Linksys ea7500 vs. Asus rt ac68u: Which one has better performance?
When buying a new router there are a few different metrics that you should look for like speed, range, and stability when making your final decision. The Linksys ea7500 vs. Asus rt ac68u comparison will help you make an informed decision.
A typical evening in my house looks something like this: the kids upstairs one gaming the other streaming on YouTube, my husband in his home office uploading the vacation photos on Facebook, and myself catching up with my favorite Netflix series in the living room. With everyone busy on the internet, I need a reliable router that will provide an internet connection to all the devices throughout the house including the computer, laptops, smartphones, and streaming devices. The old router that I got installed a few years back can no longer handle all the devices in my home, that’s why I thought of upgrading it which lead me on a search for the best routers. I came across the Linksys ea7500 and Asus rt ac68u, but I don’t know which one is the best among the two routers.
Table of Contents
What are the differences between Linksys ea7500 and Asus rt ac68u?
Router model |
Linksys ea7500 |
Asus rt ac68u (Winner) |
Design |
Weighs 558g, plastic ABS, rugged exterior, matte-finish, perforated surface |
Weighs 1.4 pounds, sleek design, non-removable stand |
Positioning |
Lies flat on the surface or mounted on a wall |
Stands in a vertical position |
Speed |
2.4 GHz – 600 Mbps
5 GHz – 1300 Mbps |
2.4 GHz – 600 Mbps
5 GHz – 1300 Mbps |
Linksys ea7500 vs. Asus rt ac68u: How do they differ?
Design and specs
The Linksys ea7500 router is a small chunky piece of hardware that measures 257x56x184 mm and weighs about 558g. It has 3 external antennas that you can remove and direct to whichever direction has the best signal and range. You can place it flat on a shelf or a desk or you can mount it on a wall to help improve your wireless network coverage. On the other hand, the Asus rt ac68u router is a tall, black, wafer that stands upright with an attractive textured black front and 3 6-inch antennas. The router has a small body that measures 12x 8.5 x 3.2 inches.
Advanced features
The Linksys ea7500 is a very powerful router that uses some of the latest wifi technologies like WiFi ac which is currently the fastest wireless protocol available and MU-MIMO that allows the router to connect to more than 12 wireless devices at the same time. There is also an FTP server and a media streaming server. As for the Asus rt-ac68u router, it has some advanced features that you won’t find in other routers. It allows you to set up 6 guest networks, 3 on the 2.4 GHz band and 3 on the 5 GHz band, a fully built-in VPN server, advanced customizing options for added tweaking like AP isolation, enabling jumbo frames for the LAN, etc.
Performance
The Linksys ea7500 router has very good maximum wifi speeds with excellent range and stability which makes it ideal for large homes with many users. Being an MU-MIMO router it can connect to multiple devices simultaneously without any problems. On the other hand, the Asus rt ac68u router has a very good performance which makes it ideal for a small home or business. The advanced features and the clean, polished user management interface make it user-friendly. It doesn’t use MU-MIMO technology like the ea7500.
The Linksys ea7500 vs. Asus rt ac68u – A comparison review
Linksys ea7500
- Provides up to 1,500 square feet of Wi-Fi coverage for 15plus wireless devices
- Works with existing modem, simple setup through Linksys App
The Linksys ea7500 is a router that features the latest development in wifi MU-MIMO. This means that this router can connect to more than 12 devices simultaneously instead of connecting to each device one after another. This is a smart and powerful wireless router that is perfect if you have a smart home or you’re a gamer. It’s built with ABS plastic with a rugged exterior, a small footprint, and a matte-finished surface with a glossy center. The top has a perforated surface that provides ventilation for the interior components. The grilles at the side and bottom make it a well-ventilated router with no chance of overheating. This router weighs 558g, and you can either place it on a flat surface or mount it on the wall for better network coverage. This ea7500 router features 4 gigabit Ethernet ports for connecting wired devices, WPS and resets switch, 2 USB ports; 2.0 and 3.0 for faster data access.
Setting up this router is a breeze, all you need to do is connect everything then go to http://LinksysSmartWiFi.com or type in the IP address of the router (192.168.1.1)on your web browser to access the automated setup. You can follow the easy steps to configure your router, then set up a strong password and a wireless name. You can also use the smart features that will help you control your router by configuring it using a smartphone app. Apart from having the latest wifi technology, the MI-MIMO, also features WiFi ac, the latest in wireless standards which is currently the fastest protocol in the market. You can connect to the external USB storage drivers and use the router for media streaming, sharing data over the network, or FTP data transfer, and even use a printer. These features make this router ideal if you’re looking for a high-end router for your home or small office.
It’s built with high-end hardware that has a 1.4 GHz dual-core processor and it can boost the 5 GHz band to speeds of over 1300 Mbps and speeds of over 600 Mbps for the 2.4 GHz band. If you want to have a speedy network for your wireless devices, you should upgrade your older hardware to support the 5 GHz wireless bandwidth. The rest of the other features like parental control, network map, blocking, security, guest network, etc. are also found in other conventional routers.
