Linksys courts Mac users with a OS X version of its popular setup wizard
Linksys' Mac version of the LELA software enables general Mac users, possibly for the first time, to successfully set up a router that's not an AirPort.
(Credit: Linksys)
Linksys today announced its one-step-further support for Mac by releasing its OS X version of the Linksys EasyLink Advisor (LELA) setup wizard. LELA is a desktop application that helps take away the hassle and complexity of setting up a router by using easy-to-understand terminology and illustrations to guide consumers through the process.
This is great news for Mac users, especially those who are used to setting up routers using a desktop application rather than the Web-interface. I personally have met a lot of Mac users who somehow believe that Mac computers only work (well) with Apple's AirPort products because they come with the setup software.
LELA has been included with Linksys' recent lines of router including the WRT310N, the WRT160N, the WRT110, and the WRT54G2, and it will work with upcoming routers, too. Until today, the software only works on Windows computers. The Mac version of the software (that requires Mac OS X 1.4 or later) will support all the routers currently supported by the PC version. Going forward, new Linksys products will ship with a LELA setup disc that includes both PC and Mac setup wizards.
You can download the new LELA here. Of course, you can always use the router's Web interface to setup a Linksys router, which might be a totally new experience to Mac user as Apple's AirPort products generally don't support Web-based management.
Dong Ngo is a CNET editor who covers networking and network storage, and writes about anything else he finds interesting. You can also listen to his podcast at insidecnetlabs.cnet.com. E-mail Dong. 
