Linksys vs Netgear Router | Who is the Winner?

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Linksys vs Netgear Router

There are several renowned consumer network hardware brands that have been around for a while.

Linksys and Netgear are among these brands, and you can find them pretty much anywhere across the globe.

When it comes to overall brand quality, it isn’t easy to rank one over the other, although some brands have a history of making not-so-good devices. 

In the case of Linksys and Netgear, these are two well-respected brands with a history of making decent quality network hardware.

But like many other established brands out there, you’ll come across hits and misses with particular models.

Overall it depends on which products you’ve had experience with.

That said, let’s look at these two brands in detail from user experience as well as how they rank based on their budget, mesh and performance routers. 

Linksys vs Netgear: User Experience

Linksys Vs Netgear Router

Linksys Vs Netgear Router – User Experience

It’s a bit difficult to get a general brand rating from users. The usual user rating platforms don’t cover routers well and only tend to have complaints.

Therefore, we’ll look at what consumers have to say on Amazon to understand better how these two brands compare.

Looking at all Netgear routers on Amazon, they have an average rating of 4.5/5 stars. Linksys also fairs quite well, coming in at a 4/5-star rating, with most models having a 4.5/5 rating. 

Both Linksys and Netgear have several issues when it comes to firmware quality across their different models.

In addition, we’ve noted that customers have cited issues revolving around poor tech support services. 

Linksys Vs Netgear: Budget Routers

Linksys

Linksys Vs Netgear Router

Linksys Vs Netgear Router

The E5600 is the newest addition to Linksys budget line of routers. It’s a relatively standard AC1200 router comprising 4 Ethernet ports, guest access and parental controls.

The latter already puts Linksys ahead of Netgear when it comes to budget devices.

Configuration is via the basic web interface, but you don’t get application support as well as smart home integration features. 

Netgear

Linksys Vs Netgear Router

Linksys Vs Netgear Router

The R6230 is Netgear’s newest budget addition and is a direct rival to the E5600 because they have the same AC1200 rating, basic firmware features and four Ethernet ports.

However, you’ll trade parental controls for a USB slot that you can use to connect shared storage.

Configuration is done via a basic web interface which doesn’t work well on smartphones, so you’ll need a PC.

This router is relatively limited, so you won’t be doing plenty of power stuff here, but it should be okay for everyday family use. 

Linksys Vs Netgear: Mesh Routers

Linksys 

Linksys Vs Netgear Router

Linksys Vs Netgear Router

The Velop Mesh System is Linksys’ crack at the budding mesh router market.

This model is available in single, dual or triple packs, and Linksys throws in a configurator to help you decide which package best suits your home.

You’ll get top-notch performance for everyday use, albeit not up there with premium gaming models.

For all packs in this segment, Linksys offers a 3-year warranty which is a nice touch. In addition, you get Amazon Alexa and Apple HomeKit compatibility. 

Netgear

Linksys Vs Netgear Router

Linksys Vs Netgear Router

Netgear’s Orbi line of mesh routers is a mesh-like solution for large spaces. We call it ‘mesh-like’ because Netgear has decided to go for a central hub and spoke model, unlike other mesh devices on the market.

This isn’t really an issue because, like with other true mesh devices, you still have a single node connected to the internet anyway; it really doesn’t matter which one. 

The key benefit of this approach by Netgear is that Orbi mesh routers use one of their 5Ghz bands as an out-and-out backhaul between the nodes.

Linksys Vs Netgear: Performance Routers

Linksys

Linksys Vs Netgear Router

Linksys Vs Netgear Router

The E8450 is the newest addition to Linksys’ line of performance routers. It shuns the common multi-antenna ‘spider’ form that has been the norm with performance routers. 

Instead, the E8450 adopts a sleek modern tower look with four internal antennas leveraging the enhancements aimed at delivering WiFi 6 to users.

Interestingly Linksys has dropped compatibility with their smartphone application for this model. This means this model only offers a web interface for setup. 

Netgear

Linksys Vs Netgear Router

Linksys vs Netgear Router

The RAX120 is part of Netgear’s Nighthawk range of high-performance routers aimed at gamers and other power users.

It sports a much more aggressive, eye-catching and more prominent form factor than Linksys offerings. 

As such, its outfitted with some interesting features not usually present on other consumer routers apart from the blazing-fast AX6000 speed rating.

When it comes to Ethernet ports, the RAX120 supports link integration on two Ethernet ports. You also get eight internal antennas and two USB 3.0 slots for connecting shared storage.

Final Thought

To sum it all up, both Linksys and Netgear are mid-range consumer network hardware brands.

While they offer top-notch features and high-performance devices, both also suffer from occasional quality control problems, especially with their firmware.  

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