Cisco-Linksys WRT54GS Wireless-G Broadband Router with SpeedBooster
by Linksys
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List Price: Our Price: $14.88 You Save: $85.11 (85%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Cisco-Linksys WRT54GS Wireless-G Broadband Router with SpeedBooster
Customer Review: Equipment works well - so do Parental Controls
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this router mainly for the parental controls feature. I didn't want to buy software to control each computer in my small business network and this looked like a good solution. Here are some points:
- setup of this router is fairly easy. I was able to get my wired and wireless clients set up within 1/2 hour. Be warned - in order to get that "Speed boost" you have to buy special linksys equipment for EACH computer - not worth it in my opinion. Speed of the router is definitely better than 802.11b, but don't go looking for a full 54mb. Theoretically, that's possible, but practically it runs around 22 or 23.
- the parental controls work very well. I tried to go looking for gambling, violent, and smut websites on the internet after purchasing ($29/year) the router-based program. It blocks almost everything! The only way I've found around it is to go to a few select foreign-language websites (and you reaaallly have to work hard to find those). Even then, you can report these offending websites and they will be added to the database. The other way around it is to Google search (or other engine) for images. The parental controls allow you to bring up thumbnails (because of search engine caching), but don't allow you to go to the original site. I don't think there's a way to block that kind of content.
Overall, I would recommend this router specifically if you are looking for a speed boost and haven't already bought other wireless equipment, or if you are looking for robust parental controls for your kids or small business. I favor this method of parental control over software because it allows you to control all access from one central point easily.
Customer Review: Works great plus Parental Controls
Summary: 5 Stars
I got this router primarily for the parental control feature so I will primarily comment on that, but routing and wireless functions seem to work great and I have had no problems with them.I know this smacks of big brother, but I really didn't want to have to hover over my 12 year old's shoulder every time he was on the computer and explain all the **** out there.
So far the parental controls have worked well for us. You can set up accounts for all family members if you want and set the limits accordingly. The drawback is there is a login prompt when you first try to access the internet. You can setup limits for the time of day that the internet can be accessed and what type of content can be viewed. My main objective was to filter out hardcore porn type stuff which it seems to do fairly well without interfering with normal surfing.
It works for me a lot better than Norton's Internet Security software which really slowed my computer down. With this solution once you log on, you hardly know its there. The down side is there is a yearly subscription fee (about $40). Of course Norton has a subscription fee as well. I don't mind paying it as long as they keep their end of the bargain by providing up-to-date filters.
Another thing that I like about this solution (but it can be a drawback) is that it works for all things connected to the network. For example if a friend brings a laptop over or you have an X-Box that connects to the internet, etc. It may cause problems for some devices (e.g. ReplayTv). I had to switch my ReplayTv back to a telephone connection. With a 802.11b PocketPc I still had to login to my account (through the browser) but I was able to access the internet.
Customer Review: Nice!
Summary: 5 Stars
This router is basically the WRT54G, with the addition of Linksys' Speedbooster technology. It can service all 802.11g, as well as the older 802.11b, based networks. Or it can serve a network consisting of a mixture of those two standards. In short, this is a very versatile router to have.
The Speedbooster technology provides an additional increase in network speed over the typical 54mbs of the 802.11g standard. This is very useful if you like to transfer large files between your computers. The extra speed should help things move along just a little quicker. But keep in mind that this will probably not give you any additional increase over the internet. Probably because the wireless connection between the router and your computer is not the bottleneck. The Speedbooster capability can only be fully utilized if your operating system is either Windows 2000 or Windows XP.
Setting up this router was easy. My PCI wireless desktop adapter is also made by linksys. The ethernet card on my older computer is a standard issue IBM.
I highly recommend this wireless router to anyone who frequently transfers large files from one computer to another. I have had the router in operation for over a week, and so far, it has not dropped my internet connection.
For your information, my current network consists of two desktop computers (Dell 8200 and an IBM 300PL). The Dell is connected wirelessly, using a Linksys wireless adapter with the Speedbooster capability. The IBM has the original IBM network card. Speedstream DSL modem. The Dell is running on Windows XP Pro and the IBM has Windows 2000 Server.
Customer Review: A fast and stable wireless router.
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been using this router for well over a year and have to say that it is one of the best, if not the best wireless router on the market. I first bought a D-link DI-624, but after using it for a few day, I realized it was more trouble than it was worth, the signal would cut off every now and again, and it was a headache to setup. I returned the D-link and got my WRT54GS. It worked right off bat and was a breeze to customize. Linksys is owned by Cisco Systems (a huge networking giant which is used in many big business networks), I was surprised to find that their consumer brand was just reliable.
Since then I have had the router turned on for more than a year (not all at once), and have yet to have it drop a connection or annoy me. I keep the firmware updated (something everyone should learn to do), and keep my network WPA secured (another thing everyone should learn to do).
Now that I have my desktop connected through the ethernet, and my laptop wireless connected, it is still as stable as ever. I have a netgear router (not wireless) at home which needs to be rebooted every week or so due to slow performance, and tends to stop working from time to time, requiring a short break. Needless to say I bring my linksys while I'm home to use in its place.
I recently added on a high gain antenna and it increased the range slighly (there are also alternative firmwares which boost power output). Getting a signal now in my library from my room, I couldn't be more happy.
If you're looking for a router which does exactly what it says, I don't see how this linksys wouldn't fit your needs.
Customer Review: Very pleased with performance and ease of setup
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this to replace a Netgear WGR614v5 that had started overheating and dropping connections. My signal has always been good, but not ever listed as "excellent" in Vista. I bought this router after much research and I am surprised at how easy it was to set up. Aesthetically, the Netgear looked better - IMO, but the Linksys still looks nice. The signal I get from my wireless network is now listed as "excellent", and my speed has tripled. I had previously been happy with my Netgear, but this router is so much better (I have friends who have Netgear and are extremely happy with them and get great speeds, so mine may have been faulty out of the box.) One of my main uses for a wireless Network is for Xbox Live. My Xbox connected to this router, and with default settings the NAT is Open finally...yeah! (For Xbox'ers that will mean something). I am very pleased with this router, enough to spend time writing a review on it. So, here are my pros and cons:
Pros: Easy setup, Xbox Live compatible, fast speeds, great signal, network mapping software included
Cons: No way to statically reserve an IP to a MAC (not a problem for me but seems to be for some)
One thing to keep in mind, this router is very popular because of its open OS, so there are firmwares out there that will enable pretty much any option you would ever need on the router. On the flip side of this from what I have heard, people enjoy hacking this router. So if you live in an area of hackers -aka teenagers(j/k)- do a little research and make sure you have this thing locked down properly, or buy a less popular brand router.