In some ways the Linksys WRT 3200 ACM is a refreshing router. Whereas some gadget makers – together with router producers – go for glossy, trendy and minimalist designs which are presupposed to attraction to clients besotted with the Apple design ethos, there are drawbacks. The primary one, maybe half inched from Apple themselves, is that the extra easy and minimalist the design, the much less options, customisation and adaptability the top product has.
The Linksys WRT 3200 ACM admirably shuns these pretensions. This can be a router that’s not ashamed about what it's. It seems to be like a router that’s extra at residence in a small to medium sized workplace than a San Francisco trendy condo, however it’s huge, brash design permits Linksys to pack in some fairly meaty specs. The antennae jutting out the physique may make Jony Ive escape in a chilly sweat, however they assist the Linksys WRT 3200 ACM to broadcast its Wi-Fi networks throughout homes and workplaces, with the positional antennae permitting you to hone within the community to your units for the absolute best of speeds.
A lot of individuals may also be impressed with how readily the Linksys WRT 3200 ACM embraces customized open-source firmware (reminiscent of OpenWRT). This lets you set up software program aside from the default interface the Linksys WRT 3200 ACM ships with, supplying you with virtually full management over the options and features of this router. WRT help is comparatively area of interest, nevertheless it’s nice to see it included, and units out the Linksys WRT 3200 ACM’s stall as a strong and strong router for individuals who need full management over their community. At £199.99 ($249.99, round AU$330), this can be a mid-priced router that brings some superior options with out breaking the financial institution.
Options
Alongside the help for open supply firmware, the Linksys WRT 3200 ACM boasts MU-MIMO know-how that permits for simultaneous streaming, file sharing and gaming on a number of units on the Wi-fi AC band. 
It additionally consists of Tri-Stream 160 know-how, which doubles the bandwidth from 80MHz on community streams – the thought behind these two options is that regardless of how busy your Wi-Fi community is, the Linksys WRT 3200 ACM will present extremely quick Wi-Fi AC community speeds. 
It additionally comes with a 1.8GHz dual-core CPU, 512MB RAM and 256MB flash reminiscence. Ethernet ports are of the gigabit selection, and there are 4 of them, with a separate fifth port for connecting to your modem. A USB three.zero is included for sharing information and printers together with your community, and the Linksys WRT 3200 ACM additionally comes with an ESATA port for file transfers that has a handy design, permitting it to even be used as a USB 2.zero port.
The LinkSys Sensible W-Fi app permits you to configure and handle the router out of your smartphone or pill, nevertheless it’s actually the open supply firmware help that’s the star right here. By putting in both OpenWRT or DD-WRT you'll be able to add superior options corresponding to safe VPN, TOR community shopping for nameless searching, and consider superior community visitors and community intrusion studies. 
That’s just the start – there’s an enormous vary of options which are included with the firmware, and also you’re not ready for Linksys so as to add and check options, as an alternative you’ve received a dedicated group of community professionals and lovers making and sharing leading edge options. 
In fact, customized firmware comes with its personal issues and considerations, however when you’re a complicated consumer who needs superb and progressive options, WRT help has in all probability already made your thoughts up on whether or not or not you need to purchase this router.
Efficiency
So with all these spectacular options, how does the Linksys WRT 3200 ACM carry out? Regardless of its seems and options that recommend this can be a router for community professionals solely, the setup process was fairly easy. With it plugged in and related to our modem and PC by way of Ethernet, we browsed to http://ift.tt/1fA224y and adopted the directions.
By default you’re taken by means of the setup course of step-by-step, however for the extra assured you can too choose ‘Guide configuration’. When you belief the  Linksys WRT 3200 ACM to do its stuff, you’ll see a ‘Please wait…’ message seem whereas it configures itself. 
This takes a few minutes, and also you’re helpfully stored knowledgeable with what the router is doing on the prime of the display, so that you don’t panic and assume the system (or your net browser) has crashed. As soon as executed, you’re requested if you wish to set up updates in your router routinely, then what your Wi-Fi networks and password must be. 
You possibly can select to make the networks (one for the two.4GHz band, one for 5GHz) have the identical identify (and seem as one community), if you need the depart the router to deal with what gadget connects to what band.
Subsequent, you want to create an admin password and reminder for accessing your router’s settings and also you’re accomplished. It was a pleasantly pain-free and straightforward to comply with course of that manages to strike the proper stability between mechanically configuring the difficult bits behind the scenes, and supplying you with management over a few of the settings.
You’re additionally requested if you wish to create a Linksys Sensible Wi-Fi account. This isn’t obligatory, nevertheless it provides you distant entry to your router whenever you’re away. We weren’t capable of check this out as on the time of the assessment the Linksys Sensible Wi-Fi service was down for upkeep.
As soon as arrange you possibly can view the interface, which is clearly laid out and provides you an excellent overview of your community and any community hooked up storage. From right here you possibly can prioritise media units, allow or disable the visitor community (it’s enabled by default), arrange parental controls, configure wi-fi and use the OpenVPN server.
On our Ethernet-connected PC we obtained obtain speeds of 114Mb/s and a ping of 8ms. With our wi-fi AC system conncted to the 5GHz community, subsequent to the router we recorded speeds of 133Mb/s speeds and 13ms ping. Once we examined the speeds from the opposite aspect of the workplace (about 30 ft away) we received even higher outcomes with 159.73Mb/s and 13ms speeds. 
Nevertheless, as soon as we began placing partitions between us and the router, efficiency dropped off, with the system typically struggling to maintain a reference to the Linksys WRT 3200 ACM’s Wi-Fi. With one wall speeds dropped to 67.29Mb/s with a ping of 8ms. With two partitions between us, speeds dropped much more dramatically to three.97Mb/s.
Flooring have been much less of a problem although. One flooring instantly above the Linksys WRT 3200 ACM, we acquired 135.12Mb/s and 12ms ping, and one flooring instantly under, we recorded 139.96Mb/s and 6ms ping.
So usually efficiency was excellent, although with partitions in play the connection dropped markedly – which is a shock contemplating we had excessive hopes for this router. When you've got a big home or workplace and depend on constant and quick Wi-Fi, you’re going to wish to take a look at Wi-Fi extenders, or rigorously contemplate the place and antenna association of the Linksys WRT 3200 ACM.
The Linksys WRT 3200 ACM is a wonderful router for busy environments, be they an workplace or a house filled with players and media streaming units. 
It comes with a number of superior options which lots of its rivals lack, but it additionally boasts a user-friendly interface and easy arrange process, which suggests you don’t should be a community admin to utilize this strong system.
We favored
WRT help for open supply firmware is a large plus right here, giving the Linksys WRT 3200 ACM a flexibility and vary of further options that different routers might solely dream of. 
Even in case you keep on with the default software program you continue to get a number of options for each enterprise and residential use, an easy-to-use interface and respectable speeds and protection.
We didn’t like
The truth that protection is just respectable is a little bit of a disappointment – we actually needed to get blown away by this router’s protection, however partitions particularly noticed drop offs in velocity and reliability. 
We fairly admire the utilitarian look of the router, however individuals after a extra trendy system is probably not too eager.
Remaining verdict
Should you’re in search of a versatile, highly effective and feature-rich router that provides you additional choices by permitting you to put in open supply firmware, then we might fortunately advocate the Linksys WRT 3200 ACM. 
This is a wonderful router that’s packed filled with options and comes with an honest price ticket. Sadly protection isn’t as spectacular as we had hoped, however aside from that this is a wonderful router that might be a boon to virtually any community it was added to.
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