EmailBest Reviewed
Wireless Routers
- Best wireless router for Mac Apple AirPort Extreme *Est. $175
- Advanced wireless router for PC Linksys WRT610N *Est. $165
- Best value wireless router Linksys WRT400N *Est. $115
- Tried-and-true (and hackable) Wireless-G router Linksys WRT54GL *Est. $55
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Advanced wireless router for PC
- Fast
- Good range
- External hard drive sharing
- Four Gigabit Ethernet ports
- Better for Windows than Mac
- No printer sharing or guest networking
- Not as reliable as Apple routers
Among top-of-the-line routers that use the latest technology, the Linksys WRT610N 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 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.
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Our Sources
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 MagazineDetails/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 five) 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
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 five.
Review: Review: Linksys WRT610N Simultaneous Dual-N Band Wireless Router, Glenn Fleishman, Sept. 16, 2008
The Linksys WRT610N shares the top spot here with the pricier D-Link DIR-855, both rating five out of six stars. The test evaluates 10 wireless routers geared toward small office networks.
Review: Roundup: Small Business Routers, Stephen Withers, Feb. 3, 2009
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, Aug. 10, 2008
7. NewEgg.com
Owners here award the Linksys WRT610N an average rating of three (out of five) in 175 reviews. Most of the reviews are positive, but several owners say they got lemons and had to send them back for a replacement.
Review: Linksys WRT610N, Contributors to Newegg.com
8. Amazon.com
The Linksys WRT610N averages three stars (out of five) from more than 200 owners. The latest reviews are mostly positive, and several owners say a recent firmware upgrade boosted their Linksys WRT610N's performance.
Review: Linksys WRT610N Simultaneous Dual-Band Wireless Router, Contributors to Amazon.com
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