Linksys Partners With Killer Networking For Deadly WRT32X Wi-Fi Gaming Router
Linksys has partnered with Rivet Networks, the company behind Killer Networking products, to incorporate the latter's Killer Prioritization Engine into the former's new WRT32X gaming edition router. It is the first router that is purpose built for gamers with Killer-enabled gaming PCs. The pitch is that the WRT32X will deliver the smoothest gaming experience through intelligent optimization of network traffic.
"We looked at the router options available to gamers in the market and realized that 'gaming' routers were just standard routers with flashy industrial design or packaging provided as 'gamer bait', but offered no real technical substance or innovation," said Vince La Duca, Linksys WRT series product manager. "We knew we already had the best and top of the line hardware for gaming on the market with the WRT series; we just needed the right solution to give gamers the competitive advantage in regards to network optimization, That’s when we started talking with Rivet Networks, makers of Killer networking products."
What Linksys and Rivet Networks have done is come up with an advanced QoS scheme for PCs with Killer hardware. In doing so, Linksys says its WRT32X delivers fast and smooth gaming performance even when the home network is under contention. Likewise, it also ensures that game patches and downloads will not cripple non-Killer devices on the home network.
Most high-end routers already do a good job of handling and prioritizing traffic through QoS controls. The questions is, will this one do better? We can't answer that until we have a chance to test it for ourselves, though beyond the QoS scheme this is still a performance orient wireless router.
The WRT32X is a dual-band AC3200 router with up to 2,600Mbps available on the 5GHz band and up to 600Mbps available on the 2.4GHz band. You can't combine the two bands for a single, super fast 3,200Mbps connection, but taking the aggregate bandwidth is how all router makers advertise their models these days, hence the AC3200 rating (600+2,600).
Linksys outfitted the WRT32X with a 1.8GHz dual-core ARM processor, 256MB of flash memory, and 512MB of DDR3 RAM. Users can flash the router with open-source firmware if they don't want to use custom ones that Linksys provides. Other features include four high-performance antennas, a built-in 4-port switch, MU-MIMO technology, and robust connectivity options consisting of eSATA, USB 3.0, and USB 2.0 (one each).
The Linksys WRT32X will be available in spring for $300 MSRP.
"We looked at the router options available to gamers in the market and realized that 'gaming' routers were just standard routers with flashy industrial design or packaging provided as 'gamer bait', but offered no real technical substance or innovation," said Vince La Duca, Linksys WRT series product manager. "We knew we already had the best and top of the line hardware for gaming on the market with the WRT series; we just needed the right solution to give gamers the competitive advantage in regards to network optimization, That’s when we started talking with Rivet Networks, makers of Killer networking products."
The WRT32X is a dual-band AC3200 router with up to 2,600Mbps available on the 5GHz band and up to 600Mbps available on the 2.4GHz band. You can't combine the two bands for a single, super fast 3,200Mbps connection, but taking the aggregate bandwidth is how all router makers advertise their models these days, hence the AC3200 rating (600+2,600).
Linksys outfitted the WRT32X with a 1.8GHz dual-core ARM processor, 256MB of flash memory, and 512MB of DDR3 RAM. Users can flash the router with open-source firmware if they don't want to use custom ones that Linksys provides. Other features include four high-performance antennas, a built-in 4-port switch, MU-MIMO technology, and robust connectivity options consisting of eSATA, USB 3.0, and USB 2.0 (one each).
The Linksys WRT32X will be available in spring for $300 MSRP.
