Cisco axes Linksys branding

Linksys fanboys, if there even are such creatures, best get used to seeing a lot more Cisco and a lot less of their favorite brand, as Cisco CEO John Chambers recently announced at a European roundtable discussion (video after the jump) that Linksys products would now sport the Cisco name. Chambers was quoted as saying that "it would all come, over time, into a Cisco brand," and he also noted that the reason the Linksys name was kept alive was because "it was better known in the US than even Cisco was for the consumer." As the firm "goes globally," he concluded, there would be "little advantage" in keeping it around. Sayonara, dear Linksys.

[Via TheInquirer]

[Andir3.0 @ Jul 27th 2007 5:49PM]

I hope the removal of the Linksys name doesn't mean the removal of Linksys pricing and reinstatement of the Cisco pricing.

[Mike Klein @ Jul 28th 2007 11:41AM]

No...let's hope they don't drop the WRT54GL...an excellent wifi router you can load DD-WRT? linux firmware on (multiple vpns, tons of features).

Works like a charm and solved all my wifi problems from all devices...no more intermittent drops. Added 2 more (on channels space 3 apart) and have seamless roaming in house now.

LinkSys fanboi? Yes I am. Getting a tattoo? Perhaps not.

What's with the lead comment "Linksys fanboys, if there even are such creatures,"...wft? This product "rocks" (kill me now please) with DD-WRT.

[Andir3.0 @ Jul 28th 2007 2:51PM]

You know you can have them all on the same channel if you use WDS? check it out.. It's a much better way to setup a multi-access point DD-WRT network.

[Anthony @ Jul 27th 2007 5:51PM]

Dumb move, I think. They may not want the Linksys name from a company standpoint, but they should keep the brand name as Linksys as American consumers have already associated with it. If they drop the name entirely they may lose some consumers in the United States.

[Patrick @ Jul 27th 2007 6:03PM]

Noooooooooooooooooooooo!!! I'm a Linksys fanboy- this is devastating :(

[mike @ Jul 27th 2007 7:17PM]

Really? I've had so many linksys routers / switches fail on me. I now usually buy Netgear or Dlink.

[Nick @ Jul 28th 2007 8:51PM]

hahaha D-link... thats funny! i could build a house with the amount of bricks they make.

[john russell @ Jul 27th 2007 6:05PM]

This will likely only confuse many people, just like a Pacific Northwest's sports and outdoor store changed its name recently from GI Joe's to simply Joe's, and the even more confusing rebranding of Cingular as at&t.

[MasterCKO @ Jul 27th 2007 6:07PM]

I actually disagree on your last point. The brand AT&T has so much more mindshare in the American public that it would have been pretty ridiculous for them not to make the change.

[pupkick @ Jul 27th 2007 7:17PM]

Well, seeing as most users of Cingular are sure to be in the highschool/college realm, they haven't really been around for "AT&T" as the older sets know it. The problem with them, is that it just WAS AT&T, then Cingular, then AT&T again. Lame. As for Linksys, the name should become a product line, rather than the brand name. All the low end crap ;)

[MasterCKO @ Jul 28th 2007 4:31AM]

@pupkick:
most of the _users_ might well be the high school college realm, but most of the _bill-payers_ are their parents. Hence, AT&T.

[john russell @ Jul 27th 2007 6:11PM]

I see what you are saying about America's perception of AT&T. Despite this, it's still darn well confusing every time they say "Cingular: the new AT&T." Once the dust settles after a brand change, things tend to work out for the best. It's in the interim that it just creates more confusion.

[MasterCKO @ Jul 27th 2007 8:38PM]

Fair enough. I agree with you there.

[Flinkman @ Jul 27th 2007 6:14PM]

My Linksys router WRT54GL with DD-WRT firmware is the best router I ever had. I hope they will be releasing great products like this, under the name of Cisco too.

[Ravuya @ Jul 27th 2007 6:21PM]

Good news -- now my terrible WRT54GX2, WRT54Gv5 and other crash-happy wireless Linksyses with glitchy firmware will cause direct damage to Cisco's reputation instead of Linksys.

Maybe now they'll actually fix it, but I doubt it.

[kai @ Jul 27th 2007 9:49PM]

i completely agree. i think this is a dumb move for cisco if they just take linksys routing and switching equipment and simply slap the cisco name on it, otherwise cisco's credibility will be damaged by linksys's crappy product lines.

[AndyNJ @ Jul 27th 2007 6:26PM]

Out of the dozen linksys products i've used, i was satisfied with just one.

