Linksys WRT160N
Manufacturer: Cisco Part number: WRT160N
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Linksys WRT160N Wireless-N broadband router has consistent performance, good range, a helpful software application, and a good set of networking features. Its lack of Gigabit and USB support are the only major knocks against it.
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CNET editors' review
Linksys WRT160N price range: $49.95 - $149.94
- Reviewed by: Dong Ngo
- Reviewed on: 07/21/2009
The good: The Linksys WRT160N comes in a compact, sleek design. It sports an easy-to-use Web interface and offers a good set of networking features. Its included software is very helpful for setting it up with both Macs and PCs.
The bad: The Linksys WRT160N doesn't support the faster Gigabit standard for wired connection, nor does it have USB support.
The bottom line: The Linksys WRT160N Wireless-N broadband router has consistent performance, good range, a helpful software application, and a good set of networking features. Its lack of Gigabit and USB support are the only major knocks against it.
If you're looking for a simple workhorse Wireless-N router, you'll be happy with the WRT160N, especially considering you can get it online for $80 or less.
Overall, the WRT160N is much like Linksys' WRT320N router, minus the support for the 5Ghz band and Gigabit Ethernet. Nonetheless, it retains the same compact and sleek-looking UFO-shaped design with internal antennas.
The WRT160N achieved decent throughput speeds, especially in mixed mode and range testing. It also comes with a good set of networking features and a useful desktop application that helps set up and manage both the router and the local network. Also, you can use its Web interface to access its advanced features.
Design and ease of use
Similar to Linksys' recent routers such as the WRT320N, the WRT400N and the WRT310N, the WRT160N sports an aesthetically pleasing sleek, flat, UFO-shaped chassis. The router's antennas are internal, allowing it to be more compact than other, similarly sized routers.
On the back the WRT160N has four network ports, standard for most routers. Unfortunately, these ports do not adhere to the Gigabit Ethernet standard, which allows for throughput speeds of up to 1,000Mbps. Instead, the ports on the WRT160N are capped at 100Mbps, so if you use the router for wired connections, you'll be missing out on the higher speed. Also disappointing is the omission of a USB port, which would allow for supporting a printer or network storage device.
On the front of the router is an array of light emitting diodes that show the status of the ports, the wireless network, and the Internet. In the middle of the LEDs is the Wi-Fi protected setup (WPS) button, which initiates a window of time when you can hook other WPS-compliant wireless clients to the network without having to enter an encryption key. For example if you bring a WPS-enabled client close to the router and press the button on both devices, they will be connected automatically.
The WRT160N comes with Linksys' EasyLink Advisor software for both PC and Mac. The software is well-designed and offers a well-thought-out, step-by-step setup process that even the most novice of users can follow. Savvy users may want to skip it in favor of the Web interface, which is more comprehensive than the desktop software.
We had no problems and were able to get the Linksys WRT160N router up and running for testing within a few minutes.
Features
The WRT160N router has nearly the same Web interface and networking features as the other recent Linksys routers. The interface allows access to the routers' long list of advanced features. We especially liked its elaborate content filtering system, called "Access Restrictions," that allows for restricting or filtering Internet access of particular networked computers. This is helpful if you want to block certain computers from certain Web sites. The "Applications & Gaming" feature lets you set up port forwarding and triggering to set specific ports for specific applications such as games, remote desktop, or FTP and HTTP servers. You can also conveniently reserve static IP addresses to certain computers in the network, making the port forwarding much more relevant and easy to do. If you want to create a VPN connection, an FTP access, or a remote desktop connection to a certain computer in the network, you will find this handy and convenient.
The desktop software also offers some original post-setup features. We especially liked the ability to see a map of all clients connected to the network and the ability to manage each of them in real time. For example, if you see an unidentified device connected to the network, the software allows you to mark it in red to distinguish it from other known devices. If a client in the network has EasyLink Advisor installed, you can do more, such as viewing its complete status including its MAC, IP address, OS and CPU information, and more.
