| Linksys WRT350N Wireless-N Gigabit Router with Storage Link |
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Model: WRT350N
Brand: Linksys
Manufacturer: Linksys
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 46
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 802.11n (draft), IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
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| Features: |
Product Type - Router
Warranty - 1 year
Features 256-bit Wireless Protected Access (WPA2) encryption at either 64 or 128 WEP key bits, and is backed by a manufacturer's limited three-year warranty
- Up to 12 times faster than Wireless-G, but also works great with Wireless-G and -B devices |
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| Description: |
| Linksys Wireless-N Gigabit Router with Storage Link is really four devices in one box. First, there's the Wireless Access Point, which lets you connect to the network without wires. There's also a built-in 4-port full-duplex 10/100/1000 Switch to connect your wired-Ethernet devices together at up to gigabit speeds. The Router function ties it all together and lets your whole network share a high-speed cable or DSL Internet connection.Storage Link lets you easily add gigabytes of storage space onto your network using readily available USB 2.0 hard drives - or plug in a USB flash disk for a convenient way to access your portable data files. The built-in Media Server streams music, video, and photos from the attached storage device to any UPnP compatible media adapter. And you can get to your files from anywhere in the world through the Internet. |
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| User Reviews (46 total): |
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Storage Link is not ready for prime time., July 17, 2008
By ~CTC (Round Rock, TX)
This router has a nice setup process. It appears to have better range, especially from one floor of my home to the next. And I'm seeing excellent transfer rates across gigabyte NICs that are wired directly to the router.
But it hardly makes up for two big issues: First, the Storage Link is not ready from prime time. Yes, there are some users that understand routers, group policies, and all of the other settings required to make this thing work. Mapping a Network drive is not beyond all users. Linksys does a lousy job describing how to setup and use this feature.
Yes, I read the manual. Yes, I surfed several forums for tips. And, yes, I did finally get it to connect. But the hassle factor is really high. And, for some reason the process to reconnect to the mapped drive is problematic. Eventually I unplugged the USB drive and returned it to its' base computer. I wanted a single repository of music and images, but Storage Link does not appear to be the solution.
A second issue is the preference for "wireless" connections. Where my wireless devices connected without a problem, I am still working to configure wired devices and my ethernet/network enabled printer. The setup wizard that makes everything seem so smooth and easy - also hides the ability to manually intervene. Renaming workgroups, users and computers is not my idea of a fun time.
I gave this router a 3-star rating based on the basic speed improvements (within my LAN) and simple wireless setup. You can find other products, even from Linksys, for $50-$60 less that will give you most of the same functionality, speed and range. If they would let someone dedicate a few hours to improve the User Manual this product could be a real winner.
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Flashing the POS commonly known as the WRT350N, June 27, 2008
By J. Webb
Since this router came out I have found myself flashing more and more of them. People are fed up with the constant unstable connections, and constant default setting resets needed to keep this thing going. I myself have one and will soon be selling it to my friend to get a new router.
I have had problems with it dropping my connections usually every 10-15 minutes. I too voided the warranty on this product by flashing it to use "DD-WRT" (WARNING: flashing your router WILL void your warranty and Linksys will not give any support once they find out you have done it. So do it at your own descretion. You will also lose the ability to use the network USB storage feature.)
Once i installed DD-WRT mini on the router it restarted and yes everything seemed just fine. Next i upgraded DD-WRT mini to DD-WRT v.24 and uh oh... No access to the web GUI to edit the settings. Simple work around... NO I DID NOT BRICK the router. Anyways... i used TELNET to connect to the router using the standard login: ROOT and password: ADMIN and TURNED ON web GUI access by entering the following command "httpd -h /www" (This seems to happen every now and then when i am installing it on a new router for the first time.) If you cant TELNET into it try SSH using "PuTTy".
For all the info you need and more or access to download the files used above just google the UPPERCASE words above ;)
In the end... after flashing it you may have voided the warranty but i guarantee you will have a MUCH BETTER router in the end. DO NOT ATTEMPT FLASHING IF YOU ARE NOT TECHY!!! TAKE IT TO A TECH TO HAVE IT DONE. If you dont know anyone then take it to GEEK SQUAD or FIREDOG and bring the disks with the files for DDWRT and have them do it... (but no clue what they may charge for it... nor guarantee that the techs there will even accept the job since it voids product warranty. GOODLUCK)
Video of another guy who did what i do on a weekly basis:
[...]
What i usually charge people is around [...] (The price changes depending on how far i have to travel to do the work... with gas prices so high these days i might need to start charging [...] just to make the trips worth it.)
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Avoid this product if you use more than one wireless connection, May 29, 2008
By Buonanno Sergio (Pordenone, Italy)
The firmware has serious problems in many areas:
NAT: doesn't save settings, you must try more times before getting it right
Wireless connection: if you have more computers connected the connection will drop continuously. Even every 2-3 minutes
USB storage: Very limited features and many times it doesn't work or save settings.
