Review: Linksys WRT1900AC

There's only one way to say this, the Linksys WRT1900AC is one kickass router. A behemoth in size, speed and capabilities, the WRT1900AC could be the router to end all other routers. The only catch is its price.

By Alex Choros

There's only one way to say this, the Linksys WRT1900AC is one kickass router. A behemoth in size, speed and capabilities, the WRT1900AC could be the router to end all other routers. The only catch is its price.

Design

The first thing I noticed about the Linksys WRT 1900AC is that it's packaged nicer than any almost any other piece of networking equipment I've ever seen. The second is that with four antennas, it kind of looks a bit like a futuristic space bug, and I mean that in the most flattering way possible.

Built from blue and black matte plastic, the WRT1900AC feels solid and heavy. It feels like it would break anything trying to damage it, much like the Nokia 3000s of old. The device is ne of the heaviest routers on the market, not that it's something you'll ever really pickup.

Two of the WRT1900AC's antennas live on its sides, one on the left and one on the right. The other two adorn the back, alongside a Wireless Protected Setup button, five Ethernet ports, a USB3 port, a USB2 and eSata combo port, a rest button, and power input and a power switch.

Setup

Setting up the WRT1900AC is a fairly easy procedure. After plugging it into your modem, it's just a case of connecting to the device in your browser and stepping through a painless setup wizard. This is made even simpler by the clean, easy to understand web interface. While the gradients look a little bit dated, the layout and structure are implemented in a clear and straightforward manner. Normally I dread going into the backend of networking hardware, but the WRT1900AD takes much of that pain away.