Introduction
Updated 4/17/2012: Marvell processor identified
With the introduction and first review out of the way, I thought I’d take a look inside the rest of Cisco’s new routers. To recap, Cisco has pared its consumer router line down to the six products shown below. The E series to the left are the lower end of the line and lack the cloud-connected features of the higher-end EA series on the right. Let’s jump right in.
2012 Cisco Linksys Router Lineup
E900 / E1200
The E900 is now Cisco’s entry-level Linksys router. The FCC photos reveal that its innards are the same as the E1200, which has been bumped to V2. The difference between the E900 and E1200 is only firmware. The E900 does not support Guest Access or the Parental control features, while the E1200 does.
Note the bump in flash size to 8 MB from 4.
| E900 / E1200 v2 | E1200 v1 | |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Broadcom BCM5357 Intensi-fi XLR 802.11n Router Solution | Broadcom BCM5357 Intensi-fi XLR 802.11n Router Solution |
| Switch | 10/100 In BCM5357 | 10/100 In BCM5357 |
| RAM | 32 MB | 32 MB |
| Flash | 8 MB | 4 MB |
| 2.4 GHz Radio | In BCM5357 | In BCM5357 |
| 5 GHz radio | N/A | N/A |
Table 1: Cisco Linksys E900, E1200v1, E1200v2 component summary
Here’s a shot of the E900 / E1200v2 inside. Note that one antenna is a case-mounted bent-metal, while the other is etched into the board.
Linksys E900 / E1200 v2 inside
Here is a close up of the key components. Those are not amplifiers inside the shield area above the BCM5357; they are just transmit/receive switches.
Linksys E900 / E1200 v2 board detail
And a photo of the E1200 v1 for reference. The redesign looks like its primary focus was cost reduction, which is appropriate for a $50 MSRP (for the E900).
Linksys E1200 v1 board detail
EA2700
The EA2700 is the least expensive way to buy into Cisco’s cloud-connected future. For $110 (MSRP) you get a simultaneous dual-band "N600" (300 Mbps maximum link rate on each radio) router with Gigabit ports (1 WAN / 4 switched LAN), but no USB port.
Specwise, the EA2700 lies between the discontinued E2500 and E3200. It lacks the USB port of the E3200, but has Gigabit ports vs. the E2500’s 10/100. As Table 2 shows, however, its components have more in common with the E3200’s. Note the EA2700 is the only Broadcom-based member of the new EA line, at least for now.
| E2500 | EA2700 | E3200 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Broadcom BCM5358U | Broadcom BCM47186 | Broadcom BCM47186 |
| Switch | In BCM5358U | Broadcom BCM53125 | Broadcom BCM53125 |
| RAM | 64 MB | 64 MB | 64 MB |
| Flash | 8 MB | 64 MB | 16 MB |
| 2.4 GHz Radio | – In BCM5358U – No power amps |
– In BCM47186 – No power amps |
– In BCM47186 – Microsemi LX 5535 2.4 GHz power amps (x2) |
| 5 GHz radio | – Broadcom BCM43236 – No power amps |
– Broadcom BCM43236 – No power amps |
– Broadcom BCM43236 – Microsemi LX 5530 5 GHz power amps (x2) |
Table 2: E2500, EA2700, E3200 component comparison
Here’s a shot of the EA2700 inside.
Linksys EA2700 inside
And a shot with the RF cans removed.
Linksys EA2700 board
And a composite shot with closeups of the key components.
Linksys EA2700 board detail
Finally, an inside shot of the E3200 for comparison
Linksys E3200 inside
EA3500
The EA3500 is the least expensive way to get a USB port for drive and printer sharing on a Cisco cloud-connected router. Internal details and photos are over in the EA3500 review.
The short story is that the design is very much like the E4200v2 / E4500, with half the RAM and flash, a slower processor and two stream vs. three stream N on the 2.4 GHz radio.
EA4500
The top dog in the new Linksys lineup is the EA4500 at $200 MSRP. Cisco told me that the hardware is the same for the E4200v2 and the EA4500. But the discussion in this Forum thread indicates that Cisco has quietly changed the processor in the E4200v2.
There was a 1.2 GHz Marvell F6101AW in my original test unit, and current product has a 1.2 GHz F6W01A1E. I also opened up my EA4500 test sample and confirmed that the 1.2 GHz F6W01A1E is inside.
Updated 4/17/2012
One of my industry contacts helped me identify this mystery Marvell processor as a member of the ARMADA 300 family. The base part number is 88F6W01. Other members of this family include the 88F6282 and 88F6283. The key difference for the F6W01 is that it lacks the two SATA 2.0 ports that the other parts have.
| E4200V2 / EA4500 | |
|---|---|
| CPU | 1.2 GHz Marvell Processor (MRVL F6W01A1E C120) |
| Switch | Marvell 88E6171R 7 port Gigabit |
| RAM | 128 MB |
| Flash | 128 MB |
| 2.4 GHz Radio | – Marvell 88W8063 / 88W8366 – SiGe SE2598L 2.4 GHz P.A. (x3) |
| 5 GHz radio | – Marvell 88W8063 / 88W8366 – SiGe SE2567L 5 GHz P.A. (x3) |
Table 3: Cisco Linksys E4200V2 / EA4500 components
Everything else in the EA4500 looks just like the E4200v2 shown in the photo below.
Linksys E4200v2 board
I’ve asked Cisco what the difference is between these two processors and will update when I hear back. I seriously doubt the processor change affects wireless performance, because Cisco didn’t amend its FCC filing for the E4200v2.