[dj-kenpo @ Jul 27th 2007 6:27PM]

as a north american cisco just makes me think of cRisco. it's a horrible name either way. I like the linksys name. coke doesn't name frutopia coke just becuase they own it... but whatever.

I prefer linksys stuff over everything else, so consider me a fanboi, all the other d-link smc stuff I've had has been complete crap.

[mrbillybob @ Jul 27th 2007 10:22PM]

haha yes! I think the same thing every time I see that name.. Crisco haha.

But ya I don't think they should rename it cause there would be no point.. Linksys had been around for a while and theres no doubt that everyone knows that name so why change it?

[Rob @ Jul 27th 2007 6:33PM]

I've used Linksys stuff, and they're cheap and usually work well.
I have two switch boxes that haven't given me any issues at all.
I've known of people whose Linksys routers have gone dead. But overall, they'd buy it again.

From a marketing stand point, keeping the Linksys name works to Cisco's favor because people are familiar with it more than Cisco's. On the other hand, it creates a greater expense as each one would have a separate marketing department, design of the actual equipment, design of the packaging, and other number of expenses involved in having two separate brands within the same company.

It's also possible that since Cisco wants to get more and more into our living rooms, they may want make the public familiar with the Cisco brand.

[PK @ Jul 27th 2007 6:35PM]

Does this mean that when I walk down the street with my iPhone in the future, I'll start seeing unprotected networks with the SSID "Cisco" start coming up?

[Neebs @ Jul 27th 2007 6:35PM]

Cisco owns Linksys?

[MasterCKO @ Jul 28th 2007 4:39AM]

yep. They have for a while.

[Dave @ Jul 27th 2007 6:36PM]

I think this is a bad move for them. Sure the Cisco brand is know for high quality reliable routers/switches and such, but the price is very steep with that. Having a different brand for the consumer based products only make sense. But hopefully they will fix the crappy firmware that has been known to plague current linksys devices

[MasterCKO @ Jul 28th 2007 4:50AM]

The thing though is that they'll probably keep the same pricing for what were previously Linksys routers and other network equipment, but then they attach the "good, heavy-duty quality" part that you mention of "Cisco" by rebranding. If the price stays exactly the same but the perceived quality goes up thanks to the brand name change, it's a win-win for them.

Even though I understand and partly agree with your point about keeping a different brand for consumers (separate from corporate customers), I personally think that it'll work out better for them once the confusion of the actual change settles down.

[Steve Hall @ Jul 27th 2007 6:36PM]

*shrug* I'm surprised it's taken this long. Frankly, when I think of quality, LinkSys doesn't exactly jump out at me as example #1. OTOH, Cisco is one of (if not THE) top manufacturers of networking equipment in the world.

Full Disclosure: I'm a Cisco stockholder. My last 3 or 4 purchases of networking equipment for myself have been D-Link items, and I have no input on my employer's IT hardware or software.

[idiot_checker @ Jul 27th 2007 6:36PM]

It was bad enough having 10 million CCNA's running around. Now, every person that calls into tech support will claim they know how to configure a "Cisco".

[Nimajus Bagdonavicius @ Jul 27th 2007 6:37PM]

Not even knowing that Linksys was part of Cisco I've always associated Linksys with pretty decent good valued networking products, while Cisco with expensive heavy-duty routers and switches that had bunch of problems with security.

Now in my mind Linksys brand has lost points. And I think I'll be quite less likely to buy Cisco products.

[dslw2024 @ Jul 27th 2007 6:38PM]

Finally!

I will be able to name my unsecured wireless network "Linksys," and I will be the only one of the neighborhood!!

Yes!!!

[Jason @ Jul 27th 2007 6:46PM]

Now snobby IT Directors won't be able to brag about their Cisco gear.

I wonder if I'll be able to pick up a Catalyst 6500 at BestBuy on the cheap now.

[J @ Jul 27th 2007 7:53PM]

Cat6500? Screw that, go big. Get a CRS-1. http://cisco.com/en/US/products/ps5763/index.html

Now available for the home! http://slashdot.org/articles/07/07/12/1236231.shtml

[BananaBoat @ Jul 27th 2007 7:01PM]

All I've ever had from Linksys is crappy firmware, crash happy junk. I'll be happy to see the brand name go and never return. Do yourselves a favor people and research the model of router you want, BEFORE you buy it. If all else fails, get a Netgear or ZyXel, they are infinitely less crappy

[byaah @ Jul 27th 2007 7:13PM]

I've also had bad experiences with Linksys products. Every time I've owned/used one, I've had nothing but problems. Oh well, I know thats not the case for everyone, so I hope the fanboys can get over the name change.

