| Linksys Wireless-G Cable Gateway (WCG200) |
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Model: WCG200
Brand: Linksys
Manufacturer: Linksys
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 138
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
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| Features: |
Product Type - Gateway
Warranty - 3 Years Limited
Share the Internet -- connect one PC to the integrated Router via USB and four more via Ethernet using the built-in 10/100 Switch
Wireless Access Lists and WPA to enhance wireless security |
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| Description: |
| The Linksys Wireless-G Cable Gateway is the all-in-one solution for Internet connectivity in your home. The Cable Modem function gives you a blazing fast connection to the Internet, far faster than a dial-up, and without tying up your phone line. Connect your computer to the Wireless-G Cable Gateway via USB, or take advantage of the built-in 4-port 10/100 Ethernet Switch to jump-start your home network. You can share files, printers, hard drive space and other resources, or play head-to-head PC games. Connect four PCs directly, or daisy-chain out to more hubs and switches to create as big a network as you need. The built-in Wireless-G Access Point allows up to 32 wireless devices to connect to your network at a blazing 54Mbps, without running cables through the house. It's also compatible with Wireless-B devices, at 11Mbps. The Gateway's Router function ties it all together and lets your whole network share that high-speed Internet connection. To protect your data and privacy, the Wireless-G Cable Gateway features an advanced firewall to keep Internet intruders and attackers out. Wireless transmissions can be protected by powerful data encryption. Safeguard your family with Parental Control features like Internet Access Time Limits and Key Word Blocking. Configuration is a snap with any web browser. With the Linksys Wireless-G Cable Gateway at the heart of your home network, you're connected to the future. |
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| User Reviews (138 total): |
Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 of Total 7 Pages
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Unreliable; Tech Support Time Sink, January 23, 2008
By M. DiGioia (Bothell, WA United States)
Avoid the WCG200. For a more detailed review, read on but really that first sentence is all you need to know.
I purchased this unit in October 2007. For two months, it functioned as well as the separate modem and WiFi devices I was replacing. Then, it began crashing, both on the wired and wireless sides. A quick power cycle fixed the problem, but this became tedious when it occurred a dozen times a day. Additionally, the wireless network would randomly revert to the default settings dropping all networked computers and leaving my AP open and unsecured.
Linksys tech support consisted of half hour hold times and repeated explanations of my trouble culminating in the unhelpful solution of "hold the reset button in for 60 seconds." Linksys sent two different refurbished replacement units and they were worse. Neither functioned at all.
As a resolution, they are replacing my WCG200 with two separate units, the BEFCMU10 and the WRT54G. If I could do it over, I'd stick with the leased modem from Comcast and just buy a non-Linksys wireless router.
So, again, avoid the WCG200.
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Problematic, January 19, 2008
By Michael Spenard (goffstown, nh United States)
The wireless interface on this unit mysteriously flakes out and requires a power cycle to fix. Most annoying router ever.
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No trouble at all, buy it, January 12, 2008
By Jim Sauser (Danville, VA)
I've owned the WCG200 Linksys-G Cable Gateway for close to a year now and NEVER had to reset it once. I went in tonight and reset my SSID name and WEP password and noticed that it's been up for 137 days since I last powered it down. (turned off the power strip) I run a USB wireless Tivo connection, a second PC in my basement using wireless, my wireless work laptop that I bring home every night, and I also have my desktop system upstairs connected to one of the four Ethernet ports on the back of the router. I've never had a problem. I'd say, buy it!
I work for a large company and do PC and Server support in the Systems Engineering Department, so I have a pretty good idea of what I'm talking about. This thing rocks for the price. You can really lock this thing down for a secure network too. It's very easy to setup with good documentation.
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Crappy, devious and dangerous, December 27, 2007
By Kizito Ofornagoro (USA)
Not sure why Linksys has not recalled this product in spite of its numerous reported problems:
1) The router disconnects frequently, especially when downloading large files or during an extended browsing sessions. Typically, the access point would stop broadcasting or the modem would disconnect from the ISP. In either case the router needs to be rebooted to restore service.