From time to time you need to reset it because the DHCP server stops working.
If connected through DHCP to the provider, it won't rapidly recover from a connection drop.
The only positive thing about this router is the easy to use management web interface.
My suggestion is to avoid this product because it needs a new, more reliable, firmware.
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I Have to Reboot this Router Once a Day, May 18, 2008
By Michael J. Titera (Parker, Colorado)
When it works, it works great. Unfortunately, to get it to work right, I have to reboot this device at least once a day. Most of the time, the reboot is due to the router no longer seeing my attached USB hard drive. Hopefully, Linksys will come out with updated firmware to fix this issue.
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It may work at first, but it WILL break., May 14, 2008
By Eric Andrew
I bought this product last fall after being enticed by the fact that it has Wireless N and that it has a USB slot for an external drive. The wireless speed was very slow for an N router, but I only had one N-able device and the rest were G, so I just dealt with it. I didn't have many issues at first, with the sole exception of the connection to the external drive on the USB, which has always been very, very slow and unstable.
After about six months of use, the router just stopped working. No amount of soft resets, hard resets, and firmware flashes have gotten this back to working condition. It is now a brick, and I will never, ever, ever buy a Linksys product again.
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Linksys WRT350N Wireless-N Gigabit Router with Storage Link, May 9, 2008
By S. Aiello (Cape Coral, Florida United States)
The software setup is easy it is fast on the host computer but the range leaves a little to be desired.
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Complete Dissatisfaction, April 7, 2008
By pe in VA (Fairfax, VA)
I am writing this review because of my COMPLETE DISSATISFACTION with Linksys's customer service. (and the fact that the router doesn't work)
I spent over 2 hours on the phone with 2 different technicians plus an additional 1 hour on the phone with Verizon.
After all of this we were not able to get the Linksys router working. I could connect to the internet but no matter which way we configured the DSL modem and router the Linksys will not work.
The Linksys did work for about a week then suddenly stopped working and we starting having this problem.
It was determined that a new router should be sent. A Linksys technical rep. contacted a supervisor and got the replacement approved. The tech. rep told me to call customer service the following day when they open and request a replacement.
I did that but was told by customer service rep. that the replacement wasn't authorized. They wanted me to continue to troubleshoot which I refuse to do. After 3 hours of troubleshooting I feel that I did my job as a customer and it is time that they did their job. They offered to call the store and try to get it replaced. They told me that Linksys wouldn't replace the router but I would have to go back to the store with it.
Then another customer service representative called me back and told me that they can't contact the store with the information that I supplied, (which I got off my VISA bill), I bought the router on line from Circuit City. I am feed up with Linksys and just wanted a replacement router sent. But Linksys feels that 3 hours of my time on a Sunday afternoon is not good enough for a replacement.
I will be sending this piece of electronic plastic back to circuit city and purchasing another router from another manufacturer. I will NEVER purchase a Linksys product again.
A VERY UNHAPPY FORMER CUSTOMER
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Storage Link Does NOT Work, March 20, 2008
By http://terrysmith.net -- http://terrysmithimages.com (Little Rock, AR USA)
The Storage Link on the Linksys WRT350N does NOT work.
I have tried more than once, in different configurations, and it does not work. Period. Upgrading the firmware will not resolve the issue.
If you have folders and files on an existing USB drive and then attach it to the router, they will not appear as they should. Directories will appear as subdirectories of others in cases where they really are not. In other words, directory A will appear beneath directory B even when it is not! It's simply WRONG.
Also, it is absolutely impossible to assign read/write permissions for different users to different folders. 75% of the time the router software will not save your changes. Even when it does save your changes, randomly, the security permission will not work as you define them.
Do not buy this product.
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Buy it., March 3, 2008
By Jared
Not sure why people don't like it, works great for me. No lost connections and my PS3 works well with it. 2girls1cup plays just fine, couldn't ask for anything else.
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Linksys, February 23, 2008
By M. Smith (Illinois)
Installation was simple with the CD and material provided. Works great. Wireless printer works great. I am disappointed in the wireless storage feature. After an hour on the phone with Linksys support we discover it will not work with an NTFS formatted drive. Overall, satisfied. If you want to use the storage feature suggest digging further into requirements and capabilites before buying external storage.
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Intermittent wireless connections; frequent resets required., February 19, 2008
By Thomas H. Williams (Centreville, VA USA)
I have had 2 problems with this router and have received factory support and replacement units without resolving the problem.
1. Wireless connections on several of my home computers are intermittent
2. The router occasionally loses the ability to connect to the internet without any changes on my part. To resolve, I must reset the unit and reconfigure using the reset port in back.
Review the Linksys user forum for further evidence of these issues. I would avoid this router.
