| Linksys Compact Wireless-G Broadband Router WRT54GC |
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Model: WRT54GC
Brand: Linksys
Manufacturer: Linksys
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 181
Operating system: Microsoft Windows 98SE/2000/ME/XP
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
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| Features: |
All-in-one Internet-sharing Router, 4-port Switch, and Wireless-G (802.11g) Access Point
Shares a single Internet connection and other resources with Ethernet wired and Wireless-G and B devices
Compact form factor fits in anywhere
High security: Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA/WPA2 Personal), wireless MAC address filtering, powerful SPI firewall
Compatible with Windows 98SE, Me, 2000, or XP |
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| Description: |
| The WRT54G Wireless-G Broadband Router puts you onboard for the newest wireless networking standard. Wireless-G is 54Mbps wireless networking that's almost five times as fast as the widely deployed Wireless-B (802.11b) products found in homes & businesses. They can interoperate with existing 802.11b equipment, making them more flexible thanother networks. The built-in 4-port full-duplex 10/100 connects 4 PCs directly and lets you daisy-chain out to more hubs and switches for as big a network as you need. To protect your data and privacy, the Wireless-G Broadband Router can encode all wireless transmissions using 128-bit WEP encryption. The powerful Stateful Packet Inspection firewall will defend against most Internet attacks. |
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| User Reviews (181 total): |
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Quick and Easy, May 23, 2006
By Giant Albino Smurf (Plano, TX USA)
I've got 5 Computers and 1 Laptop on my network. I got this router because of the wireless capability and because we need more access ports. Setting up the router was a snap. I hooked this router into my other router (a D-Link 4 port) and hooked my PC in and it worked with no configuration changes! I went into the setup utility and changed this router's IP address and setup the wireless properties, and was surfing the internet on my laptop in less than 5 minutes. The signal strength is excellent (I loose 2 bars when I'm in the garage, which is clear across the house from the router) and the freedom from wires is so nice! It's great to be able to sit out on the front porch and be able to check my E-mail or browse a website while I'm enjoying a nice day outside!
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Compact router for road warriors, good performance, but, not for your home network, May 21, 2006
By Mannina Magha (Traveller)
Having been used to wireless internet, it is impossible to stay without it. Since I am travelling most of the time, and many of the hotels do not have wireless - I thought of buying a compact router.
I bought this one from Staples ($20 after rebate) and started using it the same day. Have been using it for the last 2 weeks and do not have any complaints so far
Pros:
+ Compact, even the power adapter is small
+ Very easy to install - just follow the auto-installer prompts
+ Anybody observed ? The power adapter is dual voltage - 230/110, so if you take it to europe/india/china - it would still work
+ Decent speed - I use it to browse, maybe download files a few times, VPN into my company network and even do telnets and ftp
+ Decent signal strenght - I do not live in a presidential suite or something, atleast in my hotel room - I get good signals everywhere, even if I walk into my co-workers room in the next floor
+ Comes with a 4 port switch, so you can use it in your office conference room if you run short of network ports
Negatives
- Signal strength rapidly drops as you go away - so if you are setting up a home network, I would advise you not to go with it - Instead go for a Netgear WGR614 (see my review on that)
- They could have bundled a high performance antenna with it. If you want to buy it seperately, these guys rip you off (costs $60)
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Exactely as advertised! Great job + Highly reccomended., May 20, 2006
By Marcel Chiranov (Bucuresti, Romania)
Happy about my new router! It is doing EXACTELY was is presented. Easy installation, without any type of problem, 100 Mbps on wire, 54 Mbps on air. I have a tiny two rooms appartment, so this means that's the air speed at about 6 meters (7 yds) from the router. Couldn't make a better choice for my needs and also a great value for money. It is very small and light, very practical for business travel needs.
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Amazing!, May 17, 2006
By Gadget Guy (Houston, TX USA)
I bought it for $21 and change from OfficeDepot ($60-$40 instant saving) and shipped free.
It is easy to setup just like the other Linksys router, and works great. Even without external atenna, I am still getting very good or excellent reception around the house.
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Slooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwww, April 25, 2006
By MarcWinNJ (NJ)
Bought in December 05 for it's size. Thought my intrnet connection was slow until I researched the problem. Spend the few extra dollars and get the WRT54G full size router.
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Unreliable, April 23, 2006
By Oliver Staley (Brooklyn, NY)
Very disappointed with the product. The installation software is not compatible with Apple (despite claims to the contrary on this website) and while the customer support people are willing to help, they offer the disclaimer that they do not support Apple systems. Installation was long and tedious, the range is extremely limited (even in a tiny New York apartment the signal fades if I take my laptop two rooms away) and the router seems to require frequent, time-consuming restarting. The whole process has been a pain and has made me reconsider having a wireless network. I cannot recommend this product for use with any Apple computer.
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Pathetic tech support, April 22, 2006
By Ashu
I had a bad experience with Linksys WRT54GC. It does not ask for Service name in pppoe configuration and if your ISP requires it, you r screwed. The only option is to replace router with a different one from Netgear or Dlink. All other routers ask for Service name except Linksys. When I contacted technical support, they told me that the only option is to buy a new router from a different company or tell my ISP to change their configuration so that there is no need to enter service name field. They are adamant on not upgrading their firmware to include Service name field in pppoe configuration.
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perfect!!!!, April 7, 2006
By predator888
this product is great! its compact, easy to install, and has a wide wifi range. a highly recommended wireless router!
