Linksys E2000 Review

There are three different Linksys E series routers, the E1000, E2000, and E3000. The E2000 is the mid range router. The E1000 will give you the bare bones of whats necessary for a router and will decently get the job done, while the E2000 will give you that plus a few extra's you might want such as extended range (we'll get into specifics here very soon). The E3000 will give you the top of the line router with all the bells and whistles (the review can be found on our site).

In this linksys E2000 review let's take a look at what the technical specifications for the router to make sure everything is compatible with your system. It comes with the following wireless signals: 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.3, and 802.3u. You'll want to make sure your wireless card is compatible with one of these signals, there's a 99% chance it is but it's best to be safe. The router has the following ports: Power, Internet, and Ethernet (1-4). This is a pretty standard setup and everything checks out for the basics of the system.

Is the E2000 the router that will work best for you? Let's go into detail of the pro's and con's of the system and what you can expect out of it.

One of the big pro's of this system that steps it up a notch from it's predecessor the E1000 is it's increased range output. The E1000 worked fine for a family home but if you stretched out to the shed or out in the car you would have some speed and connection problems. The E2000 uses the MIMO system to increase bandwidth and range without using additional power. How's that for a pro. Another deluxe feature is the dual band system that let's you operate on different frequencies (2.4 Hz and 5 Hz) to avoid interference with any other electronics in the house. This can be a great feature if you have wireless phones running on the same channel or live in an apartment complex that has multiple routers streaming about. Security comes standard on all E series routers but it is good to mention how great it is. There is the ability to create several different channels each with varying levels of access ability and time limits. You can set up a childs network that only lets them surf on certain parts of the web and limits their amount of daily internet use as well to keep them from wasting hours aimlessly on the internet. Then the administrator network can be setup as well with a separate password that has free access to anything.

The installation is a breeze on the E series routers. There is an easy installation that will run you through everything you need to do to install it. Install time comes to about 5 minutes if you're fairly familiar with computers. Lastly, the final upgrade from the E1000 gives the E2000 4 gigabit ports that allow up to 4 direct wired connections.

One of the only cons we could find is there are no USB ports. USB ports would allow for a printer hookup at the router spot, which would enable you to send print signals to the router which would then tell the printer to print, essentially a rigged up wireless printer. It would also allow you to access files from a flash drive wirelessly when plugged into the USB port.

With the high amount of pro's and almost negligible con's we found this router to be a great deal for the price. It's not the bare bones minimum and not so loaded with features you don't even know what they are, it's a great mid range reliable router that will fill the needs of any home.