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Cisco to Kill Linksys Brand Name

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the alas-we-hardly-knew-ye dept.

Mav sent in this article that opens, "In a roundtable with the European press, John Chambers confirmed the "end of life" of the Linksys name, being replaced by the new and redesigned Cisco branding." He explains, "It will all come over time into a Cisco brand. The reason we kept Linksys' brand because it was better known in the US than even Cisco was for the consumer. As you go globally there's very little advantage in that."

29 of 262 comments (clear)

  1. So what happens now by 0racle · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Does the consumer stuff get better, or the enterprise stuff get worse?

    --
    "I use a Mac because I'm just better than you are."
    1. Re:So what happens now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Enterprise stuff gets worse, consumer stuff stays shitty, prices of both go up.

    2. Re:So what happens now by woodchip · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The consumer stuff stays crappy but you pay 20% more for the cooler enterprise-level brand name.

    3. Re:So what happens now by toleraen · · Score: 5, Funny

      But at least I can finally make use of my CCNP when setting up my friend's wireless!

    4. Re:So what happens now by Short+Circuit · · Score: 5, Interesting

      My prediction: They'll attempt to build consumer-grade products using their enterprise technology. Because it won't be a perfect fit, you'll get quirks in the consumer-grade products. The consumer-grade division will make demands on the engineers behind the enterprise technology, to get a better-fitting product. The changes to the enterprise technologies will inadvertently cause problems in those technologies fitting in with their enterprise customers.

      Long story short, Cisco's enterprise products will lose market share to their competitors, and Cisco will do one of three things: 1) They'll pull out of the consumer market and focus on their enterprise customers. 2) They'll work to keep their enterprise and consumer product divisions separate, even if it means duplication of effort. 3) They'll do neither, decrease in value, and get bought up by an equity firm to be sold off for parts.

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    5. Re:So what happens now by JimDaGeek · · Score: 5, Informative

      Huh? Are you for real? I have owned 3 Linksys-based Cable/DSL routers. The first two I purchased were based on Linux and I found them to work very well. When the two Linux-based Linksys routers I owned started to show their age, I was able to find a nice firmware update that has allowed me, as a paying customer, to enjoy my product for longer and add some more features.

      We all know that over-paid execs don't want customers ("consumers" to them) to enjoy products for any longer than need be. With that said, my latest "Linksys" cable/dsl router whivh is now Cisco branded and has a different non-Linux firmware just sucks. I have had issues with systems not getting an IP, wireless not working, slow network speeds on an 8 Mbps connection and all other crap. Switching back to an earlier Linksys model fixes things right up.

      --
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    6. Re:So what happens now by jollyreaper · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Does the consumer stuff get better, or the enterprise stuff get worse? I think we know the answer there. There's a reason why most companies try to keep professional and consumer gear segmented. Consumers may not even know what they're looking for, especially when it comes to geek stuff like networking gear. Professionals are going to be the ones who usually see through the bullshit, will notice when a trusted brand starts to suck eggs, and will move on with barely a tear shed for nostalgia. Cisco's branding is "we're big boy professional gear so you're going to pay to get into our league." Given the way these trends usually go, this just means that the consumer-end stuff will be typical cost-cutting Mickey Mouse bullshit and the pointy-haired bosses and marketing weasels will push for that same approach in the professional end.

      Anyone read the articles about how Wal-Mart would approach companies whose brands are positioned as high-quality and asked them to spank together some cheap-ass China-made crap to market under that brand-name? The article I'm thinking of in particular is Snapper lawnmowers. The Snapper people finally told Wal-Mart where to stick it because it was impossible to make a quality mower at a Wal-Mart price, they'd have had to whore the company name and ruin their reputation to do it.

      Hopefully I'm overreacting here and this won't even be a speed-bump for the company. But I'm thinking back to that topic yesterday about "dead companies with good products" and my Spidey sense is tingling.
      --
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    7. Re:So what happens now by DMUTPeregrine · · Score: 4, Informative

      This is true. But they still sell one with the extra memory as the WRT54GL. (L for Linux.)

      --
      Not a sentence!
    8. Re:So what happens now by wwwillem · · Score: 4, Insightful
      the power of branding


      We had in our office a little WiFi network based on those blue/purple Linksys routers. And it worked really well for couple of years. After some failures one of my colleagues decided it was time for a state-of-the-art replacement with those new silver colored Cisco/Linksys boxes. Yep, consumer pricing, but branded by Cisco.

