I started using this router - the beginning of August, 2012. I had heard that the new software (Cisco Cloud Connect) was very intuitive and easy to use, despite some early controversy about it. By the way, many of the 1 star reviews are based on concerns about privacy that have been put to rest by the manufacturer.This router is among a select few "state of the art" routers offering multiple but simultaneous operation on both the 2.4 and 5.0GHz bands - each band is capable of 3 streams (connections). This is a so called 900 router (the current gold standard for home routers).Much has been written about the new software - some of which was full of praise (including a glowing CNET review) and some of which is quite damning (including many 1 star reviews here on Amazon). The bottom line is that this software is wonderfully easy to use and any concerns that Cisco might be monitoring your internet activity have been put to rest by the manufacturer. Cisco has revised and clarified their policies to make it abundantly clear that this is a NON ISSUE. See Cisco's remarks posted right here on Amazon. So many of these 1 star reviews are quite dated.Also remember that Cisco allows you to opt out of this software altogether and administer your router locally with no connection to Cisco or the cloud (internet).What we have here is a "top of the line" advanced router that is very easy to set up thanks to its intuitive software. That is exactly what I wanted ---- because routers can be quite difficult to setup/manage, particularly the very best (and most advanced) ones. The EA 4500 is very easy to setup and is a true "set and forget" type of device.So, what is not to like? The software and router are great and the fact that it can be managed in the cloud (meaning the router can be accessed via the internet) is largely unimportant. You will, most likely, just like me, simply set it up (using all or most of the simple software defaults) and forget about it! But for those of you who have the rare need to manage a router once it is set up , then you can access your router via any internet connection if you have passed Cisco's extensive security measures.As of August, 2012, the other competing routers you should look at are the Asus RT-N66U, WD (Western Digital) N900 and the Netgear R6300. I based my choice on Cisco's very intuitive software and very good range. While it may not always be the best (according to professional reviews), it has a better than average range.What may confuse many future buyers is that there is a new DRAFT (meaning far from finished) standard that is coming to Wi-Fi and routers. You will see, no doubt, many new routers coming to market boosting of conformance to the "draft" or the unfinished AC standard (802.11ac). The fact that NO clients (meaning there is NOT ONE real world receiving device) that exists for this new and yet to be finished standard is never pointed out. While meaningless, every router manufacturer will start to bring out new devices, or firmware upgrades to claim "compliance" to this new DRAFT standard of AC. You can, at least for the next couple of years, largely ignore this spec.If you want a high performance router that simultaneously operates on both bands, can easily handle 3 simultaneous signals per band and works with all current standards and devices - then this is the one for you. If you want a set and forget type of device that is easy to setup ---this is also the one for you. Highly recommended.I should add this router also creates a GUEST network (a network that can never access your home files).Yet, if friends come over, they will be greeted with an easy Wi-Fi connection. You can turn off this feature easily in the setup but it is a real convenience that most people will like. Frankly, I doubt there will be many that turn it off since it is both secure and really convenient for guests. Yet to be fair, most other new high end routers now also offer this same feature. So it is not unique to this router yet a welcome addition to the feature set of most newer high end routers.I'm hesitant to give performance figures. What I can say is that I have a large home. This router is located on the second story of my home, in the north most corner. I routinely connect on the first floor, on the south most corner, with excellent results. By accident, I had created a worse case scenario - yet I get top-notch results. There may be even better performing routers available but I'll take the easy set-up of this one versus all comers.I guess you could say I am happy with my purchase.