The Cisco Home Networking Business Unit is focusing on what it does best-- wireless routers, as the unit keeps both Linksys brand and its place within the parent company.
The company now wants routers to play a larger role within the networked home-- serving as the hub between home network and the internet, where one box handles many connectivity functions (including connecting devices from all vendors) via IEEE 802.11n wireless.
The focus in direction follows canned attempts in entering the consumer market with now-discontinued offerings like the Flip video camera and the Umi.
Speaking in an interview with PCMag, consumer division CEO Brett Wingo says Cisco will start training retailer staff (something Linksys did before acquisition by Cisco in 2003), and sales representatives should ask about customer networks before they buy any network-connected devices.
Cisco is also planning on the idea of an "app store" for routers-- smart routers with the ability to run software and interact with appliances, giving customers remote control over their networks.