2) Once in a while the router would disconnect from the ISP, claiming network access denial. Attempts to refresh the connection never helped. Again, only a cold reboot works.
3) When rebooting the router, sometimes attempts by clients to access the router before it's ready may result in the routers loosing all configurations and going back to its default factory settings. This has happened to me several times!
You may encounter this situation if you have a network printer connected directly to the router, with DHCP enabled, and if you tend to turn on the printer before the router it's fully rebooted.
The danger here is that the router, in its default setting, has a SSID value of "linksys", with no wireless security, and administrative password of "admin" without a userid. The real danger here is that you may not know this has happened, as your computers (as well as strangers') depending on their wireless configuration would still connect - automatically. A stranger can actually lock you out of your network or steal your personal information.
I have since given up on my WCG200, and gone back using the ISP's modem with D-Link router.
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Very poor product, December 15, 2007
By DB (San Clemente, CA USA)
If you have anything other than basic networking requirements don't buy this product. I found it couldn't deliver reliable wireless LAN - I had to buy a standalone wireless access point. It just doesn't seem to have the horsepower to be a modem, router and wlan. Even with the wlan turned off it still couldn't maintain a reliable cable connection to the internet.
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DROPPING CONNECTION, November 20, 2007
By I. Allendesalazar (NYC)
This router is the worst one i have ever seen, and I have seen many of them...
It has a design problem, the wireless connection drops of every 15-60 minutes, especially when there is a high bandwidth usage...
don't buy, even if it looks cheap and great, it's a swindle.
I warned you. You do what you want. But trust me: You don't want to return it one week later, pay restocking fees and all of that stuff.
You should buy instead 2 separate machines: one modem and one wireless router.
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Great, November 12, 2007
By Bbop (Columbia, SC)
This modem router works great for me non of the problems reported by other users. I hooked up the cable to called Time Warner to give them the MAC address, set up the security and bam I was surfing the internet. Works great for the XBOX 360 also and its all in one unit.
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Don't Get This, November 4, 2007
By S. B. Aruoba
I bought this hoping to replace my modem and router (both Linksys) and use one unit instead of two. The wireless feature does not work properly. Just do a google search for WCG200 and wireless and you'll find endless forums complaining about it. In the short 6 days I had the unit connected, it reset itself over 30 times, according to Comcast. Another thing I did not like was that you had no control over the firmware -- your ISP pushes it to your device. Also the router function of the unit is not as good as other Linksys routers. Just buy a wireless modem and a router instead.
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Avoid at all costs, October 29, 2007
By Brendan J. Buster
Don't even think about buying this product. Drops internet every hour, at hte very least. Often has to be reset by powering down. Very poor signal strength. Expensive piece of worthlessness.
I gave it only one star because 1)that's as low as it goes and 2)it flashes red and green LEDs whenever it powers down, making one want to get up and dance.
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Doesn't even work well as a doorstop, either, October 19, 2007
By SpaceRook (Gaithersburg, MD)
Why am I giving this product 1 star? Well, I'm returning it. That is pretty much the definition of "1 star" right there.
Like many others, I thought that since this product was by Linksys, it would be high quality. I was wrong. First of all, I spent a combined time of 3 hours on the phone with Comcast trying to get them to correctly recognize it. (I bought the Linksys Gateway on a Friday, and it wasn't until Tuesday that it started "working").
Once it was properly setup with my ISP, the wireless performance was VERY unreliable. It would work for 10 minutes, then the connections would drop. Sometimes it just wouldn't work at all. The only good thing I can say about it is that the ethernet connections seem to work consistently (I had my XBox 360 connected to it via ethernet, and never noticed any dropped connections on XBox Live).
In short, don't make the same mistake I made. Look at other options. This product is NOT as good as the other Linksys products I've used.
UPDATED: If you want a great wireless gateway, get the Motorola SBG900. I got it after returning the Linksys, and it's been working beautifully.
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Drops connection frequently, Look at other reviews as well.. and do yourself a favour - Buy motorola SBG900 instead, October 8, 2007
By Cmreddy
The basic problem with this router is that the connection drops frequently. Its so annoying when i am attending a webex or interwise sessions with my colleagues. It reflects poorly on me at my work..
