Playa Vista, Calif. – Jan. 4, 2017 – LinksysÆ, a leader in networking solutions for the home and business and the first to ship 100 million routers, today announced, at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, two new 802.11ac Tri-Band MU-MIMO Routers to its Max Stream product series. The Linksys EA8300 is an AC2200 Tri-Band MU-MIMO router price under $200 and the Linksys EA9300 is an AC4000 Tri-Band MU-MIMO router giving users even faster speeds for downloading, streaming, gaming and surfing. Planned for availability in the spring, both routers will offer working MU-MIMO (Multi-User, Multiple-Input, Multiple Output), the next generation Wi-Fi 802.11ac Wave 2 technology, which helps improve overall performance and efficiency of a Wi-Fi network while providing dedicated bandwidth to MU-MIMO capable client devices as if they have their own dedicated router. The new AC1200 MU-MIMO USB Adapter (WUSB6400M) will enable users to upgrade their laptops and PCs to the latest wireless technology. Linksys will be the only company with eight MU-MIMO products representing the largest and broadest portfolio of MU-MIMO home Wi-Fi solutions on the market.
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 5GHz chipsets will be MU-MIMO enabled by 2019. To keep up with the speeds and performance of client devices coming to market such as 4K TVs, laptops, smart phones, tablets and game consoles, consumers will want to make sure they have the latest Wi-Fi router that can support all the latest devices that have come into the home over the holiday.
“The introduction of two additional Tri-Band MU-MIMO routers and an adapter to our Max Stream line- up signifies our commitment to the latest 802.11ac specification,” said Justin Doucette, senior director of product management at Linksys. “With the rise of bandwidth intensive activities, such as 4K streaming and movie downloads, the importance of an efficient and optimized Wi-Fi network is more critical than ever. Tri-Band and MU-MIMO enables multiple devices to communicate with the router and/or range extender simultaneously, so the result is a faster and more reliable Wi-Fi.”
Room to Room Wi-Fi leveraging Seamless Roaming Technology
Introduced by Linksys earlier this year; seamless roaming brings an enterprise-level Wi-Fi experience into the home. This technology helps enable client devices to roam around the home always connected to the optimal access point, either router or range extender seamlessly without having to manually connect or lose connection. Seamless roaming works much the same way devices work in an office environment where users can move room to room, floor to floor always staying connected to the office Wi-Fi connection.
When Seamless Roaming is added to routers as it has been to the new EA8300 and EA9300, range extenders and mobile devices- the mobile devices are able to switch and connect to the strongest Wi-Fi signal at all times. Users can run an uninterrupted FacetimeÆ or Skype session on their smartphone, or watch YouTubeÆ/NetflixÆ on their iPadÆ while moving from one room to the other without dropping the signal.
Another advantage of seamless roaming is a single network name (also known as SSID) for the entire network, making it easier to always staying connected to the best Wi-Fi signal. 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 optimize performance. This proves cumbersome and frustrating to many users.
Linksys Max-Stream AC2200 Tri-Band MU-MIMO ROUTER (EA8300)
Outfitted with Next Gen AC Wi-Fi technologies such Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO) and Tri-Band that work in concert to deliver powerful Wi-Fi at the same time and same speed to multiple connected devices including TVs, gaming consoles, wireless printers, laptops plus others at combined speeds up to 2.2 Gbps‡. The Linksys Max-Stream AC2200 provides easy setup options to get a home office up and running quickly along with the exclusive Linksys app that provides added control of the EA8300 Wi-Fi Router from anywhere, at any time using a mobile device. The Max-Stream EA8300 Wi-Fi Router also features a robust set of advanced offerings:
- Tri-Band AC2200 – Up to 2.2Gbps (867 Mbps 5Ghz + 867 Mbps 5 GHz + 400 Mbps 2.4 GHz)
- MU-MIMO Wave 2 for simultaneous 4K Streaming on multiple devices at the same time
- Main system processor: Quad-Core 716Mhz Processor (Equal to 1.4Ghz Dual-Core Processor) 32-bit, ARMv7 compatible, 5.5K DMIPS
- RAM: 256MB DDR3
- Flash memory: 256MB
- Four high performance antennas and powerful amplifiers deliver the best coverage and range
- Linksys Advance Beamforming focuses Wi-Fi signals and delivers stronger connection to all devices
- Airtime fairness enables faster devices to transmit at faster speeds while the slower device will not impede the speed of Wi-Fi network
- Linksys Smart Connect- Auto select the best 5Ghz band for the fastest wireless speed
- Seamless Roaming with 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
- Easy setup out of the box
- Works with Amazon Alexa for a voice-activated experience. Three new skills available at launch including turning guest access on and off, obtaining guest Wi-Fi credentials, as well as getting main network credentials read back to the user.
