New Linksys E3200 Vs Linksys E3000 Are They Different

By Author: Ki Grinsing
Total Articles: 82
Comment this article

Many people are wondering why Linksys introduces new lines of Linksys E Series routers including E3200, E2500, E1500 and Linksys E1200. Are these new E series manufactured to replace the previous E series (E3000, E2000 and E1000)? If you take a closer look at both Linksys E3200 and E3000, they have nearly the same manufacturer’s specifications. But if you compare the Linksys E2500 and E2000 you will find some differences in the specifications.

The new E series includes Linksys E4200 wireless router which is designed for maximum speed with its N750 technology delivering the high speeds up to 450Mbps in 5GHz band and up to 300Mbps in 2.4GHz band. But the other series look like similar with the previous E series routers. Let’s have a look at the main differences between the Linksys E3200 and E3000 routers.

When you take a glance look at the new E series, you will find that these routers look more elegance and stylist than the previous ones. The following lists some of the main features between the Linksys E3200 and E3000.

Wireless technology

Both Linksys E3200 and E3000 are compliant with the recent ...
... wireless technology: 802.11n standards and off course they are backward compatible with the legacy 802.11b/g standards. They both support the simultaneous dual band N600 technology to double the bandwidth, meaning they deliver the high speeds up to 300Mbps each bands. These speeds are lower than the N750 technology in Linksys E4200 which delivers the speeds up to 450Mbps in 5GHz band and up to 300Mbps in 2.4GHz band.

Both routers are embedded with 6 internal antennas, 3 antennas each bands using smart MIMO antenna technology to provide higher speed and longer distance coverage. Remember that in the real world you will never reach those speeds due to many factors. The speeds are specified in the theoretical conditions.

Gigabit Interfaces

Linksys E3200 and E3000 are not just designed in delivering the high speeds in wireless connection; both routers include the built-in 4-port Gigabit Ethernet switch. For maximum data rate transfer you can connect the router to any computers with Gigabit-ready NIC adapters. Use high performance Cat5e twisted cables that support gigabit wired connection for optimum data throughput.

The routers support Gigabit WAN Ethernet port as well. You can take advantage of connecting the routers to high speed DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem such as Surfboard SBG6120 which supports Gigabit Ethernet port for optimum data rate transfer between the router and the modem eliminating the bottleneck.

Shared Storage

The routers that are designed for multimedia should include USB port that can be used to host a shared storage for multimedia files storage. Both Linksys E3200 and E3000 support one USB port to let you share external disk storage. Unfortunately, both USB ports of the routers cannot be used to host a shared printer. If you require sharing your USB printer across the network, you need to purchase a separate print-server or you need to share it in a traditional way by attaching the printer to the computer and configure it for shared printer.

Basically there are some wireless routers that include two USB ports to let you host shared printer and storage concurrently such as new Asus RT-N56U or Belkin N600 HD.

Guest Network

Being capable of segregating the network between the private and the guest network is very essential in some situations. For example when your friends come to visit your home and ask for internet access with their laptop, you can grant them internet access without compromising your security system. They can get internet access but they cannot access your local network resources for safety reason. Both Linksys E3200 and E3000 supports Guest network you can create for your guests with limited access.

Both routers include Cisco Connect Software that provides you a step-by-step installation wizard for managing the network including security settings, parental control and guest network management.

You see that there is no major difference between the two routers. It means that Linksys E3200 is replacing the previous version Linksys E3000.

Ki Grinsing was graduated from ITS Surabaya with the additions of MCSE and CCNA certifications. See more detail about Linksys E3200 Vs E3000 article which includes the wireless router diagram.