Linksys RE7000 Extender Review

The Linksys RE7000 Extender boosts your existing home network by increasing WiFi range and speed, delivering dual-band AC1900 (2.4GHz and 5GHz) WiFi up to 600Mbps.

Design

The Linksys RE7000 Extender has the usual glossy white finish you’ll find on most devices of this type. There’s a lack of LED indicators which makes it look more like a sorry excuse for a night light than a sophisticated network appliance. If there’s a fatal flaw in the RE7000s design it’s its bulkiness. It’s a bit too thick and can easily be knocked off a wall. Best to keep it in a low-traffic area. It has the usual WPS button and 1GB Ethernet ports on its sides. The lone LED indicator light on the front is solid green when it has a good connection and orange when it has a weak connection. The blinking orange light means no connection it all. This is about as bare-bones as it gets when it comes to positioning indicators. There is no AC passthrough and the size of the extender will usually get in the way of any else you want to plug into the same AC outlet.

Linksys RE7000 Extender Features

The RE7000 is a dual-band Wireless AC extender. It supports speeds of up to 300Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and an impressive 1,733Mbps on the 5GHz band. MU-MIMO support allows simultaneous signals to multiple devices allowing them to behave as if they each have their own dedicated connection instead of having to wait their turn. MaxStream is a “mesh-like” technology that allows for seamless roaming with devices. This means your entire household will have a single network name (SSID) and password. Devices that support the 802.11K protocol will be able to hop from your routers connected to the extender’s connection without having to manually disconnect and reconnect. In case you’re wondering most modern mobile devices support the 802.11K protocol. Beamforming technology allows the extender to lock on to a device like a flashlight beam creating a focused more concentrated signal for your most demanding devices. The RE7000 can also be used in “Access Point” Mode. This means you can use it as a second WiFi router by connecting to your original router with an Ethernet cable. This is a great way to get maximum coverage in a home with Ethernet cabling.

The MaxStream Family

When paired with a Linksys MaxStream WiFi router the Linksys RE7000 Extender is capable of “mesh-like” seamless roaming. You’ll be able to roam freely about your household without having to manually disconnect and reconnect to different SSIDs. The Linksys “MaxStream Family” includes the following wireless routers:

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Linksys RE7000 Extender Performance

The Linksys showed very good performance at close range and mediocre performance in long-distance tests. At close range, it was neck and neck with the TP-Link AC1750 and a bit slower than the Netgear EX7300 with is a high-end WiFi extender. At a distance of 30 feet, it was just behind the TP-Link AC1750 and Netgear EX7300. At 50 feet it was well behind the performance of those two extenders.

Installation

Setup is a snap with the WPS feature. Simply plug it in near your WiFI router, hit your router’s WPS button, and the extender’s WPS button. Wait for the LED on the extender to blink green for a few seconds. Once it’s solid green you’re connected and free to roam about the household using the orange and green lights in the LED to find the perfect position or use the “Spotfinder Technology built into the mobile app. Repeat the same process on the second band. Once you are connected further configuration is possible by entering http://extender.linksys.com and logging into the web browser configuration console. This is where you can change from “extender” to “access point” mode, change your SSID and password, adjust security settings, and even set up basic QOS settings.

Linksys RE7000 Extender – Video

Conclusion

The Linksys RE7000 Extender is a powerful, feature-packed WiFi extender with MU-MIMO and Beamforming support. Its MaxStream support makes it almost a no-brainer for owners of MaxStream-compatible WiFi routers who want to extend coverage without spending the money for an expensive WiFi mesh system. The “Access Point” mode feature adds to this extender’s flexibility. The RE7000’s mediocre speed in long-distance tests can be seen as a trade-off for its great coverage range of nearly 10,000 sq ft.

Linksys RE7000 Alternatives

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