Linksys Wrt32x Ac3200 Dualband Wifi Gaming Router With Killer Prioritization Engine Reviews

Gaming enthusiasts know that high network latency tin can mean the difference betwixt winning and losing when competing online. With the Linksys WRT32X Wi-Fi Gaming Router ($299.99), your gaming rig will get all the bandwidth it needs to go along you in the game with minimal lag, thanks to Rivet Networks' Killer Prioritization Engine, which automatically identifies PCs and laptops equipped with Killer Network LAN hardware and gives them priority over other devices on the network. The router is a breeze to install and aced our 2.4GHz throughput tests, and it handled our file-transfer tests with aplomb. Its 5GHz and MU-MIMO operation wasn't quite as fast equally that of the comparably priced D-Link AC3150 Ultra Wi-Fi Router (DIR-885L/R), simply if you have your gaming seriously, the WRT32X is a solid selection.

Killer Features

The WRT32X ($249.99 at Linksys) has a somewhat different wait than the WRT3200ACM MU-MIMO Gigabit Wi-Fi Router ($249.99 at Linksys) despite sharing many of the same hardware attributes. Information technology uses the aforementioned 2.ane-by-ix.6-by-7.half-dozen-inch (HWD) enclosure with iv removable and adjustable antennas, but has an all-blackness cease rather than the familiar black and blue colour scheme that has defined the WRT line for the past decade. All of the router's numerous ports are located on the back panels and include four gigabit LAN ports, a WAN port, a USB three.0 port, and an eSATA/USB 2.0 port. Here you lot'll besides find WPS and reset buttons and a ability switch. The forepart panel contains a row of blue LED activity indicators for ability, WPS, Internet, 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi, all four LAN ports, and the USB 3.0 and eSATA/USB ports.

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The WRT32X is powered by a dual-core i.8GHz CPU, 256MB of flash memory, and 512MB of DDR3 memory. It's a dual band AC3200 router capable of speeds of up to 600Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 2600Mbps on the 5GHz band. Every bit with the WRT3200ACM, it is DFS (Dynamic Frequency Selection) certified, allowing it to effectively double the 5GHz ring's 80MHz channel width to attain faster throughput speeds when used with clients that support Tri-Stream160 technology. It supports Multi-User Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) data streaming, which transmits data simultaneously to uniform devices rather than sequentially, and Beamforming, which transmits information directly to clients rather than over a wide spectrum. As with other WRT routers, the WRT32X allows you to substitute its firmware with open-source code that offers customized settings and avant-garde monitoring capabilities, but if y'all go this route you'll lose the embedded Killer Prioritization capabilities.

Both the WRT3200ACM and WRT32X offering device prioritization in their respective menu settings, simply the WRT32X takes it a step further with embedded support for Rivet Networks' Killer Prioritization Engine (KPE). When you connect to the router with a device that is equipped with Killer networking hardware, such as certain Alienware and MSI gaming laptops, the router automatically recognizes the hardware and gives the device network priority over other continued devices, enabling smooth online gaming and 4K video streaming.

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Killer-enabled devices come up with Killer Command Heart software preinstalled, which automatically links the device to the router and allows you to enable prioritization with the impact of a button. The Overview screen displays a throughput speed estimate and current application prioritization. In the Apps screen y'all can assign priority to specific applications and limit upload and download speeds for each app. The Wi-Fi Analyzer displays all active Wi-Fi admission points in your area and their aqueduct number, data rate, bespeak strength, and channel width, and the Settings screen is where you lot go to set speed limits and view the client'south IP and MAC addresses. Use the Router tab to admission to all of the router's settings via the web-based direction panel.

The WRT32X console offers a different look and feel than the console used on the WRT3200ACM. Information technology contains a Dashboard page with Network Traffic gauges, the latest Speed Test, Wi-Fi Network status, Connected Devices, and a link to Port Forwarding rules. The Continued Devices department shows how many Killer-enabled devices are continued and how many devices are prioritized, the Speed Test results show your upload and download speeds, and the Network Traffic gauges prove existent-time upload and download activity.

To the left of the Dashboard page is a menu with tabs for Wi-Fi Settings, Devices, Prioritization, Speed Test, Router Administration, and Advanced Settings. Use the Wi-Fi Settings to rename the SSID for each ring, combine both bands, adjust channel width, and configure invitee access. The Devices page displays a list of connected devices, their IP addresses, and their assigned priority, and the Prioritization page shows all Killer-enabled devices and has an option for manually assigning network prioritization using a drag and drop method. Router Administration settings let y'all edit passwords, change the fourth dimension zone, update the firmware, and disable the router's status lights. Advanced Settings include Port Forwarding, VPN Customer, Local network, and Internet Connection settings.

