Cisco's Valet: A Butler for Your Network?
When we think of networking equipment, it’s easy to think of random strings of acronyms and codes- 802.11a/b/g/n, 2.4 GHz, 4 × 10/100 ethernet. And that’s before the old model names- like the venerable WRT54g for instance- that can be a mouthful. Cisco’s decided to simplify things a bit, and has released two new models for home and SOHO users- the Valet and the Valet Plus, and we’ve been using the former to speed our network traffic for the last couple of weeks.
The most obvious change for the Cisco Valet M10 router is the new color scheme- blue and white is a nice change from all of the black and gray- but the unit doesn’t stray much from the curvy good looks of the most recent Linksys line. As far as routers go, it’s fairly small, runs relatively cool, and is easy to setup. The real changes are deeper, under the skin, in the software and firmware.
Other routers may be smaller, or offer USB connections, but the Valet is definitely tops in ease of use and features that might be attractive to parents. For instance, it’s quite simple to block certain sites, or even restrict access after a certain duration or to certain hours of the day. Also, Cisco attempted to streamline the setup procedure for most people with their Easy Setup Key. It worked just fine for us, but we generally need some extra customization, opening ports and such to get our network running the way we like. You can certainly do those sorts of things with this router, but the firmware isn’t as flexible as, say, DD-WRT. The Plus model is said to offer better range- a good thing, since we definitely noticed some limits even on 802.11n devices and lower speeds (both up and down) versus other models on-hand. We also noticed a change in speeds when connected directly (wired), though speeds were faster once we moved away from the Cisco Connect automatic setup and configured settings manually.
For those who might not be technically savvy, this is the easiest wireless-N router that we’ve tried. Available for a bit under $100, it is slightly more expensive than seems necessary, as the M10 offers fewer features and less power than other devices that are a bit cheaper. On the other hand, you do get a cute USB key that can help your mom (or grandma) setup her computer without calling for help. That’s worth something in our book.
