ARTEMIS High Power AC1300 Wi-Fi Router with MU-MIMO review: Affordable Wi-Fi coverage

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We’ve been fortunate here at Techaeris to be reviewing quite a few wireless routers and extenders lately (with plenty more to come). I was suitably impressed with the Amped Wireless TITAN-EX High Power AC1900 Wi-Fi range extender, and now it’s time to see how their ARTEMIS High Power AC1300 Wi-Fi Router with MU-MIMO stacks up in our latest review.

Specifications

The Amped Wireless ARTEMIS High Power AC1300 Wi-Fi Router with MU-MIMO includes the following specifications and features:

  • Wireless Standard: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
  • Frequency Band: 2.4GHz/5GHz Simultaneous
  • Wireless Speed:
    • 2.4GHz: 399Mbps (Rx), 399Mbps (Tx)
    • 5GHz: 866Mbps (Rx), 866Mbps (Tx)
  • Amplifiers:
    • 2 x 2.4GHz Amplifiers
    • 2 x 5GHz Amplifiers
    • 4 x Low Noise Amplifiers
  • Processor: Quad-Core ARM Processor
  • Memory: 128MB DDR3
  • Wireless Coverage Control: 15% – 100% Output Power (Adjustable individually for 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks)
  • Antennas: 2 x Detachable High Gain 5dBi Dual Band Antennas
  • Ports:
    • 1 x RJ-45 10/100/1000M WAN Port (Modem Port)
    • 4 x RJ-45 10/100/1000M LAN Ports (Local Ports)
    • 1 x USB 3.0 Port for USB Storage
  • Power Adapter Rating: Switching Adapter (Input: 100-240v, Output: 12v, 3A)
  • Mounting: Wall or Desktop
  • Warranty: 1 Year
  • Setup Requirements:
    • Broadband Internet modem with Ethernet Port
    • Computer with wired or wireless network adapter
  • Extreme Wi-Fi Range: High Power Wi-Fi for whole home or whole office coverage
  • Multi-User MIMO: Deliver data to multiple devices at once for a boost in performance and speed
  • Advanced Security Features: Adjust the coverage of your network, block websites and utilize SPI Firewall
  • Guest Networks & User Access: Create up to 8 networks for guests and restrict access to specific users
  • Ultimate Gaming, HD & 4K: Seamlessly stream HD and 4K content to multiple devices and eliminate gaming lag
  • Bandwidth Optimization: Prioritize bandwidth for specific applications, networks and devices on your network
  • Share Files with USB: Attach a USB drive and instantly share files at blazing-fast speeds, locally or remotely

What’s in the box

  • ARTEMIS High Power AC1300 Wi-Fi Router with MU-MIMO
  • 2 x Detachable High Gain Dual Band Antennas
  • Power Adapter (100-240v)
  • RJ-45 Ethernet Cable
  • Detachable Stand
  • Setup Guide
ARTEMIS-High-Power-AC1300-Wi-Fi-Router-Review-01
What’s in the box…

Design

As far as wireless routers go, the ARTEMIS High Power AC1300 Wi-Fi Router is pretty simple in design. Featuring a pretty slim rectangular black design with rounded corners, the router also has a “slot” running around the middle of the sides and front. You can use this slot to attach the included stand to one of the sides if you wish to use the router in vertical format, great for saving space and tucking it away in a corner somewhere.

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ARTEMIS High Power AC1300 Wi-Fi Router front view.

The front of the router houses the LED indicators — which can be turned on or off — which include (from left to right when used horizontally) a USB connection indicator, internet connection, 2.4GHz wireless activity, 5.0GHz wireless activity, and a power/WPS indicator. The power light of course remains on when the unit is powered up, and will blink when Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) is activated, while the other LED indicators indicate wireless and internet activity, and in the case of the USB connection indicator will light when a USB storage device is connected.

The back of the router is where you’ll find your ports and various buttons. From left to right these include the antenna connectors (one on each end), LED on/off switch to turn LED indicators on or off, WPS button, reset button, USB 3.0 port, 4 gigabit wired ports, power button, and finally the power adapter port.

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ARTEMIS High Power AC1300 Wi-Fi Router back view.

The top and bottom of the router feature a perforated grille on the right third (or top when used in vertical mode) of the device with the Amped Wireless logo stamped on the lower left hand side. The external antennas are black as well, matching the design of the router.

My only complaint about the design is that this is a very light router, almost to the point of feeling cheap. Overall however, the ARTEMIS High Power AC1300 Wi-Fi Router is pretty low-key when it comes to design, which is what a lot of people want in a router anyways.

