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Cisco Linksys E3000 review
Product Cisco Linksys E3000 review
Website www.linksysbycisco.com/UK/en/products/E3000
System Specifications Dual-band, dual-radio 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi router, 4 x Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports, 1 x WAN port, 1 x USB2 port, 225 x180 x 35mm, 452g
Price £129.99 including VAT
FIRST IT was Linksys. Then it was Linksys by Cisco. And now, it's Cisco, with the Linksys name relegated to the model description. The seven-year assimilation is finally complete, and to celebrate the company has launched a fresh range of consumer routers in the UK to replace its current WRT range. The E3000 is the flagship model, featuring dual-radio 802.11n WiFi, four Gigabit LAN ports plus a WAN port.
There are actually few major internal or external differences between the E3000 and the WRT610N it replaces, the main changes being in the setup and configuration software. Gone is Cisco Network Magic, to be replaced by the Cisco Connect utility first seen in Cisco's US-only Valet range of low-end models.
Setup can be done over wireless or wired connections, although the latter option isn't mentioned anywhere. The software sets up a new random global password that's used for both admin access and WPA/WP2 security - these can all be changed individually in the advanced web interface, but if you do that you won't be able to use Cisco Connect. So what, you ask? Well, the 2.4GHz guest wireless network and parental controls can only be configured using Cisco Connect. Yes, it is more than a little bonkers.
In the web GUI are plenty of useful advanced settings (but see above), neatly and logically laid out. Its consumer focus is obvious though, with QoS settings simplified to four preset priority levels and basic firewall settings. VPN passthough is also supported, and there's a SIP ALG to simplify VoIP setup. To simplify client setup there's an Easy Setup Key tool to let you dump settings and the Cisco Connect software onto a USB key.
All this is housed in a sleek box with three internal antennas for each of the two radios. The comprehensive status lights are discreet and top-mounted. There's no integrated DSL modem, so it's only of use to cable users or those with Ethernet DSL modems. A single USB port provides Samba, FTP and UPnP media streaming services for attached storage devices, but printers, webcams and 3G dongles aren't supported.
We found 2.4GHz wireless performance to be excellent, achieving 70Mbps at 1m and a commendable 24Mbps at 25m using Passmark's Advanced Network test. At 5GHz it was also impressive, touching 100Mbps near-field and sustaining 30Mbps at 10m before dropping out at around 15m.
It's a good router at a sensible price, but we have reservations about the way Cisco Connect interacts with the hardware; if advanced users don't feel as though they're in full control, they're not going to be happy.
In Short
The E3000 is a well-made dual-radio router with excellent wireless performance and plenty of configuration options, but it has a couple of omissions and the Cisco Connect utility could be better. µ
The Good
Fast wireless performance with good range, nice styling, easy to setup and configure.
The Bad
No printer sharing or 3G dongle support, setting up shared folders is unnecessarily fiddly.
The Ugly
Some settings only accessible via Cisco Connect utility.
Bartender's Score
7/10
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"Finally, you said Gigabit ports are not needed for routers. That is the most stupid thing I ever heard. What if you have a DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem on the WAN side? You know, the one that allows more than 100Mbps speeds?"
Hmm and those with such connections are going to run their infrasctructure off a rinky dink £100 router and just four ethernet ports?
I think not.
At the end of the day we are talking about home installations. In which case I still stand by my recommendation.
Enterprise installations (that wouldnt use Linksys, they will use the proper older brother Cisco brand stuff, at least for the support) will obviously need all the bandwidth they can get but thats very different infrasctructure. They wont be running off home/SOHO 4 port routers whether gigabit or not.
I still reckon most on this site will run a router then a gigabit switch coming off that for the flexibility it gives.
£35-£80 dedicated gigabit switches?!?
And what switching chip do you think those have inside, huh? Probably the same £3 one, the rest you are paying is for the nice "dedicated" packaging.
You will have to put your hand deeper in the pocket if you want serious, dedicated Gigabit switch -- those usually do not come with 8 ports and at sub-£100 price point.
Moreover, it is 4 ports + wireless so for normal users (1-2 PCs, two notebooks, network printer, NAS) it should be enough. Not everyone lives in a spacey castle surrounded with electronics like yourself.
Oh, and who in their right mind uses consoles for gaming? That's so 80's.
Finally, you said Gigabit ports are not needed for routers. That is the most stupid thing I ever heard. What if you have a DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem on the WAN side? You know, the one that allows more than 100Mbps speeds?
Clueless like all the others but with money to burn. Shh, come here, I have a bridge to sell ya'
I vowed never to buy a Cisco/Linksys router again after they way the mistreated those of us who bought the WAG160N. It never worked properly and when they discontinued it, they stopped supporting it with new firmware to address the problems.
Anyone who buys this had better hope it works bug-free out of the box.
Ok so you reckon a £35-£80 dedicated gigabit switch will be less performant than the £3 worth of switch option built into the wireless router with all its other parts?
4 ports whether gigabit or not isnt much use. No one buys 4 port kit to use seriously for networking. Its 8 ports minimum or nothing.
When you have 4+ PCs 2 printers, slingbox, Xbox etc. 4 ports isnt going very far so you need a switch. Is your house/office that small and cramped you dont have a spare socket or power lead?
The cost of another CAT5E/6 cable, oh dear the expense.
Also the router may not be in the best position (via landline) for the other PC gear so a switch is still needed down the line.
If you need to do serious data transfer you dont tend to bother with wireless anyway.
1. You can flash dd-wrt firmware into this router and get all sorts of features including 3G dongle support, VPN server/client, file and printer sharing, etc.
2. It is a completely retarded idea to use a separate Gigabit switch because:
- you need more space
- you need another power outlet
- you need an extra LAN cable
- you will have 3 unused 100Mbps ports on the router because they aren't good for anything nowadays
- cheap Gigabit switches have lower switching performance than fully fledged Gigabit routers
- If you connect Wireless N 300Mbps capable router with 100Mbps LAN port to a Gigabit switch you will be limited to 100Mbps when you transfer data between wireless and wired clients -- this is not the case with this and other Gigabit routers that are available on the market.
Finally, I bought TP-Link TL-WR1043ND (also 4 Gigabit ports + Wireless-N) for 60 EUR. Simplest and cheapest 4 port Gigabit switch is 35 EUR. Do your math, and eventually you will figure out that two separate devices cost more while they don't offer any benefits -- on the contrary, they have drawbacks.
Erm so you actually use an ADSL router as a switch?
Why?
Much better to run all your main infrastructure off a proper gigabit switch and just hook into the ADSL router from that.
The wimpy ADSL bandwith isnt going to improve with gigabit on the router.
Gigabit is superflous on DSL routers, especially as they usually only have 4 ports. I'd rather the manufacturers spent the money elsewhere.
The Draytek lacks gigabit ports, which is a rather glaring omission. It's quite surprising how many wireless routers out there still only offer 100Mbit ports.
For the money get a Draytek 2710n.
Far better and more features.