For security, the WRT160N supports all available wireless encryption standards including WEP, WPA personal, and WPA Enterprise. The router allows for VPN pass-through for all existing VPN protocols including IPsec, L2TP, and PPTP. If you're using the router from your home, you can use a VPN client to access your work offices via a VPN connection.
Apart from
Performance
The WRT160N's performance met our expectation for a single-band Wireless-N router.
On our throughput test, where the router was set to offer the best possible performance, it achieved 40.3Mbps, just a little slower than the 45.3Mbps of the WRT320 and a bit faster than the 40.1Mbps of the WRT400N. At this speed the WRT160N would take about 99 seconds to finish transmitting 500MB of data over its wireless network.
On our range test, where the router was 100 feet away from the client, it got 36.8Mbps, which was faster than the WRT320N and about the same as the WRT400N.
In mixed mode, the WRT160N remained at 36.7Mbps. The mixed-mode test was done with the router set to work with both Wireless-N and legacy Wireless-G simultaneously.
We noticed that the WRT160N, like most of Linksys' recent routers, offer consistent performance with small degradation over range and mixed mode, which is impressive. The Belkin N+, for example, has a faster throughput speed of 55.4Mbps, but its range speed reduced by nearly half to 29.4Mbps.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Mixed mode | |
Range | |
Throughput |
We were also satisfied with the WRT160N's 270-foot range in our testing facility, which is not range optimized. In the real world, depending on your location, you might get even longer range.
Service and support
Like with its other new routers, Linksys backs the WRT160N with a one-year limited warranty. This is short but standard for most routers on the market. Linksys' toll-free phone support is available 24-7, as is online chat with a support representative. Linksys' Web site includes software, drivers, firmware downloads, as well as an FAQ section.
User reviews
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Super-sweet
by fieryfennix on February 23, 2008
Pros: Strength, setup, security
Cons: Nothing at all.
Summary: Bought this to replace my outdated Linksys (new Vista laptop) and was blown away. This thing practically set itself up. It replaced the wired router and wireless routers I was ...
Summary: Bought this to replace my outdated Linksys (new Vista laptop) and was blown away. This thing practically set itself up. It replaced the wired router and wireless routers I was using, as the signal strength is awesome. I'm still pulling over 5meg (which is what I get hard-wired) from 70 feet away, through 6 walls, a kitchen, and countless wires and electrical interference. Again, best router for the money. Don't get cheap ignore this router. It's so worth it.
11 out of 11 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great Deal
by tazindenver on February 21, 2008
Pros: Fast and Easy Setup
Cons: None So Far
Summary: I purchased this Linskys WRT160N Wireless-N Ultra RangePlus Broadband Router on Sunday, 5 days ago and i am very impressed.
It is very easy set-up and the range and speed ...Summary: I purchased this Linskys WRT160N Wireless-N Ultra RangePlus Broadband Router on Sunday, 5 days ago and i am very impressed.
It is very easy set-up and the range and speed blow my old Linksys Wireless G out of the water.
Even on the computers that dont have an N Card yet there is a big difference in speed and connection strength.
In areas of my home where the signal strength was poor before, the strength now is always excellent.
I highly recommend this router.7 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Worked well with XP but not with Vista
by crater3 on September 5, 2008
Pros: The installation was easy on the XP and worked well.
Cons: When I tried it with a new computer running Vista 64, it would install but the Linksys System Advisor would not. After 1 chat and 4 phone calls with support the system will still not run.
Summary: It is a good product with XP, but if you use Vista 64 good luck. After several hours of working to get it running my patience and options have run ...
Summary: It is a good product with XP, but if you use Vista 64 good luck. After several hours of working to get it running my patience and options have run out.
7 out of 9 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Not worth upgrading from a G router
by FunkyMan3333 on August 1, 2008
Pros: Installation process was relatively easy, assuming you know Linksys routers. Their automatic software configuration tool kept crashing. But, resetting the router a couple of times got me hooked in.
