I am one of those people that cannot live without internet. LOL...I'll admit it and I was getting really upset when I pay extra for the higher speed internet but unfortunately was experiencing half the speed I was paying for, even when I was connected by cable. I should also mention that my wireless was no longer working at this point as well. It got to the point where I couldn't load more than a tab at a time and even then, it took a good several minutes to load a site. After almost a year of going back and forth with my Cable company, we finally determined that my router was the source of all this trouble. It was effectively cutting down my internet speed by half for no apparent reason. At the same time, Cisco came to the rescue and allowed me to review their Cisco Linksys E4200 Maximum Performance Dual-Band N Router.
OMG...what a difference it made. Let me tell you the specs first as from their site.
Its a maximum performance dual-band N Router. The Linksys E4200 offers ultra fast speed to connect your computers, Internet-ready TVs, game consoles, and other Wi-Fi devices at transfer rates up to 300 + 450 Mbps speed. A full 3x3 MIMO antenna array boosts signal strength to allow for accessibility throughout your home. Double your network bandwidth with dual-band N (2.4 and 5 GHz) in order to avoid interference and maximize throughput for smoother and faster HD video streaming, file transfers, and wireless gaming. Use the four Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000) ports for quick file sharing, 10x faster than standard Ethernet, between other Gigabit-enabled devices like computers, hard drives, and servers. The USB port lets you add a range of USB storage devices such as flash drives and external hard drives to share files at home or over the Internet for greater access to more information. The built-in UPnP AV Media Server enables seamless streaming of your video and media files to an Xbox 360, PS3, or other UPnP compatible device.
Starting from the beginning, I loved the sleek look of this router. So simple, so sleek, so sexy. It is by far the best looking router I've ever owned. My internet speed was back and I loved it. My wireless internet was functioning and when hooked to the cable, I was experiencing speeds I should've always had. Plus, even with all our gadgets hooked up, the performance was still there. The set up was very simple and easy with the installation DVD. I'm usually the one that installs routers, printers, and all the technology in the family, but I have no doubts in my mind that even a beginner would be able to install this Linksys E4200 Router. During the set-up, I was giddy to find that there's even a guest-mode function. So, not only do you set up security on the router to prevent others from your general wifi network, there is also a wifi network separate for your guests to use. That's so cool! So, if your friends come to visit or your neighbor or whoever needs to temporarily borrow your internet, you can just give them access to the guest network.
I also noticed that my wireless signal was stronger and better even if I was a couple rooms away from the router location. You can also hook up your hard drives to the router so that all of the computers on your network may access the data. However, for large files transfers, I would recommend just plugging the hard drive into your computer. I also work from a MAC so Cisco gets bonus marks for being able to produce a great router that's compatible with both PC's and MACs. There are also parental controls for those of you worried about your children's internet access so its really a well-rounded product. Maximum performance? I agree! What about you? Win one here in the Holiday Turkey Hunt. This will be the perfect router to set up the Xbox 360 and other gaming systems with.
Buy It: Shop online for Cisco Linksys E4200 Maximum performance Dual Band N Router ($179.99). Currently on sale for $159.99.
Win It: Cisco has been incredibly generous and offered 1 Whirlwind of Surprises' reader the chance to win a Cisco Linkysys E4200 Router ($180) for themselves. Come back to enter the giveaway as part of the Holiday Turkey Hunt Nov 25-Dec 09 with $250+ in prizes + an Xbox 360! Winner must not have won a Linksys Router from any blog in the past 6 months. Make it easier on yourself by showing the sponsors some love now: Like Cisco Linksys on facebook. Follow @officiallinksys.
Disclaimer: The product/s mentioned above have been provided for the purposes of this review. No other form of compensation was received. Opinions expressed belong to Whirlwind of Surprises and are NOT influenced in any way. Please view my full disclosure.
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Until next time,
