Cisco-Linksys WRT600N Linksys Ultra RangePlus Dual-Band Wireless-N Gigabit Router with Storage Link
by Linksys
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List Price: Buy Used: from $109.99 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Cisco-Linksys WRT600N Linksys Ultra RangePlus Dual-Band Wireless-N Gigabit Router with Storage Link
Customer Review: Excellent Speed/Options, could use better set up and NAS
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased the WRT600N based on a review in a popular PC magazine comparison. I have been using the router for about a month now and use the wired connections (PC and Roku M1001 digital audio receiver), wireless connections (laptop), and USB port (hard drive attached).
Pros: Excellent Speed (wired and wireless), ability to attach a USB drive, quick set up for basic functions
Cons: Quirky set up for WPA2 security and USB drive
Out of the box it was easy to set up the router for a wired and wireless network (WPA security) using the included software. I was replacing a Netgear wired router and the software helped me through that with no problem. The software also walks you through connecting wirelessly to the network through an executable file you download from the Linksys site (very helpful if you are not familiar with networks). The software included shows a status of your network, internet connection and other PCs, laptops, devices attached to the network.
However, to take full advantage of the router requires a more advanced understanding of networks and hence the reason for dropping the rating from 5 to 4 stars. Using the included Linksys software you cannot enable WPA2 security on the wireless network. Also, while you might think of the attached USB drive as a "device" the Linksys software does not recognize it as a device on the network like one might expect.
However, not to fail, by using the router's web interface it is not difficult to enable WPA2 security, see that the USB drive is connected, disable broadcast of your address, and enable only certain MAC/IP addresses to connect to the router thus increasing the wireless security to about as high a level as you can. The web interface is a little quirky in its usability though.
The only real issue I had with the router is connecting the USB drive. I had to use web chat to contact Linksys support twice. The first time I tried to connect the USB drive I could not see it on the network. Turns out the light on the router identifying a USB drive is connected was not lit. Unfortunately support had me reset the router but it didn't fix the problem. I found on the Internet that by attaching the USB drive and turning it on before powering up the router will take care of the issue and after doing that the USB light on the router was lit. Back to the PC and I still could not see the USB drive using the Linksys software so back to the support web chat. The person walked me to the web interface which showed that the USB drive was recognized by the router. Not sure why the included software would not show it but oh well, it is working.
Overall, I am very pleased with the purchase and would recommend this router to others. My experience level is advanced with respect to PCs and intermediate with respect to networks.
Customer Review: The good, The bad & The ugly
Summary: 4 Stars
I've been using this router for a good 3 months now. I am an IT professional, operating a large home network with lots of devices. Bought this router in the hopes of a more reliable router and network. It's Broadcom-based with 300Mhz CPU (fast for a router) and 32MB of memory (plenty for a router).
THE GOOD: excellent and reliable router with lots of memory and features - just make sure you upgrade the firmware. It has TWO radios, one 2.4Ghz, one 5Ghz, each configurable separately to do whatever you want. Very fast CPU allows for fast enough routing to send FAXES through my VoIP line! Lots of memory - you can use it for things like VPN, BitTorrent and VoIP, including all at the same time! Third-party firmware also available (DD-WRT) and working quite well, maybe even better than Linksys' own (no Wide-Channel support on 5Ghz band with DD-WRT).
THE BAD: Until recently this router had a very buggy firmware, which made this it next to useless. Make sure you update to the latest firmware - go to the US Linksys website regardless of where you are located and get it (only the US one has the latest firmware for some reason!?!?). The new firmware (build from March 2008) fixes most of these problems. The G-connectivity is shaky: I am still very unhappy with it. Connection becomes unreliable on my laptop (Apple PowerBook G4 12") when I move more than 4-5 meters away from the router. That's "unrerliable" for my use, most people might find it acceptable. Interestingly, other computers do not seem to suffer from this too much. The problem does not seem to improve by changing firmwares, it appears to be a hardware compatibility issue with certain older adapters. I ended up using my OLD router as a G-access point to solve the problem. The StorageLink is useless for my purposes - too slow, you can't beat a computer acting as a file server. You would think the USB port would also accept a printer, but sorry - no print server included. No support for IPv6 - none whatsoever. I find this surprising for a high-end router.
THE UGLY: Linksys' technical support is still being their useless selves. You can just pretend they don't exist. If you have a problem, search forums on the matter. DD-WRT's forum is very very valuable in this area.
CONCLUSION: What do you want from this router? A reliable router? Yes, you get that. Feature-rich? Yes, that too. I am sending FAXES through my VoIP line, very impressive! So far I haven't seen it crash on me, it does what it was meant to, as long as you upgrade to the very latest firmware - do it immediately! Very disappointing G connectivity from my computer to my router. StorageLink is useless, even if 300Mhz were enough for that, would you want to divert valuable resources from routing? I didn't think so.
