Linksys EA9200 AC3200 Tri-Band Smart Wi-Fi Router Review

Linksys EA9200: Speed Tests

We were really interested to see the real-world wireless speed performance of the Linksys EA9200 so instead of taking the same approach as we have in previous router reviews, we changed some things up starting with the equipment that we used. We connected the Linksys EA9200 to our desktop PC running Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit and configured the router using Automatic settings for a 5Ghz bandwidth. We then took our laptop to use as a client and connected it to a Netgear R7000 Wireless Router. We put the router into Bridge Mode and paired it with our suite of 802.11ac routers, including the Linksys EA9200. The R7000 is one of the latest wireless-AC routers on the market and should work very well as a bridge.

We took our Laptop/R7000 Bridge and didnt tell the client anything more than the SSID name for each router tested and let it automatically choose the cleanest channel to connect to. For the fastest possible data throughput, the routers were set to Unsecure Mode and with WMM turned ON. After connecting, we ran the application LAN Speed Test (LST) to measure file transfer and network speeds. LST builds a file in memory and then transfers the packet without the effects of windows file caching. It then reports the time and calculates the network speed.

We repeated the test 2 more times rotating the router 90 degrees after each test to make sure that the routers speed was affected adversely by its orientation. We took speed measurements at three different locations of the Legit Bunker: In the Same Room at exactly 5.5 feet away from the test router; in a 2nd Room about 20 feet away from the router through a wooden door; and in a Far Room, one level below (wood framed floor) where the client router/bridge sat. Doing this should really give us a nice taste of how our routers perform in the real-world.

Benchmark Results: Our initial test shows the Linksys EA9200 performing well under other routers in its class. The 1MB data packet test is run because it represents what can be seen as ideal burst speeds. The Linksys EA9200 gave us Average Read/Write speeds were only half that of our speed-leading D-Link which could be cause for concern. We have found that our first test In the Same Room can be a bit tight for some routers who need to stretch out a bit. Before we pull the alarm on this router, we should take a look at our other test data.

Benchmark Results: Looking at larger packet sizes the Linksys EA9200 measures in the middle of the pack. This particular benchmark is pretty important in that it gives a pretty good indication of how the routers will do when they are faced with transferring large amounts of data like you would find in when streaming multimedia. With average speeds of over400 mbps in the same room as our receiver, the EA9200 looks like it could be pretty useful in an office or household that streams to multiple devices.t