Linksys

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Linksys
TypeBrand
IndustryNetworking equipment
Founded1988; 33 years ago (1988)
FoundersVictor Tsao
Janie Tsao
Headquarters
Irvine, California, United States
ProductsRouters, DSL/Cable Gateways, Switches, Wireless Access Points, Storage and security IP cameras
ParentIndependent (1988–2003)
Cisco Systems (2003–2013)
Belkin (2013–present)
Websitewww.linksys.com

Linksys is an American brand of data networking hardware products mainly sold to home users and small businesses. It was founded in 1988 by the couple Victor and Janie Tsao, both Taiwanese immigrants to the United States.[1] Linksys products include WiFi routers, mesh WiFi systems, Wifi extenders, access points, network switches, WiFi networking and smart home automation products. It is headquartered in Irvine, California.[2]

The company was purchased by Cisco in 2003, and sold to Belkin in 2013.[3] Belkin was acquired by Foxconn, the largest provider of electronics manufacturing services, in 2018.[4] Linksys products are sold direct-to-consumer from its website, through online retailers and marketplaces, as well as off-the-shelf in consumer electronics and big-box retail stores. As of 2020, Linksys products are sold in retail locations and value-added resellers in 64 countries and was the first router company to ship 100 million products.[5]

History[]

In 1988, spouses Janie and Victor Tsao founded DEW International, later renamed Linksys, in the garage of their Irvine, California home. The Tsaos were immigrants from Taiwan who held second jobs as consultants specializing in pairing American technology vendors with manufacturers in Taiwan. The founders used Taiwanese manufacturing to achieve its early success.[6] The company's first products were printer sharers that connected multiple PCs to printers. The company expanded into Ethernet hubs, network cards, and cords.[7] In 1992, the Tsaos began running Linksys full time and moved the company and its growing staff to a formal office. By 1994, it had grown to 55 employees with annual revenues of $6.5 million.[6]

Linksys received a major boost in 1995, when Microsoft released Windows 95 with built-in networking functions that expanded the market for its products. Linksys established its first U.S. retail channels with Fry's Electronics (1995) and Best Buy (1996). In the late 1990s, Linksys released the first affordable multiport router, popularizing Linksys as a home networking brand.[7] By 2003, when the company was acquired by Cisco, it had 305 employees and revenues of more than $500 million.[6][8][9]

Cisco expanded the company's product line, acquiring VoIP maker Sipura Technology in 2005[10] and selling its products under Linksys Voice System or later Linksys Business Series brands.[11] In July 2008, Cisco acquired Seattle-based Pure Networks, a vendor of home networking-management software.[12]

Cisco announced in January 2013 that it would sell its home networking division and Linksys to Belkin, giving Belkin 30% of the home router market.[3][13][14][15][16]

In 2018, Belkin and its subsidiaries, including Linksys, were acquired by Foxconn, a Taiwanese multinational electronics firm and the largest provider of electronics manufacturing services, for $866 million.[4][17]

Products[]

A Linksys Wi-Fi router

Linksys initially sold connectors for PCs and printers before newer forms of connecting home and business networks through wired Ethernet and wireless technologies.[18][4] Its networking products include Gigabit switches, WiFi routers, Intelligent Mesh WiFi systems, WiFi extenders, WiFi access points, and networking components.

Linksys Aware was introduced in 2019 as a first-to-market home monitoring system that alerts users to movement in their home through the Velop Triband system.[19] In 2020, Linksys released Linksys Shield, a parental control subscription service for the Velop AC2200 Triband that allows users to manage or block online content.

The company also announced its Linksys Cloud Manager 2.0, which included a configurable captive portal.

Routers[]

Main article: Linksys routers

Linksys released its first WiFi router in 2001 and has maintained early router releases for newer generations of WiFi.[18]

In 2017, Linksys launched the Velop line, a multi-unit tri-band mesh router system that uses three WiFi radios.[20][21]

WRT54G was notable for having firmware based on the Linux operating system. Since version 5, flash memory is reduced from 4 MB to 2 MB, and VxWorks was used instead of Linux. The original Linux model with 4 MB is now available as WRT54GL.

WRT54G2 router was a restyled version of the WRT54G containing the expected firewall features that protect from hackers that may try to access its network.[22] It supports the same 802.11b/g wifi standards.

First announced in 2020, Linksys began marketing home-based Linksys smart routers and Velop Mesh WiFi.[23]

Modems[]

Linksys ADSL modem AM300
Linksys ADSL modem AM300 backside showing Ethernet, USB, and phone line ports

WAG200G has a 211 MHz AR7 MIPS32 CPU with 4 MB of flash memory and 16MB of DRam on the PCB. The WAG200G measures 5.5×5.5×1.25 inches (14×14×3.2 cm) (W×H×D) and weighs .77 pounds (.35 kg). The WAG200G all-in-one device functions as a high speed ADSL2+ Modem, a Wireless G Access Point, router and 4-port Ethernet switch. The built-in wireless Access Point function complies with the specifications of the 802.11g standard, which offers transfer speeds of up to 54 Mbit/s. It is also backwards compatible with 802.11b devices at speeds of 11 Mbit/s. The Access Point can support the connection of up to 32 wireless devices. It also offers 4 built-in 10/100 8P8C ports to connect Ethernet-enabled computers, print servers and other devices

