AfterDawn: News

Belkin buys Linksys router unit from Cisco

Networking giant Cisco has sold its Linksys home router division to Belkin.

The move will give Belkin a healthy 30 percent of the home router market share.



Major competitors in the market, which includes small businesses, are Netgear, Apple and D-Link.

"We're very excited about this announcement," said Chet Pipkin, CEO of Belkin. "Our two organizations share many core beliefs – we have similar beginnings and share a passion for meeting the real needs of our customers through the strengths of an entrepreneurial culture. Belkin's ultimate goal is to be the global leader in the connected home and wireless networking space and this acquisition is an important step to realizing that vision."

"At Belkin, we're committed to enabling great experiences for users of today's mobile and connected home technologies," Pipkin concluded. "The acquisition of Linksys and the combination of Belkin's and Linksys' expertise and innovation will position us to meet the demands of today's rapidly evolving advances in technology. We look forward to honoring the heritage of the Linksys brand and investing in the continuing evolution of its product portfolio. Together, we will provide a powerful, simple to use, and reliable wireless and networking platform for the markets we serve."

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 24 Jan 2013 20:41

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• 26 comments

• thebox

  I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Will Belkin honor the warranty previously under Cisco?
  

  ahhhhh!!! cobras

  24.1.2013 22:15 #1

• nintenut

  I've owned three routers so far: Two Linksys (WRT54G, WRT54GL), one Belkin (N-Wireless). The two Linksys are chugging right along after six years. The Belkin shat itself within three months, constantly dropping wireless connections and losing speed; I removed the antenna and now use it as a hub.
  
  This news is worrying to me.

  24.1.2013 22:20 #2

• SomeBozo

  Time to start looking for a new brand of router if/when my L1nksys goes out, hopefully not for a long time.
  

  25.1.2013 01:39 #3

• kanaske

  belkin has always been know for low quality garbage too bad for linksys
  

  25.1.2013 06:16 #4

• Qliphah

  Well this is horrible for linksys but now maybe cysco can get it's name back for being the top tier networking company. Ever since they bought linksys they've been getting sloppy and their own brand has suffered. Belkin on the other hand could use some of the good name cisco rubbed off on it.

  25.1.2013 08:57 #5

• cyprusrom

  I've had a couple Asus routers that havent disappointed yet ...Will see how it lasts. I've never tried a Belkin, personally I have always associated them with low quality/performance.

  25.1.2013 09:28 #6

• dali

  I never liked neither of those brands. Getting rid of LinkSys is a good move for Cisco, I think...
  

  "You know, it seems that quotes on the internet are becoming less and less reliable." -Abraham Lincoln.

  25.1.2013 10:55 #7

• ZippyDSM

  GOod thing I moved to Dlink 0-o
  

  Copyright infringement is nothing more than civil disobedience to a bad set of laws. Lets renegotiate them.
  
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  Check out my crappy creations
  http://zippydsm.deviantart.com/

  25.1.2013 11:03 #8

• soeno

  I used to love linksys. Especially their WRT range of routers, bought a "linksys" x2000 (which is neither befitting of the linksys nor cisco name) and was initially pleased, but now I get connection hang ups and stutters.
  
  I'm glad my replacement Draytek Vigor router turned up today. Draytek FTW.

  25.1.2013 12:01 #9

• Scaldari

  R.I.P. Linksys, on to D-Link!
  

  Account Created Saturday 12 January 2008. After 4 years I consider myself a Sr. Member no matter WHAT my post count says.

  25.1.2013 12:20 #10

• GernBlan

  I've owned DLink and Belkin garbage before, the only reason I own Linksys is because they're a Cisco product. Looks like I'll be over-paying for overkill genuine Cisco products for the house once my Linksys routers die or become obsolete.

  25.1.2013 13:17 #11

• Scaldari

  Originally posted by GernBlan: I've owned DLink and Belkin garbage before, the only reason I own Linksys is because they're a Cisco product. Looks like I'll be over-paying for overkill genuine Cisco products for the house once my Linksys routers die or become obsolete. Sorry to hear your luck on the D-Link, I have an original Gamer Lounge that i have been abusing for years now.
  

  Account Created Saturday 12 January 2008. After 4 years I consider myself a Sr. Member no matter WHAT my post count says.

  25.1.2013 13:20 #12

• SomeBozo

  Also i was thinking L1nksys from my use has typically been rock solid. I'm wondering if C1sco bought L1nksys to get some proprietary information, and just before sell the Be1kin they removed what L1nksys had in it for the value add... Thus given the proper level of quality for the new and improved downgrade for the Be1lin routers.
  
  

  25.1.2013 14:50 #13

• Virgil_B

  Linksys used to be all that I would buy until I started having problems with their USB sticks. Later, I found that NetGear has better wireless coverage and additional features that Linksys failed to provide so I started buying them and I have been pleased. Don't get me wrong, NetGear's hardware is all that I think is good. EMHO - Their customer service sucks and their products ship with little or no documentation.
  
