Now that's an all to familiar design alright. Linksys announced a new router at CES today that will appeal to both long time Linksys users as well as those who want top end router performance. The new Linksys WRT1900AC Dual Band Wi-Fi Router is inspired by the original WRT54G iconic blue/black stackable form factor but with a modernized spin as well as more powerful hardware such as a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor, four removable antennas (instead of the standard three) and eSata and USB 2.0/3.0 connectivity ports.
The four removable, customized and adjustable antennas on the WRT1900AC router provide antenna diversity by enabling the router to use the three best signals out of the four antennas to transmit and receive data. The antenna diversity technology helps provide greater range and coverage compared to a 3-antenna system, so all your connected devices can achieve the best performance wherever they are located. The Linksys Wireless AC 1900 Dual-Band Router is capable of speeds of up to 1.3Gbps on the 5 GHz band and up to 600 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band
The new WRT1900AC ships with Linksys Smart Wi-Fi set-up and management tools and will be the first Linksys router to include the Network Map feature. Smart Wi-Fi is a setup and management software tool that gives users access to their connected devices from a browser or mobile app so they can easily manage their home network and optimize their online experiences. Users can access their home network remotely on their iOS or Android smart phone or tablet to check the connection status of their devices, give a guest access to the Internet, or block a child from accessing social networking sites. Linksys is also announcing a new Smart Wi-Fi feature called Network Map on the new WRT1900AC router. Network Map is a visual topology map that shows all the devices that are connected to the network. Users can simple manage each device by clicking on its icon and change parental control settings, select wireless bands, filter by device type, or even remove devices from the network, plus more. Network Map provides a simple more graphical way to monitor and manage a home network.
Linksys has also been working with the OpenWRT community to make an open source firmware which is planned to be available for download online at availability in the spring 2014.
The Linksys WRT1900AC Dual Band Wi-Fi router has also been named as an International CES Innovations 2014 Design and Engineering Awards Honoree in the Home Networking product category. The Awards are judged by a preeminent panel of independent industrial designers, engineers and members of the media to honor outstanding design and engineering in cutting edge consumer electronics products.
The new Linksys WRT1900AC Dual-Band Wireless-AC Router is planned for availability this spring at a whopping MSRP of 280 EURO / $299.99 at Linksys.com and leading online and retail stores.
