Linksys MR7350 router review
Our Verdict
The Linksys MR7350 brings the features and performance potential of Wi-Fi half-dozen at the price of an Ac router, but it comes upward brusque in terms of throughput, security software and customization options. With a super-affordable price, it's a basic Wi-Fi 6 home router built for the AX era.
For
- Upkeep-friendly priced Wi-Fi half dozen router
- Small size
- Depression power use
- Tin can ready upward mesh network
Against
- Lacks security software
- Short range
- Low functioning potential
- Limited customization options
Tom's Guide Verdict
The Linksys MR7350 brings the features and functioning potential of Wi-Fi 6 at the price of an AC router, only it comes up brusque in terms of throughput, security software and customization options. With a super-affordable price, information technology's a basic Wi-Fi half dozen home router built for the AX era.
Pros
- +
Upkeep-friendly priced Wi-Fi half dozen router
- +
Modest size
- +
Depression ability use
- +
Can set up mesh network
Cons
- -
Lacks security software
- -
Brusque range
- -
Low operation potential
- -
Limited customization options
Linksys MR7350: Specs
Wi-Fi Spec: AX1800
Number of Antennas/Removable: 2/No
Ports: 1 WAN/4 LAN gigabit per second, USB 3
Processor/Retentiveness/Storage: quad-core 1.2GHz/128MB/256MB
Wi-Fi scrap: MediaTek MT 7915
Peak 802.11ac operation: 478.3Mbps (at fifteen feet)
Range: ninety-feet
Size: 8.5 10 vi.one x 2.two inches
Estimated Annual Electricity Price: $v.70
If you idea that the new features and functioning possibilities of the best Wi-Fi six routers were out of reach on your budget, call up again because the Linksys MR7350 Mesh WiFi half dozen router makes information technology doable for a lot less. Equally y'all'll meet in our Linksys MR7350 review, this budget-friendly is basic and lacks the loftier performance options available on other routers merely it's a good accommodating router for those who aren't too demanding and are replacing an antiquated 802.11N router. It may not be able to proceed upwardly with loftier-finish Wi-Fi 6 routers in terms of performance and defensive software, but it can salvage on power bills.
Reliable and able to fulfill its basic goals, the MR7350 has few frills. Those looking for college operation should wait for the side by side round of Wi-Fi 6 routers. Still, information technology does a lot with a footling and delivers 802.11AX technology for the masses.
Linksys MR7350 review: Design
Small and easy to hide, the 8.v x 6.ane x two.2 inch Linksys MR7350 can blend into the background, regardless of whether it's on a desk or a bookshelf. It was designed to sit horizontally merely can stand vertically, although its status LED gets covered. The router has convenient recessed inserts underneath for mounting it on a wall.
The MR7350's black plastic case has cooling vents on top and bottom and never got to a higher place 97 degrees Fahrenheit during heavy-duty testing. In add-on to an internal patch antenna, the MR7350 has a pair of external antennas in the back that are a welcome sight compared to routers that sport six or 8 antennas. They add iv-inches to its height when extended and can be rotated 180-degrees and angled to grab the strongest point. The antennas, however, tin can't be replaced.
A dual-band design, the MR7350 creates 802.11AX networks that move data over 2.4- and 5GHz portals. Co-ordinate to Linksys, the MR7350 tin hands service upward to 25 devices, which might be overkill for many families but it should futurity-proof the router for the side by side few years. Overall, the router tin movement upwardly to a theoretical 574Mbps in 2.4GHz mode as well as 1.2Gbps in 5GHz mode. Information technology adds up to an AX1800 throughput rating.
Powered by a Qualcomm IPQ6000 Wi-Fi chipset, the MR7350 has a 1.2GHz quad-core processor and 512MB of RAM. Its 256MB of storage holds the organisation'south settings and firmware.
