The Linksys EA6500 is the first from the Smart Wi-Fi Router family to be released after Cisco Cloud Connect (CCC); out of the box, it comes with the Internet-connected CCC firmware and requires users to (it's free) or use an existing one to manage it. Unlike other routers in the EA series, the EA6500 doesn't offer the option to use the traditional Web interface.
Cisco Cloud Connect, which I've reviewed separately, is a new and, in my opinion, a much better approach to managing your home network. Nonetheless, it's quite a change for those who are comfortable with the traditional interface and might be a concern for those who want to be completely private about their online life. With CCC, technically, Cisco can be aware of the nature of your Internet traffic and your home network.
Cisco Cloud Connect makes setting up the router a very easy job, however. Basically, the only step is to go to the router's IP address, which by default is 192.168.1.1, sign in via a Cisco Connect Cloud account, and associate the router with that account by typing in the router's admin password (by default it's "admin"). From then on, each time you want to change the router's settings or manage its features, you can sign in via the or via the Cisco Connect Cloud mobile app, which is currently available for and devices.
While for the most part I find the Cisco Connect Cloud a welcome change, it has a couple of drawbacks compared with the traditional Web interface. First, you need a live Internet connection to use it; second, it's slow. Regardless of how fast the connections to the Internet are on the router's and the remote user's ends, there's a clear delay when moving from one item to another. The interface's fading effect only makes this worse. At times, I also experienced a problem in which the router appeared offline when I logged in using a separate Internet connection, rather than the same Internet connection as the router.
In addition to the Cisco Connect Cloud app, you can also use some third-party apps to quickly control certain of the router's features and settings.
