Netgear vs Linksys – Which Router Brand is Better? (Comparison Guide)

Netgear vs Linksys is both equally qualified competitors. Technology is evolving day by day and staying up-to-date with them is necessary.

Now what we are going to do in this comparison guide is the following. We are going to take the top 2 products of Netgear and Linksys and then create Netgear vs Linksys.

I also summed up the list for you of the best Netgear routers here. Now lets’ jump to our topic which is a comparison between Linksys MX5 With NetGear AX12.

Netgear vs Linksys – Comparison Between Linksys MX5 With NetGear AX12

Linksys MX5 and Netgear AX12 are the latest models of both the companies who work on next-gen Wi-Fi 6. So deciding between them is going to be a tough decision. They are not portable routers though but the best in their league.

NetGear AX11000 Nighthawk AX12

NetGear AX11000 Review

Starting Up

Netgear Nighthawk AX12 is the first product from Netgear vs Linksys comparison. Which provides its customers with an app that is simple to install and use.

Nighthawk app helps you set up your router to connect with your Wi-Fi modem and also to remotely monitor your home network from anywhere. The device selects the best Wi-Fi band available for every connected device.

• Design: In NetGear Nighthawk AX12 they didn’t put the antennas in the “traditional vertical antennas” style, instead they have placed the eight antennas in the two wings. This makes its design more eye appealing. It is only 2.43pounds which is definitely a bit lighter than the Linksys MX5.
• Hardware & Specs: NetGear Nighthawk AX12 is a 12-streams tri-band router that works on Wi-Fi 6 technology to handle more devices connected to the network, more efficiently. It gives its user the best performance of smooth and reliable high speed which is perfect for online gaming, 4k ultra streaming, massive file transfer, downloading torrents, video conferencing and much more. But not only Wi-Fi 6, but nighthawk AX12 is also backward compatible with earlier generations.
• Range: Nighthawk AX12 covers approx. 2000 sq. ft. area with reliable and smooth internet without lagging and any dead spots. It is designed to cover very large homes. It has eight embedded antennas in the fins of the device for a strong and ultimate Wi-Fi range.
• Wired Support: NetGear Nighthawk AX12 has five Gigabit ports to connect more wired devices and for interrupt free, faster connectivity.
• 160MHz Channel Support: NetGear AX12 supports the 160MHz enabled devices. It provides double speed as compared to 80MHz channel supported devices.
• USB 3.0: This technology ensures to provide with 10x faster than USB2.0.AX12 has two USB ports and they can be used as an optional storage device for sharing files on your network or for your backup.
• Multi-Gig: One of the key features of NetGear nighthawk AX12 is that it has Multi-Gig support (Multi-Gig port of 2.5G). This maximises the wired internet speed up to 2.5Gbps.
• ReadySHARE: You can access your USB hard drives using ReadySHARE wirelessly.
• Tri-band Throughput: NetGear Nighthawk AX12 works on the most advanced Wi-Fi technology commonly known as Wi-Fi 6. It has three bands which include two 5GHz and one 2.14GHz. With the 2.4GHz band, the throughput is up to 1.2Gbps, with a 5GHz band 4.8Gbps and an additional band of 5GHz gives up to another 4.8Gbps. This yields a total throughput 10.8Gbps. Nighthawk AX12 utilises the 1024-QAM method which in turn maximizes the speed and data efficiency by 25% than 256-QAM routers.
• To provide a better speed performance for the connected device, this third 5GHz band is used between the router and modem.
• OFDMA support: As more devices start connecting with the router it gets hard to get efficient data transmission. To solve this problem NetGear Nighthawk is using OFDMA support, up to 8 devices can get smooth data transmission simultaneously. This improves the capacity in your network and decreases the latency. If using Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality or Internet of Things sensors OFDMA ensures to reduce latency rate for them.
• 8 Stream MU-MIMO: With 8 stream MU-MIMO nighthawk AX12 user can use up to four 2×2 devices to stream data simultaneously at 5GHz two bands.
• Beam Forming: For directional transmission and reception of signals nighthawk AX12 uses the Beamforming technology for 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. This enhances the reliability of smooth internet.
• Pre-Optimised Antennas: Setting the antennas for best optimization is sometimes very frustrating. But nighthawk AX12 has taken that burden off of their user’s shoulders. The antennas on AX12 are pre-optimized to get the best Wi-Fi speeds.
• Voice control: Living in the smart home era, one sometimes need to upgrade their routers as well to be controlled by voice commands using Amazon Alexa or The Google Assistant. This is one of the key features of NetGear Nighthawk AX12. You can control your Wi-Fi network using voice commands.
• VPN Support and Guest Network: NetGear Nighthawk AX12 provides its users with a guest network option for separate and secure networking. With the Open VPN connect app on iOS and androids, you can remotely access to your home network and control the internet connections. This can be done on PC and MAC also.

