Like most recent routers, the Linksys E32000 supports all available wireless encryption standards, including WEP, WPA-Personal, and WPA-Enterprise. If you want to create a VPN connection, FTP access, or a remote desktop connection to a certain computer in the network, you will find the above handy and convenient. You can also assign static IP addresses to certain computers in the network, making port forwarding much easier. This feature, which you can manage with the Cisco Connect software or the Web interface, allows you to change the way a particular computer on the network accesses the Internet.įinally, the E2500's Web interface also gives access to the router's Applications and Gaming feature that lets you set port forwarding and triggering for specific applications such as games, remote desktop, or FTP and HTTP servers. Like the rest of the E series, the E2500 includes a simple, yet robust, parental control content-filtering system. In this case, to use the software again, you'll need to reset the router to the factory default setting via a tiny recessed button on its bottom. Note that if you use the Web interface to make major changes to the router's settings, the Cisco Connect software will stop working with the router. Once you have used the software to set up the router, the user name will be "admin" with the password being that of the wireless network. Note that if you haven't used Cisco Connect at all, the default password to log in to the router's Web interface is "admin" with the username left blank. You can get there by following the "advanced setup" link within Cisco Connect, or by pointing a connected computer's browser to the router's default IP address, which is 192.168.1.1. To do more, say to set up the router for an isolated network that's not connected to the Internet, to rename the two wireless networks, or to take advantage of other functions, including the router's network storage feature, you'll need to log in to the router's Web interface. In addition to handling the setup process, Cisco Connect is used to turn on and off the guest network (which is available only in the 2.4GHz band), manage the parental control features, and run the included Speed Test tool that shows how fast the connection to the Internet is. In this case, 5GHz-enabled clients will automatically pick the 5GHz band to connect to. It's normal for a dual-band router to have two networks with the same name. Note that the name will be used for both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. You can either keep that name and password or type in ones of your liking. Once the router is configured with Internet access, Cisco Connect will pick a catchy name, such as GoldFish, and an easy-to-remember password for your wireless networks. Just in case there are any problems, the software will show you different ways to contact Cisco's technical support. Note, though, that you'll need a live Internet connection for the setup to finish. This process takes less than 5 minutes and is completely automatic. After that it'll configure the router's settings to connect to the Internet. The rest is self-explanatory.īy default, the first time you run the software for the setup process, it'll show you how to connect the router with the cables and an Internet source, such as a broadband modem. In either case, you just have to pop the CD into the computer's optical drive and run the software. ![]() The router doesn't come with a manual, just a CD that contains the Cisco Connect software, which helps with both the initial setup and ongoing management of the network. In fact, the router has no indicator lights at all except for the LEDs on the network ports themselves, which can't be seen from the front. ![]() ![]() On the front, the new E2500 doesn't have the usual array of status LEDs. Also on the back, you'll find the button for the Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) feature and the power connector. All of these ports are traditional 10/100 Ethernet. On the back the E2500 has four LAN ports and one WAN port. It's made to stay flat on a surface and is not wall-mountable. The router comes in a flat, UFO-shaped design with internal antennas. The Linksys E2500 looks almost the same as the Linksys E3200 minus the USB port. Those who need a more viable and robust network should spend a little more for a more powerful router, such as the E4200 or the Editors' Choice Award-winning RT-N56U from Asus. For this reason, it's only good for small spaces, such as a dorm room or an apartment. In our testing, however, the router was comparatively slow, especially on the 2.4GHz band, and offered limited range. Similar to the other E series models, the E2500 is good-looking and especially easy to use for novice and home users, thanks to the included Cisco Connect software.
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