The Linksys E4200 router is one of Cisco's newest next-generation routers that has finally hit Canada. It boasts an entirely new design (and actually won the 2011 Red Dot Product Design Award), the highest performance for a home router to date, and much more. But does it live up it's hype? And more importantly, is it worth the upgrade?
Appearance
I used to be a big fan of Linksys routers before, but I wasn't a big fan of the look of their routers. Although the Linksys WRT54G was one of the most stable and reliable routers of it's time, it wasn't exactly the most visually appealing (although the WRTGC was much better with the compact form factor). Even the last router design (e.g. the Cisco E3000 router), while an improvement, still felt big and bulky. Well, I'm happy to report that the new design for Linksys routers is a massive improvement, and the new E4200 looks especially sleek. It is a bit larger than the lower end E-Series routers, however I think it actually looks just a hint better. The new design is such an improvement that it actually looks nice sitting in the middle of my livingroom under the TV. Gone are the flashing lights in front, and instead, the Cisco emblem on the top simply lights up and stays lit when the router is functioning correctly. This took a bit of getting used to, but I like it. The surface has a nice smooth matte finish and the underside is full of holes which ensure that the router has sufficient airflow to prevent overheating.
Features
Setup
Initial setup using the included setup CD was easy to follow and only took a few minutes to get through. But I hit a big snag in trying to connect to the internet. Because I have Telus TV service, I already had wireless N router functions through the wireless gateway/modem. Although I had already turned off the wireless on my Telus router, it still wouldn't connect. In my case, I had to go through and do a manual setup where I changed the router IP address to 192.168.0.1. Once this was done, I was up and running. So long as you are not using the Telus Actiontec router though, setup is a breeze, and indeed, I was also able to set up another Linksys E4200 for my parents with absolutely no difficulty whatsoever and that one was up and running within 5 minutes.
For those who have used Linksys routers before and prefer to manually configure the router, you can still do this and the configuration utility looks just like it did before. Using the manual configuration utility, you can also set different usernames and passwords for both the 2.4 and 5.0 GHz bands, as well as everything else you'd expect to be able to do. For those who prefer a more foolproof system, you can use the Cisco Connect tool. This software is incredibly easy to use and can handle most regular needs and is more than sufficient for 95% of people.
Performance
One of my biggest pet peeves with routers is that they often go down on me, even if it's just for a brief moment. When this happens, my wireless adapter will often disconnect and if I'm posting a post on the forums, I will often lose that post. Not a huge deal for regular internet usage, but this is a big problem if you rely on maintaining a solid wifi connection for using things like VoIP, or if you're into online gaming, streaming video or audio, etc. I've now been using the Linksys E4200 for just shy of a month and I am happy to say that I haven't seen a single blip yet.
Tests with speed and range have been limited as I live in a condo, so range doesn't tend to be an issue. But I did test the same model at my parents place and while I usually only had 2-3 bars of signal strength in their livingroom with their old DLink router, I had a full 5 bars of signal strength with the E4200. For internet usage, you're unlikely to see any real speed improvements as the limiting factor is still typically your internet connection. But the dual channel wireless N functionality should help with things like gaming as there will be a lower latency.
Final Impressions
Overall, I have been impressed by the new line of Cisco routers and the Linksys E4200 really does sit at the top. It looks good, is powerful, and thus far, has been very stable. While it might be overkill for some users, it really is a nice router for those who want the ability to do a bit more. The ability to add an external hard drive is particularly useful for those who want the ability to setup up network storage or have media server capabilities. The router is also scheduled to get a firmware upgrade this summer which will add a print server and other capabilities, meaning that it's only going to get better from here.
I tried out the WRT350N in the past (similar router, but from a few router generations before) and was so disappointed with it that it went back to the store within 2 weeks. Fortunately, Cisco has learned from the mistakes with that router and the WRT610N and have really created something that really works well. If you have been holding off on upgrading that old wireless G router like I was or if you're not 100% satisfied with your current wireless N router, my guess is that you'll be quite happy with the Linksys E4200 router. And for those who prefer to use an open source firmware with their router, you'll be very happy to know that this router has support for open source firmware.
The Linksys E4200 is available starting today at Future Shop and you can find it here: Linksys E4200-CA
