Linksys Max Stream EA8300 router announced
Linksys has let me know that it is now shipping its new 802.11ac Tri-Band MU-MIMO Router. Here’s the Max Stream EA8300.
The Linksys EA8300 is an AC2200 Tri-Band MU-MIMO router, priced atunder £180. This hands users MU-MIMO technology at an entry-level price.
MU-MIMO (Multi-User, Multiple-Input, Multiple Output) enables even faster speeds for downloading, streaming, gaming and surfing.
This next generation Wi-Fi 802.11ac Wave 2 technology helps improve overall performance and efficiency of a Wi-Fi network. It also provides dedicated bandwidth to MU-MIMO capable client devices as if they have their own dedicated router.
MU-MIMO is Growing Fast
According to a white paper by ABI Research, The Importance Of MU-MIMO In The Wi-Fi Ecosystem, more than 84% of all wireless 5 GHz chipsets will be MU-MIMO enabled by 2019.
To keep up with the speeds and performance of the latest 4K TVs, laptops, phones, tablets and consoles, you’ll need the latest Wi-Fi router that can support them.
Seamless Roaming technology
Introduced by Linksys last summer, seamless roaming brings an enterprise-level Wi-Fi experience into the home.
This tech enables you be able to wander around your home with a device with the reassurance you’ll always be connected to the optimal access point. This could be a router or range extender; either way it will happen seamlessly and without you having to manually connect or lose connection.
When Seamless Roaming is added to routers, as it is in the EA8300, mobile devices are able to switch and connect to the strongest Wi-Fi signal at all times.
This means you can run an uninterrupted Facetime or Skype session whilst going from room-to-room without dropping the signal.
Single SSID
Another advantage of seamless roaming is having a single network name (SSID) for the entire network. This makes it easier to stay connected to the best Wi-Fi signal.
You may already have your extenders, routers, etc all set with the same credentials but this is not the optimal way. In traditional router and range extender pairing without Seamless Roaming, it’s best to define multiple network names and manually switch clients from one network to another to optimise performance.
Obviously, this is very clunky for the user.
The Linksys Max-Stream AC2200 is outfitted with Next Gen AC Wi-Fi technologies such as Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO) and Tri-Band. These work together to deliver Wi-Fi at the same time and same speed to multiple connected devices. Even better, they are doing so at combined speeds up to 2.2 Gbps.
said Justin Doucette, senior director of product management, Linksys:
The introduction of the EA8300 Tri-Band MU-MIMO router to our Max Stream line-up signifies our commitment to the latest 802.11ac specification. With the rise of 4K streaming and movie downloads, the importance of an efficient and optimised Wi-Fi network is more critical than ever. Tri-Band and MU-MIMO enables multiple devices to communicate with a router and/or range extender simultaneously, so the result is a faster and more reliable Wi-Fi.”
Availability
The Linksys AC2200 Tri-Band MU-MIMO Router (EA8300) will be available throughout Europe by mid-May.
Expect an estimated street price of £179.99.
Linksys EA8300 specs at a glance
Tri-Band AC2200 – Up to 2.2Gbps (867 Mbps 5 GHz + 867 Mbps 5 GHz + 400 Mbps 2.4 GHz)
MU-MIMO – Wave 2 for simultaneous 4K Streaming on multiple devices at the same time
Powerful system processor: Quad-Core 716Mhz Processor (Equal to 1.4 GHz Dual-Core Processor) 32-bit, ARMv7 compatible, 5.5K DMIPS
RAM – 256MB DDR3
Flash memory – 256MB
Four active high performance antennas with 6x High Power Amplifiers – Provide the best performance and coverage
Five Gigabit Ethernet Ports (4 LAN + 1 WAN)
USB 3.0 Port – Connecting shared network storage devices as well as a range of other peripherals
Linksys Advanced Beamforming Technology – Maximises Wi-Fi coverage for both 2.4 and 5 GHz radios while enhancing the performance and coverage
Airtime Fairness – Enables faster devices to transmit at faster speeds while the slower device will not impede the speed of Wi-Fi network
"Smart Connect" band steering – Balances your 5 GHz Wi-Fi connections and intelligently choose the best radio band for your devices for the best Wi-Fi performance of your network
Seamless Roaming – Max Stream Range Extenders provide Room-to-Room Wi-Fi with one network name
Linksys App – Remote manage, monitor, and control your Wi-Fi from anywhere, anytime
Linksys AUTO Firmware update - updates overnight
Amazon Alexa support - Three new skills: turning guest access on/off, obtaining guest Wi-Fi credentials, getting main network credentials read back to the user
SPI Firewall and DoS Protection – best in class network security