[See 1/21/14 Update below]As noted above, I upgraded from a D-Link DIR-655 router, which was a good piece of kit and did its job well, but this EA4500 is more than an incremental improvement.SET UPI'm fairly tech savvy, so I'm not afraid of a challenge, but this thing coddled me like I was an AOL user and just got the job done.It's an extremely easy set up. It sniffs for your internet connection, sets it up, and basically gets itself comfortable and up and running with very little need for anything from you. Heck, I used the same SSID as my prior router and many devices (like my Tivo, iPhones, and Macbooks) connected to it like there had been no change in router. If it weren't for a pain-in-the-butt webcam, I would have been fully set up within 15 minutes. The other 4 hours were purely the fault of my Foscam (and only related to setting up that device)!Back to comparisons with my DIR-655:SPEED/THROUGHPUT - Per either the router app's built in speed tester (very cool, as is the automatic firmware upgrade option, if desired) or speedtest.net, I went from something like and average of 25 over 10 Mbps to 43 over 25 Mpbs. Finally, efficient use of my advertised Verizon FiOS connection!RANGE - Our house is about 1600 square feet, but it was built in 1942, meaning plaster and other Frankenstein structural components abound. My DIR-655 was barely making it to the middle and back of the house (router is in the front) with a serviceable connection, such that my wife (who is typically in middle or back and was losing connection) was very frustrated at times. Based on my speedtests on her computer in other parts of the house, I don't think she'll be cursing our network anymore. So far so good. Also, that cursed (just in terms of set up) Foscam webacam is showing a much better video feed both in the house and via remote view on port forwarding. That was an unexpected bonus.SOFTWARE - Cisco/Linksys are definitely trying to make it an easy/pleasant experience to manage the router, but I (and I'm sure many others who would use a piece of kit like this) won't to go beyond the glossy top level management app. So I was pleased to see that I could indeed jump over to a much more detailed device management interface, much like you'd see with the DIR-655 or other routers. I'm still getting used to the different menus, but it looks like just about everything is there. I'm having a hard time finding the status/MAC address/etc. of all connected devices (such that I had to use a separate IP sniffer when setting up the webcam) but I have to believe it's there somewhere!Overall, it was absolutely money well spent to move up to this device. Will try to remember to follow up after I've used it for a couple months.:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::[JANUARY 21, 2014 UPDATE]Okay, sorry, that was more than a couple months! Well, I must admit that I have since gone to the Dark (Knight) side. Things weren't as rock solid after a while (I'd say about a year into owning this router), i.e. we were back to my wife complaining of a "slow computer" (which always means internet access and speed) from the back rooms of the house, furthest from the router. After tinkering with the router, and realizing there wasn't much I could do aside from moving it to a more central location(not that feasible), I felt I owed it to her to look around at options a bit more, and decided to try the ASUS RT-N66U (http://amzn.com/B006QB1RPY) due to: (i) it's cult status and (ii) the open source nature/hackability of its firmware. I must admit that I fell in love with the ASUS pretty quickly and, after having it as long as, if not longer than, the Linksys, it remains rock solid with no wifi speed/connectivity (especially if I stick to 2.4GHz in the back rooms). This is really more about my fickleness and desire to try new/different tech than a knock on the Linksys (which I still have and will use in some support capacity some day, most likely), but there is no doubt that the ASUS ended up a much better solution for my needs, and I am sure the AC version of the ASUS router will be my next purchase, when I have the need.Funciona de maravilla, generalmente se conectan 6 o 7 dispositivos sin problema, tiene una señal muy amplia y estable, fácil de configurar, no e tenido problemas en el tiempo que llevo con el.Buen producto, excelentes prestaciones, facil de configurar, crea su propia red interna, trae puertos gigabit, un buen producto en calidad y rendimiento, con un excelente precio.Es lo que esperaba. Llegó en buenas condiciones. Funciona perfecto. Tiene buena señal. Compatible con 2 bandas. Fácil de configurar. Acceso por app. Muy recomendable para apoyar al módem que dan los preoveedores de internet.Muy elegante y fácil de instalar y de usar, la cobertura que da es suficiente para que llegué a todos los dispositivos, sin duda un muy buen routerSu configurabilidad y la facilidad para hacerlo es muy buena.Lo puse en un punto y me da alcancé completo en toda la casa.