Linksys MR7350 Wireless Router Review

After having the opportunity to look at the MR9600 and the MX4200 Mesh platform, we switch gears with Linksys to the entry-level MR7350. The MR7350 is a dual-band platform, AX1800 class solution that lives just behind the MR9600 and offers a low-cost entry into Wi-Fi 6.

While we don't know for sure, I assume hardware for the MR7350 is likely similar to the E7350, and that would give us a MediaTek platform. However, going further off suspicions and the information we have, the 1.2GHz four-core CPU is more likely the Qualcomm IPQ6000 paired with 128M of flash and 256/512 MB DDR3. Radios are also likely to be in the Qualcomm family, QCN5022 for the 2.4GHz and QCN 5052 for 5GHz. If this is the case, throughput options will lead to 574Mbps available on 2.4GHz and 1201Mbps on 5GHz.

Wired ports include 4x gigabit LAN and a single gigabit WAN along with USB 3.0 for storage.

MSRP of the Linksys MR7350 comes in at $149.99 with a one-year warranty.

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Box art sticks with the Linksys theme, a gray and blue colorway. You will find an image of the router to the right side and specifications on the left.

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Accessories include the power adapter, ethernet cable, and setup guide.

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The MR7350 is a horizontal platform with two built-in antennas. The top is a complete mesh for heat dissipation, while the front offers subtle LEDs and branding.

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The rear I/O includes 5x RJ45 ports, all numbered. We have a single USB 3.0 for storage, and WPS/Reset buttons on the far right.

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The MR7350 does include options for wall mounting on the base of the router.

Router Setup

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Setup can use the Smart Wi-Fi app or the WebGUI. I am partial to the web utility because it offers more options.

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Once you finish setup, the Linksys platform will give you an overview of the system; internet at the top followed by Wi-Fi settings and connected clients.

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Running through the sidebar menu, we have the client list first. From here, you can add devices or remove them from your network.

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Parental controls allow you to choose devices and black specific websites or schedule internet access timers.

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Device Prioritization is done by running a speed test on the router and then choosing devices you want to prioritize from the list at the bottom.

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The connectivity menu allows you to configure basic settings along with advanced routing options. Additionally, you can update the firmware or factory reset the router.

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Wireless settings haven't changed much; you have both bands and related options all on the single screen.

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Security gives you options for the built-in firewall along with port forwarding for gaming.

Router Testing and Final Thoughts

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Getting into testing, the MR7350 shows just under 100Mbps for 2.4GHz throughput.

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5GHz bumps it up a bit to 700Mbps real-world.

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Looking at LAN, we have a typical 949Mbps for wired connections with wireless showing just below 300Mbps.

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Mobile throughput with our iPhone 12 Pro showed 75MBps in 2.4GHz testing at 30ft.

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Switching bands over to 5GHz, we see 310Mbps on our iPhone.

I was able to get about a week with the MR7350 in my network. I didn't have any issues with signal dropouts or the router's stability but did get a decent amount of buffering when watching things like YouTube, Netflix, and Hulu on multiple devices. That said, I do think it's to be expected with an entry-level product, and the MR7350 lives in that lane.

Build quality is robust, plastics feel good, and there is plenty of ventilation for the internal hardware. The 4x LAN ports should be plenty for most; all gigabit gives ample speed for network storage. The router's performance was mediocre, 2.4GHz throughput was quite low in testing, but 5GHz showed certain promise pushing up to 700Mbps in our real-world setup. All of the wired ports performed as expected, reaching 949Mbps LAN to LAN.

The firmware platform is mostly unchanged so that it will be a breeze for anyone familiar with past Linksys platforms like the MR9600 or any of the WiFi5 platforms from the last few years.

TweakTown Router Testing Platform

• System: XPG Xenia Xe