USB wireless[]

WUSB54G series of USB wireless adapters use the Ralink RT2500 chipset.[24] They support the 802.11b and 802.11g wireless network standards, and have Open Source drivers available for Linux.[25] Drivers are also available for use on Macintosh systems. Only the Version 4 contains the Ralink chipset. Modification of the driver to work with Macintosh was discovered by Kramer2k.[26]

WiFi systems[]

The Linksys Intelligent Mesh line, Velop, combines Linksys software and hardware to provide higher connection speeds throughout a location by using nodes with dynamic networking capabilities. Linksys in 2019, with the Linksys Aware line, was first to release mesh nodes as motion sensors, utilizing WiFi signals without having to rely on other sensor devices.[27]

Linksys markets WiFi extenders that work with most WiFi and ISP routers, including dual or tri-band units, and plug-in devices that eliminate WiFi dead zones by wirelessly communicating with a router.[28]

In 2020, Linksys debuted 5G mobile hotspots, modems, mesh gateways, and outdoor routers.[29][30]

Linksys markets mesh WiFi routers built for WiFi 6 capacity, offering four times the speed and capacity of WiFi 5. The mesh Velop WiFi 6, announced in October of 2019.[31]

At CES 2021, Linksys announced a line of Velop mesh systems and routers that support WiFi 6E.[32]

In 2018, Linksys released its cloud-based WiFi management for business-class access points, the Linksys Cloud Manager.[33]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Score Another for Team Tsao".
  2. ^ "Linksys brand name survives as Belkin takes over from Cisco".
  3. ^ a b Ngo, Dong. "Belkin completes acquisition of Linksys from Cisco". CNet. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c Jacob Kastrenakes. "Foxconn buys Belkin, Linksys, and Wemo".
  5. ^ "Linksys and Qualcomm Launch the First 5G and Wi-Fi 6 Mobile Hotspot in Korea and Hong Kong".
  6. ^ a b c "Entrepreneurs of the Year". Inc.com. January 2004. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
  7. ^ a b "2014 CE Hall of Fame: Victor and Janie Tsao".
  8. ^ "Cisco buys home networker Linksys".
  9. ^ "Belkin Acquires Linksys From Cisco".
  10. ^ "Cisco Systems to Acquire Sipura Technology". Cisco Systems. April 26, 2005. Archived from the original on April 27, 2005. Retrieved March 8, 2009.
  11. ^ "The New Linksys Voice System 9000 Provides a Complete SIP-Based Multi-Line Phone System for Small Businesses".
  12. ^ "Cisco Announces Definitive Agreement to Acquire Pure Networks". Cisco press release. July 23, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
  13. ^ "Belkin buys Linksys home router business from Cisco, giving it 30 percent of the market". The Verge. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
  14. ^ "Cisco to sell Linksys to Belkin, will exit home networking market".
  15. ^ "Linksys sheds merger blues: Irvine firm that once dominated router industry has returned to its roots after years under Cisco".
  16. ^ "Foxconn buys Belkin, Linksys and Wemo for $866 million".
  17. ^ "Linksys is changing hands again with Foxconn buying Belkin for $866 million".
  18. ^ a b Ian Mount. "Entrepreneurs of the Year".
  19. ^ Barbara Krasnoff. "Linksys' mesh routers can now detect motion using Wi-Fi".
  20. ^ Jacob Kastrenakes. "Linksys announces a mesh router system to envelop your home with Wi-Fi".
  21. ^ Anthony Karcz. "Linksys Launches Into The Mesh Networking Scrum With Velop".
  22. ^ "Loading..." www.linksysbycisco.com.
  23. ^ Chance Miller. "HomeKit integration begins rolling out to Linksys Tri-Band mesh routers".
  24. ^ "Ralink chipsets based wireless devices". rapla.net. July 8, 2007. Retrieved January 4, 2009.
  25. ^ Marc Abramowitz (February 20, 2007). "Setting up a Linksys WUSB54GC WLAN adapter in Ubuntu". Retrieved January 4, 2009.
  26. ^ Kramer2k (May 22, 2006). "WUSB54G working!". insanelymac.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved January 4, 2009.
  27. ^ Andrew O'Hara. "Hands on: Linksys Aware is a useful software feature for the Velop router".
  28. ^ John R. Delaney. "Linksys Velop Plug-In Review".
  29. ^ Thomas Ricker. "Linksys combines 5G and fast Wi-Fi 6 networking in new gear".
  30. ^ Jeremy Horwitz. "Linksys debuts 5G hotspot, modem, mesh gateway, and outdoor router".
  31. ^ Jon Porter. "Linksys announces Wi-Fi 6 Velop mesh router, starting at $399".
  32. ^ Ry Crist. "Linksys unveils a next-gen router that senses motion in your home".
  33. ^ E-Channelnews. "Linksys Launches Cloud Networking Management for SMB Networks".

External links[]

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