Cisco-Linksys WRT610N Simultaneous Dual-N Band Wireless Router
by Linksys
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List Price: Our Price: $109.98 You Save: $90.01 (45%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $49.99 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Cisco-Linksys WRT610N Simultaneous Dual-N Band Wireless Router
Customer Review: Linksys WRT610N Simultaneous Dual-N Band Wireless Router
Summary: 4 Stars
This product is great. It delivers strong 802.11 N simultaneous dual band signal as promised. I got it after I was tired of my 2.4 ghz netgear router was giving me a spotty signal. If you watch a lot of HD content or play online video games, the 5 ghz signal works great. I have had Linksys WRT610N for about a month and I have lost the signal once, but I think it was a problem with my network adapter so I just had to reset it. The Linksys Easylink advisor maps out your computer network and can show you if an unknown device if trying to gain acess, but the WPA / WPA2 security works great. I have also use the USB server capablity for sharing information wirelesly. The Router asthetics is very slim line and sexy. For adding other computers later on to the network, there is a button you can easily press which will look for other devices on the network which is located on the router. If you are a techy entertainment user and need a great dual band connection or a moderate computer user looking for a router that will last as the wireless technology market changes, this is a great product. It is a little pricey for some, but it is worth it once you start using it.
The down side is that you have to install the firmware because it does not come preinstalled with the router hardware when it is shipped to you. It is simple enough; connect an ethernet cable to the computer and to the Linksys WRT610N and run the software on the CD. Once firmware is updated you can disconect the router and place anywhere in the house and get great internet connection via a wireless network adapter. I was confused at first also because I ran the CD and hooked up the Linksys WRT610N wirelesly but got no signal, but the firmware has to be setup for the router via Cat 5 cable. All those out there complaining about getting no signal, suck at computer wireless networking because I was able to figure it out even though I know little about computers. Its all right if you are still help, check out [...]download for technical help and future firmware updates. But the instructional manual should be able to suffice.
Customer Review: Good router .... once you make it work
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought this to replace an Apple Extreme to expand the range of my network and be able to leverage the dual band since I have 10+ devices between tivos, macs, pcs, etc. The router was on the second floor but we also have devices in the basement and those were receiving poor signal. Also, accessing online video on the Tivos was not working properly and service interrupted constantly.
After I installed the Linksys router, with a relatively easy software application, I was ready to go. The first days/week were really impossible and frustrating, having to reset my modems and routers at least once a day. I was ready to return this product given continuous drops on both 5 Ghz and 2.4 Ghz. I even had an Return Authorization. But since it was a pain to configure all the devices to the new networks and passwords (mix of Tivo's, Macs and PCs) I gave it another try.
You need to make sure you upgrade the software. Make sure that you do it with a computer directly connected with an ethernet cable to the router. When I first tried it from another one that was wirelessly connected, the installation did not complete. I called customer service and they wanted to charge $9.99 to help me with the resetting. This was completely unacceptable. I decided to try again with the computer and an ethernet cable and worked. Since then, the connections have not dropped. However, my Tivo's were unable to connect because it really requires a signal of at least 70-80% strength. I decided to use the NETGEAR power line extender and now I can do video streaming without any interruption and excellent quality. Those same Tivo's were able to connect with the Apple Extreme but were not able to get a steady signal for online streaming.
It also helps setting the 5 Ghz and 2.4 Ghz bands to the right setting depending on your devices (e.g., N only, or G only works better than mixed N/G/B)
So if you're looking for a reliable double band, it works well, but if you're looking for a large range, you may need to complement your network with extenders.
Customer Review: Only lasted 11 months
Summary: 2 Stars
I've been using this wireless router for about eleven months, but for the past two months it's been very unreliable.
When it runs, it does pretty well. Its range is much better than the wireless-G LinkSys router it replaced. With this router sitting on top of my desktop PC in a room on the second floor of our house, the signal picked up in the basement two floors away is usually 70%-80% strength. I don't have anything with a 5GHz adapter, so I can only comment on my experiences with the 2.4GHz freq radio.
