The Cisco RV215W Wireless-N VPN Router is an easy-to-set-up router with built-in firewall, a VPN server, and wireless networking. Performance is decent for its class but nothing spectacular. However, small businesses will like the snappy interface and ease of management.Cisco has packed in security, networking, and business-class features in the RV215W, and it shows. Therefore, it is a little surprising that some of the features we take for granted in consumer and gaming routers, such as Gigabit Ethernet and dual-band speeds, are missing from the RV215W. We’ve looked at a number of business-class routers recently, and the RV215W doesn’t quite stack up as well against the Draytek Vigor 2920n or even the consumer-focused Buffalo AirStation Nfiniti High Power Giga Wireless-N Router and Access Point. That’s not to say the RV215W doesn’t shine in certain situations, and, at $143, is well within SMB budgets.The RV215W feels like an upgrade of RV110W and RV180W in some areas, but a step back in others. If you are happy with your current business-class router, stick with it and don’t bother switching. If you need a new business-class router, the RV215W may be a fit, provided you don’t mind the missing features.Hardware Specifications
The Cisco RV215W has one 10/100 Mbps Fast Ethernet WAN port for Internet connectivity and four 10/100 Mbps Fast Ethernet LAN ports in the back. There are two omni-directional 1.8 dBi gain fixed external antennas on the back for wireless networking. Square and compact, it measures 1.18″ x 5.91″ x 5.91″ (HWD) and weighs a mere 0.61 lbs. The back panel has a reset button to reboot the router or to restore factory settings, and a port to plug in the AC power cable.