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Linksys WET11 Wireless-B Ethernet Bridge

Linksys WET11 Wireless-B Ethernet Bridge

List Price: $119.00
Your Price: $69.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not fully Xbox compatible - Live yes, System Link no.
Review: Yes, it works for Xbox Live (the primary reason I purchased it). However, as my friends and I found out this weekend, system link does not work through the WET11 (or at least not the games we tried - Ghost Recon and Halo). This has been verified by several websites around the internet.

I'm disappointed. It works great for Live, so I'll keep it if I can't convince Linksys to give me a refund, but not being able to play system link when my buddy comes over is a bummer.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: information for Mac users
Review: this may have come up in other reviews, but I got quite frustrated with the WEB11 as it come from Amazon, because the CD only does Windows and the installation instructions for Macs are incomplete. They mention the web URL, http://192.168.1.225, to use the web based setup but fail to mention that the computer that talks to it HAS to be in the same subnet, i.e. 192.168.1.X . Mine wasn't so I could not get it to work till I found that on another web page. After changing the IP addresses on my private network all is fine and it works well.
So if your private uses the 192.168.1.X subnet AND you do not have another device which uses 192.168.1.225 AND you do not use WEB authentication the WEB11 will work right out of the box for you, if NOT, there is a little bit of work to do.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: WORKS GREAT!!
Review: I have a PS2, a Mac G4 running OSX and a Pentium Laptop running Windows 2000 and my ISP uses PPoE and dynamic IP addressing. At first glance, not an easy combination when thinking in terms of a home network. But then I read up on routers, and subsequently, wireless technologies and it's been a snap since then. I ended up going with the Linksys BEFW11s4 4 port 802.11b* router and the Linksys WET11 bridge. Both devices were super easy to setup and despite what the box and setup guide say...you CAN set the whole thing up from a Macintosh via your browser and system preferences.

Once up and running, you are able to set the WET11 up with any device using an Ethernet 10/100 port converting it to wireless. (In my case the PS2.) You can also connect up to 4 other devices via the router and a virtually unlimited number or other wireless, 802.11b compatible devices.. All will share your internet connection, even if its dynamically addressed from your ISP, and have access to printers, scanners and other devices sharing the network.

The system comes with a host of security options if you are concerned about hackers or outside hitchers riding your bandwith. I live in a very congested, tech savy part of San Francisco so wireless security is a huge issue. There are multiple levels of encryption, password protection, and filtering options to lock your system from all but the most determined hackers. You're never completely safe, but you can be confident with the options included here.

Performance wise, the system is above average. This will totally depend on where you live, what other 2.4ghz wireless devices you operate and the distance / walls separating the access point from the wireless connecting device. I have had 2 PS2s (one connected by cable the other wirelessly from another room about 50 feet away, playing SOCOM on 1.5mbps DSL) plus the Mac simaultaneously connected to the internet with little to no slow down. This is not to say the whole thing works flawlessly all the time. I have noticed that at times, especially during the day, lag can occur in online gaming with the WET11. I am assuming this is caused by outside traffic such as 2.4ghz phones and possibly other 802.11 devices. Again, the slowdown is very infrequent and negligable when it occurs. If this is a concern for you, you should look into 802.11a (still in development and about 3 times the price) devices that run on the 5.4ghz frequency which is less congested.

All in all, and if you've made it this far in my babbling, the combination of the Linksys 4 port router and the Linksys WET11 bridge should be perfect for those wanting expandability, compatability, reliablity and playability. Host a LAN party or head online solo from the comfort of your living room sofa, its all capable with this set up.

*(802.11b is the bottom rung of the wi-fi spectrum at the moment, which is the only thing that kept me from giving this 5 out of 5 stars.(11 mbps transfer rate compared the the 56mbps of .11a and .11g. This is only an issue when you transfer large amounts of data from one device to another or if you connect to the internet at T1 speeds) But it is also the most widely compatible and most cost effective of the three current technologies.)

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Does not work with Appletalk
Review: So Linksys claims this product works without drivers on Macintosh systems ("anything with an Ethernet port"). However, it does *not* handle AFP (Apple's file-sharing protocol) at all. If you are attempting to connect a Mac to a network file-share using AFP (common to versions of MacOS earlier than X), you will fail. This includes other pre-OSX Macs, as well as Microsoft UAM volumes.

