Linksys WRT160NL WiFi router: Pros and Cons

Linksys WRT160NL (WRT160NL) pictures

The specifications below are based on the official data published by the manufacturer, but we also take user reviews into consideration. If you found an error or something lacking in the specifications above for the Linksys WRT160NL, then don’t hesite and signal the problem to us.

Linksys WRT160NL (WRT160NL) specifications

Body

If you have limited space available for your router, such as in a small apartment or office, the dimensions can determine whether it can fit in the designated area or not. It's important to consider the physical size of the router, including its height, width, and depth, to ensure it can be accommodated in your space. The weight of router is not typically a critical factor for most home or office setups.

System

The Atheros AR9130 CPU, combined with other factors such as RAM capacity and firmware optimization, determines the overall performance and responsiveness of the router. The router's memory (32 MB) cannot be expanded. When choosing a router, it is important to consider both the flash memory and RAM specifications. The WRT160NL has 8 MB of flash. A larger flash memory allows for more space to store configuration backups. It enables you to save multiple versions of your router's configuration settings, which can be useful for restoring previous configurations or reverting changes if needed.

Within the WRT160NL router's interface, look for a section related to firmware or system settings. The exact location and wording may vary depending on the router's make and model. Depending on your router model and hardware specifications, using an alternative OS may result in improved stability and performance. This router is OpenWRT compatible. OpenWrt has an active development community that continuously works on improving the security of the firmware. The Linksys provides the appropriate power supply (12 V / 1.5 A) that matches the voltage requirements of the router. The power supply unit is designed to deliver the correct voltage to the router, ensuring its proper operation.

Network

The WRT160NL router supports multiple networking standards to ensure compatibility with various devices and systems. The majority of networking equipment, including routers, switches, and other network devices, is designed to support IPv4. The WRT160NL has 4 x 10/100 Mbps LAN and 1 x 10/100 Mbps WAN ports. The LAN ports of WRT160NL router are numbered and are used to establish wired connections between the router and devices such as computers, gaming consoles, smart TVs, network-attached storage (NAS) devices, and other network-enabled devices.

WAN ports are the entry point to your local network, making them a potential target for unauthorized access or attacks. It's important to secure your WAN connection by using strong passwords, enabling encryption protocols, and keeping the router's firmware up to date to mitigate security risks. If you have a high-speed internet plan with speeds exceeding 100 Mbps, you may experience a bottleneck in wired connections due to the limitation of the Fast Ethernet ports on the WRT160NL router.

Wireless

This router has 2 x 1.8 dBi, internal antennas. Many modern routers feature multiple antennas and use Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology. This technology enables simultaneous transmission and reception of multiple data streams, increasing overall throughput and improving the Wi-Fi performance. This router is 2.4 GHz compatible. The 2.4 GHz band is widely supported by a wide range of devices, including older devices that may not be compatible with the 5 GHz band.

The WRT160NL is a Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) router. N routers may have a more limited range compared to newer Wi-Fi standards, making them less suitable for larger homes or offices where Wi-Fi coverage is a concern. The N300 is a performance indicator that represents the router's theoretical maximum speed. The theoretical maximum speed (300 Mbps) represents the highest data transfer rate that the router is capable of achieving under ideal conditions.

The maximum TX power of WRT160NL router is 19 dBm. Adjusting the TX power of a router can be useful in situations where you want to optimize the Wi-Fi signal strength and coverage. The WRT160NL router offers several security protocols: WPA, WPA2, WPS. The WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access 2) was introduced as an improvement over WEP and provides stronger security. If WPA3 is not available, WPA2-Personal with AES encryption is still considered secure. The WRT160NL router offers WPS. The WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) provides a simplified and convenient method for connecting devices to a Wi-Fi network. Instead of manually entering the Wi-Fi network name (SSID) and password, users can use the WPS feature to establish a connection with the push of a button or by entering a PIN.

Connectivity

USB ports can offer additional functionality depending on the router's capabilities. The USB 2 port has a maximum theoretical data transfer rate of 480 megabits per second (Mbps), which is equivalent to 60 megabytes per second (MB/s). The WRT160NL router has print server functionality. With a USB print server, you can manage printer settings, monitor print queues, and control access to the printer from a centralized interface. This can simplify printer management and administration tasks. The WRT160NL router allows you to schedule automated backups of your important data to the connected USB storage device.

Administration

The Linksys router setup panel is accessed through a web browser. Connect your computer to the WRT160NL router via Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable. In the address bar of the web browser, type in the 192.168.1.1 IP address. Regularly changing the password is a good security practice to protect your network and devices from unauthorized access. It is also recommended to use strong, unique passwords for other devices and online accounts connected to your network for enhanced security. By changing the default password, you improve the security of your router and reduce the risk of unauthorized individuals gaining control over your network. It helps prevent unauthorized access to your router's settings, network configurations, and sensitive information.

Linksys WRT160NL (WRT160NL) comparisons

According to our statistics, the Linksys WRT160NL router was most often compared on our site with the following routers.

Linksys WRT54G3G Linksys WRT100 Linksys WRT1900AC Linksys WRT54AG Linksys WRT600N Linksys WRT54GC Linksys WRT1900ACS Linksys WRT350N

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