Demystifying Linksys Part Numbers

SD. RV0. SPA. ABC..DEF…ugh.

If you are like me, you probably want to pull your hair out when confronted by the alphabet soup of product names that today’s manufacturers cook-up. Well, before you go and stock up on Rogaine, let’s take a look at demystifying at least one manufacturer’s part numbers – Linksys.

Demystifying Linksys Part Numbers

The funniest thing about product names is that on the surface they don’t seem to make much sense until you actually learn what the name conventions mean. Then, ironically, they are actually pretty easy to understand and remember. Now, if you are not a “power user” like me, the following information probably won’t help you much unless you save this as a reference (please do), so don’t feel like you have to pull an all-nighter to retain this information. However, if you do find yourself working with the Linksys product line often, it might me smart to spend a few minutes learning the information below.

What Makes Up a Linksys Part Number?

Linksys part numbers typically have two parts. The first part is comprised of an alpha abbreviation for the type of product it is, followed by a number series/model. For example:

Linksys SPA941 – SPA = Linksys Voice. 941 = 9 series phone, with 4 line appearances and 1 ethernet port.

Pretty straight forward, right? Good.

Now on to what those alpha abbreviations mean…

Linksys Product Types and Their Abbreviations

Switches

• SD = Switch Desktop (Unmanaged)
• SR = Switch Rack (Umanaged)
• SLM = Smart Switch
• SRW = Switch Rack w/WebView (Managed)
• SGE = Switch Gigabit Ethernet (L1 Ready)
• SFE = Switch FastEthernet (L1 Ready)
• MGB = GigabitSFP
• MFE = 100Mbps SFP

Routers

• RV0 = Router w/ VPN
• RVL = Router w/VPN (SSL)
• RVS = Security Router w/VPN
• WRV = Wireless Router w/VPN
• WRVS = Wireless Security Router w/VPN

Access Points

• WAP = Wireless Access Point

Storage

• NSS = Network Storage System

Cameras

• WVC = Wireless Video Camera
• PVC = PoE Video Camera

Linksys Voice

• SPA = The SPA nomenclature is actually a hold over from Sipura Technologies, the company that Linksys purchased. I believe that SPA is an abbreviation for Sipura, so in current contexts, know that when a product starts with SPA it is a Linksys Voice product.

Linksys One (L1)

• SVR = Service VPN Router
• VGA = Voice Gateway
• APP = Application Appliance
• PH_ = Phone

Now, as I stated above, these product type abbreviations part of the whole equation. Unfortunately, for each of the abbreviations, there is a numeric series/model that follows which is well outside of the scope of this post (possibly a follow-up, though). My hope is, though, is that this gives you a good base from which to better understand the Linksys product line so that at a glance you can identify them at a glance…and keep all of your hair.