Otherwise this product works as advertised. The Mac could indeed surf the Internet and use network services utilizing standard TCP/IP protocol. However, I feel it is highly irresponsible for Linksys to claim that their product works on Macintosh PCs when 100% compatibility does not exist.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Perfect in Mixed Wireless environments and for Xbox Live
Review: I generally don't like linksys wireless gear because in the past I have found them to be a bit flakey in terms of keeping a connection. But in this case, I have to rate the WET-11 a two thumbs up. I run a Netgear wireless router and connectivity between the two is was perfect. Easy setup and a unfailing connection makes this product really worth the money.

It should be noted too, that I'm running the bridge three floors below the router and I still get a 11mbs connection with very little latency problems.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Just What I Was Looking For
Review: I picked up the Linksys BEFW11S4 wireless router and the WET11 at the same time, strictly for online gaming with my consoles. As other reviewers have pointed out, it works great with the Xbox, and I can say that it works great with the PlayStation 2 as well.

Really, the whole thing is nearly a plug and play affair. After getting the router set up (which took about 10 minutes, no tech support needed...the cdrom walkthrough is ridiculously easy) all I needed to do was hook the WET11 up to the router via ethernet cable, use the simple WET11 cdrom walkthrough to configure it, then hook it up to the PS2 and viola! I was playing Twisted Metal Black Online in minutes.

That's a beautiful thing.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: I use it for X Box live/ReplayTV connectivity/MP3 server
Review: I use it with a (gasp!) D Link wireless router. I am using the DI-614+ but have also used the 713P in the past.

Other than the signal strength meter which would be a nice addition, it works GREAT!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Excellent solution to share fast connection!
Review: We have a fast connection and there was no way I was going to get away with having that while the other computers in the house had to dial up. Enter a wireless router and this little wireless bridge. If you know what you're doing you'll have it cranking in a minute or two.. Easy as pie and as fast as if the computer was connected directly to the cable modem. Add a cheap little hub and you can plug in more computers to it.

Have fun!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Lacks signal strength meter
Review: The device has the equivalent of a car's idiot light on the side (a led with WAN next to it) that lights up when you connect to an access point. The problem is that if it's off or the signal is intermittent, you can't tell how strong it is. This means you can't move the device around to get a better signal. It's either on or off.

The device could be falling back to a slower speed because of poor signal strength. The only way to know is to go into the configuration utility and force it to a higher speed. There are rumors on the net of an older firmware that had a signal meter, but going back on a firmware revision sounds like a desperate measure.

The device also lacks the ability to tell you what SSIDs (wireless networks) are available. If you misspell the ID when you're configuring it or you're not exactly sure of the spelling you may have a hard time locating it.

Connecting to the device to configure it is not easy. You have to manually set your IP address to the 192.168.1.xxx network and run their installation software to discover it or connect directly to it's default address at 192.168.1.225. A USB connection would make it easier.

My experience with tech support at Linksys was not pleasant. The tech incorrectly told me that the product did have a signal meter before I bought it. He also seemed to have little understanding of what the product actually did.

On the plus side, the antenna works fairly well and is removable in case you want to purchase an external model.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Doesn't work with D-Link wireless router
Review: I purchased this product, based on the reviews, for my Sony PS2. It was anything but easy to configure. I have a D-Link DI-713P wireless router and the two are virtually incompatible. The installation disc would not get past the initial screen. I contacted customer service after holding for almost an hour. When I finally spoke with someone and told them I was using a D-Link wireless router, they told me they weren't sure if they could help. They were right. They determined that my bridge was bad. I was skeptical, but purchased another. It wouldn't work either. I called customer service back and held for 30 min. We changed the IP address of the bridge and I was told that would solve the problem. When I attached it to the PS2, I couldn't get to a game server. I finally got a friend, who is a computer science student, to get it to work after about an hour. He got the original one to work. It was not broken. After a week it stopped working again and I returned it. I ordered a D-Link DWL-810+. I received it today and I got it working in about 10 minutes. I guess the morale of the story is get a bridge that is the same brand as the router. Don't think that Sony will help either. When I told them I was attached to a wireless network, they told me it wasn't supported, but it does work and it works great.


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