Thread: Linksys WRT320N

Well,we hope that by now you have acquired enough experience in wireless networking from our several workshops and you must be keen to experiment. As you are aware, wireless networking proves helpful in distributing internet bandwidth between several Wi-Fi enabled devices like notebook, gaming console, printer or smartphone. It removes the hassle and clutter of wires running around, and provides the luxury of locating devices as per your convenience.

We reviewed the Linksys WRT320N dual band Wi-Fi router, read on to know how it performed, This dual band router uses 2.4GHz and 5GHz band and each of these bands use 802.11 protocol.

While the 2.4GHz band is basically used to connect SOHO's and home premises, the 5GHz band is used for big businesses. Most of the manufacturers focus on making a 2.4GHz router as it's cheaper. But, if you want a router, which will provide you the luxury of switching between both bands, then the WRT320N should definitely be on your list.

The latest WRT320N retains the same design as its ancestors, but it's design has become sleeker and more appealing. The pebble-shaped body has four port gigabit switches on the back, which also support fast-wired Ethernet. The corresponding LED lights are on the front, which acts as the status indicators. These ports also facilitate connecting devices, however the router lacks even a single USB port.
Installation is rather simple, the router allows you to keep the previous router's configuration while installing a fresh configuration, therefore you can also use another router simultaneously without any hassle. The WRT320N also supports WPAlWPA2 encryption to make your network secure. However, you might have to choose the less secure WEP-128, which is compatible with older wireless computers. But, if your devices support WPA2, then that should be your choice.



The WRT320N has a WPS button on the front of the case, making security configuration easy for devices that support WPS. The router runs on 2.4GHz by default, stream videos or multimedia files across the network. But, overall we would say that the WRT320N is easy to install and customize.

We connected a PlayStation 3, a media streamer, two smartphones and a notebook to the network. We also used both the bands for data streaming and we had no cause to complain on the performance front. The software maps all of the devices connected and depicts them pictorially, this is very helpful while configuring the network.

All in all the WRT320N is good performer, and a good choice if you want to use dual frequencies for your network. But, it would have been the best choice available in the market if it could operate on both bands together.