Sunday, September 25, 2011

TECH REVIEW: Cisco Valet Wireless Router

It's 1, 2, 3 Easy to Setup the Cisco Valet Wireless Router...

I am ashame to tell you that this review has been a long time coming.  You see, I was sent a Cisco Valet Wireless Router for review back in May. At the time, I was excited to try a new router that claimed it could set it up in 5 minutes tops.

I remember setting up my first wireless router 10 years ago and how I had to hold the instruction manual with one hand and read it word for word while using the other hand to type all the prompts for information.  So I really did mean to setup the new Cisco Valet router, but then life got in the way.

I went to war with my internet provider about why my connection kept going down.  I blamed them. They blamed me.  I was not giving up so I did not want to make any type of change to my equipment. So the new router was put in the corner to wait out the battle.  Months later, my internet connection problems were solved, but I totally forgot about the router.



And then came Android trouble...
If you have been following my blog for a while, then you know that I have been reviewing a number of Android OS smartphones and tablets this year. When I tried to test out features of Android OS devices where I needed to be connected to my network, I could not get a connection.  The Android smartphones and tablets were never able to obtain an IP address.  This happened with every Android based gadget I reviewed.  So I did a little digging on Google and found out that my network technology was so old that the Android gadgets could not connect.  Darn!

Out with the Old and in with the New...
And then I remembered the Cisco Valet Wireless Router sitting in the corner and realized it was now time to set that bad boy up.   I wondered could it really be so easy that I could do it in 5 minutes?  I am happy to report that the claims are true.


Very Easy to Setup...
I plugged in the Cisco Valet Wireless Router and connected it to my cable modem.  I plugged in the included USB Setup Key (see photo left) into my laptop and it downloaded some software.  I clicked through a screen or two and that was it.  My new wireless router was up and running.  All my devices connected without issue, including my Android smartphone.

The only issue that I had with the router is with the guest setup.  This router has a feature where you can give guests to your home access to your network and then revoke the access when they leave.  I noticed that the default with this feature is the leave the access wide open so that anyone can connect to your network.  I made sure to turn that feature off.  I would be much better if the default setting is that this feature is turned off from the get go.

I doubt it can get any easier than using the Cisco Valet Wireless Router to setup a home network.  I wish I had done this months ago.

The Cisco Valet Wireless Router is available on Amazon.com for under $50.   The Cisco Valet is great for anyone looking for a wireless router that is 1, 2, 3 easy to setup.

Enjoy!

I was sent a complementary Cisco Valet Wireless Router for review to state my unbiased opinion. I was not compensated for this post.  This post contains affiliate links.



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