Linksys starts taking preorders for its lightning fast EA8500 router

Linksys announced on May 7 that it is now taking preorders for its new router, the Linksys Max-Stream AC2600 MU-MIMO Gigabit, also known as EA8500. The product includes 802.11ac Wave 2 Multi-User, Multiple-Input, Multiple Output technology, and it incorporates Qualcomm MU/EFX MU-MIMO+ technology.

The goal of the router is to not only increase browsing speeds, but eliminate breaks in connectivity. Linksys also claims that the EA8500 has 2.53Gbps Wi-Fi speeds, making it one of the fastest on the market, according to ZDNet.

With four Gigabit ports and a 1.4 GHz dual-core CPU, the router is also targeted toward gamers who require heavy bandwidth. It has a USB 3.0 port and a combo USB 2.0/eSATA port for data sharing purposes. The four external antennas of the EA8500 are removable and adjustable as well.

“MU-MIMO technology revolutionizes the wireless experience in the home,” said Mike Chen, the vice president of product management at Linksys. “We are so confident in the experience that MU-MIMO provides that we will be expanding our product line in the future to include more MU-MIMO routers.”

The Linksys Max-Stream AC2600 MU-MIMO Gigabit router will be available beginning May 10 at retailers including Amazon, Best Buy and Newegg at a starting price of $280, according to TomsHardware.com. The target demographic appears to be homes with multiple connected devices, as well as gamers.

Linksys recently added to its WRT1900AC router line at the end of April with the release of the WRT1200AC. Highlights of its features include open source firmware and two antennas that provide strong signal strength on 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks. The WRT1200AC also has four gigabit Ethernet ports, a USB 2.0 and 3.0 port and a SATA port.

This router hits the market at a price of $180, and is available at electronic retailers including Newegg, Amazon and Best Buy.