Customer Review: Works well for me
Summary: 4 Stars
I've used this router for the past two years and have been very pleased with it. It is robust, relatively easy to use, and reliable. I would not recommend it to anyone who is a complete novice to home networking, but people who feel comfortable with computers and peripherals should not have major problems setting it up and using it. That being said, the router web interface feels rather clunky and not easy to figure out. The more more non-standard features are particularly hard to configure. There is not enough documentation to guide you, either on the included CD or online. The customer service and the technical support has been fairly friendly and helpful though, and if you are having problems with any one of the features they will be able to help you out.
The USB storage link is one of my favorite features of this router. I've had a 1TB external hard drive attached to it and it has been really useful to be able to access all of my files from anywhere on the home network. There were a few buggy features with the setup, but once I figured them out the storage has been reliable and accessible for all of the past two years.
The WiFi features of this router are outstanding, and I've been able to enjoy fast, reliable WiFi access from anywhere in my house and the surrounding back yard. The WiFi is fast and powerful enough to stream uninterrupted high definition video to multiple devices at the same time. I only wish it would be possible to completely turn off the WiFi without turning off the internet connection altogether. This would be a useful safety feature when you go on a vacation for instance.
I've used this router with my Acer Aspire AH340-UA230N Home Server and TiVo TCD648250B Series3 HD Digital Media Recorder. It has worked flawlessly with both of them. In particular, it has enabled me to access my home server from various locations away from home. Both upload and download speeds were very good.
One of the least appealing features of this router is its form factor. The multiple antennas may give you some geek cred, but they are not the most sightly thing to see in your home. From what I understand Linksys has eliminated those protruding antennas from their recent models, and that is a very welcome development.
Overall I have been very satisfied with this router and would recommend it for use in home and small businesses.
Customer Review: Very nice upgrade--a little wary
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased the WRT600N to replace my older G-based Buffalo wireless router. I recently purchased a laptop with built-in N capability, plus I was looking for better coverage and a wider range of features. This router seems to fit the bill.
The laptop connects anywhere in my apartment with Excellent signal strength at 270mbps. Can't ask for much more. Signal strength on my other wireless devices (2 Tivos and a PS3) is also excellent... 90%+.
I gave a rating of 4 stars for 2 reasons:
1. The connection to both of my Tivos dropped unexpectedly. They lost the address that had been asigned. Re-setup was fairly painless, but I've had issues like this with Linksys hardware before (back in the B days) which is why I went with Buffalo equipment. I had my Buffalo G router for 5 years and didn't have to reset it once. Not once. Seeing the Tivos lose their addresses is a little disconcerting.
2. Setup with the provided CD was almost problem-free, but not quite. It wasn't able to detect my internet connection. I proceeded with the rest of the set up, and it seemed to go fine. I tried to access the web-based setup, but for some reason it didn't recognize my new admin password. After using admin/admin, I was able to gain access, and all of my other settings (SSID name, password, etc.) were in place. Re-doing the admin password in the web-based set up worked. After shutting down the computer, and power-cycling the router and cable modem, everything worked fine.
I set up the QoS option for my VOIP phone, and it seems to work fine; no problems anyway.
I will return in 30 days. If the Tivos have maintained their connection and no other problems arise, I would consider this a 5-star product. Stay tuned.
-----UPDATE: 8/7/08-----
I've had the router for a little over a month now. I went out of town for about a week, and when I returned I had to reboot the router to get it working. I'm not sure what may have caused the issue (power outage perhaps) so I won't hold it against the router. It hasn't dropped any connections, and works well. It detects my 2 Tivos, PS3 and laptop with no problems, and signal strength is excellent. I'm not sure what to attribute other people's problems to, but for me it has worked well. I would give the product 5 stars at this point.
Customer Review: A Step Up
Summary: 4 Stars
Nothing in life is perfect, but the 600N is a step closer than G.
Have owned/used most brands of G-wireless devices and experienced every type of problem (poor range, crashes, interference, etc.). So far, am happy with the 600N and it seems stable as can be. I haven't tried the shared storage or DMZ features yet, but as a wireless access point/router, the 600N does what it says. Even using computers with standard "G" cards, they get stronger signal & faster data xfer.
On the downside, 1) the cost difference is still too significant between N & G (remember, it's not just the $100 extra for the router, you have to upgrade all those $15 "g" cards with the $70 "n" cards). 2) The Linksys setup software is supposed to be "easy" but it's agonizingly slow and awkward, much easier just to connect wirelessly and login via IP address. Also, the UPnP auto-config didn't work at all for me, so meant I had to spend more time tinkering manually (see next point). Lastly, 3) making config changes is unpleasant. The router's config navigation is not clear and feels clunky, which is odd, since the unit itself is very handsome (as routers go). For instance, I still haven't discovered how to show a list of all DCHP clients (it only seems to list those users connected via wireless). But, worse still, the 600N requires the router to "reboot" after modifying each page of settings. By the tenth time I saw "You will be returned to the prior page in 25 seconds" I was ready to scream! Through some wonder of technology, my prior Belkin and D-link routers had no trouble making or remembering config changes between screens and until I click "Save" (are you listening Linksys???).
Anyway, happy customer here - just annoyed that Linksys cut corners needlessly and mostly am glad that once setup I shouldn't have to tweak the router settings too often