If you don’t have a good wifi setup in your home, you will have a very bad internet performance even with the most costly internet connection. With a growing home network from one or two users to multiple clients, you’ll need to upgrade to a dual-band router to ensure uninterrupted connectivity for all your devices and the Linksys ac1200 vs Netgear ac1200 is a great place to start.
My old router has been providing my small apartment with very reliable internet for a few years now, but since I moved into a story building it has been slow and some rooms lack internet connection altogether. A friend advised me to upgrade to a Linksys ac1200 but then I found a Netgear ac1200 and it got me confused.
What are the differences between Linksys ac1200 and Netgear ac1200?
Router |
Linksys ac1200 |
Netgear ac1200 (Winner) |
Speeds at close proximity |
2.4 GHz – 77.5 Mbps
5 GHz – 95 Mbps |
2.4 GHz – 74.1 Mbps
5 GHz – 331 Mbps |
Speeds at 30 feet |
2.4 GHz – 40 Mbps
5 GHz – 86 Mbps |
2.4 GHz – 48.6 Mbps
5 GHz – 104 Mbps |
Weight |
1.7 pounds |
1.9 pounds |
Linksys ac1200 vs Netgear ac1200. How do they compare?
Design
The Linksys ac1200 is not a wide router but has a bit more depth. It measures 1.5 x 6.8 x 7.8 inches and weighs about 1.7 pounds so it won’t take up much space in your room. It has a sleek but simple black enclosure with 2 non-removable antennas at the back. On the other hand, the Netgear ac1200 is a bit taller and larger with measurements of 1.6 x 9.4 x 7.2 inches and a weight of 1.9 pounds.
The Linksys ac1200 has a better-looking design. It’s not as wide as netgear ac1200 and it weighs less.
Speed
The Linksys ac1200 is a dual-band router that operates on the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands with speeds of 300 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz and 867 Mbps on the 5 GHz. However, the signal strength on the 2.4 GHz band is quite strong so you’ll enjoy good transfer speeds, but on the 5 GHz band, it can be a bit low which might be an issue when there’s heavy data transfers on your connected devices. The Netgear ac1200 can deliver quite impressive throughput speeds on both bandwidths.
The netgear ac1200 is a better performer on both bandwidths whether at close-range or long-range.
Features
The Netgear ac1200 has plenty of advanced features but Linksys ac1200 has limited. Some of the features include the advanced QoS for smooth HD streaming and gaming, ReadyShare USB access, ReadyShare printer, DNLA sharing, security wifi connections, guest network access, and parental controls.
Netgear ac1200 has more advanced features than Linksys ac1200 that make it easier to operate the router.
Linksys ac1200 vs Netgear ac1200 – A comparison review
Linksys ac1200
- Up to 2.8 times faster than Wireless-N technology: Simultaneous dual-band speed up to N300 Mbps (2.4...
- Faster Transfer Rates: USB 2.0 and Fast Ethernet for sharing photos, video, data files or a printer...
This is a simple but sleek midrange dual-band router that comes with several features that might surprise you and its solid performance. It’s not a very wide router so it won’t take up much space on your desk or shelf, but it doesn’t come with mounting brackets to mount on your wall. It has a matte black color all over with 2 non-removable adjustable antennas and 4 LAN ports, a WAN port, a USB2.0 port, a power switch, a small LED indicator, and a reset button at the bottom of the router. It has a 580 MHz CPU with capable speeds of 300 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band and 867 Mbps on the 5 GHz band.
The ac1200 uses beamforming technology that sends signals directly to your compatible devices instead of a blanket signal and this makes your internet connection faster, stronger, and reliable. Another great feature is its guest wifi option that allows you to create separate passwords for your guests which helps to limit access to your network. It comes with an adapted software that makes setup a breeze and you can use it on your PC or through the app which allows you to manage your network remotely.
It has a generally strong signal strength, and when you’re using the 2.4 GHz band you can enjoy speeds of about 77.5 Mbps at close proximity. However, if you move further away about 30 feet, the transfer speeds will drop to about 40 Mbps. For the 5 GHz band, the transfer speeds are about 95 Mbps when you’re at close proximity, but at 30 feet it drops slightly to 86 Mbps so you still enjoy fast speeds when you’re streaming or gaming online.
Pros
- A simple but sleek design
- Easy to install and manage remotely via the app on your phone
- Very affordable
- Supports heavy data usage
Cons
- No wall mounting option
- Only has one USB port
Netgear AC1200
- AC1200 WiFi-300+867 Mbps speeds
- External antennas for improved Wi-Fi coverage
A budget-friendly dual-band router with plenty of management settings and impressive throughput performance. It has a glossy black rectangular body with 2 non-removable antennas at the back and LED indicators at the top for wifi, power, internet, USB, wired ports, and WPS.
At the back are 4 LAN ports, a WPS button, a USB 2.0 port for your printer and external drive, a WAN port, a reset button, and a power button. The ac1200 has silicone pads at the bottom to keep it from sliding off your table and ventilation holes to keep your router cool. If you’re short on space you can mount the router on your wall. It has an 880 MHz processor that is capable of throughput speeds of 300 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band and 867 Mbps on the 5 GHz band.
You can control your router using the web console or the mobile app that is very easy and quick to install and set up on your PC or phone. If you have kids at home the parental controls will help you filter the content you don’t want them to access and even limit their access time. For security, the r6220 has inspection firewalls and network address translation to keep your network secure. The guest network will help you to create separate limited access for your guests who don’t require access to your entire network.
For a lower-cost router, the r6200 doesn’t support most of the cutting edge technologies like MIMO which can be a challenge when you have multiple devices connected to your network, but overall it can deliver impressive throughput speeds. On the 2.4 GHz band, it can deliver 74.1 Mbps at close proximity, but at 30 feet it dropped to 48.3 Mbps. When operating on the 5 GHz band at close proximity, the speeds clocked 331 Mbps and at 30 feet it dropped to 104 Mbps which is still impressive.
Pros
- Very affordable
- Lots of management settings
- Has ventilation to keep the router cool
- Good wireless performance on the 5 GHz band
Cons
- You can’t remove the antennas
- Only has one USB 2.0 port
Conclusion
The Linksys ac1200 and Netgear ac1200 are both small and very affordable wireless routers that will deliver solid performance on their bandwidths. You can manage the routers either on your PC using the web console or the mobile app on your phone. The Linksys ac1200 will deliver good 2.4 GHz throughput but will be a bit slow on the 5 GHz while the Netgear ac1200 has good speeds and even on the 5 GHz band.
So, which one is better Linksys ac1200 or Netgear ac1200?
The Netgear ac1200 is better because although it’s lacking in the latest technology it will give you dual-band coverage and good throughput on both bandwidths, USB for your printer and hard drive, and a mobile app that allows you to control your network remotely.
FAQ
Is ac1200 fast enough?
The wifi standards are supposed to inform you how fast your connection can be. AC1200 means your router has 1200 Mbps so the higher the number the more bandwidth it will support.
Is ac1200 fast enough for gaming?
1200 Mbps are decent speeds that can accommodate most internet signals and enough bandwidth for casual online gaming.