Many people are confused when they want to buy wireless routes. Cisco makes very good routers and the Cisco Linksys EA4500 and Linksys E4200 are some of the best consumer class wireless routers. Find out in this comparative Linksys EA4500 vs E4200 review which better suits your needs and gives you more value for money.

1. Why Buy Linksys
EA4500 or
E4200?
By Funner Montag
Linksys EA4500 or Linksys E4200 - Which of these
Cisco Linksys Router Is A Better Buy?
Linksys EA4500 vs E4200 - which of these two excellent wireless routers is better? Read on if you are
undecided whether to choose the Linksys EA4500 or the older Linksys EA4200 dual band wireless-N
router. You should be very clear on whether to buy the Linksys EA4500 or the Linksys E4200 after
going through this Linksys EA4500 vs E4200 comparative review.
A little background – the Linksys E4200 was the first advanced wireless Cisco router with easy to use
desktop application, has great design with an extensive and broad web interface. Best of all, the
performance of the Cisco E4200 is excellent. It is a major upgrade to the Linksys E3000.
This upgrade makes it one of the fastest consumer class routers in the market today and it offers a
maximum wireless coverage of up to 450 Mbps wireless signal speed. As such, the Linksys E4200
router was clearly a winner with both new and advanced users.
Page 1 of 4

2. Due to the popularity of the Linksys E4200, Cisco later came out with the Linksys EA4500 which was
based on the E4200. As expected, the newer model EA4500 is more expensive. However as a smart
consumer, you will have to decide whether it is well worth to pay the additional dollars.
Don’t worry, you will be able to make the decision to select between the Linksys E4200 and EA4500
after I take you through some additional information that will better help you in understanding the
difference and similarities between these two models.
By the way before I proceed further, I sometimes interchangeably use the names Cisco E4200 or
Linksys E4200 (likewise Cisco EA4500 and Linksys EA4500) but they refer to the same product.
Did you know there are two versions of the Linksys
E4200?
Yes. There is an older Linksys E4200 V1 and a later Linksys E4200 V2
Why should you buy the Linksys E4200 V1 instead of the later Linksys E4200 V2? The answer lies in
the fact that the Linksys E4200V1 has the DD-WRT open-source firmware that can be upgraded while
the E4200V2 does not have that firmware.
It can be upgraded because it uses Broadcom’s System On a Chip (SoC) firmware. If you are aware,
Broadcom has long being the leader in providing wireless route chips to router manufactures. The
advantage to upgradable firmware is that it allows you to install newer releases from the DD-WRT
team to take advantage of newer and enhance features as they are released.
By the way, DD-WRT is a Linux based firmware project focusing on developing ad enhancing wireless
Internet routers.
In the meantime, the Linksys E4200V2 uses the Marvell chip. This chip is not supported by the DD-
WRT team; making upgrades to the Linksys E4200 V2 not possible. The advantage of having the
ability to upgrade the firmware is that newer releases of the firmware may help to increase and
boost the router’s performance without having the need to replace the router and hence helping
you save money.
If you are one of those who are technically inclined, you could easily upgrade the firmware to a full
featured DD-WRT Mega build that will allow for VPN-client integration, hotspot and full control of
traffic to simultaneously run both the 5 Ghz band for HD streaming and 2.4 Ghz for normal computer
connections which will be very ideal for a big house or SOHO office. With a stronger signal and better
wireless speeds and coverage, your can watch Netflix in HD while your kids play online games
without any interruption.
However, the bad news is this – the Linksys E4200 V1 routers have long being out of production. As
such if you really want to buy V1, then you may need to search for them at eBay or go physically to
the shops. Fortunately, some is still available at Amazon.
Here are some tips to make sure that you correctly pick the Linksys E4200 V1 router:
E4200 V1 serial numbers begins with 01C10C while E4200 V2 routers generally have serial
numbers beginning with 01C106
For a new unopened box, if it states Linksys E4200 V2, then it is the V2 version. For V1, it is
just E4200
Page 2 of 4

