Cisco-Linksys WRT600N Linksys Ultra RangePlus Dual-Band Wireless-N Gigabit Router with Storage Link by Linksys
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Digital camera reviews of Cisco-Linksys WRT600N Linksys Ultra RangePlus Dual-Band Wireless-N Gigabit Router with Storage Link
Digital camera 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
Digital camera Review: A great router now that it's (kind of) affordable
Summary: 4 Stars
I have been using this router for about a week. Setup was easy enough, even though I skipped the CD and just dove into the settings manually. The manual gives enough of a description of the settings to make your way around. One thing to note when changing router settings. Save your settings on each tab before you go to the next one. Otherwise, you lose your work. You can't just change all the settings and do one save action.
I teamed this router with the linksys WUSB600N USB adapter using only the N band. Speed has been very good with throughput on my DSL connection benchmarking the same whether wireless or wired. Setup of the USB adapter was very easy too.
The only hick-up I've had was I recently upgraded my DSL speed. That scrambled the router's eggs. I suddenly lost any ability to connect to the net via the router (wirelessly or wired) even though all the settings were correct. Resetting the router and re-changing all the settings again fixed the problem.
The button on the top of the router is still useless until Linksys enables it via a firmware update. It's supposed to make connecting a wireless adapter to the router a one button affair.
Overall, I've been pleased and these two devices were easy to set up and work well together.
Digital camera Review: A very difficult company to deal with
Summary: 1 Stars
This is a bad company. I purchased a wireless router from them and, truth be told, it never really worked right. The speed was ok, but it was impossible to set up without tech support and every so often it would simply stop working. When that happened I would be forced to call tech support and spend 30-60 minutes on the phone fighting with them about resetting the router. I recently purchased a new computer and decided to save a little money by moving this router to it. When I called tech support I was told that the router was out of its warranty period and they could not help me... unless I would pay them to. That's right, I would have to pay for the assistance on their product - a working product because it was not under warranty.
So be warned that you are only buying the option to use Linksys' products for a limited time - that is if you have any problems whatsoever that require tech support. I am now trying a Trendnet. Let's see if they are any better.
Digital camera Review: Almost Perfect
Summary: 4 Stars
I have used this router for about 3 weeks now. I really do like it and I do trully notice the increase in my speed. i do feel i'm getting what i pay for from my cable companies 15mbps/2mbps connection.
I am not happy with the storage link option. I have not successfully gotten it to read my external USB Harddrive. This is the reason i am a little upset and Only gave it 4 stars. I could have gone with a slightly lower model that didn't have the storage link and saved some $$$.
Digital camera Review: Almost Perfect
Summary: 4 Stars
I have had several wireless routers over the years, both Netgear and Linksys.
I developed problems with my internet connection. All PCs in my house would sometimes get a very slow connection. The problem had to be the modem or the router. I had my eye on the new "pre-N" routers for quite a while, and decided this was as good an excuse as any to buy a new router. (It turns out the problem was with my Modem, but that's another story.) I especially liked the WRT600N because it is the first unit to offer two independent radios -- one for 2.4 GHz and another one for 5 GHz.
The first thing I did was plug in the router and try configuring it with the Easy-Start CD. Not surprisingly, this did not work. The Easy-Start CD is a good idea, but if anything goes wrong, it gives very little indication of where things went wrong and what the problem might be.
I called Linksys tech support, and had a remarkably good experience. The technician spoke excellent English and was very knowledgeable. He didn't even try to play with the Easy-Start program, but immediately jumped into manual configuration. It didn't take long to find that I picked up a bad Ethernet cable. After that, configuration went quickly. To his credit, the technician recommended I configure WPA security. I didn't do it because I am in a semi-rural area. The technician told me that the SSID for the 5GHz and 2.4 GHz radios had to be the same. I later found out this is not true. It makes a difference because it's much easier to tell which frequency your PC is using if the SSIDs are different.
About a month later, I decided to use the USB disk drive option. I had a 200GB USB disk which I use for backup. I map it through file explorer and copy the files I want to back up. I wanted to be able to do this with any of the three laptop PCs in the house. I was able to connect the disk drive without any technical support. The trick is to work backwards through the configuration. Go to Storage / Administration FIRST. Configure the users. Then configure the groups. Then you can go to Storage / Disk and create your share folder. Then you will be able to map the share folder in Windows file explorer.
EDIT for USB disk drive: After many months, I gave up on the USB disk drive. It would work for several weeks, then stop working. The best solution I could find is to turn off the router, unplug the disk drive USB cable, turn the router back on, then plug in the disk drive. It's easy enough, but it got to be a pain. I ended up mounting the USB disk to the bottom of my desk, so I can plug it directly into my laptop.
A couple of days after configuring the disk, I lost the disk connection and could not map my share folder. This time I used "chat" Tech Support. Again, the technician was knowledgeable. She successfully got my share folder mapped. She also suggested I use a different SSID for the two radios, which makes controlling the frequency the PC uses to connect to the router much easier.
The disk connection is still far from perfect. The problem seems to be with Windows. If I suspend my computer, then turn it back on; Windows tries to connect to the disk drive before the wireless network is up. It declares the drive not available. After that, things are ugly. I finally resolved the problem by *not* clicking "re-connect at log on". When I want to back up some files, I connect the drive, back up, and disconnect. It's hardly an ideal solution, but it works very reliably.
Like many Linksys products, the WRT600N runs a little warm. But I keep it out in the open. Heat has not been a problem.
I use the 2.4 GHz radio and a "G" connection with an older Dell and an older Sony laptop, both running Windows XP, SP2. I also have a 2.4 GHz Linksys G Wireless Print Server. I use the 5 GHz radio with an "N" connection with Dell XPS M1330; which dual-boots to Vista and XP. After several months of use, the router works very well with all.
My caveats:
* Both Linksys technicians recommended I configure the radio band to "Wide" instead of "Auto". I set the 5 GHz radio to "Wide" and the 2.4 GHz radio to "Auto" I haven't had any problems. Even when I connect my new Dell to 2.4 GHz using an "N" connection, everything seems to play together nicely. But given the Linksys advice, your mileage may vary.
* The USB disk drive share folder works well. Groups, users, and passwords all work fine. But Windows has difficulty managing drives that automatically connect over a wireless connection.
* I do not use Media Server, FTP server, QoS, or encryption. I can't say how well any of these features work.
* Linksys should offer better instructions on how to manually configure their routers, perhaps on their web site.