Linksys MR7350 router review
Our Verdict
The Linksys MR7350 brings the features and functioning potential of Wi-Fi six at the price of an Air-conditioning router, but it comes up short in terms of throughput, security software and customization options. With a super-affordable cost, it's a basic Wi-Fi 6 dwelling router built for the AX era.
For
- Upkeep-friendly priced Wi-Fi 6 router
- Small size
- Low ability use
- Can set up mesh network
Against
- Lacks security software
- Curt range
- Low performance potential
- Limited customization options
Tom's Guide Verdict
The Linksys MR7350 brings the features and performance potential of Wi-Fi 6 at the cost of an AC router, but information technology comes up short in terms of throughput, security software and customization options. With a super-affordable cost, information technology'south a basic Wi-Fi vi home router congenital for the AX era.
Pros
- +
Budget-friendly priced Wi-Fi 6 router
- +
Small size
- +
Low power use
- +
Can set up mesh network
Cons
- -
Lacks security software
- -
Short range
- -
Low performance potential
- -
Express 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/Memory/Storage: quad-core ane.2GHz/128MB/256MB
Wi-Fi scrap: MediaTek MT 7915
Peak 802.11ac functioning: 478.3Mbps (at fifteen feet)
Range: 90-feet
Size: eight.5 10 6.1 x 2.2 inches
Estimated Annual Electricity Cost: $v.70
If you lot thought that the new features and functioning possibilities of the best Wi-Fi 6 routers were out of reach on your upkeep, think once more because the Linksys MR7350 Mesh WiFi half dozen router makes information technology doable for a lot less. Every bit you'll see in our Linksys MR7350 review, this budget-friendly is bones and lacks the high functioning options available on other routers but it's a skilful all-effectually router for those who aren't likewise enervating and are replacing an antiquated 802.11N router. Information technology may not exist able to keep up with loftier-end Wi-Fi 6 routers in terms of performance and defensive software, only it can save on power bills.
Reliable and able to fulfill its basic goals, the MR7350 has few frills. Those looking for higher performance should wait for the side by side round of Wi-Fi 6 routers. All the same, it does a lot with a little and delivers 802.11AX engineering for the masses.
Linksys MR7350 review: Design
Small and easy to hide, the 8.5 x half dozen.one x 2.2 inch Linksys MR7350 tin can blend into the groundwork, regardless of whether it's on a desk-bound or a bookshelf. It was designed to sit horizontally just tin can stand vertically, although its status LED gets covered. The router has convenient recessed inserts underneath for mounting information technology on a wall.
The MR7350's blackness plastic case has cooling vents on pinnacle 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 half dozen or eight antennas. They add 4-inches to its tiptop when extended and tin exist rotated 180-degrees and angled to grab the strongest betoken. The antennas, however, can't be replaced.
A dual-ring design, the MR7350 creates 802.11AX networks that move information over 2.4- and 5GHz portals. According to Linksys, the MR7350 can easily service up to 25 devices, which might be overkill for many families but it should hereafter-proof the router for the next few years. Overall, the router tin move up to a theoretical 574Mbps in ii.4GHz manner as well as 1.2Gbps in 5GHz mode. Information technology adds upwardly 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 system's settings and firmware.
It has beamforming technology to customize the transmissions to the receiver and MU-MIMO engineering science to satisfy a large number of connected clients at once, but it falls brusque of the mark when it comes to high-performance options that we're starting to take for granted in the Wi-Fi half dozen era, similar the use of 160MHz data channels.
On its ain, the MR7350 can encompass up to 1,700 square feet, but it has a pull a fast one on up its digital sleeve. The router tin 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 home.
The dorsum of the router has a basic connectedness panel. In addition to an input networking port for your modem, the MR7350 has four output Ethernet ports. All can handle gigabit per second data streams, just the MR7350 lacks the ability to use a Multi-Gig input or aggregate two ports for college downstream throughput. There'due south a USB connector for adding an external hard drive to the network, equally well every bit a power switch and Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) push for speedily and securely connecting a device. The router's recessed reset switch returns the system's software to its mill settings.
This is the router to get if yous detest blinking colored lights flashing day and nighttime, because the MR7350 has a unmarried LED bar to evidence its status and nothing more. When the light is blue, the router is online and working properly, although it turns yellow when its connectivity is poor and crimson when it'southward offline and needs attention.
The MR7350 comes upward brusk past doing without extra security software. Many of its competitors supply this increasingly popular characteristic, although some, like Netgear, charge for updates to counter the latest hacks.
Linksys MR7350 review: Performance
After using the Linksys MR7350 for more than a week, it proved to exist a reliable router for full general household Cyberspace admission, although its output sometimes varied. Information technology was just as skillful at streaming 4K videos as checking on email, but lacks the performance-oriented options that other more expensive routers provide. On the other paw, based on testing with Ixia'due south ixChariot's network simulation benchmark in my 100-year old 3,500-square-pes abode, the MR7350 won't let you downward.