Information technology has beamforming engineering to customize the transmissions to the receiver and MU-MIMO engineering science to satisfy a large number of continued clients at once, but it falls brusque of the mark when information technology comes to high-performance options that we're starting to take for granted in the Wi-Fi 6 era, like the apply of 160MHz information channels.
On its own, the MR7350 tin cover up to 1,700 square feet, but it has a trick up its digital sleeve. The router tin can work with other recent Linksys products to create a mesh network from scratch. Chosen Intelligent Mesh, the router tin can connect to the Linksys MR8300, the Linksys MR9600 and the Linksys Velop mesh system to make full a large habitation.
The dorsum of the router has a basic connection panel. In add-on to an input networking port for your modem, the MR7350 has four output Ethernet ports. All tin handle gigabit per 2nd information streams, simply the MR7350 lacks the ability to use a Multi-Gig input or aggregate two ports for college downstream throughput. At that place'southward a USB connector for adding an external hard drive to the network, every bit well as a power switch and Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) button for rapidly and securely connecting a device. The router's recessed reset switch returns the system's software to its factory settings.
This is the router to get if y'all detest blinking colored lights flashing day and night, considering the MR7350 has a single LED bar to show its condition and nothing more than. When the light is blueish, the router is online and working properly, although it turns yellow when its connectivity is poor and red when information technology's offline and needs attention.
The MR7350 comes up short by doing without extra security software. Many of its competitors supply this increasingly popular feature, although some, similar Netgear, accuse for updates to counter the latest hacks.
Linksys MR7350 review: Performance
After using the Linksys MR7350 for more than than a calendar week, it proved to exist a reliable router for full general household Internet admission, although its output sometimes varied. Information technology was just as proficient at streaming 4K videos as checking on email, but lacks the performance-oriented options that other more than expensive routers provide. On the other hand, based on testing with Ixia's ixChariot's network simulation benchmark in my 100-year old iii,500-foursquare-human foot abode, the MR7350 won't allow you down.
With the device and router separated by fifteen-feet, the MR7350 moved 478.3Mbps, 23 percent less throughput than the similarly affordable TP-Link Archer A7 (623.5 Mbps) mustered. It's important to note that the Archer A7 is a mainstream 802.11AC (Wi-Fi v) system while the MR7350 is an 802.11AX (Wi-Fi half-dozen) device. It just goes to show that when it comes to upkeep-priced routers, opting for the newer standard may not give you the best performance every time.
Even compared to other Wi-Fi half dozen models, the Linksys MR7350's throughput lagged behind the latest high-performance AX routers, like the Asus RT-86U (at 929.7Mbps), the TP-Link Archer AX6000 (884.4Mbps) and the Netgear Nighthawk XR1000 (at 859.1Mbps).
The gap between the MR7350 and the residuum of the router world increased at 50-feet, with the MR7350 delivering 167.2Mbps, or virtually half of the 396.7Mbps that the TP-Link Archer AX6000 was capable of moving. By contrast, the Asus RT-AX86U, and Netgear Nighthawk RAX80 were able to movement 285.3Mbps and 271.3Mbps.
At 75-feet, the MR7350 only mustered 15.3Mbps of information delivery, merely plenty to back up a 4K video stream but zero else. At the same distance, the Asus RT-AX86U moved 250.1Mbps and the Netgear RAX80 moved 142.1Mbps – roughly 10-times every bit much data.
The 4.0Mbps of throughput I recorded at ninety-feet was only plenty for getting email and watching an HD video. At the same distance, the TP-Link AX6000 was offline, while the Netgear RAX80 led the style with 20.8Mbps with the Asus RT-AX86U at 7.4Mbps. The MR7350 had a range of ninety-anxiety, 10-feet farther than the Archer A7's eighty-feet, simply it left several areas uncovered in my home.
It was adequate at pushing data through walls and floors, with the MR7350 moving 408.8Mbps through a wall 25-feet from the router and 312.3Mbps up a floor into a sleeping accommodation straight above the router. That'due south well off the pace set up by the AX6000, which handled the aforementioned tasks at 744.7Mbps and 671.4Mbps.