Cons: TERRIBLE signal strength. See WirelessMon tests below. Not worth upgrading from a WRT54g version 1.0.
Summary: I upgraded from a Linksys WRT54g ver 1.0 router in order to get more range (as I had heard that wireless N provided this even with G adapters). I ...
Summary: I upgraded from a Linksys WRT54g ver 1.0 router in order to get more range (as I had heard that wireless N provided this even with G adapters). I was very disappointed.
The installation process was fine (assuming you know Linksys), although their software configuration tool crashed repeatedly. I got the router working with no problems.
Then I noticed the range was much worse on this router. I conducted my own tests using my internal Intel Wireless G adapter on my Dell Inspiron laptop. I conducted the tests with WirelssMon software program. I positioned the routers in the exact same spot each time, and the laptop was also in the exact same place each test. Here are my results of my signal strength testing:
Basement (right next to the router):
Wireless N (20 MHz): -40 dB = 67%
Wireless N (40 MHz): -32 dB = 75%
Wireless N (auto): -37 dB = 70%
WRT54G: -29 dB = 79%
Main floor (one floor above router):
Wireless N (20 MHz): -53 dB = 51%
Wireless N (40 MHz): -55 dB = 51%
Wireless N (auto): -54 dB = 50%
WRT54G: -44 dB = 62%
Front Porch (one floor above router, a bit farther):
Wireless N (20 MHz): -86 dB = 16%
Wireless N (40 MHz): not conducted
Wireless N (auto): not conducted
WRT54G: -71 dB = 32%
Main bedroom (two floors above router):
Wireless N (20 MHz): -74 dB = 27%
Wireless N (40 MHz): -72 dB = 30%
Wireless N (auto): -71 dB = 32%
WRT54G: -65 dB = 39%
Clearly there is a benefit to the WRT54G (by about 5-10%) in terms of signal strength. I have returned this router. I might try another Linksys with a stronger antenna (?WRT610N), but I was very disappointed with the performance of this router.7 out of 9 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Abysmal product
by lemonsniffer on November 12, 2009
Pros: Small and shiny. Software "set-up" easy to use.
Cons: Never worked well or consistently. Tech support couldn't help.
Summary: I would say to stay away from this router. It is the worst I have ever tried to use. A true lemon. The company admitted they'd had issues with ...
Summary: I would say to stay away from this router. It is the worst I have ever tried to use. A true lemon. The company admitted they'd had issues with this model. It worked for a day or so, but it proved wholly unreliable. I spent hours on the phone with tech support and then even paid extra for them to take over my computers and try to make my simple network remotely. It worked until I got off the phone with them. Repeat. They could offer nothing and this contraption does the same. Many people have had similar experiences with this model. It proved an absolutely worthless and I wasted lots of time.
As another reviewer said, the company admitted that mixing operating systems often proved detrimental to this router.
Updated on Nov 12, 20093 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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A good starting point
by netghq on August 25, 2008
Pros: 3rd party firmware
Cons: Only 2 antennas
Summary: I bought this router last week, to replace an aging WAP54G as an access point. It took a few tweaks before it performed as it should...
First of all, stock ...Summary: I bought this router last week, to replace an aging WAP54G as an access point. It took a few tweaks before it performed as it should...
First of all, stock Linksys firmware is buggy, unstable and fairly limited. I gave it a fair chance, just left it at that for a couple of days before I got tired of my wife complaining that wireless keeps cutting her off all the time and the signal is abysmal in some parts of the house.
So... in went DD-WRT, which (once again) proved to be very stable and, with a few adjustments to wireless properties, extended the range considerably. The sweet spot of txpower vs. noise seems to be around 100-120mW. Antennas aren't very good and there are only two of them, compared to three in higher-end WRT300/350 routers. That seems to make a difference and once I'm convinced that I won't need the warranty, I'll probably de-solder the internal antennas and install two RP-SMA connectors in the back of the unit. That, with quality 7-9dB omnidirectional external antennas, should boost the range noticeably.
