Linksys has released two new high-end AC routers: a tri-band AC3200 and a dual-band AC2400. Read on for details!
Linksys has released two new high-end AC routers: a tri-band AC3200 and a dual-band AC2400. The tri-band has two 5GHz radios, meaning two high-speed data links are available, and the dual-band one has four separate bands and is aimed at gamers and others who need the fastest single streams. Here is the press release, which includes MSRP details:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Linksys Launches High Performance Tri-Band and 4X4 Wireless AC Routers for Families and Gamers
Linksys E8350 and EA9200 Routers Target Wi-Fi Environments
Ideal for Multiple and Single Users
Irvine, Calif. – Oct. 16, 2014 – Linksys® today announced two new routers that will help provide faster wireless networking speeds for families with multiple internet users as well as single users that use the internet for high bandwidth applications such as gaming or video streaming. The two new wireless AC routers, the Linksys AC3200 Tri-Band Smart Wi-Fi Router (EA9200) router and the Linksys AC2400 Dual Band Wi-Fi Router (E8350) a 4X4 AC router, provide network speeds up to 3.2 Gbps and 2.4 Gbps respectively*. These two new powerhouse Linksys routers provide networking functionality suited for large or small environments that need the maximum performance and range for their home networks.
“Linksys is all about quality and performance. Our goal with these new routers is to provide a solution that will help families who have a lot of devices connected to the internet wirelessly achieve better performance on each device or for single users that demand high performance on a single device such as gaming or streaming video,” said Mike Chen, vice president product development, Linksys. “We have been working closely with our vendors to design and engineer these routers so they have advantages to outperform and provide the value consumers are looking for in high end routers.”
Linksys AC3200 Tri-Band Smart Wi-Fi Router – EA9200
Industry Research firm – IDC, forecasts by 2017, consumers worldwide will be using 9.8 billion devices capable of connecting to a home network router. The Linksys EA9200 Tri-Band Router is designed for homes with many connected devices and simultaneous wireless activities – such as multiple computers, smart phones, tablets, gaming consoles, home automation like WEMO® and other networked devices. It is also equipped with three Wi-Fi radios – One 2.4 GHz and two 5 GHz that help provide multiple wireless streams for the best wireless connections and speeds. The Tri-Band technology really benefits families with not only lots of devices, but even more so when those devices are using Wireless AC (or a mix of clients – single band, Dual Band N, and Dual Band AC).
The Linksys EA9200 Tri-Band router features innovative Smart Connect technology utilizing dynamic band steering that optimizes the performance of wireless devices by balancing them across the multiple Wi-Fi bands to provide better overall coverage. The router’s six active antennas – 3 external, 3 internal (for optimal placement) – provide six data streams and a dual-core 1 GHz CPU and 3 integrated co-processors for a total of 2.96GHz of penta-core processing power. Four Gigabit ports offer a wired connection, while beamforming technology focuses and strengthens the Wi-Fi signal to Wireless-AC devices.
- Concurrent dual-band wireless operation of all three radios
- One 2.4 GHz Radio
- Two 5.0 GHz Radios
- AC3200 (600 + 1300 +1300 Mbps)
- Data transfer rates up to 600 Mbps on 2.4GHz (3 spatial streams)
- Data transfer rates up to 1300 Mbps on 5GHz (3 spatial streams)
- 6 Antennas — 3 Removable External Antennas and 3 Fixed Internal Antennas
- 1.0 GHz dual core CPU
- USB 3.0 & USB 2.0 ports
- 4-Port Gigabit Switch/1-Gigabit WAN Port
- Smart Wi-Fi Enabled with parental controls, remote troubleshooting and network map
- Integrated DHCP server with dynamic and static IP address assignment
- Supports DLNA for home media management
- Vertical Industrial Design
- Beamforming
- UPnP IGD and media server support
- Virtual USB support
- Smart Connect technology automatically balances your devices over the two high-speed 5GHz bands in real time. It selects the best band for each device ensuring optimal device performance
Linksys AC2400 Dual-Band Gigabit Wi-Fi Router – E8350
The Linksys AC2400 Dual-Band Gigabit Wi-Fi Router offers the fastest Wi-Fi technology for a seamless entertainment experience. This 4×4 AC router is the latest in Wireless-AC, delivering four simultaneous, independent data streams to devices on the network for speeds of up to 2.4 Gbps. The AC2400 helps provide the best overall performance to single devices that require high band such as video streaming or online gaming. The AC2400 features a 1.4 GHz CPU, four Gigabit ports, and an eSATA port with data transfer speeds of up to 3 Gbps.
- Concurrent dual-band wireless operation (600 + 1733 Mbps)
- Data transfer rates of up to 600 Mbps on 2.4GHz (3 spatial streams with 256QAM)
- Data transfer rates of up to 1733 Mbps on 5GHz (4 spatial streams)
- 4 Removable and adjustable antennas
- 4-Port Gigabit Switch/1-Gigabit WAN Port
- USB 3.0 / 2.0 / eSATA Ports
- MU-MIMO Ready – which will provide simultaneous streaming and gaming on multiple devices without speed degradation when technology is available
- Integrated DHCP server with dynamic and static IP address assignment
- PPTP, IPSec and L2TP Pass through
- Storage features for external USB hard disk and flash drives (supports FAT, FAT32, NTFS, and HFS+)
- UPnP IGD and media server
- Supports DLNA for home media management
- Virtual USB support
- Beamforming
- Wall Mountable
Pricing and Availability
The new Linksys AC2400 Dual Band Wi-Fi Router (E8350) is available today, for an MSRP $249.99 at Linksys.com, Amazon.com, and other leading retailers and the new Linksys AC3200 Tri-Band Smart Wi-Fi Router (EA9200) is planned to be available starting this weekend, Oct 19, 2014 at an MSRP of $299.99 at Linksys.com, Best Buy stores, and other leading retail outlets.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
These look like solid additions to the Linksys line. If you are shopping AC routers, these should be on your list of high-performance routers.
