Linksys by Cisco WRT160N-RM Refurbished Wireless-N Router
- Linksys WRT160N-RM 802.11n MIMO Wireless LAN 4-Port Router General Features:
- Internet Sharing Router and 4-Port Switch, with a built-in speed and range enhanced Wireless Access
- Standards: Draft 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.3, 802.3u RF Power (EIRP) in dBm: 14 dBm
- UPnP able/certified MIMO Technology All LAN ports support auto-crossover (MDI/MDI-X)
- Wireless N Technology makes it easy for multiple users to share Internet Access, Files and Printing
Product Description
Linksys’ Ultra RangePlus Wireless-N Broadband Router is actually three devices in one box. First, there’s the Wireless Access Point, which lets you connect to the network without wires. There’s also a built-in 4-port full-duplex 10/100 Switch to connect your wired-Ethernet devices together. Finally, the Router function ties it all together and lets your whole network share a high-speed cable or DSL Internet connection.
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I was looking for a Wireless-N router (the newest form of wireless connectivity) as most of my computers and consoles (Xbox 360 has a new wireless dongle) now have Wireless N technology. This was cheap and had fairly decent reviews so I decided to take a chance. The item arrived fairly quick and in great (I’d say practically brand new) condition and was easy to install. However, after only a few hours of use, I noticed several problems with this unit. Most of the problems seemed to be with my Macbook Pro; it wasn’t getting a full signal, speeds were slow, and whenever I opened iChat, the router would instantly restart itself. After going through the hassle of purchasing and installing it, I decided to try something else before sending it back: I installed DD-WRT open source firmware on the router, and haven’t looked back since.
I have never used open source firmware before, but I had read up about it before purchasing a router again. Even though the DD-WRT website listed this as not compatible, I purchased this anyway in hopes that eventually it would be released. DD-WRT for this router (version 3) wasn’t supported until literally 2 weeks ago, and I was lucky enough to find a release of it on the DD-WRT support forums (easily found by doing a quick search on Google for “DD-WRT WRT160Nv3″). After downloading the mini pack and the standard pack (listed as WRT160Nv3 in the file name) I loaded the router access page (192.168.1.1) and did a web firmware update thru my FireFox browser, first starting with the mini pack, and once that is finished, then with the standard firmware for this router.
It was as easy as that, and took literally 4 minutes to upgrade it. Now, this router has been perfect. It hasn’t been restarted once since it was updated with DD-WRT, the speed is fantastic, and overall, I am extremely happy to have upgraded with the new firmware. The DD-WRT firmware also has some great features like bandwidth monitoring, signal adjustment and strength meter, great security features and tons more that the standard Linksys firmware doesn’t include. **Please note: there is a slight chance DD-WRT could brick (aka destroy) your router, though it doesn’t appear to happen very often. Please make sure you read the DD-WRT website and support thread on this router thoroughly before upgrading it. With that said, it was the easiest and least painful upgrade I have ever done, and now this router works great.
EDIT: Please read comments section for more information and direct links.
Rating: 5 / 5
Linksys by Cisco WRT160N-RM Refurbished Wireless-N Router
Alright, as a long time user of linksys wireless routers, I think I knew what to expect here, and I DID NOT get what I was expecting, thats for sure. This product is unreliable. The wireless signal drops, constantly- a refurb unit, I know, but after researching the WRT160N on the internet, the signal drops are obviously a systemic problem with the unit.
In fact, Amazon has a separate part number just for WRT160N refurbs (WRT160N-RM)- what does that tell you? There are a ton of these flying around, in fact my unit looked absolutely new out of box – it probably WAS new – but with the out of box systemic wireless signal dropping flaw, back it goes to Amazon for a second try at a refurb sale.
A few more details,
- the setup is easy and improved from my older wireless-G. Nice improvement in the ease of use area.
- Router starts up well, signal is strong and speed is outstanding to my XP laptop with odyssey client in the other room. All is well.
… 3 hours pass…
- signal on my home network starts going in and out on my laptop sitting 10 ft away from the router. The green bars go from excellent to very good to just good. Hmm.
- then, poof, all white bars on my laptop, no more signal. I go check the router. All seems fine the lights are all working. I connect the hard wire ethernet cable to the router, internet connectivity is fine.
- wait about 35 minutes the signal from the WRT160N comes back- great! I have wireless connectivity for 10 minutes, then white bars again. Reboot computer, no luck. Delete the home network connection and recreate. No luck.
Finally go check [...] for support notes on this signal in and out issue- WOW! literally hundreds of blogs and rants on the web about the WRT160N dropping connections.
Final chapter- box it up and send it back to amazon. As much as it pains me to buy a near obsolete product, I will purchase another Wireless G router from linksys. Those work like a charm.
Rating: 1 / 5
Linksys by Cisco WRT160N-RM Refurbished Wireless-N Router
This router gives me full service regardless of where I am in the house. It is also noticeably faster than my old Linksys WRT54G. Between buying for friends and family this is the third refurbished router I have purchased and I have never had an issue with any of them. Do not hesitate to buy a Linksys refurbished router, they are a solid product!
Rating: 5 / 5
Linksys by Cisco WRT160N-RM Refurbished Wireless-N Router
I am compelled to write this review in fairness to Linksys, as well as to help someone else avoid a similar situation! My wireless connection had been gradually deteriorating. When I recently used a neighbor’s network, I realized how untenable mine had become. She had a different router, and I had mine for a while, so I facilely concluded that I needed to get a new router. After reading the reviews, I selected this one, knowing that it was a good product but that some people had setup trouble. I also experienced setup trouble and assumed it was similar to what other reviewers had gone through, so I tried Linksys’s Live Chat (my wired connection worked)to remedy the problem. I got disconnected, and I kept getting disconnected a few times – ending up at the back of the queue each time. I finally went to their website and saw that I could have someone take over my laptop to diagnose, so I went for that. It is very reasonable: refundable $9.95. I actually had to call them a couple of times over the course of the next couple days because they would get my connections to work, only to go down soon after they hung up. It was also maddening to see them doing the same steps again (changing channels), although they were very thorough and patient, and Linksys Support is 24/7. Finally, I decided that I was going to return this router, and in the meantime I would just use the wired connection straight out of my modem… That is when I realized that it was my modem that was breaking down. There was no way for the Support Reps to have figured that out based on what I was telling them, but they could have asked me to plug into my modem directly. I hope they add this to their staff training. So now that I am finally connected in all sorts of ways: I like this product. I love the streamlined design and reduced footprint. The speed is not any faster than what I had with my Wireless-G. For the price, I am keeping it. I can vouch for the quality of this refurbished model. But those of you reading this who are experiencing similar issues – test your modem first and systematically go up the diagnostic list. I can’t help but think that I could have exasperated a lot fewer people had I been more intelligent about the whole thing.
Rating: 4 / 5
Linksys by Cisco WRT160N-RM Refurbished Wireless-N Router
it is stranger that some reviewers claimed they got a v3 version. what I got is a v2 version, which is using RT chipset and not supported by dd-wrt.
the manu fireware is hard to use and i can only rate the signal and speed as fare. it cannot reach 300M speed and I see no speed improvement when I test some file copy from my laptop to my network disk.
its Appearance is good. That’s the only pro I can find.
Conclusion: If you are lucky enough to got a V3 (or even better to get a V1), you can install the dd-wrt and enjoy it, but for V2? better to return it.
Rating: 1 / 5
Linksys by Cisco WRT160N-RM Refurbished Wireless-N Router