Cisco-Linksys E3000 High-Performance Wireless-N Router Review. HP Wireless N Router...
"Perfect router for home user" 2010-04-18
By Jerry L. Bobo II (Moore, OK)
Okay, my 6 year old WRT54G finally died this week. I was sad to see it go, so after looking at all the various manufacturers routers, I found myself going to LinkSys (i.e. Cisco) once again. Getting a dual band, wireless-N, 4-port wired, and USB external storage router for $149?? I can't really complain about that (especially since the previous version of this router was $199 and plagued with a lot of issues). Happily, Cisco/Linksys has fixed these (well, so far it seems that way)
PROS:
Overall, I am very pleased with this router. I have a fairly extensive home network system (3 desktops and 2 laptops [using a mix of 32-bit WinXP and 64-bit Win 7 Ultimate] a wireless TiVo Premier (the new Series 4 HD one), a wireless LG BD590 blu-ray player, and my wife and I each have a iPhone 3GS). This router handles all this beautifully. All my streaming, downloading etc is flawless and all my devices talk to the router and each other without any connectivity drops etc.
BASIC set-up of the router was very easy (for all my devices) and ANY average user should not have any trouble getting everything connected and talking to the router and each other. For the average user, having a basic/average network at home, this is the router for you! A more advanced user (like myself) may find some areas/features a little lacking
CONS:
The biggest issues I have with this router:
1) we still get the same old web interface that LinkSys has had for years and years. while it is a VERY effective interface for accessing the router, I was hoping for something a little less cumbersome and more quick to respond to changes etc (this is where the competition is excelling!). And any more than basic router changes you make, will generally eliminate you being able to use the "Cisco Connect" program (this is a basic, average user software interface for making very basic router changes). Even merely changing the SSID and password that is created when you install the router will negate Cisco Connect. For me, not a big deal, since I an a fairly advanced user and know what advanced changes I want to make and don't care about Cisco Connect anyway. But for the basic/average user, this might cause some trouble for them.
2) the unit is poorly designed when it comes to heat dissipation. The router has no "feet" to raise it off the surface it sits on and it does get hot. I eliminated this issue by going to Home Depot and buying four rubber bottle stoppers (think black, rubber, wine bottle corks). They are down the nuts and bolts aisle and cost $1.29 each. They are about 3/4" tall and I use them as "feet" and keep the router stable. They raise my router just high enough to allow heat dissipation under the unit to keep it as cool as my old WRT54G - just warm now, definitely not hot. Try this, well worth the $5 or so.
3) Not really an issue, but a little annoying: it is flat, but wide, so it takes up a lot of "real estate". I have a very large L-shaped hutch/desk/cabinet combo, so I have plenty of room to spare - just wanted to mention to you - could be a problem for some. This wide, flat design does lend itself to collect dust - never a good thing for an always on electronic device.
4)the FTP is slow. Even after exhaustive settings changes, testing the changes and doing more changes has, so far, not really improved this. If anyone has figured this out, let me know!
I have NOT used the media server portion of the router. Don't really need to because of my TiVo and blu-ray player --they have their own media servers that perform wonderfully, so just no need to enable and set-up the E3000's media server. Nor do I have a PS3 or XBox, so I can't comment on those uses either. I have read both pros and cons at other sites for PS3/XBox use - check those out for more information.
Hope this helps! Enjoy the router if you get one. well worth your money.
"Cisco connect" 2010-05-03
By Jason (Chicago)
I have read some of the reviews before I bought this router E3000 and was almost not going to buy it because of the bad reviews. So I want to write a review to help people understand this wireless router.
There are only 4 things inside the box when you first get it. The router, setup disk, Ethernet cable, and power brick. There is no instruction manual I don't really think you need one the instructions are on the setup disk. First you have to run the CD first than follow the on screen instructions. It just basically tells you the timing for when they want you to plug in a connection and diagnose if it is working and installs the Cisco Connect program.
YOU CAN USE THE CISCO CONNECT PROGRAM AND THE ADVANCE SETTINGS .
I have looked online from reviews from both amazon and other websites and the major complaint is that you can't use both but you CAN. I have experimented a little bit with the advanced settings (also accessible through 192.168.1.1) that you can access through the cisco connect program under router settings. So far from the changes I made, the only setting that you can not change in the advanced settings, that will disable the cisco connect program is the settings for the 2.4 GHz wireless settings either the Network Name (SSID) or the passphrase. You can change the settings for the 5 GHz and can still access Cisco Connect. The reason why so many people want to change the SSID is because the Cisco Connect program assign you a silly random name, mines was quickdolphin for example. I think that might be the main cause of some of the bad reviews. If You want to change the 2.4 GHz SSID and still be able to use both cisco connect and the advance settings change it only through the cisco connect program under Router settings/ Personalize there you can change the router name and password after that change whatever you want in the advance settings. If at any time you cannot access the cisco connect program than you can just reset the router and just go through the installation CD again. You can turn off the guest access and the parental control is there if you need it in the cisco connect. This router can do amazing speeds.
