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dib22
join:2002-01-27
Kansas City, MO

1 recommendation

dib22

Member

Looks like Belkin is buying the Linksys brand.

»news.yahoo.com/belkin-bu ··· nce.html
quote:
"We are confident that we have found the best buyer in Belkin," he said. "We look forward to witnessing Belkin's growth as they bring Linksys into their family."


KoRnGtL15
Premium Member
join:2007-01-04
Grants Pass, OR

KoRnGtL15

Premium Member

Belkin sucks. Not good news.

dib22
join:2002-01-27
Kansas City, MO

dib22

Member

Full press release:

BELKIN ANNOUNCES INTENT TO ACQUIRE CISCO'S HOME NETWORKING BUSINESS UNIT

Acquisition to Bolster Belkin's Position in the Home Networking Market, Building on the Strong Linksys Brand and Innovative Suite of Product and Software Solutions

Playa Vista, Calif. – January 24, 2013 – Belkin, a private company based in Playa Vista, Calif., with operations and sales in more than 100 countries, today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Cisco's Home Networking Business Unit, including its proven products, technology, well-known Linksys brand and talented employees. With global operations, Linksys' main office is located in Irvine, Calif.

"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."

Belkin intends to maintain the Linksys brand and will offer support for Linksys products as part of this transaction. All valid warranties will be honored by Belkin for current and future Linksys products. After the transaction closes, Belkin will account for approximately 30 percent of the U.S. retail home and small business networking market.

"Linksys pioneered wireless connectivity capability around the globe, and has a strong brand renowned for its premium market position, the strength of its installed base and its proven dependability. Linksys users benefit from peace of mind in their home networking environment. At Belkin we have developed great insight into consumer needs, and the experiences, solutions and products we bring to the market, including our WeMo home automation platform, will help us to grow Linksys' market presence," Pipkin said.

"Linksys is one of the leading home networking providers and has created a market-leading suite of products and services to meet customer needs," said Hilton Romanski, VP Corporate Business Development, Cisco. "While part of Cisco, Linksys has continuously innovated, while strengthening the brand and expanding its market leadership. As part of Cisco's commitment to service providers, we are pleased about this strategic relationship with Belkin to build on Linksys' position of strength."

"With complementary innovation and engineering strategies in the combined organization, Belkin will be able to create new opportunities for consumers, distribution partners and resellers, and will have the strongest retail presence in the U.S. networking marketplace. Belkin also will have access to a large installed base that will be able to upgrade their networking environment to take advantage of new technologies in the smartphone, tablet, notebook and home automation arenas," Pipkin said. "Additionally, Linksys will enhance Belkin's capabilities to meet the needs of the service provider space and small business users."

Belkin and Cisco intend to develop a strategic relationship on a variety of initiatives including retail distribution, strategic marketing and products for the service provider market. Having access to Cisco's specialized software solutions across all of Belkin's product lines will bring a more seamless user experience for customers. Merging the innovation capabilities of Linksys and Belkin provides a powerful platform from which to develop the next generation of home networking technology.

"At Belkin, we're committed to enabling great experiences for users of today's mobile and connected home technologies," Pipkin said. "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."

Specific financial terms of the transaction are undisclosed. The transaction is subject to various standard closing conditions and is expected to close in March 2013.

CylonRed
MVM
join:2000-07-06
Bloom County

CylonRed to dib22

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I will probably have to find a new manufacturer when my v2 of the 54GS finally dies...

Sandman37
Premium Member
join:2002-07-10
Strafford, MO

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When I heard that Cisco was looking to sell Linksys, I had a feeling that I would be switching brands, and Belkin is probably my least favorite.

Now to figure out who I'll be switching to.

Bill_MI
Bill In Michigan
MVM
join:2001-01-03
Royal Oak, MI
TP-Link Archer C7
Linksys WRT54GS
Linksys WRT54G v4

Bill_MI

MVM

said by Sandman37:

Now to figure out who I'll be switching to.

Firmware... I'm an OpenWrt user that loves the pure embedded Linux environment. For hardware I've been looking here: »www.netgear.com/home/pro ··· 700.aspx

Just my 2 cents. This isn't a new one by any means but I like its maturity.

Sandman37
Premium Member
join:2002-07-10
Strafford, MO

1 edit

Sandman37

Premium Member

said by Bill_MI:

said by Sandman37:

Now to figure out who I'll be switching to.

Firmware... I'm an OpenWrt user that loves the pure embedded Linux environment. For hardware I've been looking here: »www.netgear.com/home/pro ··· 700.aspx

Just my 2 cents. This isn't a new one by any means but I like its maturity.

I have yet to use OpenWRT, but have used DD-WRT, and have heard good things about the WNDR3700. I don't think I need any new equipment at the moment, so we'll see what h/w is out there when I do.

I say "I don't think I need any new equipment..." because I have a Linksys/Cisco WRT610N, which is WIP in DD-WRT. It worked OK on the original version that I installed, but when I tried to upgrade it lost internet connectivity and 1 of the wireless radios. I've, since then, flashed back to the original Linksys firmware, which doesn't support DHCP reservations.

Edit: It looks like my WRT610N is now supported, but I'm sure that it was WIP as of 2-3 weeks ago.
travelguy
join:1999-09-03
Bismarck, ND
Asus RT-AC68
Ubiquiti NSM5

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to dib22
And some additional details from ArsTechnica...

»arstechnica.com/informat ··· -market/
travelguy

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And not to bang my own drum, well, yes...

»Just like Belkin
samurai123
join:2007-07-15
Sioux Falls, SD

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I doubt it will change anything in a good way. All these companies are basically use and depends on the technology from Taiwan and they all sucks one way or the other.

jaceg
Keep'In An Eye Out For Ya
Premium Member
join:2000-08-12
Revere, MA

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In lieu of Linksys/Cisco selling out to Belkin, my next router will probably be an Asus. I've been reading reviews of their entire line of routers and they seem to rate excellent for performance, reliability and range.
They do appear to be somewhat pricey.

Also, some models support almost all open source firmware. Check out this article on the Asus RT-N16.

»www.anandtech.com/show/6 ··· latforms