Best wireless router for Mac Apple AirPort Extreme *Est. $170
Advanced wireless router for Windows Netgear WNDR3700 *Est. $165
Best-value wireless router Linksys E2000 *Est. $90
Tried-and-true (and hackable) Wireless-G router Linksys WRT54GL *Est. $60

See All Wireless Routers

Linksys WRT610N

*Est. $165

Reviewed

January 2011

Pros

Fast
Good range
External-hard-drive sharing
Four Gigabit Ethernet ports

Cons

Better for Windows than Mac
No printer sharing or guest networking
Not as reliable as Apple routers

Where to Buy

See All Stores

Among top-of-the-line wireless routers that use the latest technology, the Linksys WRT610N, which has been replaced by the Linksys E3000 (*Est. $165), gets the most consistently good ratings and is recommended for PC users. Like Apple's AirPort Extreme, our top pick for Mac users, it offers dual-band, dual-radio, Wireless-N technology for the best coverage and least interference. Both routers also have a USB port so you can plug in an external hard drive for your network to share. The Linksys WRT610N lacks two advanced features that the Apple AirPort Extreme wireless router offers: wireless printer-sharing and guest networking (so you can let your friends onto your network without telling them your password). On the other hand, the WRT610N one-ups the AirPort Extreme with four Gigabit Ethernet ports (the Apple AirPort Extreme has only three), so you can plug in one more device.

The Linksys WRT610N performs well in expert tests at SmallNetBuilder.com, Laptop Magazine, CNET, PC Authority (Australia) and PC World (Australia) -- including some tests with Mac computers -- but Macworld testers find it hard to use with Macs. Hundreds of owner reviews at Newegg.com and Amazon.com give an idea of the Linksys WRT610N's real-life performance.

Where To Buy

Cisco-Linksys WRT610N Simultaneous Dual-N Band Wireless Router

(395 reviews)
Buy new: $199.99 $120.00 24 Used & new from $44.99

In Stock. Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping

Featured Stores	Store Rating	Notes	Total Price
	162 store reviews	In Stock. Ship Same Day	$70.00	See It
	1,219 store reviews	In Stock. Earn 2% eBay Bucks on qualifying purchases! Backed by eBay Buyer Protection Program. Terms and Conditions apply.	$149.00	See It
ZDTronic.com	0 store reviews	In Stock.	$219.95	See It
			See All Stores

Our Sources

1. Small Net Builder.com

SmallNetBuilder.com subjects the Linksys WRT610N to its usual exhaustive tests and concludes that it's "the only viable game in town" among the new crop of simultaneous dual-band routers. However, in later speed tests, the Linksys WRT610N is beaten by the newer Netgear WNDR3700 and Linksys's own less-expensive WRT400N.

Review: Linksys WRT610N Simultaneous Dual-N Band Wireless Router Reviewed, Tim Higgins, July 28, 2008

2. Laptop Magazine Details/Subscribe

Laptop Magazine names the Linksys WRT610N an Editors' Choice, saying it "trumps every other premier model from D-Link, Netgear and Apple in both speed and price." Editors run speed and streaming tests with a Sony Vaio and Apple MacBook Pro and display the results.

Review: Linksys WRT610N Simultaneous Dual-N Band Wireless Router, John Brandon, July 3, 2008

3. CNET

CNET gives the Linksys WRT610N a "very good" rating of 3.5 stars out of 5 for its "solid performance, great design, ease of use" and simultaneous dual-band capability. Detailed test-result charts show where the Linksys WRT610N excels and where it lags behind some more expensive routers.

Review: Linksys WRT610N Simultaneous Dual-N Band Wireless Router, Dong Ngo, July 17, 2008

4. Macworld Details/Subscribe

The Linksys WRT610N tries to make itself Mac-friendly and fails, tester Glenn Fleishman concludes. He gives it a low rating of 2.5 out of 5.

Review: Review: Linksys WRT610N Simultaneous Dual-N Band Wireless Router, Glenn Fleishman, Sept. 16, 2008

5. PC Authority (Australia)

The Linksys WRT610N shares the top spot here with the pricier D-Link DIR-855, both rating 5 out of 6 stars. The test evaluates 10 wireless routers geared toward small office networks.

Review: Roundup: Small Business Routers, Stephen Withers, Feb. 3, 2009

6. PC World (Australia)

The Linksys WRT610N is an Editor's Choice at PC World (Australia), which tests a good number of U.S.-available routers. Like Laptop Magazine, testers here find the Linksys WRT610N "blisteringly fast."

Review: Linksys WRT610N, James Hutchinson, Oct. 8, 2008

7. NewEgg.com

Owners here award the Linksys WRT610N an average rating of 3 out of 5 with more than 320 reviews. Most of the reviews are positive, but several owners say they got lemons and had to send the routers back for a replacement.

Review: Linksys WRT610N, Contributors to Newegg.com, As of Dec. 2010

8. Amazon.com

The Linksys WRT610N averages 3.5 stars out of 5 from more than 375 owners. The latest reviews are mostly positive, and several owners say a firmware upgrade boosted their Linksys WRT610N's performance.

Review: Cisco-Linksys WRT610N Simultaneous Dual-N Band Wireless Router, Contributors to Amazon.com

Novatel MiFi 2200 Free with 2-yr contract

5 picks by top review sites.

Linksys E3000 *Est. $165

4 picks by top review sites.

D-Link DIR-615 *Est. $55

3 picks by top review sites.

D-Link DIR-825 *Est. $135

3 picks by top review sites.

Apple Time Capsule *Est. $320 to $475

3 picks by top review sites.

Buffalo Nfiniti WZR-HP-G300NH *Est. $90