router 2.4ghz: 62.45 MB/s Download | 12.23 MB/s Upload | 15ms Ping Linksys Extender 2.4ghz: 85.80 MB/s Download | 12.28 MB/s Upload | 30ms Ping Router 5ghz: 48.51 MB/s Download | 13.14 MB/s Upload | 29ms Ping Linksys Extender 5ghz: 60.87 MB/s Download | 12.57 MB/s Upload | 15ms Ping Now of course with anything like this your results will vary depending on your router, connection, and internet provider. But I just wanted to show my results for a general idea of what the extender did to improve my WiFi. Bottom Line: If you are looking to strengthen your WiFi signal, fix dead spots, or improve speeds this is a great product. The set up was very simple and immediately improved my overall WiFi. And it works with all WiFi routers. Here are the Technical specs if anyone wants those as well: Wi-Fi Technology: AC1900+ MU-MIMO Key Features: MU-MIMO, Seamless Roaming, Crossband, Spot Finder Technology for best placement, Works with Any router Network Standards: 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11a/g, 802.11b Wi-Fi Speed: AC1900 (N300 + AC1733) Wi-Fi Bands: Simultaneous Dual band, 2.4 Ghz + 5 Ghz Wi-Fi Range: 10,000 SQ FT Number of Ethernet Ports: 1x Gigabit Other Ports: None Easy Setup: CD-Less setup, Setup from mobile devices, Push and connect using Wi-Fi Protected set-up (WPS) Minimum System Requirements: Latest versions of Google Chrome™, Firefox®, Safari® (for Mac® or iPad®), or Interne Explorer versions 8 or newer. Physical Specifications :126 x 81 x 46 mm, approximately 255g Security Features: Access Control (Wireless MAC Filtering)

I purchased this extender to address a particular problem. My house is long and the internet enters on one end. This means my wireless router doesn’t reach the opposite end very well. Signal strength is good but speed drops noticeably. I was hoping for this to compliment my EA9500 as it was said to be designed specifically for this router. In the end what I have come up with is a mixed bag. For the far end of the house my speed has definitely improved. The problem is it has done so at the expense of speed in the middle. The actual router itself has excellent speed and good range. Without the extender I can achieve over 300Mbps in the center of the house. With the range extender, the highest I regularly achieve is 200Mbps. The problem is this range extender, even when paired with the router it is designed for cuts the original speed in half. I have a 400Mbps internet. Directly connected to the primary WiFi I can get 376Mbps, on the WiFi. When the extender is involved it uses half the bands for a return signal effectively cutting any speed in half. This would be fine if the range extender only did this at the far end of the house. The problem is that in the middle sometimes the signal strength is stronger from the extender by just a little compared to the router and so I end up losing speed. I would push the extender further out but the signal strength to the extender is too poor. This brings me to another issue, the configuration. The box says it has an easy way to determine signal strength leading to believe there is some sort of meter on the outside of the unit. There is not. In fact you have to manually log into the unit to see signal strength. The problem with this is the documentation for setup isn’t the greatest. Once the instructions were sorted out another issue is that sometimes during the initial setup it just doesn’t connect to the source router but you can’t be sure if it is not connecting or just slow. The instructions tell you if you are extending a compatible router you can keep the same WiFi name but instructions are vague on how to do this. They mostly point you to using WPS. From what I can tell this can only extend 1 2.4GHz and 1 5GHz network and the companion router actually provides a total of 4, two primary and two guests. I wasn’t able to figure out if it actually extends the guest networks but reading the documentation I am led to believe it does not. There is a possible workaround to the speed issue is to use this as a hardwired extender as it has an Ethernet port. The far side of my house, like most, doesn’t have Ethernet as this point so I couldn’t test but from what I can tell it doesn’t exactly extend the WiFi when hardwired so much as create a _EXT WiFi. This means if you have a WiFi called MyHouse then the extender will create another called MyHouse_EXT. Again I didn’t have a way to try this but that isn’t exactly seamless roaming. Currently I have the extender paired to my router via WiFi. The WPS failed for me so I had to use the password method. The instructions don’t tell you but when pairing with a compatible router you enter the password for the WiFi you are extending. In regards to reliability it has been a mixed bag. I have had some power issues lately so I can’t blame everything on the extender but I have had to reset it at least 5 times in about 2 weeks. Sometimes everything will look ok but I just can’t browse the internet. I reset the extender and everything is good again. In the end it has been helpful and I am hoping if I can get a cable to the other side of the house it might be more helpful. At this point I have mixed feelings about this unit. All in all though this unit is still new and nearly every grip of mine can be fixed by future firmware upgrades which it doesn’t automatically. I’m hoping that it will improve over time. Pros Does extend range Improves speed in distant areas When paired wirelessly with a compatible router it offers seamless roaming Clutter free case with no