MSRP $199.99
Availability Planned – Spring 2017
Linksys Max-Stream AC4000 Tri-Band MU-MIMO Router (EA9300)
The Linksys EA9300 is equipped with the latest 802.11ac Wi-Fi technology, MU-MIMO, Tri-Band and six high-powered external antennas that work in concert to deliver powerful Wi-Fi at combined speeds up to 4 Gbps‡. With the EA9300, the whole household can use their Wi-Fi connection to play 4K video games, listen to music, check email, shop, stream 4K movies and more. As one of the most powerful Wi-Fi routers in the market, the Linksys Max-Stream AC4000 provides business grade functionality to get a home or small office up and running quickly along with the exclusive Linksys software app for your smart phone that provides remote access control of the EA9300 Wi-Fi Router from anywhere, at any time. EA9300 Wi-Fi Router also features a robust set of advanced offerings:
- Tri-Band AC4000 – Up to 4Gbps (1625 + 1625 + 750 Mbps) provide more Wi-Fi for more devices
- Frequency bands: Tri-Band (2.4GHz and two 5GHz bands)
- MU-MIMO Wave 2 for simultaneous 4K Streaming on multiple devices at the same time
- 1.8Ghz Quad-Core Processor provide the high speed data processing
- RAM: 512MB DDR3
- Flash memory: 256MB
- Six high-performance antennas and powerful amplifiers deliver the best coverage and range
- Linksys Advance Beamforming focuses Wi-Fi signal and deliver stronger connection to all of your devices
- Airtime fairness enables faster devices to transmit at faster speeds while the slower device will not impede the speed of Wi-Fi network
- Seamless Roaming – Room-to-Room Wi-Fi with one network name
- Linksys app – Remote Manage, monitor, and control your Wi-Fi from anywhere, anytime on your smart device
- Works with Amazon Alexa for a voice-activated experience. Three new skills available at launch including turning guest access on and off, obtaining guest Wi-Fi credentials, as well as getting main network credentials read back to the user.
MSRP: $299.99
Availability Planned – Spring 2017
Linksys AC1200 Dual-Band USB MU-MIMO Adapter (WUSB6400M)
The Linksys AC1200 Dual-Band USB Adapter with MU-MIMO enables users to connect their laptops and computers to a wireless-AC network as well as a MU-MIMO router for optimal performance, so users can easily stream high-definition video and enjoy high-speed gaming.
Additional features include:
- AC Wave 2 – MU-MIMO (N300 + AC833)
- USB 3.0
- Works with Window and Mac computers
- Plug ‘n Play with Simple Pairing
- Works with Any Wi-Fi Router
- Beamforming technology focus Wi-Fi signal to certain devices for reliable connectivity and optimal performance
MSRP: $59.99
Availability Planned – Spring 2017
The Linksys EA8300 and EA9200 will be on display at the CES show at the Linksys Booth – South Hall Booth # 30451
Availability
The Linksys AC2200 Tri-Band MU-MIMO Router (EA8300), Linksys AC4000 Tri-Band MU-MIMO Router (EA9300), AC1200 MU-MIMO USB Adapter (WUSB6400M) is planned to be available this spring at leading retail and online retailers for estimated street prices of $199.99, $299.99 and $59.99 respectively
About Linksys
The Linksys brand has pioneered wireless connectivity since its inception in 1988 with its leading innovation and engineering strategies, and best-in-class technology, design, and customer service. Linksys enables a connected lifestyle for people at home, at work and on the move, and with its award-winning products, simplifies home control, entertainment, security and Internet access through innovative features and a growing application and partner ecosystem. Linksys is part of Belkin International. For more information, visit linksys.com, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or watch us on YouTube.
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‡Maximum performance derived from IEEE Standard 802.11 specifications. Actual performance may vary, including lower wireless network capacity, data throughput rate, range and coverage. Performance depends upon many factors, conditions and variables, including products used, interference and other adverse conditions. Specifications are subject to change without notice. An active, customer-purchased Internet Service Provider broadband account is required for connection of these routers and other connected computers and devices to the Internet. Some devices may require additional wireless adapters or an Ethernet cable to connect to these routers.
The standard transmission rates— Tri-Band AC2200 – Up to 2.2 Gbps (867 Mbps 5Ghz + 867 Mbps 5 GHz + 400 Mbps 2.4 GHz) and Tri-Band AC4000 – Up to 4Gbps (1625 + 1625 + 750 Mbps) are the physical data rates. Actual data throughput will be lower and may depend on the mix of wireless products used and external factors.
© 2017 Belkin International, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
