When comparing Linksys AC3200 vs Linksys WRT1900ACS, the Slant community recommends Linksys AC3200 for most people. In the question“What are the best wireless routers?” Linksys AC3200 is ranked 17th while Linksys WRT1900ACS is ranked 19th. The most important reason people chose Linksys AC3200 is:
This AC3200 router utilizes three simultaneous WiFi bands for maximum theoretical throughput of 3.2 Gbps. In real life testing at a close range of 15 feet it clocks in close to 600 Mbps. When distance is increased to about 100 feet, the speed drops to 240 Mbps.
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Pros
Pro Great performance using tri-band technology
This AC3200 router utilizes three simultaneous WiFi bands for maximum theoretical throughput of 3.2 Gbps. In real life testing at a close range of 15 feet it clocks in close to 600 Mbps. When distance is increased to about 100 feet, the speed drops to 240 Mbps.
Pro Can be remotely managed with a companion app
There’s an easy to use app for your smartphone or tablet. You can use it to access your router's settings and customization options.
Pro Easy to set up
Setting up this router is very similar to installing a game on your computer. Once you’ve powered it up and connected it to your modem, just open the browser and go to 192.168.1.1. This will open Linksys Smart WiFi setup wizard, where you'll have to click "Next" few times and write in the name and password of your network.
Pro You can prioritize bandwidth for devices and some specific applications of those devices
For example you can give Skype a higher priority, so the quality of your video calls wouldn't be affected because someone else is streaming a movie and using up all of bandwidth . You can also give higher priority to some online games for better latency.
Pro Customization is possible using OpenWRT
This router has extensive customization options (enhanced QoS settings, WiFi optimization and traffic shaping, among other things). This is thanks to the use of OpenWRT, which is an open-source, Linux-based OS.
Pro Remote management via app
This router comes with a monitoring/management companion app for smartphones and tablets. This enables network managers to take actions remotely if needed, such as content blocking or device banning.
Pro Impressive hardware
This router had a 1.6 GHz dual-core CPU and it comes with 512MB of RAM. Its dual-band electronics make it capable of handling four independent lanes of data traffic.
Pro Great for office spaces
You can create a separate, password-protected WiFi network for up to 50 people and easily share the password. This means that you can have a more secure network at your office space. And if some of your guests are eating up all of your traffic, you can prioritize devices that need the most speed.
Pro Quick and easy setup
Once you have successfully connected your PC to the router, open any browser and go to 192.168.1.1. Everything else from there is self-explanatory.
Pro Excellent performance
This router's performance is very good: it has a peak performance of 1.9 Gbps on both bands (theoretical). It can move up to 600 Mbps in 2.4-GHz mode and up to 1,300 Mbps in 5-GHz mode. In real life testing at a close range the WRT1900ACS delivers a total throughput of 515 Mbps across its both bands.
Cons
Con Lacks advanced customization features
You can’t set up a VPN server or have multiple internet service provider connections to your router. With a VPN server you can be traveling around the world and browsing the internet, but your smartphone or laptop would think that it’s connected to your home network. And multiple internet service provider connections could be used for redundancy or load-balancing.
Con Expensive
At $300 this router is more expensive when compared to other tri-band routers.
Con Most devices don’t support three simultanious WiFi bands
Most consumer devices are built to support two simultaneous WiFi bands, not three. Before upgrading your network with a tri-band router, you should make sure that your computer and/or smartphone supports this technology. Otherwise you won't be able to use this router to its full potential.
Con Lacks MU-MIMO for efficient network management
This can become an issue when you're streaming video or gaming online with multiple devices. With MU-MIMO the router would be able to stream multiple lanes of traffic simultaneously. Routers without MU-MIMO have to send data to each device in turn.
Con High price
While the router has blazingly fast download and upload speeds, at $229 it could be slightly pricey for average home networking customers.
Con Hefty design
This router's dimensions are 9.7 x 7.6 x 2.0 inches, which make it quite big when compared to competitors.