  I think that Linksys began their downhill slide after their dual band draft-N WRT600N series of routers.

  25.1.2013 14:58 #14

• xnonsuchx

  I guess I'll have to switch to D-Link or something if my router quits. Had WAY too many headaches w/ Belkin crap!

  25.1.2013 16:17 #15

• morphx

  I've been using NetGear routers for years and never looked back, sure they have some issues like every electronic gadget but they are fairly reliable and easy to manage.
  
  Netgear FTW!

  25.1.2013 17:14 #16

• skeil909

  Originally posted by nintenut: I've owned three routers so far: Two Linksys (WRT54G, WRT54GL), one Belkin (N-Wireless). The two Linksys are chugging right along after six years. The Belkin shat itself within three months, constantly dropping wireless connections and losing speed; I removed the antenna and now use it as a hub.
  
  This news is worrying to me. I've gone through three E4200's and they're all junk. My older WRT400N was okay, but Linksys hasn't made anything like the WRT54's in quite sometime.

  25.1.2013 18:44 #17

• Tarsellis

  Good riddance. When Cisco bought Linksh!t they turned it into utter crap. Unfortunately, I've only had bad experiences with Belkin and their trash bin quality junk. This is not enough to make me give it another chance. I'll stick with NetGear, which I am grudgingly forced to admit makes a good product. Too bad on the router front for NetGear I have to WRT to bridge the wired network to the wireless one.

  25.1.2013 21:07 #18

• mrted

  I have used D-Link and other Asian brand modem/routers in the past and soon grew tired of their unreliability, the pain they cause, relatively short service life and the waste of money used in replacing them.
  When I bought my (now superseeded) Cisco 800 series it was only around twice what I paid for my old D-Link and less than all its replacements put together. The Cisco 800 just keeps on working. It has never choked or required a reboot in the years I have had it.
  I have used Linksys switches in my business' network and they have all failed over time. They have been replaced with HP managed switches and have proved to be superb value with great performance and features set and backed by a lifetime warranty.
  Consumer grade equipment makers don't have the same mandate for reliability and performance that business class (BC) makers do. And you can't blame them. The average consumer buys on price and telcos that bundle equipment drive bulk buy prices down, so for the maker its more about how to make a buck than the product. If cheap is what you pay, then cheap is what you get.
  In the end I didn't pay a 'fortune' to get decently priced and reliable BC equipment. Its worth a look at a BC maker's SOHO range of equipment for use in the home.
  I expect Cisco would be happy to 'get the hell out of Dodge' and offload Linksys. Belkin are just in it for a greater share of the consumer market.
  Its a good deal for them both. Nothing in it for the consumer - as usual.
  

  25.1.2013 21:13 #19

• xtago

  Apple? in routers WTF!
  
  I've personally never seen nor heard of an apple router.
  
  Their products don't work with anything but apple products trying to get apple TV to work properly is a joke.

  26.1.2013 18:59 #20

• Bozobub

  "Apple router" = "Airport". They've been around for a LONG time. And yes, they suck; they only recently started to support 802.11n.

  26.1.2013 19:53 #21

• Bozobub

  Oops; double post.

  26.1.2013 19:53 #22

• Ofnir1

  Originally posted by Bozobub: "Apple router" = "Airport". They've been around for a LONG time. And yes, they suck; they only recently started to support 802.11n. Ah, was wondering what they named their routers. They should stick to what they do best: Instilling superior complexes into their customer base :P
  

  
  

  27.1.2013 03:14 #23

• Ofnir1

  Forgot to mention: every brand is bound to have their bad products. I've been fortunate enough to not have issues with the hardware I've gotten thus far.
  
  Now that I think about it, my favorite item from Linksys is their 8-port router, the BEFSR81. Got it for $5 too! Gotta love Goodwill :D
  

  
  

  27.1.2013 03:20 #24

• Askar

  I've actually had good luck with both Belkin and Linksys routers. I had a Belkin for years that worked perfectly. The only reason I changed was to make the move from G to N. When I decided to upgrade, I got a Linksys because it had the features I was looking for at the best price I could find at the time. I also liked the Linksys web interface better than the Belkin. I've had no problems with the Linksys either except once in while I have to reboot it for my printer to work with the WiFi and even that is only very seldom.

  28.1.2013 00:16 #25

• Ofnir1

  Originally posted by Askar: I also liked the Linksys web interface better than the Belkin. Speaking of web interfaces, my aunt's workplace has two old Linksys routers that were replaced with one Westell modem/router combo by Frontier. While I was setting up her LAN, I noticed that the WiFi password and allowed MAC addresses were readily available without logging in! We sent the replacement back and got her a separate DSL modem the same day.
  

  
  

  28.1.2013 07:47 #26