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|  | |  | | | Linksys E2500 Advanced Simultaneous Dual-Band Wireless-N Router | | | | | SKU:
254147 | | In Stock | | Availability:
Usually ships in 1 business days | | | | | | The Linksys E2500 offers superior wireless speed (up to 300 + 300 Mbps), optimal range, and powerful dual-band technology to provide advanced performance for active wireless households. Simultaneous dual-band (2.4 + 5 GHz) technology doubles your network bandwidth and helps avoid network interference, enabling smoother and faster media streaming and file transfers. A MIMO antenna array offers superior range and reliability. And WPA/WPA2 encryption and SPI firewall help keep your network protected. Plus, included Cisco Connect software gets you set up in three easy steps and offers powerful tools for ongoing management of your network. | | | |
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| $99.99 | |
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| $70.78
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| | Product Details | | Product Length: | 6.85 inches | | Product Width: | 7.44 inches | | Product Height: | 0.91 inches | | Product Weight: | 0.71 pounds | | Package Length: | 12.6 inches | | Package Width: | 9.3 inches | | Package Height: | 2.6 inches | | Package Weight: | 1.35 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 453 reviews |
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| | Features | Enjoy the power of simultaneous dual-band Wireless-N (802.11n) technology with double the capacity for surfing the webConnect your computers, wireless printers, smartphones, and other wireless devices at up to 300 + 300 Mbps of transfer speedDouble your network bandwidth with simultaneous dual bands (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) to help avoid interferenceEnjoy the superior range provided by a MIMO antenna arrayUse four Fast Ethernet (10/100 Mbps) ports to directly connect wired devicesGive visitors password-protected Internet access on a separate network so your visitors have access to the InternetKeep your network protected with customizable security settings, including WPA/WPA2 Personal and SPI firewall protectionSet up your wireless network in three easy steps using included Cisco Connect software
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 453 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
161 of 166 found the following review helpful:
 Great Improvement over Prior Linksys N Apr 15, 2011
By josh u
Setting up this router using the included software (Cisco Connect) was a breeze. Within 20 minutes, I installed Cisco Connect, named my network, set my password, secured my network and connected my desktop (hardwired), wireless laptop and bluray player. Setup was a breeze.
The E2500 replaces my Refurbished Linksys WRT160N, which stopped working less than a year after I bought it. That was difficult to use from the start(btw, dd-wrt didn't fix the problem).
The E2500 is lightening fast. I tested streaming video and it worked great wirelessly on my laptop and bluray player all over my house. I recommend using the Easy Setup Key via Cisco Connect to connect a laptop, it was a breeze to use. You can have a Guest Network that has a separate password and doesn't allow guests access to certain files on the network. This is easy to setup via Cisco Connect and easy to turn off or on. Using Cisco Connect can replace going to the web-based router setup browser page for all of the basic setup needs and more.
The unit runs hot, but dint burn a whole in surface its on. There are no lights on the face of the router like prior model designs. The E2500 looks much sleeker.
So the router is FAST, was EASY TO INSTALL and I had 3 devices CONNECTED WITHIN 20 MINUTES.
100 of 108 found the following review helpful:
Excellent Choice Apr 22, 2011
By David
***UPDATE February 7, 2013: Still working and no issues have come up to date.
***UPDATE June 27, 2011: Nothing has changed thus far...the router is still working perfectly fine.***
Let me begin by pointing out that I just purchased this yesterday, so I can't comment on the long-term reliability of this router. That being said, I had to post a review given that I'm very satisfied with the process thus far. I'll update this as time progresses.
This router was a replacement for my old WRT54G that served me well for about four years, but was acting up (dropping signal, slow connections, low range, etc). So I decided to purchase this model (E2500 as a replacement).
The whole time before this new router arrived I was dreading the prospect of setting it up given my experience with my old WRT54G router. As soon as it arrived, I followed the instructions in the packaging and then put the CD into my macbook to launch the installer. The installer itself simply involved pressing a few buttons and then it did the rest! My network was up and running in about five minutes- with the installer doing all the work for me.
What I did notice was that the installer created a guest account that wasn't protected like the main one. This concerned me, so I logged-in to the advanced settings using the router's IP address at 192.168.1.1 using my browser (you should preferably use the computer you used to setup the network because it's already connected to the network). I think the default is to leave the login name blank and to use your default network password as your login password. Once I was inside, I disabled the guest account, but it turned out that there was a password in place- it's just that it's browser-based apparently (your guests will be able to login to the network itself, but will only be able to access the internet by typing in the password in the browser). So if you want to leave the guest access available, simply write down the default password that shows up on-screen or setup a new one. I also changed the default password used to login to my router in here as well (under the "administration tab"). So, to clarify, the 192.168.1.1 address brings up a menu where you can modify your router's default settings to your liking. I think this was a criticism of the "easy" setup- that it doesn't let you customize your router. I actually see this process in reverse- the "easy" setup configures your router to work properly given your circumstances. Once it's setup, you can modify whatever parts of the setup that you want to. In my case, I only modified the router password, guest access, and my network key.
Once it was setup to my specifications, I proceeded to update all of my computers with the new network key. I also connected all my other devices to the back of the router (there are four slots).
In regards to performance- my macbook that wasn't getting a signal with my old router works perfectly now. That being said, it's a new macbook, so it's able to utilize the "n" band. My sister has a 2006 white macbook next door that only utilizes G though- she's having no problems either.
Overall, I'm happy i made this purchase and highly recommend it to others. I don't own any other n-routers, so I can't comment on how much "better" this is relative to others. I can only say that I'm happy I made the right choice with this one. I'll make sure to update this review should issues with reliability surface.