"Works great and blazing fast!" 2010-04-10
By Dr Pennypacker
Set this up yesterday. Didn't use the included cd, but instead chose to go in manually and set it up via web page config mode. Whole thing took maybe 45 minutes.
Everything looks the same as my old wrt54g router which was creeping on its way to the old age home and who's signal would die every time I'd fire up the microwave.
Easy setup, blazing speeds, setup port forwarding for my xbox 360, port forwarding for my air video server to stream DVR video to my iPhone and iPad, turned on firewall and made sure VPN pass thru was enabled. Set a password on router to change from default. Setup DHCP to have a 7 day lease.
We have almost a completely wireless house. A blackberry, iPhone, iPad, xbox360, netbook, 2 laptops, HTPC, Hp Printer and a desktop.
Everything is hooked up wireless except the desktop.
Setup the 5ghz with a unique SSID and password and connected the xbox360. Tested a 1080i streaming video from xbox live, worked flawlessly. Tried to hook the HTPC into the 5ghz but could not due to an issue with the pc's NIC (probably with a driver, I'll mess with it later). Put the iPad on the 5ghz and it hooked in flawlessly and streamed video like a champ.
Everything else went on the the 2.4ghz band. Setup the same SSID and password that I used on my old linksys and then unplugged the old router. Everything hopped right over to the new one.
Speed seems better on everything. The UnPnP feature resolved some issues I had between xbox and getting media off other pcs.
Tested VPN pass thru to make sure I could connect back to work network.
Only thing I have not tried is the Storage server option.
Definately a solid router so far.
"Great wireless routner, one drawback in th set up." 2010-04-19
By Richard B. Drake (Southern Maryland, USA)
Wow, the Cisco E3000 is a gem and I am thrilled with it. It's my fourth wireless router and the first one to provide completely reliable wired and wireless connectivity to a plethora of devices without needing to be constantly rebooted. It even actually gets a 300Mbs connection from my Wireless N laptop running Windows 7 Professional when I am seated in my living room about 15 feet from the router.
Set up is as easy as it gets if you follow the instructions. I recommend that you do follow the instructions step by step even if you are experienced with router set up. Install the first PC from the supplied CD, create the "Easy Setup Key" on a USB flash drive (this is not supplied with the E3000) and use it to set up the other PC's on your network practically plug and play. This will get you up and running in minutes with WPA encryption enabled by default and insure that "Cisco Connect" is installed on each PC. Without "Cisco Connect" you won't be able to control your guest network so you need it. Once everything is working with the basic setup you can use Advanced setup to add advanced features as you need them like DDNS, port forwarding and MAC address filtering etc. However, if you change the SSID or password you will no longer be able to use "Cisco Connect", I knocked it down one star for that and hope that they will soon correct it.
If you have or are planning a home network for all those gadgets that need internet access like PC's, Play Stations, TV's, DVR's, iPods, Wii's, and on and on, this is the router you want to have.
Note Added 5/11/2010
On 5/4/2010 Cisco released an update for Cisco Connect and a firmware update for the E3000 router. After installing both updates I brought up Cisco Connect and changed both my password and the SSIDs for both the 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz bands. It automatically reset these items in the Advanced settings menu accessible via a Web browser and prompted me to update my "Easy Setup Key". Thus, I consider the problem that most everyone including myself complained about to be solved and I have upgraded my rating to from 4 to 5 stars.
"E3000 Rates 5 Stars for Ease of Setup and Range" 2010-06-09
By Larry W. Cormicle (Ames, IA USA)
After two failed Netgear wireless routers over five years, I finally splurged to the Linksys Cisco brand and bought the E3000. The setup instructions on the installation CD worked perfectly. Just follow the instructions and it connects to my modem and connects to my PC and wireless devices (Dell laptop and iPod Touch). The increase in range within my two story home is a very welcome improvement over my old Netgear WNDR3300. I have a very strong WiFi signal everywhere now. I have not tried the external storage feature. The browser interface works fine as an intermediate network user. I disabled the Guest account with ease. I change the device name with just a few key strokes. I change the passphrase within seconds from the manufacturer's default settings.
So after just one day, I am greatly pleased with the ease of setup, the range and the ability to add other wireless devices as the need arises. A true 5 star rating from a home network user.