With the device and router separated by 15-feet, the MR7350 moved 478.3Mbps, 23 per centum less throughput than the similarly affordable TP-Link Archer A7 (623.5 Mbps) mustered. It's important to annotation that the Archer A7 is a mainstream 802.11AC (Wi-Fi 5) organisation while the MR7350 is an 802.11AX (Wi-Fi half-dozen) device. It just goes to show that when information technology comes to upkeep-priced routers, opting for the newer standard may non give you the best performance every fourth dimension.
Even compared to other Wi-Fi 6 models, the Linksys MR7350'southward throughput lagged backside the latest high-functioning AX routers, similar 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 rest of the router globe increased at l-feet, with the MR7350 delivering 167.2Mbps, or about one-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 motility 285.3Mbps and 271.3Mbps.
At 75-feet, the MR7350 just mustered xv.3Mbps of data delivery, just plenty to support a 4K video stream but nothing else. At the same distance, the Asus RT-AX86U moved 250.1Mbps and the Netgear RAX80 moved 142.1Mbps – roughly 10-times as much information.
The 4.0Mbps of throughput I recorded at 90-feet was just enough for getting email and watching an HD video. At the same distance, the TP-Link AX6000 was offline, while the Netgear RAX80 led the way with 20.8Mbps with the Asus RT-AX86U at 7.4Mbps. The MR7350 had a range of 90-anxiety, 10-anxiety farther than the Archer A7's lxxx-feet, only information technology left several areas uncovered in my home.
It was adequate at pushing information through walls and floors, with the MR7350 moving 408.8Mbps through a wall 25-anxiety from the router and 312.3Mbps upwardly a floor into a bedroom straight above the router. That's well off the pace gear up by the AX6000, which handled the same tasks at 744.7Mbps and 671.4Mbps.
When information technology came to supporting the data needs of several devices, the MR7350 did well by feeding enough information to play videos on my HP EliteBook Dragonfly, while playing an Net radio station on a Samsung Milky way S7+ tablet as I watched a baseball game game on my iPad Pro and a Dell XPS 15 was moving data onto and off a file server. The video and sound came through without a problem.
Past using just 5 watts of power, the MR7350 ends up beingness one of the most economical routers on the market place. All told, if it'south running 24/seven, it should cost about $five.lxx a year in electricity bills if you pay the national average of 13 cents per kilowatt hour. That'due south roughly half every bit much every bit routers similar the TP-Link Archer AX6000'southward $xi.30 per year.
Linksys MR7350 review: Setup
The MR7350 router can exist installed using a simple Spider web interface or the Linksys app. In that location're versions for iOS (iPhones and iPads) as well as Android tablets and phones.
After making certain the router's LED condition bar was blinking royal, showing it was ready to be configured, I plugged in the router'due south power adapter and connected information technology to my broadband modem using the included Ethernet cable. Once it completed its Cyberspace bank check, I needed to create an account with Linksys.
The router then links itself to the account and automatically configures the hardware. Adjacent, 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 present a printable summary page of the settings. It took eight minutes and 30 seconds to become the MR7350 online.
Linksys MR7350 review: Configuration
Every bit easy as it was to fix the MR7350, it didn't offering a lot of customization and options through the app; you can use the browser approach if y'all similar past typing "linksyssmartwifi.com" into the address bar. The app's main page shows that the router'due south online and allows you to configure the guest network or test its current connectedness speed.
Those who are new to Wi-Fi will appreciate the Share Wi-Fi link at the lesser to text, email or copy the network name and password to ship to a trusted companion. Next to it is troubleshooting help for those with slow Internet.
Dig a level deeper and the Linksys app offers a list 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 information and setting it up is as easy as picking a device (presumably mine) from a listing.
In add-on to irresolute the IP accost and DNS servers, the MR7350 lets yous browse the local Wi-Fi environment to avoid crowded channels. Information technology took about a minute to check out my area and confirmed that I was using the best channels.
The MR7350'south 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 material to aid set up and optimize the router. In addition to help using the app, there's a downloadable manual as well every bit assistance with installation, logging in and calculation devices.
Linksys MR7350 review: Verdict
The Linksys 7350 takes a step forrard for 802.11AX buyers on a budget. At $120, it brings the new Wi-Fi half-dozen engineering inside reach of most of those looking to replace an older, slower and less secure router. It's small, very economical to use and can be office of a Linksys-based mesh network to make full a large abode with Wi-Fi data. On the downside, the MR7350 does without things nosotros're starting to accept for granted in routers, like extra security software to keep a network and its devices malware-free and functioning enhancements like wide data channels and the ability to amass ports.
In the terminal analysis, the MR7350'southward ability to move information from here to in that location is its biggest disappointment, with information technology underperforming compared to the TP-Link Archer A7, an older Wi-Fi five router (and still a favorite upkeep model among the best routers). The best bet might be to wait and get a 2d-generation mainstream Wi-Fi 6 router, just if y'all crave the latest Wi-Fi technology and can't afford models that cost several hundred dollars, the value-witting Linksys Max-Stream MR7350 does the fob.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/linksys-mr7350
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