Phicomm K3C AC1900 Dual-Band MU-MIMO Gigabit Router - Review 2022

If you're looking for a router that doesn't look like every other model, cheque out the Phicomm K3C ($139.99). Stylishly designed and equipped with Intel'southward WAV500 circuitry, the K3C is an AC1900 router that supports the latest 802.11ac technologies, including Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) data streaming and beamforming. It delivered good (but not nifty) throughput in our testing, is easy to install, and has a user-friendly management interface, only its parental controls and QoS settings could use some piece of work.

Not Your Typical Looking Router

Designed by Denmark-based Jacob Jensen Design Studio, the K3C is a sleek-looking router that stands ix inches tall and is 3 inches wide and 8.2 inches deep. The enclosure comes in a choice of colors: Classic Greyness, Milky way Silver, and Champagne Aureate and is designed to stand vertically and be placed out in the open. There are no LED lights on the face up of the router, merely there is a small LED at the very bottom that is solid blue when everything is working fine and blinks bluish when the cyberspace connection is lost. A blinking xanthous light indicates a bad WAN or Wi-Fi connection, and the LED blinks cerise when the reset push has been pressed. Around back are three gigabit LAN ports rather than the usual four, a WAN port, a USB 3.0 port, a power switch, and a reset button.

The K3C is a 3x3 AC1900 router that can reach speeds of upwardly to 600Mbps on the two.4GHz band and 1300Mbps on the 5GHz band. It has six internal antennas and is powered by Intel's WAV500 Serial chipset, which supports the latest 802.11ac wireless technologies including MU-MIMO, which sends data to compatible clients simultaneously rather than sequentially, and beamforming, which targets clients directly rather than transmitting data over a wide spectrum.

The web-based management panel is easy to use and offers enough of settings. It opens to a network map that shows all connected clients and their statistics such as how long they've been continued, their connection type, and their current upload and download action.

The Devices screen offers the same information, merely hither you tin can limit upload and download capacities and cake each client from accessing the router. Wireless settings let you edit SSID and passwords, change channel width, and enable/disable MU-MIMO and beamforming. Advanced settings are arranged in a Windows-similar tile format and include Parental Controls, QoS prioritization, and VPN server, client, Invitee Wi-Fi, and Port Forwarding settings.

The K3C offers limited parental controls. You can block a client from accessing the internet during certain hours and days, but there are no site-blocking tools or content filters. As well, the router's QoS settings are limited to assigning priority to an awarding (web surfing, gaming, media streaming), but you can't assign a high priority to a specific client like you tin with the Asus RT-AC1900P. The Wellness Check utility offers a quick and like shooting fish in a barrel way to see how strong your passwords are and if your firmware is up to engagement.

Easy Installation, Middling Functioning

Installing the K3C is fairly like shooting fish in a barrel. I connected information technology to my desktop PC and to my cable modem and it automatically opened a browser window with the Phicomm welcome screen. I clicked Kickoff Setup and followed the instructions to create a login countersign, select a time zone, and select an net connection type (DHCP, PPPoE, Static, PPTP, and L2TP). I then created passwords for both Wi-Fi bands. Y'all also take the option of using a single SSID for both bands if you lot want the router to automatically choose a band for optimal functioning. The unabridged process takes less than five minutes.

Although the K3C turned in decent scores on our throughput tests, it's not what you'd call a stellar performer. Information technology'southward score of 80Mbps on our two.4GHz close-proximity (same room) test was significantly slower than the D-Link DIR-878 and trailed the Asus RT-AC1900P past more than than 20 points. It besides lagged our current Editors' Choice for midrange and budget routers, the D-Link DIR-885L/R and the TP-Link Archer C7 v2. Its score of 55Mbps on the 30-pes test too trailed the pack.

Results were like on our 5GHz tests. The K3C's score of 375Mbps came in right behind the D-Link DIR-878, simply couldn't come close to the Asus RT-AC1900P, the D-Link DIR-885L/R, and the TP-Link Archer C7 v2 scores. It's score of 137Mbps was also at the bottom of the pack.

The K3C fared a little better on our MU-MIMO throughput tests, in which nosotros use three identical Acer Aspire R13 laptops equipped with Qualcomm's QCA61x4A MU-MIMO circuitry to meet how the router handles simultaneous data streaming. It garnered 193Mbps on the close-proximity test, beating both the D-Link DIR-878 and the Linksys EA7500 while staying shut to the more expensive D-Link DIR-885L/R and Trendnet TEW-827DRU routers. Its score of 110Mbps on the 30-foot examination was also higher than the D-Link DIR-878 and the Linksys EA7500, but non quite every bit fast equally the D-Link DIR-885L/R and the Trendnet TEW-827DRU.

To test file-transfer performance we motion a 1.5GB folder containing a mixture of photo, music, video, and document files to and from a portable drive connected to the router'southward USB 3.0 port. The K3C garnered a read speed of 32.6MBps, which is on par with the Asus RT-AC1900P (35.1MBps) and a bit faster than the TP-Link Archer C7 v2 (27.5MBps), but well off the marking set by our leader, the Netgear NightHawk X10 R9000 (89.1MBps). The K3C'southward write speed of 25.6MBps trailed the Asus RT-AC1900P (34.2MBps) and the TP-Link Archer C7 v2 (27.3MBps), and was significantly slower than the Netgear X10 R9000 (77.1MBps).

Fashionable, Otherwise Average

The Phicomm K3C AC1900 Dual-Ring MU-MIMO Gigabit Router may non exist the fastest router effectually, just information technology does provide respectable throughput at a reasonable cost and looks good doing it. Powered by Intel'southward WAV500 chipset, it offers MU-MIMO data streaming and beamforming applied science, and its management console makes information technology easy to configure wireless and internet settings and go along tabs on the router's health. That said, a few more parental command and Quality of Service options would be nice.

If you require faster throughput and more parental control and QoS options, our Editors' Choice for midrange routers, the D-Link AC3150 Ultra Wi-Fi Router (DIR-885L/R) is your best bet, just be prepared to spend nigh $140 more. If money is tight, our Editors' Choice for upkeep routers, the TP-Link Archer C7 (V2), offers better 2.4GHz and 5GHz functioning than the Phicomm K3C for less than $100, but it doesn't support MU-MIMO streaming.

Source: https://sea.pcmag.com/review/19084/phicomm-k3c-ac1900-dual-band-mu-mimo-gigabit-router

Posted by: durhamdocketook.blogspot.com

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