Without DD-WRT support I would have not bought this router. Replacing antennas isn't that difficult but it'll void the warranty and unless you have some experience with soldering electronics, I wouldn't recommend trying to do it on your own. All in all, this is a great, cheap router as a starting point for a build/mod project, but off the shelf, it's both unremarkable and mediocre value for money.
Buffalo WZR-G300N and Linksys WRT300N may be a bit more expensive but far better routers out of the box, not to mention multiband routers like WRT610N or D-Link 855.3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Poor range
by westlyw on April 26, 2008
Pros: Easy setup
Cons: False advertising
Summary: Although I'm new to wirless I'm not impressed with this at all and know false advertising when I see it. I bought the wpc300n card to go with ...
Summary: Although I'm new to wirless I'm not impressed with this at all and know false advertising when I see it. I bought the wpc300n card to go with it. This is my second wrt160n router. The first did all kinds of weird things like reset itself to the year 1970 and so on. I spent 3 sessions with linksys in online chat because I couldn't find a phone #. I liked how they would ask you if you tried something and then immediately leave chat. I had already tried most of everything they came up with anyway. And what they did suggest didn't work either. Seemed hokey pokey at best. Thru put is good at close range of 30 feet. It was extremely simple to set up. Setting the router in front of a window and walking in a straight line outside 75 feet I lose signal. The funny thing is I lose the N signal long before I lose the G signal. The N signal only travels about 30 feet or so. 4X Range RIGHT.
Appears to function well as a G router. But doesn't give the range that I was looking for so I have to rate it negatively.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Fine when its working - but that's only half the time
by njbl on January 4, 2011
Pros: Gives a decent range and when its working it was fine.
Cons: Kept dropping out and then the wired router connection stopped working altogether (after 1 year warranty expired). Tech support was not helpful.
Summary: Do not buy this router. I am off to find a replacement that has strong user reviews for reliability and good tech support.
Summary: Do not buy this router. I am off to find a replacement that has strong user reviews for reliability and good tech support.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Known Flaw in Firmware
by firelitd on September 10, 2010
Pros: It is a pretty solid router. Sleek design and fairly easy to set up. We get good reception and connectivity on both PC and Mac.
Cons: Serious issues with the firmware (Ver.3.0.02 and before). This known issue that is well documented in Cisco's own forums. Nothing is more frustrating that surfing the net and being automatically redirected to a different website by your router.
Summary: When you first plug it in, it works great. But things just go downhill.
Then, one day you'll type in one website on your browser and it will go ...Summary: When you first plug it in, it works great. But things just go downhill.
Then, one day you'll type in one website on your browser and it will go to entirely different one. What!? Yep, it is a well known problem with this device (and a few other similar Linksys routers). It will occasionally send you to a completely different website than what you type in. Take a look in Cisco's own forums and you'll see long message threads of people complaining about the same thing. What is strange is that has been out in the market for some time and there is still no fix.
Bottom Line: DO NOT BUY unless Linksys updates their firmware and addresses this pervasive issue.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Wireless connection using Windows 7 was hoorible
by rom_75 on March 21, 2010
Pros: Looks nice
Cons: My laptop never consistently connected to the internet. I had a harder time connecting to the internet through the router when I was 2 ft from it than when i was in another room of the house.
Summary: When I first hooked up it seemed to work well. I loaded that home network software that came with the router. Later I started to notice that if my laptop ...
Summary: When I first hooked up it seemed to work well. I loaded that home network software that came with the router. Later I started to notice that if my laptop went into sleep mode, when I logged back in it would lose its connection to the internet. The wireless card could see the router but could not connect to the internet. I tried to use the "repair connection" function of the software multiple times with initial success then it stopped workign. It kept bringing me through the power recycle process of the router and sometimes it worked and other times it didint'. The key was correct and there was nothing that should have been interfering at this range.
