Multiplying Antennae

Wi-Fi antennas seem to get bigger and more numerous with every technological leap, and the Linksys Wireless-N Router is no exception. It has three antenna, including two dipoles and one wide antenna in the middle. They can be oriented so the router sits horizontally or vertically, whichever gives you the best reception. We generally get the best reception when we mount routers high on a wall, rather than sitting on a desk.

Flashing Lights

The front indicator lights include a full complement of power, Ethernet, Internet, wireless and security status indicators. The security status light, which shows whether encryption is enabled, is new and particularly welcome.

The back of the unit has a WAN port for your cable/DSL modem, plus the usual four autosensing Ethernet ports. There's a reset button for restoring factory defaults, plus a button on the top "reserved for future use." We hope it's a simplified encryption setup button.