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Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router

Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router

List Price: $99.99
Your Price: $59.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Decent Product, Terrible Tech Support and Customer Service
Review: I have been using the Linksys wireless router and access card for about three months. The wireless connection is sometimes not stable (i.e., sometimes does not connect even when it recognizes an available wireless network). I called tech support to fix the problem. It was one of the worst tech support I have ever encountered (based in Phillipines). I called three times, each time wait time exceeded 30 minutes. All three did not seem to know what they were doing - made me change some random settings (without any explanation) which did not make any difference to my connection. Their goal was to try to get me off the phone as soon as possible. All three promised that they will e-mail me an updated firmware as the latest version available on Linksys web-site still has bugs. I never received any of their e-mails. I have finally sent in for a warranty exchange. Hope it works.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Don't be afraid...
Review: 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 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.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent
Review: Finally i have found the right wireless sloution for me. I used to pay for 2 cable modems which was over a $1000 a year, now i cut it in half because of this great technology. I run my XBOX live form it, 2 computers and a laptop. You whould't even know it was wireless. I never get disconnected even at great distances. Also i have many phones on the 2.4 Gig spectrum and i get no interference and i also live in a area with tons of interference and still no problems. Buy this if you are in the market for a wireless network. Setup is a breeze. You will not be disapointed.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Nearly Effortless Installation, Excellent Performance
Review: I purchased the WRT54G along with a WPC54G adapter for my notebook. Installation was painless and after updating the firmware at the Linksys website, I have full WPA security. This is the second Linksys product that I have purchased and have been please with the quality and performance of both. I have never had any issues with dropped connections and am able to view streaming video at the opposite end of my home, 50-75 ft. away from the router, without any problems. Great product.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: DON'T PURCAHSE THIS PRODUCT.
Review: Hooked it up, not a problem. However, after a couple of weeks, the signal strength gradually went from 70% down to 20% and then it simply died. No link activities at all, some indicator lights did not flash when they should. I thought it was because of power/phone-line surge that damaged it, so I purchased all kinds of surge protections, and purchased another LinkSys, same model (because it was on sell and had a good rebate), and again, same exact problem after 2 weeks. I returned it and got a brand new replacement, and again, it happened after 1 week this time. By chance, I spoke to a friend of mine about it, and guess what, he had the same exact problem and ended up buying a NETGEAR. I gave up too, and purchased a NETGEAR, and so far after 3 months, no problems and the link quality is still at a constant 97-100%.

DON'T PURCAHSE THIS PRODUCT not matter how cheap or how much rebate it comes with. It is not worth your time.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Great Wireless Router - BUY IT
Review: I just upgraded to the Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G router last month and I am very happy with the quality of the product. This router acts as a wireless access point, 100 MB switch and a router making it a nice multipurpose device.

For the wireless connectivity, this router supports that latest 802.1lg standard which offers 54Mbps speeds but in the 2.4 GHz range. Since it uses the 2.4 GHz range, this router is also backwards compatible with 802.11b. This is a nice feature, as it will allow you to use your older 802.11b hardware while taking advantage of the newer standard. I also have a 2.4 GHz cordless phone and I don't get any interference with the wireless router.

If you do decide to buy this router, I would highly recommend that the first thing you do after installing this router is upgrade its firmware from the Linksys website. Linksys has been shipping these 802.11g compliant routers for a while now and the specification is still in flux. Linksys also offers security fixes and new/updated features via. these firmware upgrades and so that is a good idea.

This router has the ability to encrypt all wireless transmissions using 128-bit WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) encryption. While WEP is not a perfect solution, some security is better than no security and I would recommend anyone using the wireless feature enable WEP. In addition to WEP, this router also supports the new security specification called Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA).

WPA is an extra-strong encryption where encryption keys are automatically changed and authenticated between devices after a specified period. WPA also involves the use of a pass phrase and auto-generated keys that need to be entered on the client side. This is a little tedious but the security it provides is worth it.

In addition to WEP and WPA, the Linksys router also offers wireless MAC address filtering. Wireless MAC Filters feature allows you to control which wireless-equipped PCs may or may not communicate with the router depending on their MAC addresses. Another great security feature of this router.

Ok. I've rambled on enough about security. This router also allows you to connect wired devices, acts as a DHCP server and offers an easy to use browser interface. I get amazing throughput using my NetGear 802.11g wireless network card and the range is incredible. I can take my laptop in any part of the house, the yard or garage and I never lose the signals. I read some reviews where people found that this router didn't work well with non-Linksys wireless cards. I had to disagree with that as my router works great with my NetGear card along with an older Cisco 802.11b card. If you are in the market for a great wireless router, this is it. Buy it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: So Easy!
Review: I bought this along with a notebook adaptor from Linksys. If you take 5 minutes to read the quickstart instructions, you can be networked 10 minutes later. I've had no problem connecting to my cable modem via this router. The connection to the notebook adaptor has blazing speed with a great signal. I highly recommend this product!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: I would not purchase this router
Review: I should have read the negative reviews on this item before purchasing it. It's true that the router drops the wireless signal constantly. It does it so often that you basically cannot do anything without having to reconnect every couple of minutes.
I updated the firmware. I followed the suggestions that other users of the product mentioned on the Linksys web site to no avail. The company does not admit there's a problem with this unit. But you don't have to believe me. Go to their web site and find out for yourselves. You can read other users' comments there.
I requested a return and will be looking for something else.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Unreliable
Review: Had this product for 2 months when it stopped accepting IP addresses from my cable modem. As a result I have to manually enter the numbers every few days for the router to work. After hours on hold, tech support was kind enough to tell me that the product was in fact defective but that there was really nothing they could do about it. Not recommended.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Tech Support from Linksys
Review: I had no trouble setting up the WRT54G for standard use. The default configuration takes 10 or 20 minutes. When I needed to use the advanced functions (static IP addressing, MAC filtering, opening specific ports) the 800 phone support folks were knowledgable, pleasant and patient. They even walked me through changing my Gateway laptop from dynamic to static IP addressing.

Given that home networking is a new area for many people, Linksys was wise to invest in good phone support. It's worth the 20 minute wait.

And working from home wireless while laying in bed, drinking coffee in the kitchen, or watching cartoons with the kids is magical.


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