This WRT610N would run fine for weeks at a time, and then for no reason, it would drop signal, (confirmed by none of the other three PCs in the house could detect its signal). Most times it would recover when I pulled out its power cord and let it reset itself, but sometimes it would not recover wireless capability for hours or days once it went dead. (The PC this router is sitting on is hard-wired to it, so I always had at least one PC using its Gigabit connectivity to my cable modem to the outside world). I experimented with other brand firmware, and also experimented with cooling it with a fan to see if this was heat-related, but I was never able to conclude what was causing the random signal drops. LinkSys tech support was not helpful, and the LinkSys web site forums only had postings from others with the same problem with this unit.
I was talking with my neighbor (who lives a few houses away) last week, and asked him about this router. He writes reviews professionally for data communications publications, (aka "he's a lot brighter than I am with wireless routers"). He told me he's been having identical problems with his personal WRT610N also, and he'd finally disposed of it and replaced it with a D-Link model (that I can't remember).
I'm not sure with which brand/model I'll replace this now-dead unit, but I don't think it'll be with another LinkSys-Cisco consumer wireless router.
Of course, as always, your mileage may vary.
Customer Review: Works as advertised
Summary: 4 Stars
I have been using a Linksys WRT150N for a little more than a year. I have been very happy with that router. However, we recently moved from a house to an apartment. In the house, we had no problems with wireless signal strength or interference. In the apartment, there are dozens of wireless networks in close range and this severely effects our signal strength. The quality of the network connection and the distance we can move from the router have been drastically reduced, making using the wireless network hit-or-miss - very frustrating.
The Linksys WRT610N works as advertised. This is actually 2 access points in one - a 5GHz access point and a 2.4 GHz access point. Both access points get their own SSID, wireless frequencies, and security settings. I have an Apple TV and two MacBooks all running on the 5GHz 802.11N network using WPA2. The Tivo, Wii, and 802.11G laptops run on the 2.4 GHz mixed network using WEP. All clients (B, G, and N) are running at much faster speeds. There seems to be much less interference from competing networks - especially for the 5GHz clients. The wired clients are also showing significant speed improvements thanks to the gigabit switch.
Hulu and Netflix "Watch Instantly" were unusable before I started using the WRT610N - now both stream effortlessly. Also, syncing video content to the Apple TV was slow and error-prone - now full length movies (1-2 GBs) sync in a few minutes.
The only downside of this router is the USB storage option. The FTP/SAMBA sharing preferences and the user/group settings are a bit confusing. I can tell all the right options are there, but I haven't gotten this working correctly yet. A first attempt resulted in a formatted disk (even though I didn't choose the disk formatting option). Linksys needs to release a firmware update that makes this USB storage functionality less clunky. Once that happens, this device and a USB hard-drive will allow users a very affordable NAS option.
Customer Review: Faster Than A Speeding Bullet
Summary: 5 Stars
I had a D-Link wireless router before purchasing the WRT610N. It was fine until it started getting old. I couldn't get online one day and called my Internet Provider for support. He asked, "Do you have a router inline with the modem?" I said "Yes." He said, "Disconnect the power supply and plug it back in again. Tell me what happens." Well, I was instantly back online! But I kept noticing that I couldn't link to the D-Link's interface in my browser unless I unplugged and repluged the power supply.
I'm running a Mac Pro Duel-Core Intel Xeon and have a backup drive to restore lost or deleted files. It's an application called "Time Machine".
So, where am I going with this, you ask. Well, one day, the backup drive didn't show up on my desktop. I called the manufacturer for support and, guess what? They said, "It sounds like your power supply has gone bad." They sent me another one and by Jove that was the problem and it was solved!
I read all of the reviews on the Linksys WRT610N and It's my belief that those who complained about being disconnected might need to have Cisco replace your power supplies!
OK, now I'll review the Linksys router. I love it. It not only works fine - it's FAST. I regularly test the speed at [...]/speedtest and [...]. My D-Link would come in around 9,000kbps download. The Linksys has reached speeds as high as 23,000kbps! And the wireless feature for my cell phone has increased in distance and strength.
The only concern I had was with the setup. The paper instructions did not match what was on the CD. That's because I'm on a Mac. There's an application on the CD for PC users only. It doesn't even show up when inserted into a Mac. Since I already had a router, I easily hooked up the hardwires and then the rest of the installation, firewall and encryption were a cinch.
If you have a Mac and aren't familiar with routers, get some help. Other than that, I highly recommend this product!