Linksys RE9000: AC3000 Tri-Band Wi-Fi Extender, Wireless Range Booster for Home, 4 Gigabit Ethernet Ports, Works with Any Wi-Fi Router (Black)

We purchased the Linksys AC3000 in an attempt to achieve reliable, stable wi-fi from the router located in the downstairs northernmost corner of our two-story 3,400 sf L-shaped home (yes, I know, worst location ever) to an upstairs family room television located in the furthest opposite corner from the router. The AC3000 replaced an older Linksys router previously set up as an access point and located in the upstairs front middle of the house at the top of an open staircase. Over the years we tried various devices to get a decent signal to that family room. So, we were somewhat skeptical the AC3000 would alleviate the constant buffering when streaming to the upstairs television, or the unreliable and weak signal other devices suffered in that room due to distance. Happily for us, it works perfectly. The most surprising thing is that downstairs bedrooms and bathrooms located in the back "L" also now receive strong, reliable wi-fi signal from the AC3000. Surprising because every downstairs wall, exterior and interior, is concrete block with 1950’s hand applied plaster which previously rendered the wi-fi signal non-existent in all but one bedroom, and even that was weak and unreliable.The one small frustration in setting up the AC3000 occurred when attempting to use the WPS button for easy setup. As it turned out, our Apple 3TB Time Capsule router doesn't allow for WPS setup. Once we reset the AC3000 (via the reset button) and then used the web page option, it was a quick and easy setup. Overall, we’re thrilled that we now have wi-fi throughout the entire house and finally feel confident we can cut the cable cord.

My experience with this extender has been good; it's significantly strengthened the signal in our living room, at the other end of the (admittedly not very big) house from our router. The one thing I've noticed is that nearby electrical devices, and especially ones with motors in them, will definitely throw this extender for a loop. We have an air purifier that lived first next to this extender, and then at a point about five feet from the extender, but between the extender and the router, and the extender did not like either of those situations at all. Lots of orange-light action (an orange light on this extender means no wifi signal). Moved the air purifier well away from the extender and out of the signal path and all was hunky-dory again.I'm geeky sometimes and would like to be able to log onto the extender and muck with settings or at least make sure everything's good beyond what the green light tells me, but I don't seem to be able to do that once the extender's been set up; I can only get to the setup/configuration page after resetting the extender using the button on the back. But I'll live. The extender seems to be doing what we expect of it, and that's...all we expect of it (funny how that works).

I used this along with my wireless router in my 3000 ft2 house for years and it gave me coverage to do everything I needed. If mesh systems hadn't come out and worked as well as they do I wouldn't have removed it. It very seldom needed a full reset and gave me speeds that met all of my needs. Ultimately I have moved this to my parents house now as they don't have a mesh system and it works great for their needs and I know the linksys quality means I don't have to trouble shoot things at their house.

I am not sure what the issue is with people and this extender. I use it as a wired access point to extend my wifi network in my 4600 square foot home on three levels. I have my Max Stream router in the middle of the house on the main floor, and two of these, one on the 2nd floor and one in the basement. I will say it is probably signal overkill, but then again I also don't have to search for coverage either. With the router in the middle of the house on the main floor, one in the basement and one on the 2nd floor, I have solid 4 bar WiFi coverage over the entire house, including outside on our patio and front yard. This was an important selling point to ensure my wireless security cameras outside the house had a great signal. When wired as an access point, you get gig backbone speed to the router. The most important feature of these, when combined with a MaxSpeed router is the seamless roaming wireless coverage. When combined with the MaxStream router, all you need is one SSID for fast WiFi roaming. I have 70 devices in my house, connected via wired network and wifi, and have no bottlenecks since installing them. Having owned Linksys products going back to before they were owned by Cisco, I have never had a product fail on me or be difficult to install. I know what I am doing with network setup, and never used the wizards, so that has never been a feature that has failed. When used correctly with the corresponding gear, these work great.