Cisco-Linksys E4200 Maximum Performance Simultaneous Dual-Band Wireless-N Router

Quick router.. wish it was quicker, May 4, 2011

By 

M. Eaton (Southern California) –

  

I would say the E4200 router provides a solid connection, roughly the same throughput performance as the NETGEAR N750 450 Mbps Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4000 (another 450 Mbps router), simple setup with `Cisco Connect’, and the lack of LED lights in the front of the router really helps with the light pollution on the office desk.

Pros:
* Supports 3 data stream (450 Mbps) on the 5 GHz band. The tested throughput on the 5 GHz band was 129 Mbps up and 148 Mbps down (laptop with Intel 6300 wifi card to a server with a wired connection). About 15% quicker then my ancient WNDR3700 router, but I was hoping for a 50% increase (300 Mbps -> 450 Mbps).
* Simple to setup with the `Cisco Connect’ application. The application guides you in setting up the wireless security, parental control, and guest network.
* No issues connecting to the router with my PS3, Windows Home Server, Vulkano, and iPad

Con:
* Only 2 data stream (300 Mbps) on the 2.4 GHz band. The tested throughput on the 2.4 GHz band was 60 Mbps up and 70 Mbps down
* No extra features like WDS repeating/bridge
* WNDR4000 has better parental control features

Summary:
Having the E4200 and WNDR4000, the E4200 has roughly the same throughput performance as the WNDR4000 (134 Mbps up and 140 Mbps down on the 5 GHz band). The difference between the two comes down to features. The E4200 has a fantastic setup utility that will allow any newbie to configure the router with ease. The WNDR4000 provides more useful features such as WDS repeating and transfer meter. As for the range of the router, I really can’t comment on it due to living in a small apartment.

Some extra background info:
One thing that I feel is missing in the `router comparison desk’ is the processor alacrity. The CPU alacrity gives you an thought about the performance of the router. So here is what I found on the internet.
E1200 – 300 MHz CPU with 32MB RAM and 4MB Flash
E1500 – 300 MHz CPU with 32MB RAM and 8MB Flash
E2500 – 300 MHz CPU with 64MB RAM and 8MB Flash
E3000 – 480 MHz CPU with 64MB RAM and 8MB Flash
E4200 – 480 MHz CPU with 64MB RAM and 16MB Flash

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Best out there!!, May 1, 2011

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Mark Stran “Marked and Stranded” (Boston, MA) –

  

With having owned many single band routers, it was time to upgrade to a dual band model.

I first tried the Netgear 3700. With using it for about a week, I returned it because of poor transmission speeds and messy firmware.
Thankfully that week, the E4200 was released. As with other linksys routers, installation was a breeze. I use more than 15 networked items in my house. Using the included software to do the setup is very simple and straight-forward. Linksys really got it right with this model.
This router is super quick compared to the netgear 3700. The NAS input for a USB storage devices is about 10 times as quick and the 5ghz band works better in my house on the E4200 than on the 3700.
Range on the 2.4ghz band is fantastic. I can pick up signal on my laptop two houses over. It is nice when you are at a neighbors house and are able to use your own internet connection at a decent signal strength.
The 5gz band is not quite as strong but I was still able to pick it up one house over. For me, as long as I can sit poolside in the far back part of my yard and get a strong signal, that is all that matters.
I recommend this router to anyone who is looking to get the most up to date technology in a gorgeous package.

Only negative for me is the price point. I reckon we all have to suffer because of Cisco’s huge margin requirements..

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Expensive, but the BEST router I’ve ever owned, May 1, 2011

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Thomas Tomchak (Wheaton, IL USA) –

  

The only negative is the price on this one, but I needed something that HAD to be reliable since I was using it on a live streaming job. So the price was not a huge issue. I just looked at it as insurance.

Setup was super simple. I like that it sets up a guest network automatically (which you can disable if you don’t want it obviously).

I’ve by no means seen such quick alacrity over wireless and the range is awesome.

If it were not so expensive I would buy a few more for the home, but at this price it’s going to be part of the streaming system and that alone.

I can’t recommend this router enough. I usually use Netgear and like the brand, have used TrendNet with poor results, and have mixed results with LinkSys (which is why I was a bit concerned about buying this since Cisco bought LinkSys). But I’m very pleased.

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