Linksys E1000

Cisco Linksys E1000 Wireless-N Router

Home users with very simple networking needs will find that the Cisco Linksys E1000 Wireless-N Router fits the bill. This no-frills version of the E2000 ($119 List, ) is about as basic a router as you can find; it sports just one band (2.4-GHz), and lacks Gigabit Ethernet. Although the E1000 lacks those familiar features, it packs four 10/100 Ethernet ports, and can be purchased at an appealing price: Cisco Homestore lists it for $79.99, and several major retailers price it under $60.00. That's an extremely wallet-friendly price for an 802.11n router, but I can only recommend the E1000 to those on a budget (or are willing to make one wired connection at a time) as its wireless connectivity drops off too quickly with distance. The same Cisco Connect software that comes bundled with the Editors' Choice Cisco Valet Plus ($149.99 list, ) and the decent Cisco Linksys Advanced Wireless-N Router is included with the E1000, which means the router is simple to set up. In fact, I had the router connected to the internet in just 3 minutes, all without doing anything more involved than clicking "Next" during installation. Next, I plugged Cisco's Linksys AE1000 Wireless-N USB adapter into our test laptop.