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: Difficult to set up and inconsistent with other routers made by Linksys
Summary: 3 Stars
First thing I have to say is that the network storage feature does not work at all. The first time you set it up it works and after that it's anybody's guess. I just forgot it is there and use it as I would any other wireless router.
I have experience as a network administrator and had a hard time making it work the way I wanted to, and that is with the understanding of what every little switch featured on this thing does. I cannot imagine someone less knowledgeable dealing with these inconsistencies!
The Setup wizard works well only when you follow every step literally. Even after using the setup wizard you should power cycle your modem/DSL and router to be able to see the internet.
You will definitely need dual band wireless n adapters to get the best and speediest connection. Some of the default settings won't let you get the best connection if you have Linksys adapters, for example the "frame burst" setting on each band.
Once everything is working right it is a great router and a very safe one, albeit some disconnects that happen once in a while, which apparently happen in all wireless connections. Linksys should not be faulted for that.
Digital camera Review: Disappointing - range/bandwidth not as good as my old D-link DIR-655
Summary: 2 Stars
I had some challenges getting this router set up, but it was nothing too serious. The install disk didn't work (they never do), so I had to do a manual install. This in itself wasn't too bad, but it did take some fiddling which I expect would be intimidating for someone without prior networking experience.
In any case, once I had it set up, I found the signal strength and bandwidth were not nearly as good as my existing single-band router, a D-Link DIR-655. On the 5GHz band, I could barely get a signal (8%) just a couple of rooms away. On the other band, I was getting about 30%. With the D-Link router, I was getting 75%+. This was both surprising and disappointing.
By the way, I'm using my network to stream HD video, so I really need the extra bandwidth. For other purposes, this router might be fine, but it failed miserably with the video. I've had good success with HD video using the D-Link router, so I should have left well enough alone, but I was hoping for some added performance.
Maybe I got a dud unit, but after a few hours of extreme frustration I gave up and returned the Linksys unit in favor of the D-Link.
Digital camera Review: Don't Buy
Summary: 1 Stars
Just look at the latest firmware it acturally says it is on build 4. I have never seen any devices give the version number and then a Build number. It has a lot of features but the reliablity is just not worth it!!!!! I have needed to unplug it and plug it back in to many times.Digital camera Review: EXCEPTIONAL! I just bought a 2nd one.
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought my first WRT600N six months ago for my home office. I work in I.T. field from my home and cannot afford to be down or have network performance issues. The setup is very easy and I have no problems running small network with another 8-port gigabyte switch, four computers, three IP telephones, and a networked printer. VPN pass-through works without a hitch to corporate network. It never has failed even when my kids decide to run there networking demanding games on three of these computers. I am so pleased, I have decided to buy another WRT600N for cottage. I can highly recommend this router.Digital camera Review: Easy setup - Very dissapointing Wireless performance
Summary: 2 Stars
I purchased this unit because I gave my daughter the D-link DIR 655 unit I had (which worked extremely well). Since I needed a new unit I decided to give the WRT600N a try. Everything started very well. The installation was easy and intuitive. Networking is set and you're up and running in a few minutes, or so you thought...
My wife's PC is connected to the router via the 1GB Ethernet and naturally this connection is very fast. I have a ReadyNAS network storage device that is also connected to the router via a 1GB Ethernet connection. This is our central storage where we keep our files (movies, music, documents, e-mail, etc.). This connection is also very fast. Working on my wife's PC is fast and easy (I have a 7Mb ADSL internet connection from Qwest).
The wireless network is another story altogether. My wireless network has many devices connected to it - PS3, Squeezebox, my PC, my laptop and my wife's laptop. I set it up with WAP2 security. There are no walls to speak of between those devices as we have a large open space between our leaving room and office. My PC is 10 feet away from the router, the PS3 and Sqeezebox are 20f away... As it turns out, the WRT600N router is horrible at supporting streaming media over it's wireless network, period. The performance is choppy, inconsistent and gets worse as time goes by, so much so, that I have to reboot the router periodically. It is worse then the original linksys router I had before I switched to D-link. It is really bad. Absolutely no comparison with the DIR 655. So guess what I am doing? My experiment is over and I am getting another D-link DIR 655 device. The DIR 655 performs significantly better (as rated by all professional reviews I read on the net) and does not have any of the side-effects I described above.