The best router options don’t always have to be expensive. The Linksys EA6350 AC1200 dual-band router is a prime example of that. It provides just enough performance that a regular user with up to a gigabit connection needs for a pretty low price. And that’s exactly why this Linksys Smart Wi-Fi might deserve the best Linksys router title more than most other budget Wi-Fi routers.
Why We Like It – Linksys EA6350
Even though the Linksys EA6350 AC1200 dual-band router is pretty old at this point, it still holds up reasonably well in its price range. Granted, it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of a modern-day smart WiFi router at its MSRP price range. But, you should easily be able to find it for cheap on the used market.
- Gigabit Ethernet WAN and LAN ports
- Wireless data transfer rate of up to 1.2 Gbps
- Beamforming technology
- Really old & lacks features
- Newer revisions don’t support custom firmware like DD-WRT and OpenWRT
Performance
As we mentioned before, the performance of the AC1200 EA6350 is just enough to satisfy all users, even with a full gigabit home network setup. Obviously, it’s more powerful than the MeshForce Mesh WiFi system and the Linksys EA7500 AC1900 MU-MIMO gigabit router. But, most people don’t really need that high of a transfer rate, to be very honest.
Range
The wireless signal range is definitely something the Linksys EA6350 AC1200 could’ve improved upon. Speaking of range, if you need a router with great range, check out our Fios Quantum Gateway router review. Don’t worry, on this router Linksys does include the beamforming technology to provide great internet speeds even with a few bars of a low wireless signal. But even an entry-level mesh router like the Netgear Orbi Pro AC3000 will pretty much blow it out of the water.
Durability
It’s a pretty cheap router. So obviously, it won’t win any awards for fantastic build quality or anything like that. But it’s not overly disappointing either. It’s decent, but don’t expect a stylish look like the Netgear Orbi WiFi 6.
Ease Of Use
The Wi-Fi app is excellent for the setup process. And the Linksys mobile app also has a lot of functions built-in with easy access. You can pretty easily customize different settings (e.g., create a guest network) from the same Wi-Fi app. If you want a router with a much easier-to-use UI you can check out the Netgear Mesh Router.
Value
If you can find the EA6350 AC1200 dual band router for cheap, it will provide you pretty fantastic performance for the price even if it’s used. All the ethernet ports (both LAN and WAN) are all gigabit ports, which is all that really matters.
Linksys EA6350 Wrap Up
Finding the Linksys EA6350 AC1200 dual band router for cheap is not a tough job, especially if you live in the United States. You can find some pretty stellar deals on this one.