ONE WEEK UPDATE: Still a Five Star performer. Zero glitches, and GREAT range within my two story home. A keeper so far!
By Jerry L. Bobo II (Moore, OK)
Okay, my 6 year old WRT54G finally died this week. I was sad to see it go, so after looking at all the various manufacturers routers, I found myself going to LinkSys (i.e. Cisco) once again. Getting a dual band, wireless-N, 4-port wired, and USB external storage router for $149?? I can't really complain about that (especially since the previous version of this router was $199 and plagued with a lot of issues). Happily, Cisco/Linksys has fixed these (well, so far it seems that way)
PROS:
Overall, I am very pleased with this router. I have a fairly extensive home network system (3 desktops and 2 laptops [using a mix of 32-bit WinXP and 64-bit Win 7 Ultimate] a wireless TiVo Premier (the new Series 4 HD one), a wireless LG BD590 blu-ray player, and my wife and I each have a iPhone 3GS). This router handles all this beautifully. All my streaming, downloading etc is flawless and all my devices talk to the router and each other without any connectivity drops etc.
BASIC set-up of the router was very easy (for all my devices) and ANY average user should not have any trouble getting everything connected and talking to the router and each other. For the average user, having a basic/average network at home, this is the router for you! A more advanced user (like myself) may find some areas/features a little lacking
CONS:
The biggest issues I have with this router:
1) we still get the same old web interface that LinkSys has had for years and years. while it is a VERY effective interface for accessing the router, I was hoping for something a little less cumbersome and more quick to respond to changes etc (this is where the competition is excelling!). And any more than basic router changes you make, will generally eliminate you being able to use the "Cisco Connect" program (this is a basic, average user software interface for making very basic router changes). Even merely changing the SSID and password that is created when you install the router will negate Cisco Connect. For me, not a big deal, since I an a fairly advanced user and know what advanced changes I want to make and don't care about Cisco Connect anyway. But for the basic/average user, this might cause some trouble for them.
2) the unit is poorly designed when it comes to heat dissipation. The router has no "feet" to raise it off the surface it sits on and it does get hot. I eliminated this issue by going to Home Depot and buying four rubber bottle stoppers (think black, rubber, wine bottle corks). They are down the nuts and bolts aisle and cost $1.29 each. They are about 3/4" tall and I use them as "feet" and keep the router stable. They raise my router just high enough to allow heat dissipation under the unit to keep it as cool as my old WRT54G - just warm now, definitely not hot. Try this, well worth the $5 or so.
3) Not really an issue, but a little annoying: it is flat, but wide, so it takes up a lot of "real estate". I have a very large L-shaped hutch/desk/cabinet combo, so I have plenty of room to spare - just wanted to mention to you - could be a problem for some. This wide, flat design does lend itself to collect dust - never a good thing for an always on electronic device.
4)the FTP is slow. Even after exhaustive settings changes, testing the changes and doing more changes has, so far, not really improved this. If anyone has figured this out, let me know!
I have NOT used the media server portion of the router. Don't really need to because of my TiVo and blu-ray player --they have their own media servers that perform wonderfully, so just no need to enable and set-up the E3000's media server. Nor do I have a PS3 or XBox, so I can't comment on those uses either. I have read both pros and cons at other sites for PS3/XBox use - check those out for more information.
Hope this helps! Enjoy the router if you get one. well worth your money.
By Jason (Chicago)
I have read some of the reviews before I bought this router E3000 and was almost not going to buy it because of the bad reviews. So I want to write a review to help people understand this wireless router.
There are only 4 things inside the box when you first get it. The router, setup disk, Ethernet cable, and power brick. There is no instruction manual I don't really think you need one the instructions are on the setup disk. First you have to run the CD first than follow the on screen instructions. It just basically tells you the timing for when they want you to plug in a connection and diagnose if it is working and installs the Cisco Connect program.
YOU CAN USE THE CISCO CONNECT PROGRAM AND THE ADVANCE SETTINGS .
I have looked online from reviews from both amazon and other websites and the major complaint is that you can't use both but you CAN. I have experimented a little bit with the advanced settings (also accessible through 192.168.1.1) that you can access through the cisco connect program under router settings. So far from the changes I made, the only setting that you can not change in the advanced settings, that will disable the cisco connect program is the settings for the 2.4 GHz wireless settings either the Network Name (SSID) or the passphrase. You can change the settings for the 5 GHz and can still access Cisco Connect. The reason why so many people want to change the SSID is because the Cisco Connect program assign you a silly random name, mines was quickdolphin for example. I think that might be the main cause of some of the bad reviews. If You want to change the 2.4 GHz SSID and still be able to use both cisco connect and the advance settings change it only through the cisco connect program under Router settings/ Personalize there you can change the router name and password after that change whatever you want in the advance settings. If at any time you cannot access the cisco connect program than you can just reset the router and just go through the installation CD again. You can turn off the guest access and the parental control is there if you need it in the cisco connect. This router can do amazing speeds.
