You wo n’t see the word “ router ” or Linksys anywhere on the box for Cisco ’s Valet . No , “ it ’s the simple way to create your own wireless hot spot . ” It ’s the router for everybody else . That ’s the idea , anyway .
base networking is consummate . Truth . Lots of numbers , hooey that does n’t work for ground you ca n’t realise . Cisco , since they make a lot of routers , knows this . Which , it turns out , is a major reason they bought Pure Digital , the makers of the Flip Camera — to make their stuff easier to use . The first non Flip mathematical product of that swallowing is the Valet , and its slightly more capable upsell , the Valet Plus .
Design
Though $ 100 and $ 150 , respectively , their glasses are n’t impressive : No double band , 2.4GHz only , no USB ports , and you have to plop down the extra 50 buck for the Plus to get Gbit ethernet ports . ( You also get an extra antenna and boosted input / output pep pill . ) What you do get is an approachable looking , almost Apple - like router in the case of the Valet Plus ( sorry , it ’s true ) , a USB key , and 24/7 telephone living , which is suppose to add up to ease of function .
The USB key that male plug into your computer ’s supposed to take care of all of the backbreaking bullshit for you , do everything up after you plug away the Valet in . It shape , actually — within a match of hour of secure the key in , two wireless meshing popped up , NiceCat ( secured ) and NiceCat - guest ( unsecured , but with a internet browser - based password for visitant ) , ending the sovereignty of generic SSIDs , with default admin countersign ready for me to noodle with .
The rub is that the Cisco Connect software that ’s supposed to make the Valet sluttish to employ — you know , part of the reason you ’re pay $ 100-$150 for fairly basic router — also come with the more feature article - tamp Modern E Series Linksys routers . The difference is that you do n’t get a USB driving in the box , you get a CD with the package ( which you could employ to make a USB key ) .
touch base treat the utter basics , some better than others . For instance , guest approach is really easy to set up , but when it comes to add new devices to the web , it ’s not all that helpful : “ Refer to the machine ’s documentation to memorize how to link it to a wireless electronic web , then , on the machine , use the wireless setting below to connect the twist to your Valet . ” Which , if you do n’t change the password it provides for you , is a pot of unmemorable gibberish , though it offers to copy it to your clipboard .
Anything beyond basic tweaks require a deeper diving into the majestic monstrosity that is the Linksys router system bill of fare we ’ve known and loathed for class .
Performance
But even when you ’re willing to get your hands ill-gotten , some options are automatise beyond your mastery . Notably , you ca n’t force the Valet to make the 2.4GHz internet wireless G - only or N - only . It ’s a mixed B / G / N net , always and forever . So , you get a operation penalty on wireless N since you ’re not able to run it as a gross N internet — combined with the Valet ’s lesser national glasses , it ’s noticeable when you compare transfer speeds across a internet to its more able cousin , the E3000 , which was nigh twice as fast when it was placed in N - only way on the 5GHz band ( and still slightly quick when it was localise to a mixed N internet on 2.4GHz , like the Valet ) .
It does n’t suffer for range , though , at least in the testing environment I used . Typically , we ’ve tested routers at Brian or Jason ’s mansion in California , where there ’s lots of blank space , and small urban wireless intervention . rather , I put the Valet and E3000 to perhaps more fell range examination : How well they palm the interference from a massive flustercuck of wireless networks inside a NY in high spirits rise . We ’re babble 30 other wireless networks at any sacrifice test percentage point . Using iStumbler , I could n’t pluck up either router more than 2 story above or below my flat , 50 human foot ( horizontally ) off , but at the worst tip for both routers , the E3000 ’s 2.4 gigahertz banding managed only a 10 percentage stronger signal than the Valet , despite its immensely more telling six - aerial array . ( 5GHz is notably worse at permeate wall than 2.4GHz , so the E3000 ’s other television channel did n’t come into gambol at the fringes of the range test . )
It’s an Expensive Half Solution
For a canonic router , the performance in other dustup , is okay . It ’s not become to gravid duty file swapping and streaming , like a dual - lot router ( things like Netflix worked just fine . ) The range is pretty respectable . And it ’s miss essentially every power feature you ’d require , but that ’s not really the point of this router . It ’s supposed to be the one your mum can setup . From that linear perspective , though , it still does n’t really solve some key networking stumble points :
For example , networked storage for backups . ( I lie with that sounds complicated , but the basic idea , endorse up wirelessly , is something even technonoobs would like to be easy . ) Or even ready the Linksys router menu we ’ve all used forever . Why not improve it too ? Or , in addition to hide everything behind an okay bit of software program ( which is now standard across the whole Linksys line of reasoning , devaluing it a snatch ) why not attempt to explain some basic networking too , like Nikon television camera for newfangled photographers attempt to explain concepts like aperture ?
The Valet does n’t radically reinvent the router to make networking signally more accessible , it just shit it leisurely to stumble through , as long as the demands being made of it are comparatively simple , too — give the $ 150 asking price a bit much , up front . The one feature article that may justify the cost , however , is 24/7 phone support . If it ’s truly comely , the musical accompaniment could save you a Nox of troubleshooting with your parents .
Easy setup works pretty well
Range is n’t too ratty for a introductory router
24/7 telephone support
miss office features and some manual controls , like wireless connection type
$ 150 for a basic router is expensive as all hell
[ Cisco ]
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