Cisco Linksys E1000 Wireless-N Router, Cisco Linksys WRT160N, Cisco Valet M10

Purchasing the Cisco Linksys E1000 Wireless-N router in April of 2010 was my first attempt at upgrading my home wireless network from wireless G to wireless N. The Cisco Linksys E1000 is a re-branded Cisco Linksys WRT160N. A new Cisco router brand, the “Valet” series, features a Cisco Valet M10 with preconfigured software and a set up software wizard to aid non-technical consumers with setting up their home wireless network. All three routers have exact same hardware, chipset, features and performance.

Cisco Linksys E1000 or Cisco Linksys WRT160N (Retails for $59.99 to $79.99)



Cisco Valet M10 (Retails for $89.99 to $99.99)



Specifications:

· Broadcom 4716 @ 300MHz Processor

· 2.4GHz Band, 802.11 A,B,G,N…Wireless-N transfer speeds up to 300Mbps (Theoretical)

· 4 x Ethernet Ports 10/100

· 2 Internal Antennas

· Can Use Third Party Firmware

Home Test Results: Home size – 1500 sqft

Setting up the router with the included set-up CD was a breeze. The first thing I noticed was better range for my laptop. I can connect to the router from outside my garage or at the front of my home property (approximately 100 ft radius from router) and still get a strong connection. My internet download speed was faster.

When I change the channel width to 40MHz to optimize wireless N throughput speeds, devices that are not wireless N can no longer connect to the router (which is normal). I tried streaming 1080P videos and it was just 1 or 2 Mbps better than a wireless G connection and maxed out at around 15 Mbps. File transferring over the wireless N network again were only a few Mbps better than a wireless G router.

Negatives:

The Cisco Linksys E1000 router has issues with SAMBA and UPNP share services and devices. Sometimes the devices or shared folders take awhile to show up and sometimes it drops form the network shares network – but it is still connected to the router because I can still access the internet. If you have media players, laptops, and PCs that need to share files or stream media you may experience problems with this router.

Overall Thoughts:

This router does offer improved range, improved connection, and improved speeds over the legendary Linksys WRT54G. For someone that needs improved range and connection to access internet or stream videos from the internet this router would be perfect. But if you are looking to stream 1080P videos from a network server/client you may be annoyed by the fact that wireless media streaming is only marginally better than a wireless G router. Also it does not offer Gigabit port connections so it would make no difference if you used networking cables. I also had trouble with network shares with this router. I eventually returned it and got the Cisco Linksys E3000 due to my home needs of streaming High Definition 1080P media files and large file sharing.