By Dr Pennypacker
Set this up yesterday. Didn't use the included cd, but instead chose to go in manually and set it up via web page config mode. Whole thing took maybe 45 minutes.
Everything looks the same as my old wrt54g router which was creeping on its way to the old age home and who's signal would die every time I'd fire up the microwave.
Easy setup, blazing speeds, setup port forwarding for my xbox 360, port forwarding for my air video server to stream DVR video to my iPhone and iPad, turned on firewall and made sure VPN pass thru was enabled. Set a password on router to change from default. Setup DHCP to have a 7 day lease.
We have almost a completely wireless house. A blackberry, iPhone, iPad, xbox360, netbook, 2 laptops, HTPC, Hp Printer and a desktop.
Everything is hooked up wireless except the desktop.
Setup the 5ghz with a unique SSID and password and connected the xbox360. Tested a 1080i streaming video from xbox live, worked flawlessly. Tried to hook the HTPC into the 5ghz but could not due to an issue with the pc's NIC (probably with a driver, I'll mess with it later). Put the iPad on the 5ghz and it hooked in flawlessly and streamed video like a champ.
Everything else went on the the 2.4ghz band. Setup the same SSID and password that I used on my old linksys and then unplugged the old router. Everything hopped right over to the new one.
Speed seems better on everything. The UnPnP feature resolved some issues I had between xbox and getting media off other pcs.
Tested VPN pass thru to make sure I could connect back to work network.
Only thing I have not tried is the Storage server option.
Definately a solid router so far.
By Richard B. Drake (Southern Maryland, USA)
Wow, the Cisco E3000 is a gem and I am thrilled with it. It's my fourth wireless router and the first one to provide completely reliable wired and wireless connectivity to a plethora of devices without needing to be constantly rebooted. It even actually gets a 300Mbs connection from my Wireless N laptop running Windows 7 Professional when I am seated in my living room about 15 feet from the router.
Set up is as easy as it gets if you follow the instructions. I recommend that you do follow the instructions step by step even if you are experienced with router set up. Install the first PC from the supplied CD, create the "Easy Setup Key" on a USB flash drive (this is not supplied with the E3000) and use it to set up the other PC's on your network practically plug and play. This will get you up and running in minutes with WPA encryption enabled by default and insure that "Cisco Connect" is installed on each PC. Without "Cisco Connect" you won't be able to control your guest network so you need it. Once everything is working with the basic setup you can use Advanced setup to add advanced features as you need them like DDNS, port forwarding and MAC address filtering etc. However, if you change the SSID or password you will no longer be able to use "Cisco Connect", I knocked it down one star for that and hope that they will soon correct it.
If you have or are planning a home network for all those gadgets that need internet access like PC's, Play Stations, TV's, DVR's, iPods, Wii's, and on and on, this is the router you want to have.
Note Added 5/11/2010
On 5/4/2010 Cisco released an update for Cisco Connect and a firmware update for the E3000 router. After installing both updates I brought up Cisco Connect and changed both my password and the SSIDs for both the 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz bands. It automatically reset these items in the Advanced settings menu accessible via a Web browser and prompted me to update my "Easy Setup Key". Thus, I consider the problem that most everyone including myself complained about to be solved and I have upgraded my rating to from 4 to 5 stars.
By Larry W. Cormicle (Ames, IA USA)
After two failed Netgear wireless routers over five years, I finally splurged to the Linksys Cisco brand and bought the E3000. The setup instructions on the installation CD worked perfectly. Just follow the instructions and it connects to my modem and connects to my PC and wireless devices (Dell laptop and iPod Touch). The increase in range within my two story home is a very welcome improvement over my old Netgear WNDR3300. I have a very strong WiFi signal everywhere now. I have not tried the external storage feature. The browser interface works fine as an intermediate network user. I disabled the Guest account with ease. I change the device name with just a few key strokes. I change the passphrase within seconds from the manufacturer's default settings.
So after just one day, I am greatly pleased with the ease of setup, the range and the ability to add other wireless devices as the need arises. A true 5 star rating from a home network user.
ONE WEEK UPDATE: Still a Five Star performer. Zero glitches, and GREAT range within my two story home. A keeper so far!
