Cisco’s Linksys E1200 is the venerable Linksys WRT160N (version 3) rebranded, with the Cisco Connect software now included to simplify installation. Of all of the wireless routers for the budget conscious, this one is our TopTenREVIEWS Gold Award winner on our product review lineup because it is reliable and easy to use, offers features associated with higher-priced products, is infused with Linksys technology and is supported by Cisco, a company known for its superb customer advocacy.
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The Linksys E1200 has five Fast Ethernet ports: one for internet access and the rest to support clients on a local area network. This is one of the home wireless routers that conforms to IEEE 802.11n Wi-Fi specifications to support dual-stream speeds on 2.4GHz (300Mbps theoretical data throughput). Wireless n is a leap forward from the previous 802.11g specification, which had a theoretical speed of 54Mbps. Wireless n is backward compatible with wireless g, so wireless g clients can connect to the Wi-Fi network enabled by the Linksys E1200. Even though the Linksys supports dual streams, if a wireless g client connects, it can only access the 20MHz channel, which will result in a theoretical data throughput of 150Mbps. If a wireless n client accesses the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio, it can take advantage of a 40MHz channel and enjoy greater data throughput.