When comparing Linksys WRT1900ACS vs AmpliFi HD, the Slant community recommends AmpliFi HD for most people. In the question“What are the best wireless routers?” AmpliFi HD is ranked 4th while Linksys WRT1900ACS is ranked 19th. The most important reason people chose AmpliFi HD is:
The Amplifi HD provides industry leading wireless connectivity coverage of up to 20,000 square feet. The included router and two extenders are best suited for large homes.
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Pros
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.
Pro Excellent coverage
The Amplifi HD provides industry leading wireless connectivity coverage of up to 20,000 square feet. The included router and two extenders are best suited for large homes.
Pro Great throughput
The Amplifi HD averages around 705 Mbps of throughput at a close distance of 5 feet. At 140 feet, that throughput drops to 177.5 Mbps — more than enough to share a 100 Mbps broadband connection, which is the top speed that majority of computers, phones or tablets can handle.
Pro Better performance through walls than any other mesh network solution
AmpliFi HD uses 3x3 MIMO which allows it to perform better and more consistently in houses with lots of thick/plaster walls than any other mesh network solution.
Pro A snap to set up
To set up the router you just need to download the app and follow the step-by-step guide. The whole process takes a few minutes.
Pro Looks cool
The AmpliFi HD router has a unique design. It is a small white cube, with a round 1.6-inch touchscreen, that can show date, time or your upload and download speeds.
Pro App is intuitive to use
Pro Easy network management through a companion app
It has an intuitive companion app that enables instant setup, includes powerful reporting metrics, and provides easy guest access. If there’s a network problem, you can resolve it via your app. There’s also constant reporting on network security.
Pro A small or midsize home can be covered with just the router
AmpliFi router on its own has a range of 90 feet, which should be more than enough for a small or midsize home.
Cons
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.
Con Mesh access points don't look as appealing as the router itself
The two mesh access points looks like antennas that you would put on the roof of your home. They are 9.6 inches tall and can take up much space on your outlets.
Con Mesh networks can be overkill in many instances
Mesh networks are a very good choice for bigger homes but they can be overkill in many instances. If you're living in an apartment or smaller home, the Amplifi HD system won't be the best solution.
Con Lacks ability to place device in DMZ
Users may need the ability to specify an IP that needs zero port restrictions and needs to be placed in the DMZ. This isn't an available option on the router; therefore, as a work around you must use port forwarding to open ports 1-65535 for a specific IP address. Hopefully this becomes an option in the future...
Con Currently lacks MU-MIMO for efficient network management
In situations where two people would try to start video streams at the same exact time on different devices, one of them would be prioritized over the other and it would have to wait until the first had buffered a few bits of data for itself. But usually, you won’t notice a slowdown. This technology will be implemented with AmpliFi HD in the nearest future.