Linksys MR8300 Tri-Band Gaming Mesh Wi-Fi Router Hands-On

Written by Vaughn ChuaPublished • August 23, 2019

Linksys has unveiled its newest gaming mesh Wi-Fi router, the Linksys MR8300, in the Philippines, sporting the Tri-Band technology. Today, I’ll be taking a look at this device and see what it has to offer. Let’s begin!

Linksys is a company that produces quality network-related devices such as Mesh Wi-Fi, modems, modem routers, smart home automation, Wi-Fi extenders, and many more. Of all of the products mentioned earlier, wireless modems are one of the most common devices that consumers purchase. The one that we have, the Linksys MR8300, targets users who are into gaming and a multi-user environment.

Right off the bat, the device has a grille-like design while there is a glossy rectangular shape at the middle with an embedded Linksys logo there. If you turn the router on, you will see that there is a LED indicator, lighting up into different colors depending on the following status:

Blue (blinking) – This means that the router is starting up.
Purple – If your MR8300 is new, this color means that it is ready for setup.
Purple (blinking) – This means that the setup is in progress.
Blue – When you are successfully connected to the internet, this color will light up.
Red – This color indicates that there is no internet connection at the moment.
Red (blinking) – The blinking state means that it is not plugged into the modem.
Yellow – If the connection is currently weak, the indicator will light up with this color.

Looking around, you’ll see that there are four adjustable antennas with two on both the left and the right sides. The MR8300 comes with six High Power amplifiers, Triple Band setup featuring the AC2200 MU-MIMO technology, 512MB of RAM, and 256GB of flash memory.

At the back, you’ll see the Reset button, USB 3.0 port, four Gigabit Ethernet ports, a Gigabit WAN port, charging port, and the power switch. It’s quite nice to see this kind of vertical switch design again in a router given that I usually see either buttons or horizontal switches. Flip the router upside down, and you’ll see the Wi-Fi’s ID and password that you can access when you turn it on.

Inside the package are an Ethernet cable, power cord, and three adapters. Linksys is very thoughtful that they gave three different adapters, which are useful if you are in a country with a different power socket.

Setting up the router is done by downloading the Linksys app in either the Apple or Google Play Store.

Opening the app shows that you must register first before getting started in installing your router or Velop system. After registering, log in your account, and you will be given two choices — add an existing router or set up a new router. From here, your router must already be turned on and should be in the purple color state already. Pressing on the second option should direct you into setting up a new product. Choose the MR8300 router, and it should set up immediately.

After setting up, you can now check your dashboard where you can see how many devices are already connected or if you still have an internet connection. You can also manage parental controls, see the specific devices that are connected, edit your router information, and set the device prioritization.

The Linksys MR8300 is paired with a Velop Wi-Fi Mesh system where it can achieve the following functions:

Self Organise – Both the router and the Velop nodes work together to cover floor plans and WiFi footprints.
Self-Optimize – WiFi bands and channels adjust based on your WiFi habits
Self-Healing – Whenever a Velop node loses power or connection, the remaining nodes will re-establish the connection with each other once they detect it again.
One Network – It supports one network name and password, admin login, and interface for better centralization of monitoring devices and connections.

The Linksys MR8300 is priced at PHP 10,995. What’s good here is that it also has 6-months of a premium membership in WTFast — a private gaming network dedicated to helping reduce latency when playing online games. It is available at the local retailers such as:

Datablitz
Octagon
Microvalley
Silicon Valley
Thinking Tools
Villman
Lazada

Since this router is newly launched in the country, for every purchase of the MR8300, customers will get Free Belkin premium items and Linksys Gift Card worth PHP 8,700. This promo starts on August 22, 2019, and will end on September 30, 2019, or while the stocks last.