Cisco-Linksys WRT160N Wireless-N Broadband Router
by Linksys
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Our Price: $119.96 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $15.00 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Cisco-Linksys WRT160N Wireless-N Broadband Router
Customer Review: First time wireless set-up and it works great!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this with the Linksys Dual-Band Wireless-N USB Network Adapter, WUSB600N from Wal-Mart (sorry Amazon-couldn't wait for it to ship, wanted it now). I'm not a techie by any means but I love electronics, things with bells and whistles and are shiny make me pull out my debit card. I'm embarrassed to say I didn't know I could make my desktop wireless by simply buying a router and a network adapter. It became necessary once I purchased my second PC a Toshiba laptop. Both needed to be connected to the Internet in two separate locations of my house. I actually talked to the salesperson at Best Buy about what I needed because I got my laptop there and I was all set. It's also secure so no one can use your network without entering in your long password. So you can feel secure conducting financial business over your network.
The configuration was flawless it literally took less than 30-minutes to set-up the router and the network adapter on both my Dell desktop, which is 4 years old, and my new laptop. I'm sure it takes less time than that if your not watching TV at the same time. Once I finished the set-up I was able to move the desktop and put the laptop in it's place and tested out the laptop in the kitchen and the signal was still strong. My family loves it now that we are a two computer family. Even better I was able to set-up our Wii to the wireless network and now we can go online with the Wii.
Pros: Range is good for 1,500 sq. ft. home, the blue lights aren't so bright that they will glow in the dark when your sleeping and keep you up, set-up is simple--the CD takes everything step-by-step and there's only like 8 steps, your network is secured by a password and I don't turn my router off so I'm always connected and haven't experienced any dropped signals so far. Fingers crossed.
Cons: It's so pretty and shiny you might be tempted to keep the plastic film on it so your finger prints don't get all over it.
Customer Review: Huge Speed Improvement and No More Dropped Connections
Summary: 5 Stars
I am truly impressed with this Linksys router!
We had a 5-year old Netgear G router which was fine when we had only two XP computers. It seemed reliable, despite dropped connections every once in a while. But when we added a new Vista computer to the network, it just wouldn't work properly. Dropped connections several times a day, and had to be restarted each time. We also had a heck of a time getting it to recognize all the computers on the network consistently. When it stayed connected we got an average speed of 9mbps down, 1.2mpbs up, which I figured wasn't too bad (based on the results at [...]). But the dropped connections were a big problem.
A sales guy at a local store recommended this Linksys N router, and I admit I was skeptical. After all, a router's a pretty simple device when you get down to it. But, not only did it solve the problem of the dropped connections, it doubled my web speed! Seriously; the test at [...] was almost 19mbps down and 1.8mbps up. I honestly thought I was on the Comcast 10/1 limited broadband plan, but with the Linksys router I realized I've got 20/2! For whatever reason, I was only getting 1/2 speed with the G router. Weird. Probably a software thing, though I did have the latest firmware for that particular Netgear router (though it was v3 hardware, and the current is v6, so I guess there are other differences.)
Anyway, setting up the Linksys was EASY. The software is incredibly user friendly, whereas Netgear was not at all (but again, maybe they've improved in recent years.) The only thing was wasn't quite clear was setting up advanced security, but I was able to figure it out. Also the manual said to install the hardware first, software second, but the insert in the package said to do this software first (which is correct), so there was some confusion up front.
All in all, I'm really pleased with this router's performance!
Customer Review: Beautiful looking and easiest set-up ever!
Summary: 5 Stars
I noticed a lot of so so reviews and was wary until I read a professional review praising it's easy set up. I decided to go for it and boy am I glad I did. I happen to be a novice setting up PC related stuff but this router was cake to set up. Be forwarned; however, my intention was to simply set up wireless with encryption and nothing else. I had no desire to set up a full blown network with file and printer sharing. I simply wanted encrypted wireless for my xp windows pc and vista windows laptop in the house. I figure I can print stuff by using the pc with the printer or using a flash drive so I had no desire in oversteaping my technical boundries.
That being said... it was as simple as putting the disk in, following directions printing the encryption code and connecting the router. Easy as cake! I had more trouble configuring the recieving vista windows laptop and xp windows pc! Which wasn't that hard either. The router is connected to my windows vista desktop and my windows vista laptop and seperate xp windows desktop are recieving the signal. It was as easy as plugging in the code to the recieving laptop and pc.
The signal is always strong and no breaks in three weeks of constant use. Despite other comments, the signal strength is awesome even with the unit under a shelf. Unless you live in a 25 room mansion or set up the network wrong... you should have no problems. I have absolutely no complaints. The cherry on top is how awesome this router looks and with no antenna! You could easly hide this under a shelf but why would you want to! It's beautiful and you could use it as decoration! I admit, it is pricey but well worth the money in the headaches you will save setting it up and the aesthetic factor. Highly recommended especially for novices who simply want wireless in their house.
Customer Review: Works pretty well for my modest home network
Summary: 5 Stars
To set expectations, I just wanted to get a new router, with Draft N support, to replace my old Linksys router from 2000/2001. I had no intentions of flashing dd-wrt on it. Essentially I wanted to allow occasional wireless internet access to my PS3, iTouch, Canon mp 560 printer, and my work computer as well as stable wired connectivity to my office computer. Also most of my devices are in the same room or nearby.
For all intents and purpose it works fine and I can't say that I'm dissatisfied. With Time Warner Road Runner Standard, I was able to measure speeds of 8Mb down on my PS3 and pretty reliable connectivity on the iTouch.
I keep my office computer wired and can get up to 23Mb down.
I did not mess with the software that came bundled with the router. Instead, I just powered it up, and went to the admin console via browser to set up all the security features. I would recommend changing all default passwords, implementing WPA2 AES, and using the max number of characters for the WPA2 key (63 characters). Some people recommend disabling SSID broadcasting and MAC address filtering, while others think they are a waste of time. I personally disabled my SSID broadcasting and skipped the MAC address filtering.
I have version 3, found that connectivity has been pretty reliable, and have yet a need to bounce the router.
As a caveat for wireless access, the WRT160N supports frequency of 2.4 GHz. You might encounter some interference with wireless phones, or other nearby networks. I would also suggest experimenting with the channel if need be. I believe the default for most routers is channel 6, so you might want to try the other non-overlapping channels, 1 or 11.
Customer Review: The best bet for your money! Flawless.
Summary: 5 Stars
I recently had a string of bad luck while trying to replace my ancient B router. After going through 3 other routers of different brands I finally decided to buy this one. Routers can have all sorts of problems while setting them up and I think I encountered a lot of them in a short amount of time. After buying this one I reluctantly started setting it up and was pleasantly surprised to get it up and going in no time!
This one also has a lot of extra options that make it the best out there for your money. I connected a laptop, a PSP, and a PS3 to my new network with NO problems whatsoever. The range on this router is amazing. It gives a strong 100% signal no matter where you put it in the house. I have my PS3 in a cabinet and could only get about 80% tops with other N routers, but I'm always running at 100% with the Linksys. I haven't had to reboot it since I've bought it and my internet speed is truly amazing. Faster than ever even on my wired computer! Believe it or not my speed is almost twice as fast as if I just ran my internet directly through my modem! It's also really easy to monitor your network to see if there are any freeloaders on it. Security is also a breeze with this beauty. I couldn't recommend a better router in this price range. This is definitely the one to buy!
I hope you consider this one because if you try to save a few bucks by buying a cheaper brand or version you will just end up with headaches. I found this out the hard way through trial and error. Trust me on this one. Thanks for your time. Good luck.