Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 vs. Linksys WRT AC1900 – are these AC1900 routers the same?
A quick look at AC1900 routers might make you assume they are the same, but our experiences with the Netgear AC1900 and Linksys AC1900 prove the assumption is not always true.
You might decide to do some research into routers, and eventually find that there are many types of AC routers on the market, each denoted by a specific number. Choosing among them can be quite confusing, especially when choosing between those with the same number after the AC rating, such as in this case when you are dealing with AC1900 ones. As a brief explanation, the AC just shows that the router supports the 802.11ac connection standard, which is the fastest type among all standards, while the 1900 states the total theoretical speeds (1900 Mbps).
You may have come across the Netgear AC1900 and Linksys AC1900 in your router search. Because they have the same theoretical speeds, there are other factors to consider when buying any of them.
Table of Contents
What are the differences between theLinksys WRT AC1900 and Netgear Nighthawk AC1900?
Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 |
Linksys AC1900 (Winner) |
|
Dimensions (inches) |
11.2 x 7.3 x 1.9 (the bigger router option) |
9.7 x 7.6 x 2.01 (slightly smaller and portable) |
Throughput at close proximity (average) |
69 Mbps (2.4GHz), 174 Mbps (5GHz) |
83 Mbps (2.4GHz), 449 Mbps (5GHz) |
Upload speed |
20 Mbps |
20 Mbps |
Download speed |
89/90 Mbps |
100 Mbps |
Linksys WRT AC1900 vs. Netgear Nighthawk AC1900– How they compare
Design
Regarding the Nighthawk AC1900 (also called the R7000), this is the latest router from Netgear among the lineup of 802.11ac routers. It has flared sides on the body and a trapezoid design, making it resemble more of a jetfighter than a router. It is a fairly large router, measuring 11.2 by 1.97 by 7.26 inches, and weighs slightly more than 1.6 pounds.
The Linksys AC1900 is slightly different – not in design as much, but rather in networking hardware. The unit is big and beefy, and it does not disappoint you either in performance. There are plenty of other goodies as well, such as excellent performance as a NAS, great QoS, and an easy remote management and access.
It measures 10 by 1.5 by 7.5 inches, and weighs slightly heavier than the Netgear AC1900, weighing 2.3 pounds. It runs on a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, and has four Gigabit LAN ports and one Gigabit WAN port. Both the USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports are at the back, rather than on opposite sides. The massive size of the device means that you cannot operate it in a place with poor airflow, as it has a tendency to warm up and emit a metallic smell.
One thing that does stand out here are the LEDs – they are not the traditional circular lights you would expect, but they are horizontal and have a unique shape that is easy to notice even if you are across a room.
Setup process
As is the case with plenty of the new routers, you will find that the Nighthawk AC1900 easy to set up – in fact, the installation guide outlines its clear guidelines, and you will get it in the package. The last step of configuration launches a web page, which will then inform you of the pre-configured passphrase and wireless SSID.
The Linksys AC1900 is similar because you will find a setup guide in the package, although it has something that you will not find in the Netgear AC1900 – a disc that contains documentation, which guides you on the process of setup – disconnecting any existing routers on your test network, then connecting the Linksys AC1900 to your broadband service through its internet port.
You then wait for the power LED to stop blinking, which allows you to connect to the router’s pre-configured network. You can do this through wireless connection, or using an Ethernet cable to connect your PC to any of the LAN ports. The installation process will take you through some steps, as well as setting up guest networks.
Performance
The major feature in the Netgear AC1900 that helps in its performance though would have to be QoS – it is excellent when it comes to the task of optimizing video streaming. You will need to configure some settings to activate it – either setting the router to optimize downstream traffic (for video streaming) or upstream traffic (for gaming), or activating Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM) for both or either of the 2.4 or 5GHz signals.
In close proximity, the throughput of the 5GHz band was an average of 174 Mbps, although the 2.4GHz band was surprisingly underwhelming, giving a score of 69 Mbps. The good news though is that Netgear plans to add enhanced beam forming to the 2.4GHz band, so its performance should improve with future models.
The Linksys AC1900 is among the fastest routers we have seen, especially in its 5GHz band – giving a performance of 449 Mbps – and that is in a crowded environment. In mixed mode, the 5GHz speed drops to 110 Mbps, while the 2.4GHz band averages 83 Mbps in mixed mode. This speed does not suffer drastic drops as you move away either, making the router quite impressive in this area.
Linksys WRT AC1900 vs. Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 – A comparison review
Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 – Overview
- Fast wifi performance: Get up to 1800 square feet wireless coverage with AC1900 speed (Dual band up to...
- Recommended for up to 30 devices: Reliably stream videos, play games, surf the internet, and connect...
\This router will offer you excellent levels of range spread, as well as plenty of useful features like VPN ability, despite the few annoying drawbacks that come with it. The Netgear R7000 uses a 1GHz dual-core processor, making it powerful by consumer router standards. It has three external antennas that attach to the rear, and two USB ports to support printers and USB storage – one USB 2.0 at the rear and one USB 3.0 port at the front. Even though the router is large in dimensions, its power cord brick is thin enough to fit in with other adapters.
In terms of throughput, the Netgear AC1900 is not the fastest we have seen, except for its 5GHz band. It also offers great sustenance of throughput at longer distances compared to the Linksys AC1900, all thanks to beam forming – a feature that improves signal and throughput.
Pros
- Very attractive design and good range
- Very good throughput for the 5GHz band
- Full capability for VPN services
- Strong QoS capability
Cons
- Painful configuration process for the bridge mode
- Underwhelming throughput on the 2.4GHz band
- Slow application of changes in settings
Linksys WRT AC1900 – Overview
- Wireless AC, up to 4.3x faster than N technology: Simultaneous dual band speed up to 600 Mbps (2.4 GHz) +...
- 4 high performance antennas: Engineered to enhance dual band communication, four external, adjustable...
The Linksys AC1900 offers to give you excellent throughput with any of your current-gen wireless clients, and it will also promise you great speeds for all your future devices. It also offers an easy setup, OpenWRT flash-able firmware, and strong NAS functions – but at a hefty price.
The QoS feature that it uses for bandwidth optimization has some pre-set rules. These include those that set the downstream intensive data (such as Netflix or YouTube) and upstream traffic from a widely used service (such as popular games) to high priority, and reducing the annoying instances of buffering. You can edit all the pre-configured settings to suit your tastes as well.
Pros
- Unprecedented throughput speeds, especially when testing with a second router as a bridge
- Excellent range and performance
- Easier management and remote access
- QoS feature is highly efficient
- OpenWRT allows you to flash firmware
Cons
- Noticeable electrical odor when it runs
- Expensive
- Cannot set the 5GHz band to the 802.11ac-only mode
- Tends to run warm
Verdict: So what is better? The Linksys WRT AC1900 or Netgear Nighthawk AC1900?
It is quite difficult to narrow down our choice because of how similar they are – but we will go with the Linksys AC1900 as our winner in this review. We pick it because of its good range, as well as minimizations of performance drops, which will make it a good choice for long range use. It also wins because of the higher speeds, especially in the 5GHz band, due to the use of QoS.
Frequently asked questions
Will I need to use a modem alongside the Netgear AC1900 router?
For the internet connection to work, you will need a modem for the DSL, fiber, or cable ISP.
How can I update the Linksys AC1900 router?
On the web setup page, click on ‘Administration’ at the top, then select the ‘Firmware Upgrade’ button. This will bring up a popup box, so select ‘Browse’ and navigate to the Linksys firmware file and select ‘Upgrade’.