When it came to supporting the data needs of several devices, the MR7350 did well past feeding enough data to play videos on my HP EliteBook Dragonfly, while playing an Internet radio station on a Samsung Galaxy S7+ tablet as I watched a baseball on my iPad Pro and a Dell XPS xv was moving data onto and off a file server. The video and sound came through without a trouble.
By using just 5 watts of power, the MR7350 ends up being one of the most economic routers on the market. All told, if it's running 24/seven, it should cost near $5.seventy a twelvemonth in electricity bills if you pay the national average of thirteen cents per kilowatt hour. That's roughly one-half as much as routers like the TP-Link Archer AX6000's $11.xxx per year.
Linksys MR7350 review: Setup
The MR7350 router can be installed using a simple Spider web interface or the Linksys app. There're versions for iOS (iPhones and iPads) equally well as Android tablets and phones.
Afterwards making certain the router's LED status bar was blinking purple, showing it was set to be configured, I plugged in the router's ability adapter and connected it to my broadband modem using the included Ethernet cable. Once information technology completed its Internet cheque, I needed to create an account with Linksys.
The router so links itself to the business relationship and automatically configures the hardware. Next, information technology asked what room the device was going to live in. On the downside, the router couldn't give the two.4- and 5GHz networks different names.
Not quite done, the MR7350 finished with a firmware update but doesn't nowadays a printable summary page of the settings. Information technology took 8 minutes and xxx seconds to get the MR7350 online.
Linksys MR7350 review: Configuration
As piece of cake as it was to set up the MR7350, information technology didn't offer a lot of customization and options through the app; you tin utilize the browser approach if y'all like by typing "linksyssmartwifi.com" into the accost bar. The app'south primary page shows that the router's online and allows you to configure the guest network or test its electric current connexion speed.
Those who are new to Wi-Fi will appreciate the Share Wi-Fi link at the lesser to text, email or re-create the network name and password to send to a trusted companion. Next to it is troubleshooting help for those with slow Net.
Dig a level deeper and the Linksys app offers a listing of operational items that ranges from the Wi-Fi Settings to Network Administration. The router can prioritize who gets the king of beasts's share of the data and setting it up is equally like shooting fish in a barrel as picking a device (presumably mine) from a list.
In addition to irresolute the IP address and DNS servers, the MR7350 lets y'all scan the local Wi-Fi environment to avoid crowded channels. It took about a infinitesimal to check out my area and confirmed that I was using the best channels.
The MR7350's 1-year warranty is standard for the industry, although it is better than Netgear's 90-day limit on service. The Linksys site has lots of DIY cloth to help set upwardly and optimize the router. In addition to assist using the app, there'southward a downloadable manual likewise as assistance with installation, logging in and adding devices.
Linksys MR7350 review: Verdict
The Linksys 7350 takes a step forwards for 802.11AX buyers on a budget. At $120, it brings the new Wi-Fi six technology inside achieve of most of those looking to replace an older, slower and less secure router. It's minor, very economical to employ and can be part of a Linksys-based mesh network to fill a large home with Wi-Fi data. On the downside, the MR7350 does without things we're starting to take for granted in routers, like extra security software to keep a network and its devices malware-free and performance enhancements similar wide information channels and the power to aggregate ports.
In the terminal analysis, the MR7350's power to move data from here to there is its biggest disappointment, with it underperforming compared to the TP-Link Archer A7, an older Wi-Fi 5 router (and even so a favorite upkeep model among the best routers). The best bet might exist to wait and become a 2nd-generation mainstream Wi-Fi half dozen router, but if you require the latest Wi-Fi applied science and can't afford models that cost several hundred dollars, the value-conscious Linksys Max-Stream MR7350 does the trick.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/linksys-mr7350
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