When it comes to performance, the ea7500 router doesn’t disappoint. Everything from configuration to usage is smooth and flawless. In terms of maximum throughput, when using the 5 GHz band at a range of 1 meter, you will get 63MB/s and at 5 meters through brick walls, it registered 40MB/s. When operating on the 2.4 GHz band at 1 meter, it registered 13.4 MB/s and at 5 meters it managed 6.6 MB/s. These figures show that this router can provide you with fast speeds and is a consistent and stable router. When it comes to storage transfer speed using the USB port, this router is quite impressive with 60 MB/s read and 38.9 MB/s write. This shows that this router can run a modest home media server through an attached hard disk.
Pros
- Can support up to 12 and more devices
- Uses MU-MIMO to send signals directly to your devices
- Has maximum wifi speeds and excellent range and stability
- Cheapest router with MU-MIMO capability
- Remote router management
Cons
- Need a username and password to log into your router from the Linksys app
- At a long distance, the performance drops
- MU-MIMO requires compatible devices
Asus rt-ac68u
- Dual band with the latest 802; 11 AC 3x3 technology for combined speeds of up to 1900 Mbps
- 1 GigaHertz dual core CPU enables smart multitasking by dedicating separate lanes for Wi Fi and USB data;...
If you’re looking for a traditional router that doesn’t have the additions that come with a high-tech router, this rt-ac68u is the best router for you. It has a sleek design, very fast speeds, and fantastic throughput which means you won’t have any problems gaming on your Xbox or streaming your favorite movies on Netflix. This router weighs 1.4 pounds so it’s not that heavy and it has a non-removable stand so it stands upright, but the new model the ac66u comes with a detachable stand which is meant to operate better in a vertical position, but now you have an option of whether to use it. If you have 802.11ac devices or you’re having coverage problems with your wireless network.
At the front part, you will find tiny LED status lights for the LAN and WAN ports, USB device connections, power, and wireless bands. The LED lights give you a blue color then the connection is stable and active. The USB ports are not only designed to support USB external drives, but they also support mobile broadband devices with 3G/4G and printers. Setting up this router is very easy, all you have to do is follow the quick start guide that automatically opens when you connect your computer or laptop to the router’s LAN port and open the browser. For you to access the router’s interface under the administrator’s account, you have to first set a password which helps to properly secure the router.
This router has a very stylish router management interface which has very clean and easy to work with the design. You can get all the information you need to know displayed on the interface of the router’s home page like the wireless network details, WAN status, and the devices accessing the network. There is a network map that shows all the devices that are connected to the router together with their IP addresses and each device’s name. You can also access features like parental controls which aren’t as extensive as in other routers, security, firewall, and QoS through the interface. You can manage the connected USB devices from the interface or download the AiCloud app so you can manage the USB devices from your Android or iOS devices. Once you install the AiCloud on your phone, all you have to do to get remote access to your router is open the app while on your local wifi, which is much easier than the Linksys’s app where you have to create a username and password to log into your router. AiCloud has 3 features; smart access that allows you to share files on your local network, cloud disk that allows you access to the USB devices attached to your router, and smart sync that allows you to create your own Dropbox-like service on your network.
This router has other advanced features not found in other routes like setting up 6 guest networks, 3 on the 2.4 GHz band and 3 on the 5 GHz band, a fully built-in VPN server, advanced customization like AP isolation and many more, and robust IPv6 support.
When it comes to performance, this router will not disappoint. It has very fast speeds on both the AC and N modes at almost every distance. When operating on the 802.11n mode, it has an average throughput of 90 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band, but at 30 feet it dropped by 9%. When on the 5 GHz band, it had a throughput of 148.5 Mbps which is quite impressive, but at 30 feet away from the signal drops by 11%. However, when operating in the 802.11ac mode, the speed and performance are excellent at an amazing 290.5 Mbps. This router is powered by a 1 GHz dual-core processor which helps to eliminate the performance drop that happens to most of the busy home networks. This means that you can video stream smoothly or and online game without any interruptions. This router uses the Broadcom TurboQAM technology to increase the speeds in the 2.4 GHz band802.11n so that it performs with speeds of up to 600 Mbps with other compatible devices.
Pros
- Excellent throughput speeds
- Has very fast speeds on both the AC and N modes even over a long distance
- Has advanced features that make this router unique
- A very clean and easy to work with interface
- Excellent wifi technology
Cons
- Can’t mount it on the wall
- Has only one 3.0 USB port
Conclusion
Both routers are great performers when it comes to speed and range. They will provide your home with a reliable internet network with very limited interruptions. They both operate with the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bandwidths that deliver great speed ranges and throughput with a stable signal throughout.
Verdict. So, which is better Linksys ea7500 or Asus rt-ac68u?
AlthoughLinksys ea7500 router is excellent, theAsus rt ac68u is an all-round performer when using the 802.11ac mode. It has a simple setup, advanced features, excellent interface, and you can use it both at home and in your office. Its range and speeds hold stable thanks to its 1.5 GHz dual-core processor that eliminates performance drop.
FAQ
Does Linksys ea7500 support a VPN?
Yes. Linksys ea7500 is designed to support VPN tunnels using IPSec, PPTP, or L2TP protocols to pass through the router.
What is the range for Asus rt-ac68u?
The rt-ac68u router has an exceptionally effective range of about 200 feet.
