Cisco-Linksys Wireless-G Range Expander WRE54G
by Linksys
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Our Price: $129.00 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $35.00 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Cisco-Linksys Wireless-G Range Expander WRE54G
Customer Review: Works Great but Setup is a Little Tricky
Summary: 5 Stars
I had one dead area in my house. Bought the Range Expander and I'm now surfing the web in the dead zone. I would follow Anthony Taylor's 08-01-04 instructions (which are great) with a few additions.
First plug in the Range Extender near your box that's hardwired to your router (if you have one). Hard wire your laptop to the router if you don't. Use your hard wired machine for the following steps:
1-Disable WEP on your router.
2-Do the auto configuration thing. Mine never had 2 blue lights. The Activity light was blue, but the Link light was red.
3-While WEP is disabled, go to Start - Run - type in CMD - and then type "ping 192.168.1.240" (default IP of Expander). If you see replies that's good.
4-First enable WEP on the Range Extender and then your router. See Anthony Taylor's instruction for this. Make sure the WEP keys are exactly the same. Write down the WEP key on a piece of paper.
5-Make sure all you other settings, like channel and default gateway are the same.
6-Leave the SSID on the range extender the same as you router.
7-After your have saved your settings (on both the router and extender) go back to step 3 and ping again. If you get a "timed out" error, unplug the range extender for 30 seconds and plug it back in. Ping it again. You should get a reply this time.
8-Now move your range extender where you want it.
9-Fire up your wireless machine, connect to the wireless network using your WEP key that you wrote down.
10-You should be surfing the Web in no time.
Customer Review: WRE54G + XBOX360 = Amazing Performance
Summary: 5 Stars
Wow, there is an amzing antenna on this thing, it is worth the hype! However, the instructions are useless and configuring this thing is moderate to advanced, especially when dealing with non-linksys devices. I have a 2wire router and xbox360 which had terrible reception. Here are some pointers for people wanting to extend their router coverage to their XBOX360 wifi:
1. When you get the device, you really have to hold down the button for a long time. The button is kinda flakey, so make sure it is down firmly and the lights are blinking on the front.
2. Contrary to what some people say, the lights don't have to be blue for you to log into the device's website. I held the buttons down for about three minutes and then put the device's ip number in my browser (192.169.1.240) and it came up.
3. The XBOX really complained about two devices having the same SSID. This made autoconfiguration on the XBOX360 impossible. You have to manually configure it. I manually configured all my devices because the computers were totally freaked out at having two SSIDs to DHCP to. I had problems with dropped connections until I plugged in my numbers manually. Here's how:
Set the main IP to something like 192.168.1.20 and the subnet to 255.255.0.0 then look up your DNS on your personal computer and enter the same ones into the xbox360. Finally, put in your router's address into the gateway (it should be something like 192.168.0.1) or a variation on this. This is what made mine work, and I went from half of one bar to a full five bars! This dramatically improved gaming too.
Customer Review: Works a dream.
Summary: 5 Stars
First, a caveat. I live in the country in rural Alabama but do have cable.
Not as far out as many so Road Runner gets here.
I have a Linksys WRT54GL (with the aftermarket antennas). I am not computer illiterate. Do this stuff for a living.
All that said. I have an unsecured wireless network. Even living in rural Alabama, I will have to, sooner rather than later, encrypt my network. Especially now.
BUT, I plugged in the WRE54G in my office where the 54GL is located. Held the button for the required 5 seconds (maybe 6). Lights flashed then went blue. Took my wife's and my laptops to the patio (on a good day on my laptop I would get a "good" on hers never more than "poor") and turned them on. "Poor signal, you might not be able to connect to the internet" from my wife's. Mine was not much better.
Plugged the WRE54G into a high electric receptacle in my garage, then rechecked (after wireless list refresh (hers) and a restart (mine). Now I have "Excellent" signal strength. My WRE54G is about 100' from the 54GL. The signal has to go thru many internal walls then a brick exterior.
I have not yet had the opportunity to check just how far my signal has been increased.
Start (take shrink wrap off of the box), stop (jubilation and writing this review) 10 minutes. But I did stop for coffee refill.
After I decide to encrypt my network, I may have to re-review this extender and relay my tales of horror. But then maybe not.
Well pleased.
Customer Review: WRE54G version 2
Summary: 5 Stars
I just purchased and installed the WRE54G V2 unit. I waited for the version 2 (just out a month ago) because it is an easy setup for wireless access points using WPA security. Linksys customer service (NOT the OUTSOURCED TECH SUPPORT) advised me that since I was running WPA security, I needed version 2 and then told me how to identify the Version 2 box in the store. The customer service guys know the unit much better than the tech support people and that made the sale.
In a store, if you look on the box packaging, check out the back and look for an ethernet connection on the front of WRE54G (in the photo) with a ethernet cable protruding from it. That is version 2 - version 1 does not have ethernet connectivity and does not show a cable coming out of the front. The back of the expander unit itself will say WRE54G Version 2 as the model number, but you have to open the box to see that. Some stores have them in stock and some do not yet. Ordering online is obviously tricky so I went to the store (something I usually do not do). It would be nice if online vendors would show the version number ... that would have been a sale.
Very EASY installation with WPA security engaged on the WAP54G V2 access point while installing the expander. I advise using the CD installation method on your PC as opposed to using the auto-setup button to ensure a flawless and easy installation. Just follow the steps, done in several minutes. Works as described ... secure 802.11g/b reaches to far corners and multiple floors.
Customer Review: It's 2009, version 3.0
Summary: 5 Stars
It's August 2009. I just moved to a cabin on the farm. My cabin is about 250-280 feet away from my wrt54gs router in the trailer on the hill. Set up is simple. The version 3.0 range expander creates a full signal in my cabin (It was about a third to half strength before I installed the wre54g). It's 2009. Most of the negative reviews for this expander are from 2004 - 2005. I think Linksys has corrected the flaws from versions 1 and 2.
Setup was actually very simple. We just moved from the city, so we are naturally paranoid to have an unsecured wireless system. BUT, if you don't believe in security, all you have to do is plug in the wre54g, hook it up to your unsecured router with an ethernet cable, and hit the auto configure button. (I do recommend pressing the reset button on the expander after you do anything with it). IF you are paranoid like I am and want WEP or WPA (my preference) security, you just need to run the Setup Wizard disc in your PC, follow the instructions, and you are done. It takes 5 - 10 minutes.
Remember, if at first you try to do one thing with the expander (let's say: unsecure auto configuration), and then decide to try something else (hmmm: secure WPA configuration through the Setup Wizard)- PRESS THE RESET BUTTON. It will only help.
Also, you need to run the Setup Wizard on a PC. It doesn't work on a Mac. So, if you only have a Mac, you may want to ask a friend who has a PC laptop to come to your house to help you out.