Cisco-Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router
by Linksys
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Our Price: $72.97 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $22.95 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Cisco-Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router
Customer Review: Order of start-up is important. Small problem w/ signal loss
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this AP/Router with the associated Linksys WPC54G card. I have a Sony Vaio laptop and desktop PC both running WinXP SP1. The installation was easy, though the order that the devices are turned on is extremely important; modem> WRT54G router> PCs, must be followed. You should also wait for each device to run through diagnostics or establish a connection before turning on the next device. I didn't use the supplied CD for installation but used the web based application. Setup was pretty straight forward. For PPoE, remember that the username includes the domain name and you should know your DSL DNS numbers. I did have a small problem with the wireless signal being cutoff every 3 minutes. This is because of IEE 802.1x being enabled by WindowsXP. Everytime I changed the SSID XP would default to enabling it. I have posted how to check if this is enabled under the review of the WPC54G card. 802.1x is the IEEE standard for port controlled client/server authentication and most home networks won't have this kind of security. XP does not support pass phrase for the WEP 128 encryption so you must manually input the 26 hexidecimal key. What is not stated in the instructions is that the key can have the letters A-F, numbers 0-9 and some symbols.
For security, change the SSID to something obscure and don't braodcast it. Also change the password for the router and enable WEP 128 encryption. Furthermore, you may want to enable MAC filtering so only designated PCs have access to your wireless network. If you need proof that security is important do a net search for "war flying in San Diego".
Customer Review: Very solid - no issues
Summary: 5 Stars
My old Speedstream recently choked and died hence I was on the market for a new wireless router. I wanted 802.11g/b, VPN passthrough to get to my corporate network, cheap, and most importantly - painless.
My first attempt was the D-Link DI-624M. That product did not meet these requirements. I suffered lots of pain, going through 3 before I managed to update the firmware on one without it being permanently killed in the process. Also, I spent hours fighting to get my VPN working. D-Link tech support failed to make it work. I eventually figured it out myself but only after more painful hours spent. Also, the D-Link must be non-compliant/buggy with some standard used to detect changes in network configuration and automatically fix up the links. I had to make sure my cable modem was always turned on after the router or it often wouldn't ever get properly connected.
Anyway, the D-Link sucked.
So I picked up this Linksys WRT54G (version 4) and had absolutely ZERO issues. VPN worked right out of the box. Interaction with my Motorola cable modem is seamless and automatic. I just plugged the thing in and it all worked perfectly. That was what I have been looking for - painless. The Linksys also has many more advanced features. I've not used these yet but the menues are full of lots of options. The only feature I couldn't find (that the D-Link has) is the ability to force static allocation of private IP addresses based on MAC address.
Thank you Linksys for a solid product that saves us busy people time and frustration!
Customer Review: Very stable and extremely fast
Summary: 5 Stars
I never knew wireless connection can be that stable until I use this router. I had a D-Link 802.11b AP and the connection drops all the time. I thought the wireless was like this....After using this router, with the same card (802.11b) I have, I found that my D-Link is a piece of junk. This Linksys 54G really rocks. Very good range and I never have any connection drops.
Also bought a 54G card, and much faster than my 802.11b card.
Some people has doubt about if this router will become a 802.11g router when 802.11g is finalized. Don't be!!! Linksys is no idiot, and it has evaluated different chip sets by different chip makers and get their promised by the future firmware upgrade to become 802.11g standard. Usually those chip maker company has lots of employees in the 802.11g committee. So they know what's going on with 802.11g standard, and it is almost finalized. Even if there's any changes, it can be done in firmware (software).
I believe you will definitely get a firmware upgrade to become a real 802.11g router.
Think in another way, some people bought the so-called 802.11b+ 22Mbps wireless stuff. Well...there's no way that 22Mbps will become a standard, and people still buy it. Why? ... For the same amount of money, why not get a faster one? And now it's even better. For same amount of money, you get 54Mbps, and in just a few months, you can get a upgrade to become a real IEEE 802.11g standard. Why not? As for the card, the 54G card works with all 802.11b router. So you can still use that card in Starbucks, airport, ....
This is it!!! A definite must-buy.
Customer Review: Don't be afraid...
Summary: 5 Stars
If you're looking to jump into wireless, this is a simple decision. Don't let the more technical reviews scare you away because if I can make it work, you surely can. Your cable modem connects into a clearly marked port on the back to provide service to the device. There are 4 ports available to connect your desktop PC (or multiple if you already have a wired network). The wireless setup is simple. You match the channel on the Router/AP to the channel on your receiving PC card and it works. You won't even need the directions if you follow this step: Go to your Internet Explorer window in the address line type: 192.168.1.1 <enter> and you'll be in the router setup page. Presto, it's all there.
I'd highly recommend turning the static WEP encryption on to make it somewhat more difficult for anyone to jump on your network. That gets a little tricky, but it took a novice like me about 5 minutes and that's mostly because you need to hand type a long string of characters into the receiving PC (generated automatically by the Router when you turn WEP on).
If you're undecided about B or G like I was, let me leave you with the advice that pushed me: Forget the money, you're going to hassle yourself with a premature upgrade in a few months, maybe a year to save what? $20? History seems to show that we'll need the bandwidth/speed sooner rather than later.
Don't forget to update the firmware on this thing every month or two (it's a button on the setup screen - easy). They seem to be making it better all the time.
Customer Review: Great product, especially as an upgrade
Summary: 5 Stars
I upgraded to this unit after using a Linksys BEFSR81 (DSL router with 8-port switch) with a Linksys WAP11 v2.2 for about 1 year. I had always had wacky problems with the old WAP11 unit, and could never get WEP encryption to work perfectly. The new WTC54G unit corrects these issues, and I have essentially combined two boxes into one. I've had the experience of dealing with Linksys tech support in the past, and I'm pleased to say that I have NOT had to deal with them this time around to set up the 54G unit (thankfully, since Linksys support is generally poor.) I have had nothing but success with the 54G, and I use most of its advanced features such as port forwarding, MAC filtering, etc. Everything works as expected, and performance is very good.So, to sum up: unit works great, and in my case was a very good upgrade from older equipment (which, by the way, has good resale value.) If you have problems (which I did not), don't expect great tech support from Linksys. It helps to be knowledgeable with network equipment (as with any computer/technology products), but if you are novice, I suspect that this unit will still work excellent with zero configuration, right out of the box. Make sure to take security precautions and save yourself the risk of having your LAN intruded on. I live in a city and *routinely* connect (accidentily) to neighbors wireless LAN's and am able to surf the Internet on their dime. Its only until I try to access one of my other machines (on my LAN) that I realize I'm not even on my own LAN! Wireless users beware!