Design and ease of use Smart Wi-Fi

The Links EA4500 look exactly the same as the Linksys E4200 and Linksys E4200 v2. Similar to the rest of routers in the Linksys E and Linksys EA series, the EA4500 more resembles a jewelry box than a networking device, with its flat shape and glossy, smooth-finish top.

The router shares the same compact power adapter as the Linksys E4200 v2.
Like the E4200 v2, the new EA4500 4-gigabit LAN ports and 1-gigabit WAN port on the back. There's also a push button for the Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) feature, a recessed reset button, and a USB 2.0 port that can host a printer or a USB external storage device for the router's network-attached storage (NAS) function.

Like all routers in the EA Series, the E4500 originally comes with a classic Web interface, and Cisco Connect software that helps novice users set up and manage the router very easily.
However, starting June 26, the new Cisco Connect Cloud firmware has been automatically pushed to EA series routers, except for those that have been explicitly opted out of the automatic firmware update setting. For those who have been anticipating Cisco Connect Cloud, this is a good thing. For others it might just be an unpleasant surprise.

This is because together with the new firmware, the router can no longer be administrated without a Cisco Connect Cloud account, which requires a live Internet connection to work.

 While it's quite easy to get an account (and it's free), this also means the router is now connected to Cisco at all times, whether or not you want it. On top of that, the new interface is so different from the previous version that most users will at first have problem finding where things are.

Basically, the new interface now has two parts, Apps and Router Settings. Apps, or embedded apps, are the features of the router, while Router Settings contains all the common wireless router settings. Though I find this is a better way to organize things, it's completely different from any other traditional Web interface for routers and understandably has a bit of a learning curve to say the least.

Note that if you buy a new EA4500 now, chances are it's already preloaded with Cisco Connect Cloud firmware.
 the only easy way for you to manage the router without having to sign in with Cisco Connect Cloud is disconnect it from the Internet. In this case, however, you can only manage the Router Settings part, minus the Security portion. On the other hand, even if you're fine with the fact that your home router's connected to Cisco, note that the router's settings and features can't be changed if the Cisco Connect Cloud portal is down. The router itself will still function with its existing settings, however.The good news is if you want to avoid having to use the Cisco Connect Cloud entirely, you can. You just need to switch back to the classic Web interface by downloading the previous version of the firmware from the Cisco Support page and then reflashing the router. After that, make sure you don't opt for the automatic firmware update.