[stephen @ Jul 27th 2007 8:04PM]

Due to the overall terrible experience i've had with Linksys; i just dont understand why cisco bought linksys in the first place.

Whatever, if you want to poison your flock be my guest.

[Mike @ Jul 27th 2007 8:09PM]

I always find it very strange when everyone online always has so many problems with them, but yet, everyone I know or have talked to about it offline has had 0 problems with them. I wonder out of how many problems that people have are just actually user error.

Anyway, I have had a WRT54G v2 for years and I have had 0 problems with it. I even stuck DD-WRT on it a year ago and still have had 0 issues.

This Linksys name drop sucks. Also, as far as people complaining about CISCO business routers... My company has had 6 or so 2600 routers for anywhere from 6 to 8 years, and has had 0 problems with any of them. The PIX also sat quietly humming along with no problems.

[MasterCKO @ Jul 28th 2007 4:56AM]

Exactly. My IT dept runs Cisco exclusively with essentially no problems whatsoever. I don't get it either. I guess the internet is the venting space for those few people who have a problem who are lost in the sea of those who don't.

[Octothtore @ Jul 27th 2007 9:38PM]

Crap, it used to be that I could depend on Linksys brand to be usually cheap, crappy, below consumer level devices that could sometimes be improved by third party firmware (DD-wrt and wrt54g) and Cisco to be general semi decent business grade stuff with an above enterprise level price. Now this distinction is lost, I expect to see more crappy junk under the Cisco brand rather than Cisco improving the Linksys lineup to be worthy of the Cisco name. (I am not impressed). I generally hate Linksys stuff and am ok with Cisco, but know I may be looking for a new vendor entirely (go Juniper, Foundry, Netgear and everyone else).

Badmove Cisco, unless you bring the Linksys stuff up to a Cisco grade without Cisco prices.

[densone @ Jul 27th 2007 9:50PM]

I hate both brands personally and professionally. They are both comprised on shit mixed with shit. Anyone know Cisco's standard oversubscription rate on their gbit blades? First person to answer correctly gets a cookie.

[strider_mt2k @ Jul 27th 2007 9:56PM]

Cisco, kid?

-was a friend of mine.

[Toink @ Jul 28th 2007 12:55AM]

Typical cr*p from Cisco... They keep coming out with "new" ideas and products yet forgets to beef up their customer support...

Hell even my WRT350N has been waiting for a WORKING firmware from Linksys for more almost 9 months now!!

No, the third party fimrware is not an excuse for them to leave their customers behind....They ought to be sued!

[Jorge @ Jul 28th 2007 1:42AM]

whi care. Linksys is just a brand. People choose what they buy on the product itself. To me linksys always has ugly looking product that are quite affortable. As long as the new cisco product build on the what linksys have and also improve a bit them people will accept the brand. Cisco please release product that looks better with better hardware and firmware support.

[Jorge @ Jul 28th 2007 1:42AM]

who care. Linksys is just a brand. People choose what they buy on the product itself. To me linksys always has ugly looking product that are quite affortable. As long as the new cisco product build on the what linksys have and also improve a bit them people will accept the brand. Cisco please release product that looks better with better hardware and firmware support.

[MasterCKO @ Jul 28th 2007 4:34AM]

That is really not true. People do NOT buy things purely on the product itself. Brand name and brand image carries a lot of weight with consumers.

That is exactly why companies that change brands usually go through a long phase of reminding people that the old brand is now the new brand or part of the new brand (Cingular->AT&T, Sprint together with Nextel, etc.)

[PANE @ Jul 28th 2007 2:20AM]

Die Linksys DIE!!!!!

[idk @ Jul 28th 2007 9:42AM]

I like the name "Linksys" alot more than cisco, and I'm shure it will just confuse people and cause less sales.

[Brian @ Jul 28th 2007 2:08PM]

Just as long as they don't drop the Linksys interface and use the terrible Cisco command-line interface. I took the CCNA 1 & 2 courses in college, and I passed them somehow. But I don't remember a thing about how to set up a Cisco router now, and I don't want to have to go back to doing something that difficult when there are easier ways to do things.

[Simon @ Jul 29th 2007 1:52PM]

this is VERY old new tbh. http://www.breezy.ca/?q=node/119

The branding name will go. but as to the models and free support?

who knows.

Simon.