CONCLUSION

   With the WRT models Linksys managed to grab the attention of no only professionals and enthusiasts but also regular consumers so we didn’t expect to see something faster from them anytime soon. However the arrival of the EA9500 MAX-STREAM AC5400 MU-MIMO Gigabit Router marks exactly that since it offers by far the best wireless performance we’ve seen to date. The WRT models are still “kings” when it comes to USB performance (as clearly shown in our charts – probably due to the just 256MB RAM used) and they don’t “consume” as much electricity but those two things come I suspect second and third after wireless performance (at least for most users). Size may also be an issue for some people but let’s not get too excited since I really doubt anyone who can afford an ultra-high-end wireless router will have a problem finding room for it. Build quality is not something we care a lot for when we test modem/routers but this is yet another thing the EA9500 seems to have in common with the WRT models.

   The Linksys EA9500 MAX-STREAM AC5400 MU-MIMO Gigabit Router is currently if not the fastest wireless router in the market (there are some AC5400 models we haven’t tested) then it’s certainly among the fastest ones and that combined with its 8 RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet ports means we’re talking about the crème de la crème of routers. Because of that its current price tag of USD349.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 273Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) is more or less justified. Linksys could had certainly made it even better by giving it a higher amount of RAM (which would improve its USB performance) but even without that the EA9500 represents not only the best wireless performance (AC5400 via 8 high-gain Antennas) money can buy today but also the highest wired expandability (thanks to its 8 Gigabit ports) and that’s why it grabs our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design
- Second To None Wireless Performance
- AC5400 Technology (Concurrent 802.11n & Dual 802.11ac)
- Features (Beamforming, MU-MIMO And Tri-Band Technology)
- 8 High Gain Antennas
- Smart Web Interface
- 8 Gigabit Ethernet Ports
- USB 3.0 Port & USB 2.0 Port

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- USB Performance (Compared To The WRT Models)