| 3Com OfficeConnect Wireless-G Cable/DSL Router (Model 3CRWE554G72TU) |
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Model: 3CRWE554G72TU-US
Brand: 3Com
Manufacturer: 3Com
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 13
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
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| Features: |
Wireless-G router with four 10/100 Ethernet LAN ports; backward-compatible with 802.11b wireless clients
Allows up to 253 (128 wireless) users to securely share a single cable or DSL Internet connection
Up to 54 Mbps transfer rate at distances up to 328 feet (nearly 5 times the speed of 802.11b wireless devices)
Supports IP routing (RIP 1 and 2), static routing, URL or keyword filtering, and allow/deny access control lists
Lets users with dynamic IP addresses use network applications such as FTP servers that normally require static IP addresses |
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| Description: |
| The 3Com OfficeConnect Wireless 11g Cable/DSL Router is a high-speed, affordable, and easy-to-use small office solution that enables up to 253 (128 wireless) users to securely share a single cable or DSL Internet connection. Wireless LAN users can connect at speeds up to 54 Mbps and at distances up to 100 meters (328 feet) - almost five times the speed of 11b wireless speeds. And the wireless router is backward-compatible with 11b wireless clients, preserving existing wireless network investments. And because it is Wi-Fi certified, the router works with other Wi-Fi compatible equipment.The 3Com OfficeConnect Wireless 11g Cable/DSL Router includes multiple IP routing and security features - IP routing (RIP 1 and 2), static routing, URL or keyword filtering, and allow/deny access control lists - in an economical package. 256-bit WPA and 40/64-bit WEP encryption protect the privacy of 11g and 11b wireless transmissions. An intuitive web interface and simple setup wizards simplify setup and use.The wireless 11g router is designed for small but growing offices, branch offices, and home offices. The award-winning OfficeConnect family provides a broad range of small-office products, including LAN switches and hubs, access points, routers, firewalls, PC cards and network adapters. |
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| User Reviews (13 total): |
Page 1 of Total 1 Pages
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Get something else, September 29, 2006
By Jersey (new york, ny USA)
The wireless connection drops frequently, and there is need to reconnect using my wireless card to restore the connection. This is especially frustrating when I am working from home and have to log on again to the office network. VOIP setup needs extra work. However, wired connection is quite good and the router goes on indefinitely without requiring reboot.
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Not worth the money, September 26, 2006
By Rabih Charara (Beirut - Lebanon)
I bought this router to use it as a backup when my Linksys router breaks down. Now that I had to use the 3Com OfficeConnect, I feel really frustrated. The connection is dropped (disconnected) every 2-3 minutes. So I reconnect. [BTW with the Linksys router I only connected once some very long time ago]. The only solution available was to keep Skype online. This is the only way it made it work. I upgraded using the new Software but it was to naught despite the fact that the knowledgebase of 3Com claims that this problem has been solved with the new upgrade. Not the case with my router. Unless you really like wasting your time trying to fix a non-fixable problem, I advise you to buy another type of routers.
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Junk, July 19, 2006
By Joseph (Canada and Korea)
It worked for a while. HOWEVER, it keeps disconnecting and reconnects itself with my cable modem! so I retunred it and got a new one, and it does the same thing now. I tested with my good ol' Netgear, D-link and linksys and it works perfectly. what a piece of junk. im going to smash it with a hammer this time instead of returning it.
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Good Stable commercial grade Router, February 17, 2006
By Ashutosh Saxena (Chivago, IL)
The router provides very good/stable connections and is very easy to setup.
3Com has a mfg rebate of $60 till march 31 2006, making it very affordable.
I have also played online video games (CoD) on this router with excellent results.
Prior to this I had netgear, but i used to lose connections often making it difficult to work wirelessly. With this router no problem so far.
The only con is that there is a newer technology on the horizon and hence the mfg rebates. But even so this routers performace is good enough to satisfy all your wireless needs, including online gaming. I would recommend it.
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An okay router, but not worth it if you pay full price, November 28, 2005
By J. Lin
I paid about $20 for this router after rebate, and for that price, it's not a bad deal. I haven't had any stability issues with it, even when transferring very large amounts of data. I think the longest it's gone so far is 2.5 months (before a power outage reset it). I was concerned that the wireless signal might not make it all the way across my house (2 stories, about 3600 sq. ft.), especially since the router is located at one far end. On the other end of the house, the signal is weak, but it works fine for basic web browsing and whatnot, so it's not a problem for me. The SPI firewall has some issues, e.g. it likes to kill my long-running connections (like IM, or remote shells), even when I use keepalive packets. So I just turn SPI off. The wireless security/access control options are pretty good; it supports WPA, and also access control based on MAC addresses, if you only want enough barrier to entry to keep clueless neighbors or passersby off. Works fine with P2P stuff if you require that. One nice thing about the admin control system is you can change most settings without having to reset the router or kill current connections, or whatever. On the other hand, it's a bit slow and not very intuitively designed. The 3 year warranty is also nice. Overall, this router has everything I need as a home/home office user, but has a few problems (nothing showstopping, though). Given that, it's not a good deal at full price (~$80) when there are lots of other passable routers for less, but if there's a sizeable discount involved, you may definitely want to consider it.
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Not a good experience, September 17, 2005
By A. Lattke (Merrimack, NH)
I purchased this product on Sep 2, 2005, along with the XJACK 3Com wireless card (3CRXJK10075). The router worked with my hardwired (ethernet) equipment right out of the box. However, it intermittently disconnects from my cable modem. I upgraded the firmware to the latest version (2.01.05) and it still disconnects me frequently.
Support was HORRIBLE. When attempting to register this product on the 3Com site, it inserted a purchase date of 12/13/2004 for me, and it wouldn't let me change it. Since it's warranty is only 90 days their system thinks my warranty expired and it won't even let me open up a support case online.
