Cisco Linksys E1200 Wireless-N Router

The E1200 is set up wirelessly using the new and improved Cisco Connect software. Using the Cisco Connect software I had my laptop connected to the router in under six minutes. The setup process automatically configures the SSID, passphrase, and security for you. Although the Cisco Connect software has not changed much in look since the previous version, there have been some improvements. Now included is an Internet speed test which displays a speedometer that measures average download and upload speeds. Impressive features from the last version are still included; the software walks users through connecting other computers and devices to the routers and configuring guest access.

One caveat to using Cisco Connect's Parental Controls: if you have other parental control software installed it may conflict with Cisco's software. When I tested Cisco's Parental Controls I had another vendor's control software installed. Configuring controls on the Cisco side with the other software installed made Cisco's software block me from accessing the router's settings. I could no longer use the Cisco Connect after applying the parental control settings. Once I uninstalled the third-party's software and reinstalled Cisco Connect, I had no issues. If you already use some sort of parental control software you will probably just want to use it or Cisco's Parental Controls, but not both.

Gone, thankfully is the issue of not being able to get back into Cisco Connect after going into the advanced router settings; a problem I noted when testing the previous E4200 . I was able to flip back and forth between Cisco Connect and the advanced settings. These settings are stored in the Linksys management console and include the ability to configure Dynamic DNS, QoS, port forwarding, and more geeky stuff.

Parental access still works very efficiently. Users can block Internet access to any computer on a home network or can block at specific times (like when the kids are supposed to be doing homework.) As soon as I blocked another laptop connected to the router from accessing the Internet, that laptop had no access, even without opening and closing its browser.