3. Check the product description if you intend to purchase from Amazon. Make sure it states
V1 in the product description.
Anyway to make it easy for you, click here to buy the Linksys E4200 V1 routers from Amazon.
The Linksys EA4500 vs EA4200. What Is the Difference?
Now that we have got the Linksys E4200 V1 out of the way, I will refer to the Linksys E4200 V2 as just
the Linksys E4200 or Cisco E4200. Apart from the cost, so what are the differences between these
two wireless routers?
I will only highlight the major differences in the table below:
Desc Linksys E4200 Linksys EA4500
WiFi Max Transfer Speed 300 + 450 mbps (750) 450 + 450 mbps (900)
Why is there only one entry in the table and blanks in the rest of the rows? What’s happen to the
rest of the data? Did you forget to put it in?
Well the answer is no. I purposely left the blank rows there to highlight the fact that the Linksys
EA4500 is actually an updated version of the Linksys E4200 without any hardware change. The only
major difference is the connection speed of the 2.4 Ghz channel where you get 150 Mbps more than
the E4200.
There are also some changes in the Cisco Linksys EA4500 software designed to work with its Connect
Cloud software and applications designed to extend your home network’s management capabilities.
Cisco Connect Cloud basically allows you to access your devices connected to the router from an app
installed in your mobile or browser. It allows you to do tasks like giving guests internet access,
setting up parental controls and adding devices to your network.
It would be useful if you need and must do all of those functions when you are out of your home.
However I find that those are tasks that I will only do when I am at home managing my network! Of
course, I am pretty sure Cisco will continually add more features to the Cisco Connect Cloud.
What Is Great About The Common Features Of The
Linksys E4200 and EA4500?
It has a transfer rates of up to 300 + 450 Mbps speed which is ideal for an excellent
home/SOHO network experience
Its full 3x3 MIMO antenna array boosts signal strength to provide a long range coverage and
reduces signal drops
The double network bandwidth (dual-band N - 2.4 and 5 GHz respectively) helps you to
avoid interference and at the same time maximizes the throughput
Page 3 of 4

4. WPA/WPA2 encryption and SPI firewall keeps your network safe
Installation and management is easy. You don’t need to be a techie to set the E4200 or
EA4500 up
Now Question Is Which To Buy? The Cisco Linksys
E4200 or EA4500?
What to buy - it all boils down to your needs. Here are the options, not in order but based on the
needs:
1. Buy the Cisco Linksys E4200 V1
If you would like to have the ability to upgrade the firmware and enhance your router’s
performance whenever an upgrade is available. This also implies that you need to have
some technical expertise and third party developers keep releasing new updates.
Click here to buy E4200 V1 from Amazon
2. Buy Cisco Linksys E4200 V2
This is the current model that Cisco is selling. It already has some very great and awesome
features. Apart from power users or users who really need very high performance and
range, its performance and range is already sufficient for a majority of users. If you are one
of those normal users then the Linksys E4200 V2 may be sufficient for you.
Click here to buy E4200 V2 from Amazon
3. Buy Cisco Linksys EA4500
The hardware is the same as the EA4200 V2 but the EA4500 is a Smart Wifi app enabled
router. As I have highlighted in the comparative table of the Linksys EA4500 vs E4200, right
now, the only major difference is you get an additional transfer speed of 150 Mbps on the
2.4 Ghz channel on the EA4500. However many owners reported that the real speed
difference is not significantly higher than the Linksys E4200 V2. Unless you go for E4200 V1,
the firmware of the EA4500 is also upgradable. Cisco may release additional features that
can be made use of by this router. So basically if you don’t mind paying a little extra and do
not want the older E4200 V1, go for the Linksys EA4500.
Click here to buy EA4500 from Amazon
This article has its origins at Squidoo. If you wish to view the original article at Squidoo, please click
on this link: Linksys EA4500 vs E4200. Which Router Is Better To Buy?
Page 4 of 4