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Good buy, easy to setup., April 6, 2006
By Dhruv (Dallas, TX)
I bought this because I liked how this thing looked and the price. Of course, its a Linksys(Cisco) so I trust the brand too. It is a compact beautiful thing on the desktop and does its job real well. The wizard based setup is a breeze and it hooked up with my SBC Yahoo DSL modem without any fuss. There was one problem though, when there were power drops due to thunderstorms in my area, this thing wouldn't get an IP from the modem. I had to plug my computer directly to the DSL modem, wait for the modem to give the computer an IP and then put this router back on. This was the only way the router would get an IP after a power cycle. It was real frustrating to keep switching cables during the thunderstorms. I called linksys support, it went to a call center in India, they spent 45 minutes reviewing and trying various options and finally fixed it. I had to switch my modem to bridge mode so the router now handles the PPPoE and the modem just sits there as a bridge for the phone line the ethernet. It works wonderfully now even after power drops. My laptop just works on this wireless connection for hours without any drop in signal, I'm very pleased. Thanks much to the tech support folks in the India call center, they were very skilled at this, I'm impressed.
Overall, one can buy this router given the price, without a blink.
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Works great!, March 24, 2006
By cseg (Fairfax, VA USA)
My previous wireless base station stopped working one day for no apparent reason. But that gave me a good reason to upgrade from 11b to 11g.
After doing a little web searching, I decided on the WRT54GC because of its small size, its reasonable price and the good experiences people reported with it on the web. Besides, my wife was starting to have withdrawl symptons because of her inability to access the web from her notebook.
When the WRT54GC arrived, I plugged it in, did some minimal configuration, and every thing just worked! No fuss, no muss. In my case the base station is in the basement of a 3 story town house, and I have no problem accessing it from the third floor.
I remember looking for one configuration feature that was on my old wireless base station that I could not find on the WRT54GC. Unfortunately, I can't remember right now what that feature was -- so it certainly wasn't critical.
The important thing is that its working fine and my wife is happy. But I'll give it only four stars, anyway, because of that missing feature.
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Worked Great for me, March 24, 2006
By Melissa Oxendale (FL United States)
This worked great. Had no trouble getting it set up and running. Recieved it fast and it great shape. My husband had it running the same day. I can get internet on my laptop in the living room, bathroom, or bedrooms. It is wonderful and makes my life easier. I would recommend this to anyone interested in wireless in thier home. We picked this one as we live in a one floor apartment and did not need signal to reach across the neighborhood.
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linksys wireless, March 22, 2006
By Harley
This compact wireless router works great. It's size makes it perfect for the desk. It's easy to set up and the signal is very good 95% of the time (the other 5% could be my dsl provider). Good price.
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nice li'l one, March 20, 2006
By itsnonelsebut
This is a nice small li'l thing I enjoy every day. The wireless reach is a bit unhappy thing though. At about 20ft away it slogs. Data through put is also not really at its full potential. I dont know whether it is the problem with Road Runner(my High speed internet)or with modem.
It needs a good user manual. However they have excellent customer support. They walked me through the setup. I remember his name Senthil who made a 1>>2>>3 walkthrough setup and I am all set.
Finally a good product with a not so good user manual.
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very low performance & waste of money, March 19, 2006
By RaghuVG (LA,USA)
I really didnt like this.bec if the security is on,it doesnt work.with out security also it does work sometimes.but not all the time.so fed up with this.no more time to return this.already spent enough time in returning this piece before.this is the secondone I got in exchange with this.no decided not to waste more time.I feel I have invested money on a unworthy thing
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Its a Good Piece, March 17, 2006
By Hridayesh Shrivastava (Racine, WI United States)
It really works well. Easy to install. Easy to connect. Nice coverage.
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Poor excuse of a router..., March 16, 2006
By Eric L (New York)
Scenario 1: I'm in a new apartment, walls are paper thin, router works fine, even through walls (once again, thin sheet rock walls) and down the hallway.
Scenario 2: I'm in another apartment, walls are solid, router has no signal around ONE SINGLE corner. I literally have to be in visual line of router in order for me to connect. What are these walls made of? And why isn't this router able to send signals through it?
Conclusion: Save your money and get the WRT54G
Wireless-G Broadband Router instead. I use that in a house from basement to second floor with 100% signal. What a waste of money...
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very good for price, March 15, 2006
By herb (baton rouge la.)
Bought this so could use laptop arround house .Linksys support was very helpful when I had a little trouble setting up.now I can use computor when wife shopping eBay.
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Linksys Compact Wireless-G Broadband Router WRT54GC, March 13, 2006
By L. Sarna
The Linksys Compact Wireless-G Router is great. It was very easy to setup and the small form factor make it ideal to carry with my laptop and use when traveling. I like that it supports both WEP and the more secure WPA (though not at the same time).
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It Works, March 10, 2006
By Kimmie (Maryland)
Got my router in a couple of days and it's working as advertised.
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Great Size/Price/Functionality!!!, March 10, 2006
By Jorge Osuna Diaz (For now, Guatemala CA.)
This is my actual first WiFi router, and I was waiting to get one because I wanted the best and smallest, without sacrificing features. Well this router has all that and more.
Has 4 LAN wired ports, WiFi B/G capability, and lots of security features that make it the best choice in a very tiny box. The LAN cable I use takes more room in my backpack than this router. Has amazing WiFi coverage for a router without external antenna, and has also the option for a external antenna to make the coverage better.
Couldn't be more happyo with it!
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