      Well, if I would get just 10 bucks for every hour he was on the phone with Cisco support or installing new firmware, I would be a rich man. Even up to stupid things that an configuration webpage for firewall port forwarding has 20 fields, but the moment you put in more than 10 entries, number 11 and higher don't work. Seems that the GUI designers didn't talk to the developers of the firewall software.

      Not to mention the number of times we have to power-switch those stupid boxes (BTW, they look like grey Mac mini's). And half the time after replugging the power brick, the thing doesn't want to reboot and no lights come on. Because we have four of them, in a roaming network, I know it's not simply the failure of a single unit, but design flaws.

      These are simply crappy design. Yes, they were cheap (like Linksys also always was) and yes they are Cisco branded. But definitely not professional Cisco quality!! I think Cisco should be careful, there is the chance they are dilluting their professional brand recognition with these low-cost, low-quality consumer products.

      --
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    9. Re:So what happens now by bcat24 · · Score: 5, Informative

      Actually, there are a lot more than two different versions of the WRT54G (and its sister the WRT54GS), with many different specifications. Here's a nearly complete list. I think it's missing a few of the newest versions, but they run the sucky VxWorks firmware, not Linux. (Some smart people have actually found a way to replace VxWorks with Linux, but the new models are so limited memory-wise that it really isn't useful.)

      Also, the WRT54GL is basically a WRT54G version 4. It's the safest bet if you want a new router to run custom Linux firmware on.

  2. One word - Inprise by tomhudson · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Borland - Inprise - Borland.

    1. Re:One word - Inprise by AntiNazi · · Score: 5, Funny

      If they wanted to, they could always do "Linksys by Cisco" - reaping the benefits of both brand names.

      They are already doing this. I have one sitting on the desk next to me. Doesn't say "by Cisco," but it has the Cisco Systems name/logo on it along side the Linksys one. Of course it is no longer functional. Good thing they are stackable so I can build lego like creations with the pile of dead Linksys devices.

  3. Cisco recently raised their brand awareness by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    With their iPhone breaking network at Duke.

  4. Should have been the plan from the beginning by bconway · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The uninformed user knows Cisco as "the network company that the Internet is connected with." Being able to put that logo on consumer-grade broadband and networking products would/will continue to be a huge boon for marketing. Had someone told me 10 years ago that I could own *my very own* full-featured Cisco router for under $100, I would've given a finger to sign up.

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    1. Re:Should have been the plan from the beginning by woodchip · · Score: 4, Funny

      A finger plus $100? That is a little pricey. How about 2 fingers and $25?

    2. Re:Should have been the plan from the beginning by adolf · · Score: 4, Insightful

      But: They're not "full-featured", at least in standard trim. They're only good for NATing a network of computers to Teh Intarwebs.

      With something like OpenWRT loaded onto such a device, somewhat more esoteric and useful stuff can be done. But even then, it's just a Linux box, whereas "full-featured" Cisco (non-Linksys) routers run IOS.

      Oh, well.

      Back on topic: My mother knows what a Linksys router is for. If the one at her house failed, she would be able to produce an equivalent replacement from Wal-Mart without my assistance. Abandoning the Linksys brand for everything to say Cisco will smash this brand-recognition and loyalty; she'd be just as likely to buy one that says "Belkin" as "Cisco."

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    3. Re:Should have been the plan from the beginning by Endo13 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I have to agree with you 100%. GP apparently hasn't had a lot of experience with many models of many brands of consumer-level networking equipment. I after testing/installing/configuring hundreds (probably thousands, I really haven't kept track) of consumer networking equipment parts, no brand in my experience has had nearly as a high a failure rate as Linksys. And I know this next bit is going to seem an exaggeration or a troll, but it's not. In the dozens of Linksys routers and switches I've worked with, I've actually had over a 50% failure rate. Admittedly, with my job I generally only get called in only to solve problems. But the fact is, when I get called to a job where a Linksys part is involved, more than half the time that part must be replaced. When other brands of networking equipment are in use, it's rarely a defective part.

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  5. Cisco is a stronger brand name by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I never even think of "Linksys" when I'm cooking.

  6. Shouldn't they have told me? by BrooksMarlin · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm a loyal customer who has used "linksys" as his nationwide wireless ISP for years. You'd think they would have sent out a letter to me or something.

    1. Re:Shouldn't they have told me? by Mr.+Underbridge · · Score: 5, Funny

      I'm a loyal customer who has used "linksys" as his nationwide wireless ISP for years. You'd think they would have sent out a letter to me or something.

