Not too long ago, Amped Wireless released the Athena router, which looked like the first in what would be a series of flagship networking devices. The Athena stood alone since its release, but at CES 2016, Amped Wireless unveiled the Athena-R2 and the Athena-EX.
The Athena-R2 appears to be the successor to the first Athena router. It is a MU-MIMO device capable of providing coverage to multiple devices simultaneously at AC2600 speeds. The improved coverage due to MU-MIMO technology is vital nowadays, especially when multiple devices are using data-intensive applications. The Athena-R2 includes a USB 2.0 and 3.0 port for high speed local file sharing and four wired Gigabit ports to attach wired devices.
Amped Wireless boasts that its Athena-EX is the first High Powered AC2600 Wi-Fi Range Extender to come to market. The Athena-EX will feature four high gain antennas and 16 high power amplifiers, which will eliminate dead spots and provide up to 15,000 square feet of extended Wi-Fi. The Athena-EX also has the distinction of being the first MU-MIMO enabled range extender, which will extend the benefits of MU-MIMO technology across the aforementioned 15,000 square feet of coverage. Just like the Athena-R2, the Athena-EX features two USB ports for file sharing. The Athena-EX also includes five Gigabit ports for wired bridging.
Amped Wireless' Athena-R2 High Power AC2600 Wi-Fi Router and Athena-EX AC2600 Wi-Fi Range Extender will be available at the end of Q1 this year, priced at $239.99 and $219.99 respectively.
Alexander Quejado is an Associate Contributing Writer for Tom’s Hardware and Tom’s IT Pro. Follow Alexander Quejado on Twitter. Follow us on Facebook, Google+, RSS, Twitter and YouTube.
