LinksysEA4500 Dual Band N900 Smart WiFi Router with Gigabit Ethernet and USB Port

I had previously worked with an E4200 unit and liked it (as I have a few of the Linksys/Cisco wireless routers I have owned over the years), so I was concerned when reading that people were complaining that you could only configure the EA4500 via the Cisco software on their CD/website and that there was not the familiar web based interface of old.Without doing any further research I took a gamble and bought one. The software on the disc was useless to me, none of it was compatible with my OS, however the PDF user guide alluded to the trusty old web interface still being around, so I tapped in the default IP address and I was hit with a page directing me towards installing and using the Cisco software... however at the bottom of the page I found a small link asking me if I wanted to continue unsecured (or something of that nature), clicking that, then clicking OK/Continue on the next warning message box brought up the login interface I was used to, and using the usual default Linksys username/password combo got me in to the configuration interface I know well.15 minutes from opening the box my old router was replaced and the new one was configured exactly how I liked it.TL;DR: It is possible to use the old web configuration interface, just look for the 'unsecure' link at the bottom of page (at 192.168.1.1) you see at the device's very first boot up.Firmware version: 2.0.36 build 126507

I have now had two of these devices as Linksys originally thought it might be a hardware fault, unfortunately the replacement device now has to go back as it is also incompatible with my FTTC broadband connection. Looking at the Linksys forums it appears I am not alone.The issue itself is very strange. I connected the router as per the instructions and ran the install disk. Everything appears to work fine and the process completes correctly, however the problem becomes apparent as soon as you are prompted to visit the Linksys smart wifi site to register. The page fails to load correctly with only some text links displayed. Most other sites either display similar behaviour or fail to load at all. Strangely this is not true for every site however, for example the BBC site loads ok. Further testing confirms what other users have found, in that the issue seems to relate to MTU and the fact that MTU is greatly reduced through the device on these type of connections.I can only confirm this behaviour on FTTC type connections through ISPs other than BT (other reviews seem to indicate BT Infinity connections work as well as Virgin Media).Linksys support have been pretty much useless with their only advice being to reset the router several times. A case has apparently now been raised to their engineering team but I have given up waiting to see if they can a) find the fault and b) fix it.I also spoke to my ISP support team who were great as always and they confirmed that they had seen similar issues for FTTC connections with a previous version (EA3500 I think) and as such no longer stock Linksys devices.If anyone does have this router working on a FTTC type connection please leave a comment.

Hi,Firstly I'd like people to know I'm a very technical guy and have been working with all kinds of home and business networks, firewalls, wireless, ADSL and ISDN devices for years.I bought the EA4500a) because of the two separate Receiver / transmit modules so you can use both 5GHz and 2.4GHz at the same time.b) the promise of Cisco Connect Cloud - and the proposed ability to integrate into home devices. I'm keen to manage my home as a virtual device pool, the PC's, iDevices, Denon 3310, Media Centre etcc) strong securityd) expected high freatures - inbound rules, port forwarding etce) ability to remote RDP from the internet to my personal PC.f) the USB NAS server - so I can turn off my Media PC most of the timeThis has been a horid experience so far. What I knew through working with devices before has needed to be reconsidered because of the terminology and lack of forethought by Linksys - sorry, I should say Cisco.Good points:The wireless works okay, not as well as I'd expect, probably a third of the speed. Good reception, doesn't drop, but not that fast - I've tried the iPad2, Samsung PC, Dell PC, iPhone - all stable but slow wirelessGB networking works well - consistent high speed. Hurrah!Average points:Cisco online support - I've realy needed them. Their knowledge is limited.The NAS server works but is pretty flakey. Set it to scan Music for DNLA and it misses files and directories out. Sometimes I've needed to unplug and replug my external Seagate 2TB drive for it to be recognised. When it's scanning the external drive the overall router performance is poor - yet I thought the 1.2GHz processor was supposed to have fixed that over the EA4200?My challenges:Bridge to me means a layer 2 bridge. Not in Cisco parlance, as this connection mode is used to add in additional network cables to a second online backup modem/router.I did try it and although it worked the performance was diabolical. After contact with Cisco online support I was advised to use use Automatic DHCP - and if there were the same IP's either side of the router it would layer 2 bridge automatically and keep all the features. This is actually not true - the router assigns you a random 172.x.x.x internal network. Cisco support did not know this and I spent hours trying to get this to work and eventually went back to different IP's either side of the router. 10.1.1.1 LAN - 192.168.1.2 WAN talking to my Sky ADSL modem on 192.168.1.1.Both IP ranges are private addresses ( no choice here ) and therefore you need to somehow setup routing from the 'real' internet, however, the EA4500 does not support RIP and will not accept inbound connections to the WAN interface - scuppered there..So to get my desired config Cisco have now told me to disable DHCP on the EA4500, and move the WAN cable from my sky router to the LAN side - i.e. Essentially I've lost the the WAN port as an additional port to plug my devices into and any routing.So 4 devices - Sky HD box, Media PC, Denon, and extension to a GB switch for PC's in the study over GB is the setup. I'd only therefore have 3 usable LAN ports now the WAN cable has moved and the Media PC has to be on wireless - at slow speed. D'Oh!Using this config I've also lost any firewall rules, media control, and the very thing Cisco drove me to using - Cisco Cloud Connect.As this device will not route inbound rules I cannot setup RDP connections through the Cisco device, they are now controlled only by rules on the Sky router - exactly as it was before...Cisco Cloud Connect at this time is very slow to login and use. Even if you login to the local LAN IP it redirects to an Internet page which takes forever to load. You also have to create a cloud login to be able to configure the device. Yes, you have some features available whilst you're out on the Internet, however with a simple Dynamic DNS entry to locate your router you can have exactly the same without CCC.Cisco Cloud Connect is not an open standards framework which will help us integrate devices, it's a simple network tool with simple features which you shouldn't need to setup more than once, so what really is the point - you actually lose a lot of functionality by using it over more traditional localised firmwares from other manufacturers.All in all this device is fairly average, no rubbish is a better description. I had a simple Linksys 54g router a few years back and it was flakey. This EA4500 is not fit for the market yet.My advice is let Cisco sort themselves out a decent firmware in 6-9 months after all the customer complaints before buying this hardware - I'd suggest there are better and cheaper alternatives. They are trying to dominate an as yet undefined 'Home Cloud' market using their brand name with a load of marketing hype and not delivering the goods...This is the first time I've felt strongly enough to take the time to write a review. I hope you find it useful before taking this path! If you'd like a cheap second hand EA4500 let me know.

sent is back poor download speed