external antennas means it can be installed in the open without getting snagged or bringing attention to itself Brings up a warning webpage if the main WiFi is not accessible making troubleshooting quicker. You know you have to reset your router instead of the extender. Can be wired or hardwired Can act as an affordable standalone wireless AC access point Automatically updates firmware Cons Cuts speed of main WiFi in half even when paired with the router that it is a companion for Overlaps the primary WiFi zone and can cause loss of speed in the overlap zone Can be unstable. Sometimes it just loses the connection with the main router and needs to be unplugged Poor documentation Leans heavily on WPS setup which is less secure to leave active Slow bootup and connection makes you think the unit is not connecting Signal Strength meter is software based slowing down placement and feels less intuitive Internal antennas don’t reach as far Final thoughts. Overall if this range extender can be an affordable way to extend your existing WiFi without requiring a complete change as long as you can accept its limitations, setup woes, and stability. It has no standout features but can get the job done. Stability issues will likely be sorted out in a future firmware upgraded, which are automatic. Hardware wise it is a decent box. It just needs software refinements. If Linksys could find a way to pair a unit such as this with their routers without cutting the speed in half then it could be a perfect solution for those who want a high end router without dealing with a mesh. This unit can still get the job done but it won't surprise you with great features and easy setup.

There is a lot to get into this range extender so let me get started with what my setup is. I tested this over the course of several days with various devices, but my primary test bench was an EA9200 AC3200 Linksys Router. I use a 75 Mbps connection, but I often get a faster connection as you will see throughout my review. I also get 5 Mbps up which I also tend to get more of as well. I am using my hand built desktop which is more than powerful to handle any sort of testing, but my wireless card is a Linksys AE3000 N900 wireless card. I had no issues with the backwards compatibility of Wireless N, and I can say that the benefits of Wireless AC on my mobile devices was a substantial distance increase as well. My primary mobile device being an LG G5. My modem is a Netgear CM400. The biggest concern I can see people having is the setup process. I can reassure that it is actually even easier to install than the router itself which is also quite easy now a days. You don't have to start by plugging it in at the spot you want it at, but I chose to do so. Essentially you use the WPS functionality of your router and range extender and router twice and that fully pairs the range extender on both 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz bands. Now I want to discuss test results. I tested it both on the 2.4 Ghz and the 5 Ghz bands and compared them to the base routers capability as well. Keeping in mind that my desktop is about two rooms away from my router, and less than 15 feet from the range extender, you will see how there is a significant performance increase on both the 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz. I will also be posting the full picture of my test results as a part of the review. Starting with the 5 Ghz band my router produced an average of 46.81 Mbps down, 4.607 up, and a 27.1 average ping. The max was 5.89 on the up, 59.5 on the down, and max ping of 28. The minimum upload was 3.90 Mbps, down was 35.44, and a 25 ping. The standard deviation on the up was 0.6416, 6.7270 on the down, and 1.1357 on the ping. Now to compare how the range extender fared. On the up it averaged 6.202, 73.926 down, and a 22.4 ping. All of these were significant improvements overall. It should be noted that I did have an outlier on the down in which I had a result of 128.88. On the max up I had a 6.37 up, 128.88 down, and a 26 ping. On the min I had a 6.01 up, 40.82 down, and 21 ping. On the up I had a standard deviation of 0.1003, down 21.3457, and ping 1.2806. Now to compare the 2.4 Ghz coming from the router. On the average I had a 6.091 up, 47.137 down, and 27 ping. On the max I had a 6.4 up, 56.44 down, and a 28 ping. On the min I had a 5.81 up, 41.71 down, and 26 ping. On the Standard Deviation I had a 0.1674 up, 4.6632 down, and 1.00 ping. These results are largely the same compared to the largely superior 5 Ghz because of the further range of the 2.4 Ghz band so it largely nullifies the effect of it being a faster band. Lastly to compare the 2.4 Ghz with the range extender and it was a difference of night and day on performance. We had a difference of over 10 Mbps down between the highest result of the standalone router and the range extender. We had an average of 6.083 up, 79.615 down, 27.5 ping. Max of 6.17 up, 83.27 down, and 28 ping. Min of 5.87 up, 67.44 down, and 26 ping. The Standard Deviation on the up was 0.0893, 4.3028 down, and 0.8062 ping. Overall if you already have a good strong router and you are needing to expand your coverage or get better speed to devices that are outside of that close range then this range extender is fantastic between its high performance, easiness to setup, and compact size. Just make sure that you are not in need of a new router as opposed to a range extender because this is a quite high end range extender and you will still be limited to your routers capabilities.

