Linksys AC2600 Router - Review

I love trying out new technology, and I was excited to try out swap my Netgear N300 for this AC2600, which promised a wider range and faster speeds. The packaging itself was somewhat intimidating, but the nerd in me figured, larger the box (device) the more I get out of it... Even if I was a customer unaware of the product I was shopping for, the packaging itself felt inviting and assuring that this router was a capable device.

The device itself was twice the size of the existing router, and the four antenna made it feel like I was assembling a drone... I still reminded myself that the end result would be fully worth the extra space this device was about to take. The power supply is pretty big, and was not suitable for my power strip... I did find it fits well with a two port wall socket though...

Switching to this router was extremely easy... The manufacturer has provided a simple document which offers all that you need to plug in your device and get started... The router UI can be accessed from any web browser once you have it up and running. The manufacturer also provides an app to manage your router, or test the speed of your internet connection.

The speed of data transfer, and the range of the device is pretty amazing compared to what I had... Streaming video from my PC to my tablets and smart TV work extremely well... I am also able to reach certain areas of my home which previously struggled to keep a signal...

CONS

Despite being the best router I have used to date, it also had issues I have not faced with any of my previous devices...

1) Connection Drops - This seems to occur more regularly with this unit... Its not consistent, but I have noticed that I randomly loose my connection... While I could blame it on various factors, like time of day and number of users, its not something I faced regularly on my older device.

2) Issues with Android smartphone - One of the devices in my home simply refused to connect to the regular Wi-Fi. This Android smartphone does not support the 5GHz signal, and refused to connect to the regular WiFi connection with the network password... The only way I could get this device to connect was by enabling the guest network... Now I could have blamed this on the smartphone, but given that it has no issues connecting on my old router, or onto other networks, I will say this is something that should be addressed...

3) Media Priority - This feature is meant to enhance media playback on select devices, and is a feature I have never been able to enjoy even on previous devices. The AC2600 was no different, as I still found speeds had reduced after enabling it... Since the router works fine without enabling it, I would leave that setting disabled as it is


In Conclusion, the AC2600 has been good to me, Its a powerful router that for the most part enhanced my experience... Fortunately the smartphone which I had issues connecting to Wi-Fi is not fully dependent on the WiFi connection... Other devices like PCs, Tablets and SmartTVs around the house work seamlessly with this device (with the random kinks now and then). That being said, I would still like to see the manufacturer get rid of the few bugs, and I would be able to better appreciate this device

I received this product for free as part of Belkin's Friends + Family Program