| Linksys WRT610N Simultaneous Dual-N Band Wireless Router |
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Model: WRT610N
Brand: Linksys
Manufacturer: Linksys
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 22
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 802.11n (draft), IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11g
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| Features: |
Internet-sharing Router and 4-port Gigabit Switch, with a built-in, dual-band, speed and range enhanced Wireless Access Point
Two simultaneous, separate, radio bands double your available bandwidth
MIMO technology uses multiple radios per band to create robust signals for maximum range and speed, with reduced dead spots
Connect a hard drive or flash-based USB storage device to allow access to your music, video, or data files from within your network, or through the Internet |
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| Description: |
| The sleek Simultaneous Dual-N Band WRT610N Router is designed and engineered for lag free gaming, uninterrupted music and streaming high-definition video. Dual Wireless-N bands can provide twice the bandwidth so you can do all this while browsing the Internet, sharing files, sending e-mail, and printing. |
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| User Reviews (22 total): |
Page 1 of Total 1 Pages
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disappointing but hopefully fixable, August 15, 2008
By Photobug (Long Island)
Like some others, I have constant disconnects, especially on N. As one magazine pointed out, the installation instructions should tell you to reboot your cable modem - I wasted hours here (my cable modem is a pain to reboot but I'd have done it if I knew to. G for an older laptop was fairly easy otherwise to setup. N is not fun. Like someone else, whenever I download a large file, N tends to drop. But sometimes it works for a couple hours straight. It needs some work, hopefully just another firmware upgrade.
On a side note, I wish it had the same form factor as earlier units, to be stackable with switches, for instance. The new style is cute, but the old one more practical.
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Linksys used to be great...not anymore, August 15, 2008
By Steven Blanco (Colorado, USA)
I've been working with wireless routers since my first Beadlenet, seemingly a lifetime ago. I recently decided to upgrade my WRT54GS with the 610, primarily for the N band, but also because the 54GS kept requiring a reboot about twice a day. The 610 is my fifth Linksys router, and I have been a reliable Linksys customer - all my adapters are Linksys, every router (since the Beadlenet) has been a Linksys, and I honestly never even looked at D-Link or the others. That has now changed.
First, LELA (their Easy Link Advisor) caused a lot of problems. After going though it numerous times, it would just stare at me at the end of setup with "Cannot connect to router". OK, on to manual setup - no big deal, I've done this probably a hundred times or more.
I was able to finally get connected. With the router in the exact same place as my old one, my range on the 2.4Ghz band was well under half of what I was getting before. The router is in the basement, which with the 54GS allowed me to go anywhere even on the second story. Now, I cannot go to even the first story, nor can I go to the other end of the basement. Note that this is with the 2.4Ghz band, same as before. I've also successfully connected to the 5Ghz band, but that is even more limited; anything beyond the next room and I'm out of luck. I tried moving the router around - first floor, second floor, etc. - with no good results anywhere. The range is just severely limited compared to the older Linksys products.
Finally, being a glutton for punishment, I decided to try the USB storage. Keep in mind I work on computers and networking for a living. After 6 HOURS of setup, I could not reliably access the disk. Sometimes it would work, sometimes it wouldn't. Upgrading firmware did not solve this problem, nor did calls to Linksys.
I returned the router, tried another, with the exact same results. I suspect they have a significant problem with these internal antennas; Linksys is more than aware that their range is limited, but they prefer the sleek, "sexy" look over actual functionality. That's just too bad and will prove their undoing.
I am returning this unit and shopping for another brand. I've finally had enough with Linksys.