I looked online and sure enough multiple people have given the same problem. On the LinkSys site they had you going through all sorts of programming steps to try and fix the problem. That may be great for someone with minimal computer lingo background but for the average user, if I can't fix it through the windows based format, I can't fix it!
Bottom line: if you have a computer science degree, nice looking product. If not, stay away.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Cisco
- Part number: WRT160N
- Description: The Ultra RangePlus Wireless-N Broadband Router is really 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. The Access Point built into the Router uses the very latest wireless networking technology: Wireless-N (draft 802.11n). By overlaying the signals of multiple radios, Wireless-N's "Multiple In, Multiple Out" (MIMO) technology multiplies the effective data rate. Unlike ordinary wireless networking technologies that are confused by signal reflections, MIMO actually uses these reflections to increase the range and reduce "dead spots" in the wireless coverage area. With Wireless-N, the farther away you are, the more speed advantage you get. But unlike other speed-enhanced technologies, Wireless-N can dynamically enable a double-speed mode for Wireless-N devices, while still connecting to other wireless devices at their respective fastest speeds. In congested areas, the "good neighbor" mode ensures that the Router checks for other wireless devices in the area before gobbling up the radio band. To help protect your data and privacy, the Router can encode all wireless transmissions with industrial-strength 256-bit encryption. It can serve as your network's DHCP Server, has a powerful SPI firewall to protect your PCs against intruders and most known Internet attacks, and supports VPN pass-through. Configuration is a snap with the web browser-based configuration utility. The incredible speed of Wireless-N makes it ideal for media-centric applications like streaming video, gaming, and Voice over IP telephony, and gives you plenty of headroom to run multiple media-intense data streams through the network at the same time, with no degradation in performance. With the Linksys Wireless-N Broadband Router at the center of your home or office network, you can share a high-speed Internet connection, files, printers, and multi-player games, and run media-intensive applications at incredible speeds, without the hassle of stringing wires!
General
- Device Type Wireless router - 4-port switch (integrated)
- Enclosure Type Desktop
- Connectivity Technology Wireless ,
Wired - Data Link Protocol Ethernet,
IEEE 802.11n (draft),
IEEE 802.11b,
IEEE 802.11g,
Fast Ethernet - Frequency Band 2.4 GHz
- Remote Management Protocol HTTP
- Encryption Algorithm WPA2,
WPA,
128-bit WEP,
256-bit WEP,
64-bit WEP - Features MIMO technology ,
DHCP server ,
Firewall protection ,
Auto-sensing per device ,
VPN passthrough ,
Auto-negotiation ,
Auto-uplink (auto MDI/MDI-X) ,
Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) - Compliant Standards IEEE 802.11g ,
IEEE 802.11b ,
UPnP ,
IEEE 802.11n (draft) ,
IEEE 802.3u ,
IEEE 802.3 - Built-in Devices LED panel
- Status Indicators Link activity,
Port status,
Power,
Link OK Expansion / Connectivity
- Interfaces WAN : 1 x Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - RJ-45,
LAN : 4 x Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - RJ-45 Networking
- Networking type Wireless router
Antenna
- Antenna Internal integrated
- Antenna Qty 2
- Directivity Omni-directional
- Gain Level 1.5 dBi
Power
- Power Device Power adapter - External
Communications
- Type None
Miscellaneous
- Width 8 in
- Depth 6.3 in
- Height 1.3 in
- Weight 9.9 oz
- Cables (Details) 1 x Network cable
- Microsoft Certifications Compatible with Windows 7
- Compliant Standards IC CS-03,
FCC Software / System Requirements
- Software Included Drivers & Utilities,
Norton Internet Security - OS Required Microsoft Windows XP,
Microsoft Windows Vista - Peripheral / Interface Devices CD-ROM
Environmental Parameters
- Min Operating Temperature 32 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 104 °F
- Humidity Range Operating 10 - 85%
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Cisco products on Shopper.com
-
- Manufacturer:Cisco
- Address:
170 W. Tasman Dr.
San Jose, CA 95134 - Phone: 800-553-6387
- Email: tac@cisco.com