Ease of Use

Setup was about as simple as you can get with routers these days. Simply attach the antennas to the router, then plug into your modem using the included ethernet cable, and finally plug it in. Once it’s powered up, you can connect an ethernet cable directly from the router to a computer or connect to the 2.4GHz or 5GHz wireless network to continue setup through a web interface.

The web interface walks you through a Setup Wizard that connects to the internet and then allows you to set up your 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz networks. After you’ve done that, you will be asked to set a password for the router itself after which it will reboot and finally display a summary page with your network names and passwords that you had just set up and you should be good to go.

The one thing that would have been nice during the initial Setup Wizard is the ability to change the default IP address, although that can be changed later in the web interface.

Software

Much like the TITAN-EX wireless range extender, the web interface allows you to easily configure a number of options. Your typical network settings, including LAN and WAN can be adjusted, as well as the IP address of the router and DHCP settings. The router can also be set to Bridge Mode which allows the router to act as a connection between an existing Wi-Fi network to allow wired devices to connect to the other wireless network. Advanced settings also allow you to enable or disable everything from uPnP to remote management and VPN connections.

As far as your wireless networks go, you can adjust a wide range of your 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless settings, including disabling either entirely, selecting a different band for your network, disabling the broadcasting of your SSID, renaming your 5GHz network, changing channel number, prioritizing multimedia data, showing active users, enable or disable MU-MIMO, change security settings, set encryption type, changing your password, and configuring guest networks.

Advance settings that you can change include various items that most people will leave alone, but for those super tech savvy individuals that like to tinker more, the router also allows you to set your fragment and RTS thresholds, beacon intervals, and enable Space Time Block Coding (STBC). Users can also configure airtime allocation by network or by device, giving priority to certain devices. Wireless coverage strength can also be adjusted for either network individually to between 15-100%, and is useful for reducing the coverage area to assist with limiting access. Finally, you can set your access schedule and WPS access.

On the security side of things, you can add websites to block (useful if you have children), allow or deny access to specific devices through MAC filtering, and control IP address filtering. You can also set up port filtering, port forwarding, enable a DMZ, and even enable DDOS protection.

Finally, you can set up the USB storage and share it locally, allowing devices on your network or via FTP to access files on a shared USB key or USB drive.

In addition to all the settings you can access and modify, the web interface also has your typical management tab which allows you to view the activity on your network, upgrade your firmware, change your password, set up dynamic DNS, and save or reload settings from a file.

As you can see, there is no shortage of settings you can access and modify, and as a home/gaming user there wasn’t a setting that I needed that was missing from the list of available options.

Performance

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The included stand is a great addition for utilizing the router in vertical mode.

One of the biggest issues with wireless routers can be how well they cover your house. Inevitably you’ll end up with a few dead or weak spots the further you get away from your router. I was a bit concerned that I would get ample speeds with the AC1300 considering my usual router is of the AC1750 variety and basement signals are around 50% at best. After I had the router configured and set up, I started to head to various areas around the house and found that I had better coverage than I did with my AC1750 router, including down in the basement presumably due to the output power on the router.

While I didn’t have a full signal in the basement — my router is typically set up on the second floor of my house — the signal was at or above 50% and comparable to the AC1750 router I use. I could connect to the 5GHz network as well, although the signal was weaker (as expected). While on the second or main floor, I was able to keep a consistent 5GHz connection. I also had no issue with connecting while outside with the router set to 100% output.

With the number of devices that can be connected at one time in my house — sometimes 2 tablets, a couple smartphones, and a laptop connected wirelessly — and speeds remained consistent regardless of the number of devices connected due to the MU-MIMO technology used by the router.

Price/Value

Priced at $129.99USD, at first glance consumers may opt for an AC1900 router for a few dollars more. One thing to keep in mind is quite a few of the AC1900 routers around this same price point don’t have the MU-MIMO technology. That said, the Artemis High Power AC1300 Wi-Fi Router is a decent value for the price considering it includes 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands as well as the MU-MIMO feature.

Wrap-up

It was a no brainer in awarding the ARTEMIS High Power AC1300 Wi-Fi Router with our Top Pick award based on performance, ease of use, and price. If you’re looking for an affordable home wireless router with dual band technology that can handle multiple users with ease, you should definitely look at this wireless router from Amped Wireless.

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*We were sent a review sample of the Amped Wireless Artemis High Power AC1300 Wi-Fi Router for the purposes of this review.
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