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Trouble With Bellsouth DSL, August 13, 2008
By Gary B. Smith (Cornelius, NC USA)
I have gone through 2 WRT610N routers. Both times I spent over an hour with Linksys tech support. I was trying to upgrade from the WRT54G Version 8 (which works great), but I wanted the N channel and some of the other features of the 610. For what ever reason this router will no connect to my DSL connection. It should connect using PPPoE type connection (as it did wiht the WRT54G), but it will not connect. On the first unit I bought the Linksys person tried to blame it on my Alcatel modem, but could not explain why their Linksys WRT54G worked perfectly with the same modem (and had for months). the Linksys tech wanted me to have the modem bridged (disable its internal router). They could not explain how the modem could be un-bridged and worked perfectly with the WRT54G. Finally the first Linksys person told me that the unit must be defective so I should return it and buy a new 610. So I bought a new 610, but it had the idential problem. This time I gave in and called Bellsouth, who told me that there was no such thing as an un-bridged Alcatel Speed Modem, so the router should work and it defintily should work with PPPoE. So after about 3 hours on the phone with Linksys I was told to take the second unit back to the store and go with the older WRT600N and see if it works. If the problem is a hardward problem with the 610, then this is very serious, if it is a software or firmware issue, I can not understand how I am the first person in the Bellsouth / AT&T world to have found this problem. So based on my bad experience, I am going to let Linksys have 6 months to get to version 2 or 3 of this product before I try it again.
Gary Smith
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Cisco should be ashamed, August 11, 2008
By D. Stein (Buffalo, NY USA)
Heads ought to be rolling at Linksys. This router seems to be only the latest half baked product that has been prematurely shoved out the door. Back about five years ago or so I swore by Linksys products. I was very optimistic that they would get even better once Cisco acquired Linksys. Quite the opposite of what I had hoped for has transpired.
This router is a poster child for everything that has gone wrong the last couple of years at Linksys. While there is a long list of desirable features listed, the reliability of this router puts it in the category of "almost useless". Linksys documentation, tech support, and support web site also fit neatly into this category. The documentation is full of typos and completely inaccurate information, tech support has no technical knowledge of any kind and treats the customer with a level of disdain normally associated with the DMV, and the tech support website is slow, unresponsive, contains little to no useful information, and is unnecessarily difficult to navigate.
So about this router. As many others have stated, this router is totally unstable. It drops connections habitually, constantly requires a power cycle just to reconnect, and sometimes requires you to re-enter a pre-shared key just to re-authenticate (that's a lot of hyphenated words for one sentence). The only reason I am being so generous with a two star rating is that it seems some people have not received a lemon. Unfortunately for me, I am on my second of these lemons in as many weeks.
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Don't bother, August 11, 2008
By Christina Lee (Santa Cruz, CA United States)
The device has the functionality as other people have covered and is in the product documentation. However I found its support of the 5GHz band is too flaky to be useful. Everything on 2.4 is fine. (Using latest B17 firmware).
On the 5GHz band you are fine if doing light web browsing etc, but about 5-10 seconds after you transfer bulk data the connection dies for about 60 seconds (confirmed using perfmon, wireshark and pings). For example copying a movie file from a camcorder starts at high speed and then fails. Doing the same thing on 2.4Ghz doesn't result in any issues, but is half the speed of 5Ghz and makes having a dual band device pointless.
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Fast Reliable Router!, August 8, 2008
By M. Alegre (USA)
I've had this router for a few days now and i'm very impressed. I've used all different brands of routers and Linksys products rarely disappoint me. I was in need of a stable N router so i could stream content between computers and tivos. I created two separate networks using this router, a 2.4ghz B/G network (20mhz band), and a 5.0ghz N network (40mhz wide band). This router handled both networks with ease. I never see my connection drop like some of the previous reviews stated. I have not tested it as a dual N band router, but it performs great as a hybrid band router!
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Great Upgrade from Airport Extreme (300 mbs), August 3, 2008
By Dustin G. Hess (Charleston, IL)
Ok, First of all, I just want to say that I am a senior in network administration, and I have been though my fair share of routers. I recently had an airport extreme and loved it, but I found myself in need to two separate radio bands.
