Items tagged with Linksys
Belkin has announced a barrage of connected products at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), not the least of which is its new Linksys MR8300 mesh Wi-Fi router. Before we get to the actual router, though, let's talk a bit about the Belkin and Linksys brands, and where things currently stand (it can be a little confusing). Linksys started off as its own company way back in 1988 (first as DEW International, then later renamed Linksys), founded by Victor and Janie Tsao, a couple that had immigrated to the United States. The company built a reputation for itself, and in particular its WRT54G was a popular router model among home users. Networking stalwart Cisco acquired LInksys in 2003 and held onto...
Read more...
Do you own a crummy or outdated wireless router? If so, you may not be getting the Internet service you're paying for, especially if you are situated a fair distance away from your router. You can rectify this by buying a modern, high-performance router, and it just so happens that the Linksys EA7500-RM Max-Stream AC1900 is on sale for a ridiculously low $51.99 right now. The sale is good for today only, or until the earmarked units sell out. This router model normally has an MSRP of $159.99, and currently sells on Amazon for $139.99. However, Woot (owned by Amazon) is selling "factory recertified" units for $51.99 today, saving you at least $88. Factory reconditioned means it was "returned,...
Read more...
Linksys is officially first to market with a wireless router that is part of Microsoft's 'Designed for Xbox' accessory program. The company's new WRT32XB earns that distinction, as Linksys designed the router in partnership with Microsoft to prioritize traffic going to and from the Xbox One S and Xbox One X game systems, with Linksys claiming it can reduce peak ping by up to 65 percent, compared to "non-gaming routers." "Gamers want performance and ways to enhance their game play, so we’ve develop this WRT router with enterprise quality hardware and custom software tools to give gamers what they want and need to beat their opponents," said Vince La Duca, global product manager at Linksys....
Read more...
Linksys has launched a new version of its Velop mesh router system, one that is smaller and more affordable than its previous offering. The new Velop Dual-Band series is intended to be the world's first mass-market mesh Wi-Fi system, with Linksys claiming it provides the same software features found in its Velop Tri-Band family, including Intelligent Mesh, advanced parental controls, website block, Amazon Alexa compatibility, and more. "Velop is now the most flexible whole home mesh W-iFi system on the market," said Justin Doucette, senior director of product management at Linksys. "We have a Velop offering that fits any home or small business environment as well as options for different broadband...
Read more...
Foxconn is most known for building numerous devices for other major electronics companies such as Apple; in fact, Foxconn is tipped to be building the majority of the rumored new MacBook Air models. Belkin is known as one of the major sellers of accessories and docking stations that work with Apple devices and accessories for other brands of gadgets. Foxconn Interconnect Technology Limited (FIT) has announced that it intends to purchase Belkin for $866 million in cash, which the company says will create a global consumer electronics leader. "FIT is excited to acquire Belkin and its capabilities in the premium consumer products space," said Sidney Lu, CEO, FIT. "Integrating Belkin's best-in-class...
Read more...
Linksys has partnered with Rivet Networks, the company behind Killer Networking products, to incorporate the latter's Killer Prioritization Engine into the former's new WRT32X gaming edition router. It is the first router that is purpose built for gamers with Killer-enabled gaming PCs. The pitch is that the WRT32X will deliver the smoothest gaming experience through intelligent optimization of network traffic. "We looked at the router options available to gamers in the market and realized that 'gaming' routers were just standard routers with flashy industrial design or packaging provided as 'gamer bait', but offered no real technical substance or innovation," said Vince La Duca, Linksys WRT series...
Read more...
Linksys is jumping on the mesh network bandwagon with the introduction of Velop, a tri-band modular Wi-Fi system that can be installed in various mesh configurations. The benefit of going this route versus a traditional router is that mesh networks are designed to eliminate Wi-Fi dead zones, as well as offer fast speeds to every nook and cranny. It is particularly useful for large homes. Each Velop node is itself a tri-band AC2200 devices that functions as a router, range extender, access point, and bridge. Normally juggling so many functions would leave less experienced users scratching their head in bewilderment before calling up their tech savvy nephew, but as we've seen in other mesh products,...
