The Linksys WRT160N certainly doesn’t look like a budget router. Its sleek new design—a black clamshell with no exterior antennas—should fit in nicely with your home decor and doesn’t look as geeky as previous Linksys models. Setup was a breeze with an overhauled installer; it took just a few clicks to access and configure the router. Plus, a new Linksys EasyLink Advisor program tells you when connections have been disrupted and how to expand your network.
On our tests, the WRT160N hit 100 Mbps from 5 feet, 6 Mbps from 200 feet, and just 1 Mbps at 400 feet. With only two internal antennas, the WRT160N doesn’t offer as much range as other routers.
We encountered some audio delays with the WRT160N when we tested the router with a Netgear Skype Wi-Fi phone, although an episode of Lost streamed accurately to an Apple TV with only a few paused frames. Good encryption options (WPA, WPA2) and online help videos at Linksys.com are a plus.
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