One work review:
Fandamtastic
If you have ever configured a Linksys router, nothing from what you loved has changed(192.168.1.1 password:admin). Obviously, there are a couple of extra tabs and a few more setting in the wireless tab, but it's still the same old game. Make sure if you want true wireless N you read the little help tidbits on the side in the wireless pane. Set everything to wide 40mhz for true 300mbs speed, and leave it at auto 20mhz for backwards compatibility. I had a small increase in range from my Airport Extreme and a huge increase over any of my old WRT54G's. I haven't tried using the usb port for NAS or UPnP yet (I have a dedicated computer for this)
Pro:
Wireless speeds are amazingly fast, just as I expected
The wired speeds are of course fantastic
The router looks sexy as hell
The power plug goes into a transformer and then has about another 12 inches of a normal power cord so that it doesn't take up more than one plug. Very thoughtful
Con:
The button on the front doesn't do anything on my unit
All in all I love it.
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Linksys WRT610N sensational, August 3, 2008
By Pringle (Oxnard, CA USA)
Once I received the Linsys WRT610N it was unpacked and installed within minutees. That is complete, including the full WEP2 protection protocal. This was on my work HP tablet which only uses the 2.4GH G. The most impressive thing was how much faster the internet loaded and the Google search engine processed and worked.
Then I tried streaming music from my Time Warner Cable Roadrunner network home page. OMG no interuptions no buffering laps.
Then a week later my new HP dv9700 arrived with an ABGN wireless adapter and 2.5GH processer and the connection speed is 130 Mbps. WOW now that's fast.
The most important thing about the Dual-N Band is that my wife will be working on files from her work at home on her lap top also with an ABGN adapter and I will be working on my work laptop with the ABG adapter and we will have no issues. Then the phone rings with the 2.4 GHZ processor and no issues either.
I would highly recommend this product to anyone who has multiple wireless products that most of us all have at home today.
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Power Router, August 3, 2008
By JBJSM (Los Angeles, CA USA)
I purchased this router to stream video wirelessly to a Linksys DMA 2100 Media Center Extender. I also purchased a Linksys 610N USB Dual Band Wireless notebook card. Setting up these three products was fairly complicated and required several calls to the Linksys Customer Support Center. Once all the issues were resolved, I was able to stream HD video content wirelessly to the Media Extender in my living room using the 5 GHZ band, while connecting wirelessly on my notebook to the internet using the 2.4 GHZ band. I've encountered no interference issues and the range of the 5 GHZ band is sufficient to watch HD video in my living room about 75 feet from the router without glitches or stuttering. Considering the introductory price of $149, I feel that it provides good value and terrific features. However, this is not a router for the neophyte or PC challenged! Overall, highly recommended.
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it IS a good router, August 2, 2008
By Ponderosa
Installation was super easy, you don't really need their LELA software.
Pros:
- Connect to a USB external hard drive very easily. Also works as a FTP server. Now, I can share/sync files among Macbook Pro, Dell and Vaio. Supports NTFS and OS X can write to it without sweat(I don't like FAT32).
- Media server works well with my Xbox 360. The video quality is good. I didn't try HD contents yet, but most AVIs can be streamed to the xbox 360 smoothly.
- Qos works well with my Skype phone.
- Configuration interface is quite like DD-WRT, a plus to me.
Cons:
- 5Ghz band is not stable, like others said. (2.4G is good though)
- I think it's a bit warmer than my previous router (WRT54GL).
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YOU MUST IMMEDIATELY UPDATE THE FIRMWARE OR YOU WILL GET DROPPED CONNECTIONS. After you update Linksys is forgiven., August 1, 2008
By KJ (Northern, VA)
I saw a couple of review where someone said please update the firmware and a later post of someone saying the modem drops all the time. Duh..because the firmware wasn't updated. I've done part of the work for you by posting the link: ftp://ftp.linksys.com/downloads/NA/firmware/WRT610N_1.00.00.17_20080625_fw.bin. Get this file and use a "wired" connection and not a wireless one when updating firmware. If you don't know how to, use the Easylink software or visit the support site. After you update the firmware the router hasn't dropped in the week I've had it which is awesome compared to my three year old Netgear WGT624 which dropped constantly to where I was finally so frustrated and bought this Linksys and I'm glad I did. I was getting consistently 2-3 Megabit connection when I'm supposed to have up to 6. I did a number of tests with my old one before switching to the new one. After updating to this router, my broadband speed jumped significantly. I am now getting 3-to over 6 Megabit averages depending n the distance to the test server and throughput spiking way above 6 now. One broadband test site I connected to a server in my state and I hit 9 Megabits average!
