Review: Cisco Linksys E3000

Cisco recently launched a new series of Linksys routers in Canada. Linksys has long been synonymous with solid networking gear but now that Cisco has taken the reigns things are being shaken up.  They’re replacing their line of routers with a whole new series. It’s simplified to just three models, representing low, mid and high range. Let’s look a little closer to see what this is all about.

For starters the change is different as soon as you look at the product packaging. I was quite surprised to see how simplified and clear the packaging is. It is so streamlined that I thought it was a prototype. Gone is all the additional information and clutter. It just tells you what you need to know in a clear and direct manner. Turn the box over to the back where you’d expect to find all the marketing junk, fine print, and technical overload but no. You’ll find a clear chart comparing the new Linksys line in a very direct and straightforward way. This box may not seem like a huge deal but for a router it’s very different and is indicative of Cisco’s approach with this new line.

When you open the box you get another surprise. No pamphlets. No manuals. No clutter of paperwork, guides, and cables; Just the router, an installation CD, and a couple of cables. The inside of the box is as simple as the outside. That’s just the box though, what happens when you want to set it all up? Well you just plug it in, pop in the CD, and in a couple of minutes it’s all setup for you with security and all. It’s amazingly effortless.  The only downside is that you’ve got to use a CD which is quickly becoming an obsolete medium. I would much rather have seen the setup come via USB drive.

The setup software is called Cisco Connect and it does a fantastic job of streamlining the setup and maintenance with your router making things straightforward in plain English and taking care of most of the work for you without much input from the user. I love it. The problem is that it doesn’t handle everything. The E3000 comes with a USB port for an external storage device, for instance, but in order to set it up you have to go in to the web interface which is sadly not as elegant and not the most intuitive thing to understand. I’m not sure why this can’t be done via Cisco Connect or why they can’t make the web interface more similar to the streamlined elegance of Connect.  This would be ideal but as it stands you have to keep the Connect client installed on our computer unless you want to deal with the typical router interface we’ve seen before and never loved.

The router itself is pretty good too – it runs wonderfully. The dual band power really shines and its worth the premium price. It’s really all you can want in a router. It’s got integrated internal antennas and a slick looking form-factor evoking the design of a car-hood. Plug in large capacity external hard drive and you’re laughing.  It’s hard to find criticisms of the actual hardware. Both technically and from an industrial design standpoint it’s the best router I’ve ever had my hands on.

There are some small things I’d like to see improved with the product as noted above but these are hard to classify as problems since they exist in pretty much every other router to date. They only really seem like problems since everything else is improved and streamlined so well that it makes the few things that haven’t been streamlined as much seem very old and busted. It’s hard not to gush at this new approach to routers. Kudos Cisco. By simplifying and refining your new line they’ve pushed the whole router genre forward in my opinion. It makes shopping for and setting up your next router as easy as it would be for a toaster.