Even though they claim 24/7 support, I work, so I tried fixing this problem on a Saturday. I get their friendly support staff in India who can basically do nothing for me except to tell me to call back on Monday during regular business hours.
I work in IT. I would not recommend this product to anyone.
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Best Router!! Highly recommeded to BUY!!, September 2, 2005
By Digital Research (Atlanta GA)
Pros:- Very stable, router will not disconnet users if you make changes in config online.The Wireless has 14 channel as to 11 channel by other routers.
Customer support is excellent, had install problem, needed to restart broadband and PC was up and running till today no problems.Well build setup & Software.
Cons:- the VOIP will not work if SPI firewall is turned on. I will update after i have a solution on that.
Please remember to update your firmware from 3com website
I have tried Netgear, Dlink Linksys US Robotics and this is the best from my expirence.Very good router after a $60 Manufacturers r ebate.
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Best router I've ever used, August 25, 2005
By Shaving Connoisseur
I own several routers: Netgear, Linksys, Uniden, D-Link, etc. There was always something in each router that I wished were different or I wished was included. This 3com is the culmination of those wishes.
The first thing that caught my eye with this router was the security features. It has WPA encryption. Awesome. WEP is not secure and hasn't been for a while. The firewall on this router is also excellent - it blocks all unsolicited incoming requests and pings while some other brands above wouldn't. This router also plays VERY well with file sharing with wireless clients. A couple of the above routers I owned would not let wireless clients access network shares.
Signal strength is also excellent. This router is at one end of my 1400 square ft. house and all my wireless clients are at the other end. All machines always register anywhere from 96%-99% signal strength.
Software config is AWESOME! 3Com has done an excellent job of categorizing functions. It's easy to navigate and it contains everything you would ever want. One feature I am glad about is that the ability to limit access to the router by MAC address only is limited to wireless clients only. It's a pain to have to enter MAC addresses for wired clients, and it is pointless. If somebody can gain access to my network via a network cable, most likely they broke in and are stealing my TV and stuff anyway. :)
This router is much slimmer than other routers I've owned, and so it doesn't take up too much space. Some may not like it because it is not designed to stand vertically. Personally I don't care one way or the other.
I could go on, but for the price, this router can't be beat!
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Only one lockup in 4 weeks, August 25, 2005
By C. Quarton
This is one of the more stable wireless routers that I have tried. It was easy to setup, and I have only had to power-cycle it once since it was purchased 4 weeks ago. Highly recommended.
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Great router if you do not use Cisco VPN Client, August 25, 2005
By J. Honeycutt (Houston, TX)
This is a great router for the price. As stated in the title, it will intermittently drop your vpn connections when you used with the Cisco VPN Client. Otherwise, great build quality!
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Smooth setup, good range, speedy connection, August 22, 2005
By T. Hsu (Boston, MA)
Got this product two weeks ago, and have put it through it's paces. I'm currently using it in a home environment, connecting to my desktop with a Netgear wireless adapter and to my laptop's built-in adapter. Range is very good on this unit, going from downstairs to upstairs through three walls, and all the way out onto the hammock in the backyard (about 100 feet). Signal strength is consistently very good to excellent, and speed to the internet as well as between the computers is very fast. Playing counter-strike on the internet showed a slight increase in latency and ping compared with a wired network, but not noticeable.
There was initially some difficulties with setting up the network, even after cloning the MAC address, but the key was to HARD-RESET the cable modem (not just turn the power off, but to actually push the reset button). I had already downloaded the drivers for both my wireless NIC as well as for the router flash update beforehand, and had absolutely no problems after that. Highly recommend this product.
Pros:
Fast, reliable connection
Good range, comparable/slightly better than average
Easy driver setup
Stylish appearance
Cons:
Price. Though there's a rebate going around for this item...
Would benefit most from a compatible 3Com NIC to get most use out of its features.
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Weaker than Netgear's Wireless signal.., August 18, 2005
By XD (CA, USA)
I bought this wireless router because my old Netgear WGR614v2 has some issues with my Motorola SB5100. Netgear works perfect with SBC DSL and the Altec DSL modem.
Anyway, I got this 3com router for only 2 days.
Let me some up pro. and con. here
Pro: Good firewall, "seems" working well with Motorola SB5100 cable modem, good wireless control access feature.
Con: weaker Signal, need to work on this manual better and more details.
So far, I see that the wireless signal is weaker than my Netgear for about 1 to 2 signal bar, based on WinXP's wireless network icon on Dell 1300 wireless card and the Linksys G USB wireless adapter.
I place the 3com router at the same location as my Netgear (on room #2). My room (room #1) right next to it, I used to get 98% or Excellent (full 5 bars) base on Linksys's monitor software and WindowsXP. And on (room #3) which is about 30 feet away + a door + a wall, I used to get 50-70% or 2 to 3 bars or signal.
This 3com router has only 20-40% or 1 to 2 bar of signal strenght. Remember, I am talking about 802.11G connection.
However, it does have it gooods. Its firewall connection really working. Works better an Netgear, it really block the connection from others. Also, the "wireless control access" feature is great. Like others, you need the MAC address on the control who can access your router. However, many other routers need to temperary disconnect others on the router when you "apply" new device(Mac address). this 3com would not do that.
it would be too long to put all the other good and bad I found. However, I think I address the most important aspect of it, signal strenght, firewall, and control access. hope this help
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Excellent, August 5, 2005
By Isrozc (CA)
The range is perfect for my necesities and I cant complain about the security, sometimes i need to unplug the router cause I lost the the internet connection, but I believe is my provider...
If you want the best one this is it!!!, I ve bought this one several times for different networks and it never cause me any problems....
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