Read more...
The second wave of 802.11ac routers are now shipping, and they offer a tantalizing performance benefit over the previous routers we’ve reviewed (at least with their older firmware) — the ability to broadcast multiple data streams to several clients at once. This technology, named MU-MIMO, which stands for Multiple User: Multiple Input, Multiple Output, is just now starting to roll out, and is different in one obvious way to the previous technology, named simply MIMO. The previous solution was only able to broadcast multiple streams of data, but could only transmit to one client at a time, whereas this new MU-MIMO technology can send multiple data streams to multiple users at the same time, so...
Read more...
Shortly after we published our AC3200 router roundup, Linksys contacted us and wanted to throw one of its routers into the ring. We agreed, and the company sent us its Linksys EA9200 Tri-band Smart Wi-Fi router, which like the others in the roundup is a tri-band router that uses the Broadcom XStream 5GHz platform, throwing out dual 5GHz networks along with a 2.4GHz network for older devices. Like the other routers, it's capable of pushing data at 1,300Mbp/s on its 5GHz bands, and 600Mb/s on the 2.4GHz band. It is also able to pair both 5GHz channels together using Smart Connect technology, or you can run them as two separate networks if you prefer. This router was one of the first to appear on...
Read more...
Hot on the heels of a 'TheMoon' exploit proof-of-concept being released, Linksys has both confirmed its existence, and also offers up some initial guidance. 'TheMoon' is a self-replicating piece of malware that targets a wide-range of Linksys routers, all of which can utilize a remote access feature. If this feature is enabled, a vulnerability effectively activates that allows someone to bypass the router's authentication system in order to gain access to its admin panel. On the flipside, if this feature is disabled (its official name is "Remote Management Access"), then this vulnerability simply won't exist. Linksys itself hasn't prepared a list of affected models (yet), outside of stating...
Read more...
It's strange how things kind of come full circle in the technology realm, even amongst rivals. Though one could argue that Linksys, which was purchased by Cisco, has a pretty good tussle going with Belkin, it's Belkin who is handing over cash to Cisco in order to get something it's been longing for. Belkin this week announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Cisco's Home Networking Business Unit, and yes, that includes Linksys. Another year, another changing of hands of one of the world's most noted networking and accessory brands. Belkin intends to maintain the Linksys brand and will offer support for Linksys products as part of this transaction, and all valid warranties will...
Read more...
Linksys routers have become virtually ubiquitous in consumers’ homes over the years, but parent company Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is reportedly looking to sell off the brand. Cisco is looking to get out of the consumer business and focus more on enterprise software and services, and unloading Linksys will be a big step in that direction. Linksys will most likely be fine; it’s a valuable brand and will bolster some lucky company’s consumer portfolio, despite some cuts and reductions that Cisco enacted since buying the company for half a billion bucks in 2003. Bloomberg’s sources indicate that TV makers could be interested in Linksys. Cisco headquarters in California According...
Read more...
A couple of weeks ago, Cisco launched Cisco Connect Cloud, a cloud platform for Linksys Smart WiFi routers that was designed to make setting up and using the router much simpler and more user-friendly and included a convenient mobile app and third-party apps that offered enhanced functionality such as easy streaming to smart TVs. Suffice it to say that however Cisco expected the early returns on the platform to go, it was not expecting the amount of blowback it received; apparently, not everyone wants to be forced into opting in to a cloud service, especially one that contained the following in its original Terms of Service: When you use the Service, we may keep track of certain information related...
Read more...
Is Powerline networking making a comeback? Possibly! After years of remaining relatively off the radar, Powerline tech has been popping up way more often of late. This week, Cisco announced a suite of Linksys HomePlug AV Powerline solutions that allow consumers to use their home network by using their existing home electrical wiring. The HomePlug AV Powerline standard provides speeds of up to 200 Mbps to bring streaming video, gaming, and other data-intensive applications to computers, tablets, consoles, televisions and other Ethernet-enabled devices. For those who are having trouble covering complex areas with solid wireless, 200Mbps through an existing wired network is nothing to sneeze at....
Read more...
