LINKSYS MR9600-RM2 Dual-Band Mesh Router

The Linksys Dual-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 6 Router (MR9600) will run you 41,800kes and represents the top of Linksys’ current Wi-Fi 6 router line. It uses the latest 802.11ax technology to deliver relatively quick 5GHz throughput performance and solid file transfer speeds. As with virtually all of the today’s routers it’s easy to install, and the Linksys mobile app makes it simple to control things using your phone. It is equipped with mesh tech that allows you to easily configure another compatible Linksys mesh router as a node and thereby create a mesh network. However, in PCMag Labs tests, we found it couldn’t quite match the overall performance of our latest Wi-Fi 6 Editors’ Choice, the TP-Link Archer AX11000, nor the speed, fit, and finish of the Asus RT-AX88U, our first Wi-Fi 6 Editors’ Choice recipient.

Design and Features

The MR9600 uses a black rectangular desktop enclosure that measures 2.3 by 11.0 by 6.6 inches (HWD). It sports a textured top, a glossy black front panel, and four non-removable adjustable antennas. The front panel holds a status indicator that blinks blue during startup, blinks purple during setup, is solid blue when everything is working, and turns solid red when the router has lost its internet connection. There’s also a WPS light that blinks white when WPS is in progress, blinks orange when there’s a WPS error, and turns solid white when a successful WPS connection has been made.