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Linksys introduces router designed for multimedia

3 July 2008 20:57 by Rich "vurbal" Fiscus | 6 comments

Linksys has introduced a new wireless router designed specifically with streaming media mind. WRT610N is a dual band router that the company claims is better suited for streaming than others.

"There are products on the market that are framed as Dual-Band that allow access to only one band at a time or lose transmission speeds when both bands are in use," said Mani Dhillon, director, Linksys Consumer Business Organization. "As consumers begin to use the 5GHz spectrum for their multimedia devices, it becomes more important to have access to the full capabilities of both bands."

On a typical network anything from internet downloads to print jobs can interfere with smooth streaming, which relies on a consistent level of throughput.

The WRT610N also features Wi-Fi Protected Setup, a feature available on a growing number of wireless devices that simplifies setup by allowing them to connect with relatively little user interaction. Instead they can simply push a button on the device and it will automatically negotiate a connection to the router.

Although this has a lot of potential for storage devices it's currently found primarily in access points and external wireless network adapapters. However, the Wi-Fi Alliance currently lists three multimedia projectors certified for the feature.

"Each day, more digital multimedia content is becoming available, and with that growth in availability comes the need to maintain the experience consumers have come to expect when enjoying a movie, watching an HDTV broadcast, or listening to their favorite music," said Dhillon. "With the WRT610N, the home network can optimize the process of streaming multimedia content, and helping to make the process more user friendly than it has ever been."

The WRT610N has a suggested retail price of $199.99.

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Discuss this article!
DXR88 (Senior Member) 3 July 2008 22:14
For that price you can keep it, My Pre-N Wireless router still does the job pretty darn good, [ + quote]
7thsinger (AfterDawn Addict) 3 July 2008 22:25
Agreed. I'll pass on this one for that price. [ + quote]
borhan9 (AfterDawn Addict) 4 July 2008 1:27
For that price its not that bad actually however if u already have a network that is setup and doing fine i do not think you will need this. I would only go for this only if my router i currently have breaks down. [ + quote]
defgod (Newbie) 4 July 2008 8:38
The way I figure it would be simpler to have a router that supports open source firmware like DD-WRT or Tomato. That way you can configure it to your hearts delight. Granted the supported routers don't use dual band technology. Ask yourself would you really need it if you had an open source supported router and had it configured right? For myself and alot of people probably not. [ + quote]
salsa36 (Junior Member) 4 July 2008 15:38
It is Microsoft "approved"? Some consoles and other products like the Xbox won't work if they are not "approved" by Microsoft. They have the balls to have a list of "approved" routers in their page..... It must be awesome to own a monopoly. [ + quote]
joe777 (Member) 7 July 2008 9:32
Microsoft have shares in CISCO, who own linksys. So it should be on a short list. A pity most linksys routers(firmware) are locked down now, ah guess microshaft dont want decent linux firmware on their products anymore!!!! [ + quote]