Cisco's been pretty busy these days, rolling out a whole new range of products both under its own brand name and under Linksys moniker (which, as we all know, became a part of the networking giant a while ago). Of course, the fact that the Cisco-branded Valet series resembles quite closely the Linksys E-series routers announced today should come as no surprise, but at least the manufacturer is keeping things even across its whole lineup and is not favoring one brand or the other.

The first model unveiled today is the $79.99 Linksys E1000 Wireless-N Router, which enables transfer speeds of up to 300 Mbps and is a very suitable solution for general wireless Internet usage and home office productivity.

Next in line comes the Linksys E2000 Advanced Wireless-N Router, which includes four Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000 Mbps) ports for faster file sharing with other Gigabit-enabled devices, including computers, hard drives, and servers and features selectable dual-band (2.4 GHz or 5 GHz) technology to help avoid interference, allowing for smoother file transfers and media streaming. Naturally, this model is also more expensive, selling for $119.99.

The same E2100L model has the same base price but offers a bit of a difference, namely the fact that it comes pre-loaded with a Linux operating system for flexibility to customize the network, as well as a built-in UPnP AV Media Server that streams entertainment content to an Xbox 360, PS3 or other compatible device.

The flagship model announced today in the Linksys E-Series is the E3000 High-Performance Wireless-N Router, which sells for $179.99 and features simultaneous dual-band (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz), high-performance Wireless-N technology for smoother HD video streaming, wireless gaming and file transfers. Furthermore, it includes four Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000 Mbps) ports for faster file sharing with other USB port and provides connectivity to storage devices for file sharing at home or over the Internet.

One of the most important features all of these new routers have in common is their ease of use. So, with the addition of the new Cisco Connect software, the fresh Linksys E-Series is designed to make it easier for users to customize and control their wireless network settings to match their preferences.

With a quick and easy setup, the software auto-assigns the WPA security passkey and SSID. Once configured, users can employ Cisco Connect to easily manage their wireless home network by adding multiple Internet-capable devices to the network, setting parental controls for each computer or device, giving visitors password-protected Internet access on a separate guest network and customizing advanced settings and changing the network SSID and password.

"Linksys pioneered the first home router 10 years ago, and 50 million units later is the world's leading provider of home wireless routers," said Jonathan Kaplan, senior vice president and general manager of Cisco Consumer Products. "The new E-Series caters to Linksys' core technology-minded consumer base, with a simplified product line-up that is ideal for today's sophisticated home network user."


We are just a few, but there are many of you, Softpedia users, out there. That's why we thought it would be a good idea to create an email address for you to help us a little in finding gadgets we missed. Interesting links are bound to be posted with recognition going mainly to those who submit. The address is .