EDIT: You actually don't have to login to the router's IP address to access the features I mentioned above. You can simply use the "Cisco Connect" software that came with it. The only issue I can think of is that if you use this software, you can only run it through the computer you setup the router with. The IP method above will work from any computer connected to the network (after logging in with password). The con of the IP method is that it's not as "user friendly" as the "Cisco Connect" method. Ultimately, you should weigh the pros and cons yourself and decide which is best for managing your router. I'll be choosing the "Cisco Connect" method in the meantime just because it's easier to use, but I'll go back to the IP method should anything happen to my computer (where the Cisco software is installed).
54 of 58 found the following review helpful:
Nice upgrade from WRT54G2 Apr 22, 2011
By A. Bloom
"AB"
Did extensive speed and ping tests definitely faster and more stable with this router. I still lose Mbps through walls in my apartment. Even with my older WRT54G2 router in same room I couldn't get similar speeds over wi-fi as hardwired, this router does it with ease. Set up was super easy took me less than 5 min. Overall, the router is great for what you pay for, if you have never owned the N model it's an alternative.
Pros:
- speedy, leaves WRT54G2 way behind
- easier Set-up interface over previous Linksys model
- new matte surface, looks nice next to the PS3 slim
- no annoying flashing lights
- friendly with Docsis 3 modem
- no unexpected signal drops ( note: need more time to fully evaluate}
Cons:
- speed slightly degrades through walls not as severe as before with the G model.
49 of 54 found the following review helpful:
 Did not perform well for me... Oct 11, 2011
By Mark Hennessey
I purchased the E2500 to replace a D-Link DIR615 when D-Link's 802.11N function went wonky. I picked the E2500 because it promised simultaneous dual band networking. Like most people, I have legacy 11b and 11g devices in my home, so the concurrent band feature was important to me. I was OK with the ethernet connections only being 10/100.
At least in my home/RF environment this router was a total disappointment. The range on the 5Ghz side was very, very poor. The only time speed on the 5Ghz side was noticeably better was if the wireless device was within 10 feet of the router. Range on the 2.4 GHz side was noticeably worse than the older D-Link it replaced. No amount of setting tweaks or channel selections seemed to improve the router's performance. Throughput on the either band was - at best - sub par.
On the plus side Cisco let's you setup the router with a "hand holding" approach or you can opt out and go a more advanced setup mode.
This router might be good for someone in a small apartment or open loft.
20 of 20 found the following review helpful:
Excellent quality at an affordable price Dec 06, 2011
By T. Merritt
"T"
I have been in technology for many, many years, and my expertise concerns Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and telecommunications in general. I work remotely from my corporate office, and I use an IP phone to talk to my co-workers.
I have been dealing with the call quality issues that our customers experience mostly due to poor-quality routers for most of my career. I've put hands on just about SOHO device out there, and Linksys has always been a great product for the small office.
The best part of this line of Linksys devices is that Cisco bought the company but kept the easy-to-use software management in tact, only changing the brand name.
All of these Linksys devices for the past decade have generally built on the same competent administrative interface, which means that every time you upgrade, you have a familiar experience waiting for you.
One of the nicest features for me is the QoS settings. You can create policies by IP, port, protocol, and MAC address, and then assign a High Medium Low value to that device for Quality of Service.
In an office environment, if you had hard IP phones (like Polycom phones), you would want to put in the MAC of each phone and set it's QoS to High so that the router would automatically prioritize traffic from these devices over PCs and network storage, printers, etc.
For a home office, you would still want high priority for your phone, or if you were using a softphone on your computer you might give your laptop priority. Of course, assigning the priority to your laptop would mean that youtube would compete with your voice conversations, so in this case it might be better to establish a port and protocol QoS policy.
Many Amazon customers may not find this level of technical detail helpful when considering which device to purchase, but these are the things that matter to me when evaluating a router for my home office.
Linksys / Cisco do some great things with repeaters, making it easy to have this device as your central router and then smaller access points throughout your home to extend the wireless range. All that stuff works really well if you know enough to configure it.
One really cool thing Linksys / Cisco has been doing for the past few years is the guest access SSID for wireless. You can have a secured wireless name for your family, and then a guest access that has it's own password or no password at all for friends or neighbors stealing your wifi. But these separate SSIDs allow you to create policies restricting access so that a cunning neighbor cruising on your wifi wouldn't have access to your entire home network, and you don't have to give our your primary password to a friend who is staying the weekend.
This model of router goes a step further with simultaneous 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz transmissions. Since the 2.4 GHz spectrum is so crowded (cordless phones, all manny of wifi router, etc.) sometimes you are in an apartment location where everyone has wifi and all the available channels have been used, so you get poor performance from your device due to the crowded airwaves.
With the dual 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz transmissions, you get tons of air space, and you can even have certain devices on 2.4 while others are on 5 in your own home to reduce the chatter on a particular channel.
I have my laptop and iPad on 5 GHz, but the iPhones in the home are on 2.4 GHz. I don't honestly think I've improved anything - we're only talking about 10 devices all told - but it's nice that this is a feature. Plus certain devices that have older B/G antennas can't use the super-fast N antenna, but this router serves both devices equally.
In our home, we have two iPads, three iPhones, three Macbooks, one xbox 360, one Apple TV (2nd Gen), and one Samsung Smart TV (with wifi or LAN cable access).
I have all of these devices networked through the router, and just to be a jerk I decided to start video streaming on all of them at once, then try my VoIP phone (laptop) to see if quality was affected - no issues at all.
If you have the $190 for the high-end model with 6 antennas - get that one. I didn't want to spend the cash.
See all 453 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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