INTRODUCTION

   Wireless technology never stands still so although it wasn't until roughly just over a year ago when manufacturers released their very first AC1750 compatible routers now we already see AC1900 compatible ones offering even higher combined speeds. Of course not every single manufacturer out there has joined in on the fun as of yet but the market leaders like Linksys and Netgear can't afford to not be on the forefront of technology so naturally their AC1900 routers are the first to see the light of day. Our routers review section is somewhat "under populated" compared to out other sections because we don't do router reviews of models that we think have nothing new and innovative to offer (both in features and specifications) but the brand new EA6900 AC1900 Smart Wi-Fi Wireless Router by Linksys seems to have everything going for it from appearance and up to features and specifications so we just had to take a look.

   The Linksys brand has pioneered wireless connectivity since its inception in 1988 with its leading innovation and engineering strategies, and best-in-class technology, design, and customer service. Linksys enables a connected lifestyle for people at home, at work and on the move, and with its award-winning products, simplifies home control, entertainment, security and Internet access through innovative features and a growing application and partner ecosystem.

   Much like the previous generation AC1750 routers the Linksys EA6900 AC1900 Smart Wi-Fi Wireless Router is a concurrent, dual-band (802.11n & 802.11ac) router with 3x3 transmit/receive 6 dipole antennas capable of supporting a theoretical maximum of 600Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 1300Mbps on the 5GHz band. Again like with all AC modem/routers the keyword here is concurrent so in reality the Wi-Fi speed of the router can never reach 1900Mbps and it goes without saying that unless you plan on using the EA6900 with 802.11ac compatible devices (take advantage of the much faster 5GHz band) chances are that you'd be better off with a much cheaper 802.11n model like for example the E4200 again by Linksys. The Smart series of routers by Linksys also allow the end user to control them using a smartphone or a tablet from anywhere in the world via cloud an interesting feature we don't see very often. Performance however (both wired and wireless) is what matters most when testing a router so let's see just how well the EA6900 AC1900 performs compared to the AC1750 routers we tested a while back.