With its simultaneous 2.4 and 5 ghz, this router is future proof for the immediate and all the forth coming wireless devices that will run on 2.4 or 5 ghz. Additionally with its USB connection you can quickly setup a home network solution by connecting a external hard drive with reduced energy cost versus running a dedicated file server.
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Waste of money, August 1, 2008
By SMB (San Antonio, TX)
Used it for 1 day. I've never seen a router so unstable. It kept crashing and reseting every 2-3 min. 5GHz N band did not work at all. I updated firmware to 1.0.17 version, still no go.
To sum it up stay away from it for now until Linksys figures out what to do with it.
It looks sleek but that's about it.
Don't waste your money
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Hardware problems, July 31, 2008
By P. Hanson
After noticing problems with the 5ghz range working with 2.4 at the same time I was noticing dropouts as well. Linksys said forums are not "their official statement" aka, there is word out this initial run of devices may be defective. Not sure if it is a problem with firmware or hardware but they recommended sending it back for a replacement. This does not bode well for those looking at purchasing.
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Little improvement in distance or speed, July 30, 2008
By G. Nigrosh (Massachusetts)
Somewhat difficult to install using "automatic" process. Required two calls to customer support. Little improvement in either range or speed from older router to justify expense of new router. Hope that firmware upgrades will improve functionality.
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I wish I would have bought a different router, July 27, 2008
By Poliosophy (Madison, WI United States)
I purchased this router as a replacement/upgrade to an Apple AirPort Extreme (54/g). I really wanted the simultaneous dual-n band feature. In addition, I planned on using the USB storage feature for backing up my laptop through TimeMachine. I am very disappointed in both the quality of the software as well as the reliability of the connection.
First, the auto install messed up my networking settings. I had to delete all of my network preferences and start over. If I had to do it over again, I would bypass their new "LELA" software (or whatever it's called) and just do a manual configuration, it will save you a lot of headaches.
Second, the administrator control software (the web client) is horrible. It doesn't look like they have upgraded it since the very first routers 10 years ago. Changing settings leads to errors and lost preferences. Very unimpressive.
Thirdly, my connection drops regularly on the 5ghz band. I have not spent a lot of time on the 2.4 ghz band yet, but if it is better, I will update this review. I found my Apple AirPort base station to be much more reliable.
Finally, the USB storage feature is a nightmare to set up and I still haven't been able to make it work properly yet. I believe the problem is that the Linksys software is outdated and this feature was just "hacked" as a quick marketing ad-on. I don't think it will ever be reliable or usable.
On a side note, the plastic case shows every smudge and finger print that has touched it. I am not inexperienced in wireless networking, and I have owned several Linksys routers in the past. I must say this router is a huge let down, and I would recommend looking for other products.
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Poor Range, July 23, 2008
By John Smiley (Seattle, WA)
The marketing claims of increased range are untrue. The range is greatly reduced compared to the WRT-54g it replaced. I need the range, so it's going back for a refund.
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Faulty Router: Dual Wireless Drops Out Constantly, July 23, 2008
By Internet Business Consultant (Los Angeles, CA)
Having gone through two WRT610N routers in two days, I can confirm this router is faulty and not ready for real-world use. I tested it in an environment with new MacBook Pros (gigabit ethernet and wireless N capability) and Windows PCs, and the wireless signal drops out constantly requiring me to reboot the router. At one point, after rebooting the router, it reset all of its settings to factory defaults. On other occasions the 5 Ghz band disappeared completely, requiring a reboot as well. I have experienced exactly the same problems with both routers (the first one and its replacement). So now I am forced to replace it with another brand/model.
I have spoken with Linksys support supervisors and Level II technicians for hours, and none has been able to come up with a solution. Moreover, I have tried soft resets, hard resets, firmware upgrades and configuring the wireless bands with different channels and encryption types, to no avail.
Please be advised that there are serious problems with the WRT610N router that Linksys needs to address immediately. It has not been thoroughly tested.