Linksys Velop Wifi 6 Mesh Router

Linksys Velop Review

Starting Up

Linksys MX5 Velop is an excellent mesh Wi-Fi system that can be set up within few minutes using the app-based setup guide. All you have to do is download the Linksys app, then connect the device with your modem. Name and set up the password for your Wi-Fi network and start using its services.

• Design: When talking about the design we look for something that is eye-catching like Linksys MX5 Velop. It has a very small footprint meaning that it doesn’t require much space in your room as it is designed vertically and can be placed anywhere. But it is a bit heavier in weight i.e. 3.5pounds.
• Hardware & Specs: Linksys MX5 Velop is designed to expand the coverage area of wireless connectivity in large homes. MX5 Velop can act as a single router or can be added to already existing compatible network as a node. Up to 50 simultaneous devices can be connected and supported by this device. This means that laptops, mobile phones, televisions, smart home systems can all work simultaneously without any problem. Linksys MX5 Velop is designed to provide exceptional coverage, speed and capacity.
• Range: Linksys MX5 covers approx. 3000 sq. ft. area which includes outdoors. This device offers a blazingly high speed of 5.3Gbps at every corner of your house.
• BSS Technology: Linksys MX5 Velop has BSS technology through which it makes sure to minimize network congestion by avoiding the
• interferences.
• Wired Support: Linksys MX5 has four Gigabit ports which means the user can connect additional devices with wires for better speed.
• USB 3.0: This device has a USB port for optional storage devices. You can connect and share the files on the network easily through this feature. Users can also create a single central storage location for their network users.
• Tri-band Throughput: Linksys MX5 works on the most advanced Wi-Fi technology so far which is 802.11ax or commonly known as Wi-Fi 6. As this is a Tri-Band Wi-Fi Mesh system it has three bands to be used. With a 2.4GHz band, a user can get up to 1147 Mbps, with 5GHz band 2402Mbps and an additional band of 5Ghz band which gives up to 1733Mbps. This yields to the total throughput are 5.3Gbps. This is four times faster than any traditional router.
• The third band of 5GHz is there to facilitate the speeds between the router and satellite nodes. This dedicated connection doesn’t interfere with connected devices and helps to speed up the overall network speed.
• 4×4 MU-MIMO: For a better internet experience, increasing the throughput alone will not make such a great impact on the network, increasing the network’s capacity to handle multiple devices is also very important. With the 4×4 MU-MIMO technology, Linksys MX5 increases the network capacity.
• OFDMA support: In high-density situations, some routers fail to achieve efficiency, therefore next-generation OFDMA is used in this device to help increase efficiency to provide high speed to multiple devices at the same time.

• Network Security: Linksys MX5 Velop is equipped with WPA2 encryption and an SPI firewall for enhanced security.

• Smart Wi-Fi App: Linksys mobile app for iOS and Android devices help manage the network traffic, access and permissions more conveniently.

1. Built-in parent control services let you have full control of your network. User can restrict certain sites and specific contents, manage access time.
2. Guest networking is also available with different password.
3. User can also prioritize the devices for higher speeds.

Conclusion of Netgear vs Linksys Battle

It depends on the needs of the customer which router suits better to them but for us, Netgear vs Linksys both work quite efficiently on the latest edge cutting technologies and as far as the Wi-Fi speed is concerned. However, after looking precisely, it was a close call between NetGear Nighthawk AX12 and Linksys MX5 Velop.

If money is not a problem for you then you should go for NetGear AX11000 Nighthawk AX12 Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6 router. It is better in overall performance and size with more features and blazing high speed. Lastly please tell us what do you think about Netgear vs Linksys

• But if you have a really small budget. Then you can visit our under budget routers also.