Linksys WRT32X Gaming Router Review

This is a bit of a first for me here at The Outerhaven. I’ve reviewed hard drives, monitors, graphics cards and many other PC parts, but this is the first time I have had to write a review on a network router. Luckily for me, the Linksys WRT32X is a great router and very easy to talk about. How easy? Well, you can take a look at the video I did with the Global Product Manager of Linksys about the WRT32X in this video here. Otherwise, keep reading to see what I think of the router itself now that I’ve had a play with all its features.

Product Name: WRT32X Gaming Router
Manufacturer: Linksys
Price: US$299.99 | AU$449.95
Release Date: Available now

The first thing you need to know about the WRT32X is that this isn’t your standard run of the mill network router, this baby is a GAMING ROUTER, meaning it has been built from the ground up to be the best router available for gamers. This means that there is going to be a lot of techy goodness under the hood, so for the sake of all you tech heads out there, here are all the pretty numbers and tech speak you like to drool over so much:

• Wi-Fi Technology:
  Dual-band AC3200 MU-MIMO w/ MU-MIMO, DFS 
• Key Features:
  • 802.11a 
  • 802.11g 
  • 802.11n 
  • 802.11ac
• Wi-Fi Speed:
  AC3200 (N600 + AC2600) 
• Wi-Fi Bands:
  2.4 and 5 GHz (simultaneous dual-band) 
• Wi-Fi Range:
  Very Large Household 
• Number of Ethernet Ports:
  • 1x Gigabit WAN port 
  • 4x Gigabit LAN ports
• Other Ports:
  • One(1) USB 3.0 port 
  • One(1) Combo eSATA/USB 2.0 port 
  • Power
• Antennas:
  4x external, dual-band, detachable antennas 
• Processor:
  1.8 GHz dual-core 
• LEDs:
  Power, Internet, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, eSATA, USB1 (USB 2.0), USB2 (USB 3.0), LAN 1–4 (activity/10/100 Mbps), LAN 1–4 (1 Gbps), WPS 
• Wireless Encryption:
  WPA2 Personal 
• VPN Support:
  • PPTP 
  • IPSec pass‐through
• Storage File System Support:
  FAT, NTFS, and HFS+

So what does all this mean to the average Joe gamer? Well, it means that you will get the best speeds when using either wireless or wired connection with the WRT32X. The Wifi connection on the WRT32X is amazing, it uses all 4 basic known frequencies of Wifi so it’s compatible with a lot of different eras of devices so no matter how old your PC, laptop, tablet or whatever is; it’s supported here by the WRT32X. As for speed and distance, that’s where the two main bands come in. 5G Wifi is a shorter band (meaning it covers less area of the home) but it’s the fastest Wifi connection at the moment. The 2.4G connection is the base standard Wifi connection, which is able to cover a larger area of the home but delivers a slightly slower speed… not that most people will notice. The 4 antennas that come with the WRT32X are some of the best out there, pushing the area limits of your Wifi coverage for maximum enjoyment. For example, the standard router we got with our modem cannot get a signal more than halfway down my house; the WRT32X on the other hand, gives full house coverage and does not sacrifice speed to do so.

The reason why the WRT32X can do all this is not only the great parts in the hardware side of things but also the amazing software suite code-named “Venom” that can do all sorts of wonderful things to enhance your gaming experience. Want to do a speed test right from the router, bam! It’s done. Want to make sure your little brother can’t do anything more than browse websites while you’re in the middle of a heavy session of PUBG? Then just lower his PC’s priority in the router settings and bump yours up. Want to switch from your standard ISP DNS settings to something more freeing like the Google DNS? Just push one button and it’s done. Want to add a VPN? Drop in the setup file and it’s done automatically!

The added bonus of the WRT32X is that if you have Killer Networking App/Port in your motherboard (Meaning most Motherboards by places like MSI in the last 3 years) you’ll get a nice automatic priority and a boost to your gaming. Using the Killer Networking feature, the WRT32X will make sure that you get all the bandwidth you need to keep those ping times nice and low so even on the most annoying international servers, you’ll be ahead of the game. This is all thanks to the integration of the Killer Networking’s bandwidth priority feature, which assigns a number value to your programs as they are running on your computer, meaning you’ll have slower download speeds on those “legal” downloads while the WRT32X keeps you gaming at top speeds.

To be honest, there isn’t much else I can say about the WRT32X. It’s a great router that makes sure that gaming comes first and foremost in your home. The Wifi range is well above what it should be since unless you’re a tablet gamer, you wouldn’t be using Wifi anyway. Using a wired connection at home myself, I noticed instantly the changes in how low my ping is in games like World of Warcraft and even PUBG… I could play on American servers with a ping of less than 250ms!

That’s an amazing thing coming from an Australian. Hell, I didn’t even know what Killer Networking could do till I installed it to work with the WRT32X and man it does make a huge difference. All that’s left to say is that if you want that top tier performance out of your internet connection in a household that has some gamers and a bunch of other normal pleebs, then get the WRT32X and make sure your gaming is A top priority in your home.