Linksys AC1200 Amplify RE6700 Wi-Fi Range Extender Review

TweakTown's Rating: 86%

The Bottom Line

Linksys' RE6700 is a multipurpose Wi-Fi range extending solution fit for users that want performance, along with an easy to setup platform.

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Wireless range extenders are solutions that enable us to extend our wireless networks to new lengths. With that said, we have seen a number of extenders come through, but none to this date have used such a unique design as the latest from Linksys.

The Linksys RE6700 is a dual-band range extender featuring 300 Mbps peak operation on the 2.4GHz band and 866 Mbps on the 5GHz. Additional features include SpotFinder technology which aides during setup in finding the best possible location for users to extend their network. Wi-Fi Audio is something we have seen in the past on many other solutions and that too has been included on the latest from Linksys. Marketing information from Linksys says the RE6700 is capable of extending you wireless coverage by up to 10,000 sq. ft. and can work with any router.

MSRP of the Linksys RE6700 is listed at $119.99 with a one-year warranty.

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Packaging for the RE6700 includes an image and marketing information on the front.

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Scope of delivery is rather simple with just the extender and reading materials.

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The front of the extender houses a secondary power receptacle, along with a LED along the bottom for status.

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The side of the adapter houses each of the extenders antennas. On the housing, you will find the WPS and reset buttons.

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Initial setup of the RE6700 is quite simple, after plugging into the unit, you will be greeted by several screens before the one above is presented. This is the SpotFinder setup allowing you to see whether your extender placement is allowing you the full extension of your network.

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A few menus after the previous, you will land here where your range extender is setup and ready to go.

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Testing for the RE6700 was done with a 2013 MacBook Pro approximately fifty feet away from the base router, the range extender as seen in previous images was placed at an optimal position to extend our network the furthest. In the image above, we are looking at the performance data from the 2.4GHz network. The first section is our base station router where we have a rate just over 200 Mbps, but with a pretty low signal rate. The RE6700 cuts in about half way through the chart and while our rate drops to 150 Mbps, we gained a good amount of signal quality.

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Next, we have the same base configuration, but now switching over to the 5GHz network. The first part is our base station router and as you can see once we are out a good distance our data rate is very near 0 and the same for quality. After switching over to the RE6700, our data rate jumped to 200 Mbps with quality and signal rate moving up significantly.

The RE6700 is the first range extender I have seen that includes a great many of features, along with its standard capabilities as a wireless device. This solution along with its range extending abilities to still use the receptacle along with being a Wi-Fi audio receiver where you can plug in any 3.5mm jack right into the device.

Build quality of the Linksys RE6700 is superb, we found no issues when using the unit with full rotation of the antennas and plastics that fit well and look good at the same time.

Performance of the extender was quite good, and while we could have hoped for more performance, at the distance we tested, the RE6700 results are more than acceptable. With help from SpotFinder, we were able to place our extender in a solid location that enabled us to extend our wireless network to places we previously struggled to get any sort of reception. Peak 2.4GHz results were around 150 Mbps, while 5GHz touched near 200 Mbps again nearly 25 feet away.

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