Who’s it for: For combatting the wifi dead spots in your home due to structural interferences Pros: Easy to setup and only takes up one plug space Cons: Could use a better iphone app I had a big problem with getting complete wifi coverage in my townhome. Its not like its super big at 1700sq feet but it’s the walls and competing radio interferences that creates this dreadful dead spots in my home. My setup is this: my wifi router is located upstairs in my two-level home. I have no issues connecting to both 5ghz and 2.4ghz channels upstairs. But I get spotty wifi signal when im on the main floor in the living room. The wifi signal will be so degraded that I get faster internet if I switched my iphone over to LTE. I’m trying to avoid racking up my cell phone’s LTE data plan when im at home! My Linksys router has 8 adjustable antennas with “beam forming” with no luck of reaching me on my couch. I almost gave up until I did more research that I could benefit from an extender like this Linksys RE7000. The setup was very easy. Probably the easiest extender I have ever used. It’s an extender that only takes up one power socket space. This is nice since it doesn’t require any table surface so you can plug this unit in behind a couch if you want to. To start extending your current wifi router, which this works with any branded router, just press the WPS button on the side of the extender and press the same button on your router. Within 5 mins and you will be extending both your 2.4ghz and 5ghz wifi bands at near full speeds as if you were sitting next to the wifi router itself. The form factor is worth noting. Its brilliantly simple. There is only one Ethernet jack if you want to plug in something that’s not wifi equipped but it’s the one simple status light and one WPS connect button that makes this form factor awesome. The one light changes from amber to green with green being fully connected. And the fact that it’s all self-contained in one unit and only takes up one outlet is worth its weight in gold. In conclusion, it’s a very competitively priced wifi extender that’s very simple to install and get running. I have no more dead spots in my home anymore and I’m able to still use my wifi when im a few houses down the street too! An important tip is proper location for your wifi extender. Too close to your router and it won’t actually help your dead spots. Too far from your router and you will not gain any wifi strength. Luckily, Linksys has a web based page that shows if you are too close to your router or too far from your router for the extender to work perfectly. This is a no brainer installation. If I didn’t have that tool, I wouldn’t have known that my main floor bathroom was the best location and not the kitchen location that I originally thought would be best. This could have been incorporated into their phone app but for some reason its web based. A bonus for using a compatible Linksys router with a Linksys extender is the “seamless roaming” option. I can walk around the house between both levels without dropping a signal and manually changing my wifi connection. I would recommend this RE7000 to anyone looking to decrease their wifi dead spots! I hope my review helped in your decision!

The unit tested really well against another Linksys router as far ease of setup and speeds. The unit is about the same size as a standard wall outlet and can take up both outlets based on how it is plugged in. Setup was done via a web based interface directly through the device via WiFi (easy, no cables). It even had you place the device in another location and recheck if the strength did not seem good (sweet spot) based on a bar graph. Signals and transitions between the router and range extender were seamless on both 2.4/5GHz. Tried with a 2TB Apple Time Capsule and it was only able to pickup and setup the 2.4GHz side of the apple router and had problems trying to add the 5GHz side. Even after setting up the 2.4GHz, it was noticeable when the Linksys RE made the switch as the connection would drop, pages would sputter, or video chat cut out completely. This device does play well with PC/Mac machines/laptops/macbooks, mobile devices (tablets/phones), and WiFi TVs. It does not play well with Apple Routers. I would recommend this for anyone that is using a router other than Apple. Again, it worked great with the Linksys router I have.