CONCLUSION

   The WRT1900AC was a router which we had been waiting for ever since Linksys announced its release several months before it was available anywhere and it was really well worth the wait since it managed to outperform pretty much every router to ever pass from our lab. So you can imagine how curious we were to see just how the new WRT1900ACS with its faster ARM CPU and double amount of RAM would perform. Strangely enough although GUI navigation was far smoother the WRT1900ACS wireless and wired performance was pretty much identical to that of the WRT1900AC. Of course since the WRT1900ACS features a faster dual-core ARM CPU and twice the RAM of its predecessor things would probably be different if we had like 5 or more Wi-Fi enabled devices connected to the WRT1900ACS streaming media and sharing files so do keep that in mind. It was also good to see that although Linksys upgraded both the CPU and RAM of the WRT1900AC in the WRT1900ACS there was virtually no increase in power consumption so potential buyers shouldn’t worry about that either. As for the Smart Wi-Fi interface it remains pretty much the same as the one used in the WRT1900AC and thus it’s not only very easy to navigate but it also offers more settings that even we could ever possibly hope to use.

   Much like the WRT1900AC at launch the WRT1900ACS is also not what most people would call affordable since currently it retails for USD222.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 227Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). Once again everything comes down to what your needs are so if you do need the extra range and power/performance offered by the 4 high-gain antennas and its specifications the WRT1900ACS is one of the best choices out in the market today. On the other you can always check the previous (and lower-cost) WRT1900AC model which has nothing really to be jealous of the new version and will have no problem covering even the most demanding of users. In the end the WRT1900ACS may not come cheap but it’s a worthy upgrade to an already excellent router and that’s why it gets our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design
- Wireless Performance (Among The 3 Fastest In Our Charts)
- AC1900 Technology (Concurrent 802.11n & 802.11ac)
- Features
- 4 High Gain Detachable Antennas
- Smart Web Interface
- Open Source OS
- 4 Gigabit Ethernet Ports
- USB 3.0 Port & USB 2.0/eSATA Port

CONS

- Price (For Some)