Linksys DMA2100

By Alex Kidman, CNET.com.au
Jun 11, 2008

Dollar for dollar, you're not losing out much from Linksys' Media Center Extender DMA2100 over its DVD playback-capable DMA2200 sibling. For S$100 (US$71.04) less, is this nifty box a bargain or a white elephant against the competition? Here's our report card.

Design

The Linksys Media Center Extender DMA2100 is the little brother of the Linksys Media Center Extender DMA2200. When we say "little brother", we're not just talking in a features sense; at 170 x 113 x 188mm, the DMA2100 is about a third the size of the chunky 2200. This does make it more suitable for a lot of home installations, simply because it's both more subtle. And with its smaller size, it will more easily fit into the DVD-style spaces that many entertainment units come with for switching boxes, DVD storage and the likes. Linksys must be doing something interesting with either airflow, circuit boards or both, as the size difference between is far more than just a DVD player would suggest.

Like the DMA2200, the DMA2100 ships with 802.11n wireless capability, although it drops the number of installed external antennae from three to two. It ships with the same black Windows Media remote that the 2200 uses, which can make for interesting powering/command conflicts if you've got both installed. The same remote can also run an Xbox 360, which is a more likely combination in both homes, but also carries the same potential mix-up woes.

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