Pre-Orders Start For Linksys Tri-Band Range Extender

[Julio Urquidi]

Linksys today announced its RE9000 Max-Stream Tri-Band AC3000 Wi-Fi Range Extender. It takes direct aim at NETGEAR’s EX8000 Nighthawk X6S extender announced this past August, priced at $169.99, $60 lower than the EX8000's $229.99.

Both products contain three radios, one 2x2 2.4 GHz, one 2x2 5 GHz low band and one 4x4 5 GHz high band. The extra radio enables the option of a dedicated backhaul connection when used with "tri-band" routers. This maximizes bandwidth available to devices by not sharing the same radio for backhaul and client connection.

RE9000 features include:

• Integrated four-port gigabit Ethernet switch for wireless-to-Ethernet bridging
• Three radios supporting maximum link rates of 400 Mbps (2x2 2.4 GHz), 867 Mbps (2x2 5 GHz low band) and 1733 Mbps (4x4 5 GHz high band)
• MU-MIMO and beamforming support on both 5 GHz radios
• 802.11 r/k support for faster roaming and band steering for optimizing client connection speed
• Access Point mode
• Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) for quick, secure device connection and easy setup
• Linksys’ Spot Finder helps determine the optimal location to install an RE9000 between the extender and the router.
• Automatic and manual firmware update options let customers decide how they want to keep the RE9000 updated.

The Linksys RE9000 Max-Stream tri-band Wi-Fi range extender is available for pre-order now at $169.99 MSRP. Ordered RE9000s ship on November 23rd, 2017.

 

[VisionxOrb]

Does anyone know what radios this is based on?

First question answered. MediaTek
https://wikidevi.com/wiki/Linksys_RE9000

And does the 802.11 r/k on work with in the unit itself for band steering or between units If you had 2 or more of these?

 

[thiggins]

802.11r must be supported on devices and APs to work.
802.11k provides Neighbor Reports that contain information about neighboring access points to devices. It allows the device to have a better understanding of its surroundings.

What a device does with that information is in the device's control.

In other words, 11r and k don't coordinate transition activity among APs. They help clients that support the standards make decisions about the target AP to roam to and speed the authentication process.