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Save your money and more importantly time!, January 14, 2008
By Phazor (Florida)
This product is horrible. I couldn't get it to work with my DSL out of the box. I called tech support (India) and they were no help. I finally connected my old router, downloaded the latest firmware and got it working on my own only to find that performance was horrible. Wireless range and data transfer speeds are sub-par and Internet performance was worse than my previous router. It barely works with my Xbox 360, I had to modify multiple setting just to get my xbox to connect to live. I strongly advise you not to waste your time and money on this product. I replaced my WRT350N with a DLink DGL-4500 and had it up and running perfectly in 5 minutes. Performance, range and internet on the Dlink have all been great. Xbox live worked with minimal configuring which the Dlink automatically does for you if you select live under the gaming category in its setup.
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Easy And Fast, January 12, 2008
By P. Schaefer (Iowa)
I have installed many wireless routers. The step by step wizard complete with animated connection video really takes the guess work out of it. It worked the first time. I would recommend this device to anyone.
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Great Hardware Very Very Poor Firmware, December 28, 2007
By Diaa Hussein (Egypt)
This Box Is Great Piece of Hardware but the LinkSYS standerd firmware sucks, it needs a reboot daily because it hangs and the performance of the USB is very very slow
I had to change the firmware to the dd-wrt firmware and now we can play.
It is very good box if you are a computer geek because you will learn how to handle and fix it.
If you are a regular user do not try to buy it or you will get very disappointed.
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Ver 1.0 of this router still has major firmware problems., December 2, 2007
By Christopher Stephens (Austin, TX)
This review is for the version 1.0 router with Broadcom chipset. Linksys has a habit of selling the same hardware with completely different internals, later versions of this router have a Marvell chip set and users with this chip set may have a different experience.
I bought this router in the hopes that I could replace a 12 year old OpenBSD/DEC Alpha box that had been doing my routing reliably for a number of years. I wanted something that would use less power, provide fast wireless, QOS and reliable routing. I purchased this router even after reading the poor reviews. I hoped the latest firmware would have most of the problems fixed. This was not the case. The router was fast when it was working, but it required daily reboots, or more than daily if it was under high load.
I have since re-flashed the router with DD-WRT v24 RC3 3rd party firmware (only works on ver1 of this router) and have not had to reboot the router since. I really cannot figure out how the single guy that maintains DD-WRT can create a more reliable firmware than Linksys/Cisco. I am glad the hardware works, and that I can use the router with DD-WRT... but I am very disappointed with the product out of the box from Linksys.
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A mixed but ultimately disappointing bag from Linksys, December 2, 2007
By Stephen McMenamin (Fullerton, CA USA)
This is my third Linksys router, and in general I have been very pleased with their products. I bought this one for the claimed increased range, and I was also interested in the storage link feature.
Basic setup was a breeze, and the router came up on my home network flawlessly in a matter of minutes. The range is noticeably better than my trusty 54G, but not by much. I was certainly expecting more based on the claims.
The storage link feature is very confusing. I was unable to use it with my Drobo, which works perfectly as a directly attached device. The documentation of this feature is completely inadequate, and judging by the experiences reported here, calling Linksys customer service is not much help. Storage link may indeed work in some cases, but I am unwilling to make the investment of time in phone calls to figure out how to get it to work for me. I have to agree with others here that Linksys has released this product prematurely.
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Waste of Money, November 25, 2007
By nothing but truth (Seattle, WA USA)
I wasted $200 by purchasing the router. Wireless connection keep dropping every two days and you need to reset the router, wireless range is very less when compared to WRT54. Stay away from the router. I really don't understand how linksys can release such a worst product.
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Highly Unreliable router., November 20, 2007
By Nadeem Anwar (Canada)
I replaced an old D-Link wireless router with the latest from Linksys and my troubles started. The router was a piece of cake to setup and ran fine for a couple of days. A power interruption and, try as I could, I failed to get the wireless devices to access it. Replacement product took two months to arrive and same story repeated. Replacement one worked fine for a day and then wireless devices could connect to it but not the internet.
Support asked me to upgrade the firmware and again it worked for a day. Then support asked me to change frequencies. Worked again for a day and then stopped. Wireless communication when I replace it with my old DLink is perfect but I have had multiple sessions to trouble shoot what works fine for a while and with no changes decides to quit and I have spend hours trying to resolve issues and it has been days now that one problem or the other keeps appearing. I regret my decision and strongly vote against the product which I bought because of the Cisco name associated with Linksys.
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Setup is a snap!, November 7, 2007
By Scott Bassin (Denver, CO USA)
If you've set up a wireless router before, you'll find this to be a snap. Administration is virtually the same as with my old G router from Linksys. I had it up and running in minutes with the latest firmware.
DHCP Reservation is a huge addition in my opinion. Now, when the power to your router goes off, your machines come back with the same IP addresses as before. When your different IP devices interact over the network, that can be important.
Range seems to be about the same as my old G router, but I think the range boost comes when using N hardware on the clients.
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Terrible software and poor performance, October 15, 2007
By -- BiP (Dallas, TX)
I am a tech guy, and this is a terrible unit and mine died after one week. Hey Linksys, or Cisco if you wish, change your software and make it more user friendly without having to go to the IP which most ppl know nothing about
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