Certain functions won't work without the update and performance may be less.

If you're wondering about 802.11G who cares? Broadband cable and DSL are well below the 11MBS speed of this device (less than 1.5MBS). It'll be a few years for you to need more bandwidth than this device provides for the home user.

Well, this unit can handle that nearly automatically! In fact, the only thing that slowed me down was that Linksys supplied me with a bad ethernet cable. My link between the ADSL bridge and this router would be on when I reset the devices, but would go out. I thought this was a negotiation problem, but couldn't find any info in the logs (this is a fault with the LInksys, the logs are scant).

It turned out that once I replaced the cable, everything "Just worked." Wonderful! Now we're sharing a broadband connection behind a bridge (the unit handles MAC address cloning so you don't even need to call your ISP when you switch).

The only drawbacks are that the logs are vacant of any useful information and, once you start getting into advanced stuff, this router may not do the trick. But in 99.9 percent of all situations as a home broadband user, this thing will handle it (it even does a "DMZ" if you want).

I'm only giving it 2 stars however. Linksys won't support Linux, and their cards (WMP11 PCI card) has absolutely no support for Linux. It used to, then they changed the chipset and the drivers that the community wrote don't work anymore.

If you're looking to WiFi your Linux box, buy Lucent or D-Link

Overall I like the product alot now that it works. I get good reception downstairs, at least it seems like it. The support rep was helpful and able to help me get online.

Simple and Brilliant.

To connect to my corporate e-mail, I must use a VPN connection to the corporate server, and then connect to the mail server with Microsoft Outlook 2000 via Microsoft exchange server. I've been doing so for years without a hitch on the Gateway.

Hardwired to the Linksys router, my Gateway easily connected to both the VPN and the MS exchange mail server. The cable internet connection was shared successfully between the two computers, and I could transfer files from one computer to another, share the printer, digital camera port, et al, without a hitch.

HOWEVER, I could not access my corporate e-mail account with the laptop, either using the wireless Linksys PC card or using a hard-wired connection with the Dell's built in 10/100 3com NIC card. I could complete a VPN connection, but when Outlook tried to open the program responded "The Microsoft Exchange Server is unavailable". Yet I could connect the laptop directly to the Toshiba cable modem, and access my corporate e-mail with either the ethernet port or a USB connection. Oddly too, the VPN connection appeared "dead"; ie, I had no internet connectivity for my web browsers, etc, when the VPN was connected.

I tried unsuccessfully changing a number of different settings in W2K and in the Router's web-based configuration utility. I studied all the online documentation at Linksys' web site, but found nothing specific to my situation. I searched the web for answers, but was unsuccessful. I e-mailed Linksys corporate support, and got a e-mail full of suggestions for port forwarding, DMZ, ad nauseum, none of which worked.

I then spent over two hours on two separate calls to Linksys' tech support. The first tech thought I needed to upgrade the firmware and told me where to download and to call back if I needed more help. The firmware he suggested refused to load on the router. I called back, jumped through a few more hoops, before the technician declared the modem "defective" and that I should return for an exchange.

I was on the verge of returning the both Linksys units for a refund, and buying Netgear wifi equipment (which I'd read here are more VPN friendly). I'm stubborn, though, and made one final Google search of usenet rather than the internet. After an hour or so of searching, I stumbled across a recommendation to change the router's internal IP number from 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.xxx.1. It was for a somewhat different problem and a different brand of router, and I had no idea whether it would work or not but I was desperate.

I opened the web based configurator and changed only the internal IP address for the router. I repowered router and rebooted the laptop. I was amazed (and delighted!) to see my laptop seemlessly connect to the VPN AND my Microsoft Exhanger server e-mail account. And I turned off all the security-reducing port forwarding and WAN filter disabling that Linksys' tech support had urged me to implement to try and get it working. All of that was absolutely needless.

I recounted this tale of woe to the local computer store where I'd purchased the unit. He was dismayed that Linksys' tech support didn't have such a simple solution on hand. It only took 10-12 hours of my life in web searches, software tweaking, et al, but the router finally worked perfectly.

It's a good unit for a simple, straightforward "vanilla" installation. However, if your configuration is "out of the ordinary" or complicated, I would recommend staying away from this product unless you're already a networking guru and don't require support from Linksys.