Cisco gives its home networking brand a makeover

As Cisco looks to appeal to the broader consumer market, the routing giant thinks it's about time to segment its home networking products to fit the needs of both the tech-savvy and not-so-tech-savvy consumer.

To appeal to the less tech-savvy consumer that would appreciate a simpler setup, more parental controls and other options, Cisco has opted to rename its Linksys product as the Valet WiFi router. Then, for the home networking enthusiast, Cisco will offer its new Linksys E-Series Wireless-N Routers.

"This is very much a reflection of Cisco's goal of becoming a household brand," said Scott Kabat, director of marketing at Cisco Consumer Products in an AP article.

A key focus of furthering its appeal to the consumer market will be to ease the installation process of its WiFi routers. To obtain its ease of use goal for the Valet router line, Cisco has tasked the engineers from Flip camcorder maker PureDigital, which the company acquired last year. What made PureDigital's Flip line so appealing to consumers was that it made it simple to record and post videos on the Web.   

What will make the setup process easier for consumers is that the new Valet routers automate the home network installation process. Instead of giving the consumer setup CDs, the Valet routers will include a USB flash drive that will configure their computer to access the WiFi network router.

For more:
- CED via AP has this article

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