Easy Installation, Fast Performance

Installing the WRT32X is fast and piece of cake. Following the directions in the Quick Offset Guide, I connected the router to my modem and my PC and hit the ability push button. I opened a browser on my PC and typed http://myrouter.local, which launched a Setup Wizard that walked me through Wi-Fi, Internet, and prioritization options. I and then used the Dashboard to split the two radio bands (they are joined by default) and change my passwords.

The WRT32X turned in excellent results on our two.4GHz SU-MIMO throughput tests. It's score of 148Mbps on the close-proximity (same room) test was amid the highest we've seen to engagement and outperformed the Synology Router RT2600ac, the D-Link DIR-885L/R, and the Trendnet AC2600 StreamBoost MU-MIMO WiFi Router (TEW-827DRU). At a distance of thirty anxiety, the WRT32X scored 86Mbps, beating all iii competitors handily.

The WRT32X's 5GHz throughput performance was good, just non equally fast as the competition. It's score of 464Mbps on the close-proximity exam couldn't match the D-Link DIR-885L/R, the Synology RT2600ac, or the Trendnet TEW-827DRU, which led with a score 590Mbps. On the 5GHz xxx-foot examination, the WRT32X's score of 258Mbps was nearly identical to the Trendnet TEW-827DRU, simply trailed the Synology RT2600ac and the D-Link DIR-885L/R.

Come across How We Test Wireless Routers

We examination MU-MIMO performance using three identical Acer Aspire R13 laptops equipped with Qualcomm's QCA61x4A MU-MIMO circuitry. The WRT32X'southward score of 175Mbps on the close-proximity test crush the Synology RT2600ac by a hair, only came in behind the D-Link DIR-885L/R and the Trendnet TEW-827DRU. On the 30-foot test, the WRT32X's score of 76Mbps came in dead terminal, while the D-Link Dir-885L/R led with a score of 165Mbps.

The WRT32X garnered good results on our file-transfer tests, where nosotros move a 1.5GB folder containing a mix of video, music, photo, and document files. It managed a read speed of 48MBps and a write speed of 76.8MBps compared with the D-Link DIR-885L/R'south speeds of 44.1MBps (read) and 33.2MBps (write), the Synology RT2600ac's speeds of 34.2MBps (read) and 32.6MBps (write), and the Trendnet TEW-827DRU's speeds of 53.7MBps and thirty.3MBps. The Netgear NightHawk X10 R9000 remains our current leader with speeds of 89.1MBps (read) and 77.1MBps (write).

To test the effectiveness of the WRT32X's Killer Prioritization Engine (KPE) I streamed Marvel's Captain America: Civil War on Netflix on an MSI laptop equipped with a Killer 1535 wireless network adapter while running multiple Torrent downloads on another non-Killer laptop to saturate the network. With KPE enabled, the movie played smoothly with no buffering or lag. However, when I disabled KPE, the movie became inclement and stalled ofttimes while buffering because the MSI laptop no longer had priority and had to compete with the other laptop for bandwidth.

Good for Gamers

The Linksys WRT32X Wi-Fi Gaming Router is a solid choice for gaming enthusiasts who compete online. It rocked our 2.4GHz throughput performance tests, and is equipped with plenty of ports for connecting to gaming consoles and external storage drives. Well-nigh chiefly, it uses Rivet Network'due south Killer Prioritization Engine to ensure that you take the necessary network bandwidth for online gaming and video streaming without having to deal with latency and choppy performance. However, your PC must have Killer networking hardware to automatically sync with the router and to take advantage of the automated prioritization feature. If you don't ain whatsoever Killer-enabled systems and want blazing 5GHz throughput speeds, consider our Editors' Choice for midrange routers, the D-Link AC3150 Ultra Wi-Fi Router (DIR-885L/R). Like the WRT32X, it supports open up source firmware and has plenty of ports, but it offers ameliorate 5GHz and MU-MIMO operation.

Linksys WRT32X Wi-Fi Gaming Router

Cons

The Bottom Line

The Linksys WRT32X Wi-Fi Gaming Router uses the Killer Networks Prioritization engine to make sure you have plenty of bandwidth for online gaming. It also offers fast 2.4GHz and file transfer performance.

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Source: https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/linksys-wrt32x-wi-fi-gaming-router