Linksys E4200: Big bucks, bigger bang

Over the last week, I've put Cisco's top-of-the-line wireless 802.11n router through hell.

Is the sleek Linksys E4200, a unit Cisco dubs its "entertainment class" router, with a list price of $179 (street price $159), really worth three times what you'd pay for an entry level wireless router?

Easy on the eyes: The Linksys E4200 is sleek and understated - no more arrays of blinking lights, just a single status light - and keeps all six antennas in the case instead of sticking up all over the place.

Yes -- if you need it.

If you're just connecting a single computer to the Internet in the same room with your wireless router, you can just pick up a cheap router at your local Wal-Mart and forget about it.

But if you do a lot of video streaming, have multiple devices consuming wireless services and you're not getting what you need from that basic Wireless G router provided by your ISP (or that $49.99 model you purchased at Wal-Mart), a more powerful router like the Linksys E4200 could make a difference.

That said, while a good router provides the foundation for good service, it's not a guarantee. Homes are full of objects that disrupt the distribution pattern of wireless signals (walls, mirrors, cast iron tubs, kitchen appliances and plumbing, to name a few) or that compete for the same frequency bands (cordless phones and microwaves, for example). Good positioning is important. And from my experience, performance can vary substantially, depending on the device that's trying to connect.

What you get for your dollar

Several features differentiate a high-end router like the E4200 from the entry level models. You can read the laundry list of the E4200's features here, but the key features that affect performance and range are the quality of the amplifier, the number of frequency bands on which the device can transmit at the same time (high end units support two), and the number of "streams" the device supports.

Cisco uses an industry standard Broadcom chip set, which includes an on-board signal amplifier. But on the E4200, it added a second, more powerful amplifier on the router's motherboard to extend the range of coverage and improve performance.

The E4200 also supports simultaneous operation in two frequency bands -- 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, a feature that should deliver better performance, especially when more than one device is communicating with the router or when there's interference on one frequency band. (Some wireless N routers support dual band operation but cannot not use both frequency bands at the same time, which negates much of the benefit. The key word here is simultaneous dual band).

Finally, the wireless 802.11n specification allows device makers to support simultaneous "spatial streams," using multiple-input multiple-output antenna (MIMO) technology. This is a fancy way of saying that it can transmit and receive signals over up to four antennas at the same time. As wireless devices transmit, the radio waves bounce off different surfaces in the room until they're picked up by the destination device. The more streams transmitted, the more "bounce" you get. The E4200 has six antennas -- three for transmitting and three for receiving (3 x 3), so it creates more "bounce" when transmitting. On the receiving end, all three antennas listen and the unit goes with whichever signal reaches it first. More streams equals faster performance and better the coverage.

Cisco's Linksys E series line includes one other multimedia-class router, the Linksys E3200. It sells for $30 less than the E4200, but has one less antenna (spatial stream) for transmitting in the 5GHz band. Theoretically, that limits the maximum speed you'll get in the 5GHz band to 300 Mbps versus 450Mbps for the E4200. But most devices you'll be using to connect can't take advantage of that today anyway, so it's more of a future-proofing feature. But the 3200 also lacks the off-chip amplifier. If performance is your concern and you're going to spend this kind of money, why mess around? For the difference in price, the E4200 is probably the better choice.

Next: My house of horrors

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