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Nice Router - Installed smoothly, July 15, 2008
By J. Fearnside (Boulder, CO)
I bought this router to replace my old linksys and I have been pretty pleased with it so far. Somewhat foolishly I started installing this whilst I was in a hurry but all was well as it simply plugged in as a replacement and the software installed without issue. The LELA (or whatever its called) software updated the firmware to the latest version automatically and the software worked without fault. The router initially failed to connect to the internet but this was my ISP locking the connection to the mac address of my previous router. This was easily solved by using the MAC spoofing feature of the WRT610N - the router connected first time after that.
I liked the fact that it persuaded you to change the default passwords (there are so many people that don't change them on there routers). This thing seemed fairly security conscious.
The media connection feature allowed me to plug in a 750 WD USB external HDD (which it didn't see at first - this required a reboot) and I can configure it to share either the whole drive or certain folders - this worked perfectly in both XP and vista - I haven't tried this extensively so I don't know how it works long term. There is also a UPnP server and an FTP server built in (require the USB drive connected). These were really easy to set up.
Overall I have been pretty impressed by this product - setup was so easy that not only did I get it set up in a rush but I also had time to play with a few of the more advanced features.
This thing is not for the casual user - you need to know what you are buying and that you are going to use its features - if you are not there are other routers that will do a great job - this one happened to tick all the right boxes for me and I have not been disappointed so far - I was going to buy the WRT600N a few weeks ago but I am glad that fate stepped in and delayed me placing the order as the 610N is so much better looking than the 600N which is v. boxy and covered in antennas.
Overall a nice product so far and initial impression have been favorable. Only time will tell how good this holds up to some heavier testing. HD TV streaming here I come! :-)
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Easy to set up, make sure to upgrade firmware, July 14, 2008
By Simcha
I replaced an existing wired router/wireless access point combination with the WRT610N. The replacement was painless, taking about a half hour, including retyping all of my DHCP reservation and port forwarding information.
The only glitch was that running the Linksys EasyLink Advisor (a tool that among other things, shows you everything connected to your router) reset the router. This is fixed in the latest firmware (level 17, my router shipped with 16).
Speeds have been good. I only have one machine that is connected with Draft-N, and it has been able to connect about 4-5 times faster than my Wireless-G connections on the 5Mhz band. My Wireless-G connections have had consistently better quality than through my old WEP54G Access Point.
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A Good Router - If You Need It, July 14, 2008
By tmcgough (AL, USA)
As my title states it is a very good router, but only if you need it. The simultanious feature only means that you can have items connected to the 2.4GHz band or the 5GHz band. But, please note that this does not mean that your laptop can connect to both at the same time. What this is good for though is if you are surfing the net on your laptop and are also streaming some high definition content to your television. That is when this router is beneficial, or if you are sharing the router with other people this can be a good feature allowing you to keep your own band without slowing down your bandwidth. But, if you are like most people who will only be using it to mainly surf the web on your laptop then this router is not for you. It has to many features and is not worth the price.
The only complaints I have about the router are very minimal. Before I upgraded the firmware, anytime my laptop was connect to the 5GHz band it would lose the connection. The firmware update solved that problem. The other complaint was installing the software that comes along with it on my Vista desktop computer. It took over thirty minutes just to get the software installed. To me it was easier setting it up without the software as I did on my Mac laptop.
One downside to this router that I have noticed is that it does not have as good of a range as my other Netgear 2.4GHz N router. My laptop does not pull as strong of a signal from it even being just a few feet away as it does on my other and my distance is shortended quite considerable. But my primary uses will be using it within adjacent rooms so that it not a big concern. It just does not get the same range outdoors as my other.
So if you are an advanced computer user who has a fully networked home then this is the router for you, or if you are somewhere with a lot of other singals causing interference such as a dorm, office, or apartment then this router can be good as you have the option to swap over to the 5GHz band without having to reset the router. *The 5GHz band has less interference so you get a cleaner signal but it cannot travel as far.
But, all-in-all, if your needs are simpler then don't waste the extra money for features you don't need.
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