      I certainly expect a press release on what they plan to use for the default WAP name, just to eliminate the guessing.

  7. Name Recognition by Gaspo · · Score: 5, Informative

    Cisco definately does have name recognition amongst most consumers. I work retail at a location which sells a lot of networking equipment, and whenever people ask "What's this Linksys stuff?", I always respond that they're a division of Cisco. Most of the time, that gets a favorable response, and I see a good bit of Linksys hardware leave the shelf because of that fact. A good move by Cisco.

    1. Re:Name Recognition by Belial6 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      They may just not want to look stupid. My son's name is Conan. When people ask what nationality that is, I tell them "Cimmerian". They will often follow up with "Where is that?" I would tell them "Northern Hyboria". This generally illicits a knowing nod, and a "Oh, yeah." as if they know where that is, and just needed a reminder. So, while MAYBE they know what Cisco is, they also might just be buying it because they don't want to look ignorant.

  8. I'm not sure this is a good idea. by djh101010 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Don't get me wrong, I'm sure some reallllly smart marketing type people at Cisco ran some sort of study or something but, Linksys is consumer stuff. Cisco is enterprise stuff. Why dilute the brand for the enterprise stuff with consumer-grade equipment being associated with the name? Then again, where is there more money to be made? Not sure I have an answer but I'd be interested in hearing what others think about keeping the identity separate vs. combining them into one. Seems to me that "Linksys, a division of Cisco" would be as confidence-boosting as calling it Cisco, to the consumer. And I'd prefer to know that if something says Cisco, it's the real deal, not some 60 dollar best-buy grade piece of switchgear.

  9. Crap by DoofusOfDeath · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now people won't value my hard-earned Linksys Network Engineer certificate...

  10. Does this mean... by Deadstick · · Score: 4, Funny
    ...I have to change my router's SSID to cisco now?

    rj

  11. Killed by Broadcom by jihadist · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The linksys brand was solid, until their routers started using broadcom chipsets, and immediately began to suck. Millions of people who would have bought linksys if their "computer literate" neighbor had been able to recommend it thus did not buy linksys. Cisco, being smart MBAs with the souls of paperclips, have now decided to use a brand everyone still trusts before they pump up sales and ditch the company to toolish shareholders before retiring to Cuba.

    --
    Anti-Globalism
  12. Black and Decker and DeWalt again? by calmdude · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Black and Decker used to be a trusted name amongst professionals until they started making toasters, household electric screwdrivers, etc. It eroded the brand. Black and Decker then took DeWalt, a brand that had languished against its competitors, but revitalized it by becoming the new name for Black and Decker's professional line of tools. Same tools, just a new name to get away from the consumer-grade equipment.

    The same may happen to Cisco. Sometimes it's best to have a "professional-grade" brand versus a consumer-grade one.

    Click here to learn a little bit more about the Black and Decker and DeWalt name game.

  13. Re:Well, that could be interesting. by Emetophobe · · Score: 4, Informative

    I always thought the Linksys WRT54G(L/S) was a great piece of hardware. Admitedly, the default Linksys firmware was garbage. That's why there's custom firmware like DD-WRT or OpenWRT. Cisco should have bought DD-WRT or OpenWRT and used that instead of their own firmware, that would've been a good start.

    More on topic, I really don't see the point of giving up a well established brand like Linksys. It already says "A Division of Cisco" with the Cisco bridge logo on both the retail box and router itself. Isn't that good enough?

  14. Maybe I was wrong... by QuebecNerd · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ...But when Cisco purchased Linksys a few years back I was under the impression that the deal was to leave these guys alone and give them alot of autonomy. I liked linksys because they were giving Cisco a run for their money in some product lines. Lately I saw too many Linksys products hitting the streets without being ready (WIP300 'iPhone', WRV200 VPN router,...) and I was afraid that something was wrong and that Cisco was taking over and the Linksys guys were muted from the inside. I don't see that in a good ways.

    This may be modded as flamebait but back in the days when I ran an ISP, I know for a fact that if I had purchased Cisco products instead of Allied Telesyn, Livinston (Lucent) and others I would have run bankrupt, the price difference was 1:3 between Cisco and the other brands and I simply couldn't afford it. They are going to mess up the skinny athletic Linksys with their big fat lethargic ways... For me, Cisco is a brand name like 'Microsoft' but it really doesn't mean it's better...