I had to switch off and switch on frequently to get the internet connection. It happens atleast twice in a day for me.. It seems this problem prevails among other as well and rampantly.
And the Linksys service sucks. It really sucks big time.. They ask you the same stupid questions which lead you or them to no where.. And guess what, even if you could convince them to replace your router with another brand new one, there is a high chance that it might malfunction just like your old one.. So, this is your chance before you buy a new one, to save the trouble and instead go with motorola..
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DON'T BUY THIS AWFUL PIECE OF .... EQUIPMENT, October 6, 2007
By Pascal Renucci
I bought this unit thinking a combined cable modem and wireless router was a great idea, and how could I go wrong with a Linksys? Boy was I sadly mistaken. My ISP is Comcast (in San Francisco). Although hooking up the unit and configuring it was fairly hassle-free, the unit very quickly showed its principle weakness: it loses the connection to the internet *very* frequently, necessitating a power shutoff.
I figured that calling Linksys tech support would solve my problems. Dealing with Linksys tech support achieved nothing other than convincing me to never buy a Linksys product again. Their so-called tech support was an insulting, infuriating waste of time.
Bottom line: the WCG200 is defective by design, and Linksys tech support is a waste of time.
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Dependable Modem/Router, October 3, 2007
By L. Martorell
Linksys usually makes a quality product and this is the case here. After I installed and set up my router/modem I have not had any problems what so ever. Much nicer to have an all in one unit than a seperate modem and router which may or may not have trouble communicating to each other.
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DON"T BUY, October 2, 2007
By T. Irwin
Nothing but problems. No resolution by the manufacturer. Wasted several hours dealing with customer service script readers.
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It just doesn't work, September 26, 2007
By Eric (Cleveland, OH)
Like so many other people, I bought this product assuming it would be of typical Linksys quality -- then found that it doesn't work at all. For some people, the problem seems to take a while to manifest; for me, it was junk right out of the box. The internet connection dropped every couple hours, unless I was ambitious enough to try to download something. Then it would drop on the spot. Every time I had to hard reset the thing just to get it to work.
After reading a lot on the issue, I think there are problems between the firmware and certain cards. That's why a few people around here have it working fine. If you have version 1 of the Gateway, you can get your provider to roll back to an old firmware and fix it; if you have version 2, tough luck.
I took the Gateway back to Best Buy, who was very nice about exchanging it. It takes one extra outlet, one extra cord, and a tiny amount of space, but I replaced it with a separate modem and router that work beautifully.
In short, stay away.
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Eliminate an extra device, September 22, 2007
By sdsoftwareguy (San Diego)
I've had the Linksys cable modem/router for about 8 months now. Has worked great, no significant issues. My only complaint (and its a minor one) is that the administrative software that Linksys builds into the unit to configure it is more difficult to use than the previous Linksys router I owned.
The big advantage of this unit for me is eliminating my modem rental from the cable company, saving me $10 per month. So the ROI on this unit is immediate, if you're renting a cable modem currently. The other big advantage, especially if you have way too many devices on your computer stand, is that it combines two devices in one, modem & router.
The only other concern with this product is that it has only one antenna (whereas my old 802.11 B router had 2), so I wonder if that limits the range of the WCG200. The more recent images I've seen show 2 antenna, so perhaps they've addressed that. If Linksys comes out with an 802.11 N device, I might upgrade to that.
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Horrible! Can't Handle Downloads w/o Dropping, September 22, 2007
By Jaya Schillinger
*Do not buy this product.*
I bought this at the same time I moved to a remote area and thought the problem was Comcast being less reliable here than at my previous home (wrong!) ISSUE: Surfing the web is okay, but every time I try to download music off iTunes, try to watch streaming video, or have more than 2 internet apps running at the same time, the router goes offline and requires a reboot. This happens 5-10 times a day.
After suffering for 14 months, I visited the Lynksis online forums and learned this is a KNOWN issue with the WCG200. Lynkis won't help unless you want to send it back in and go w/o internet access in the interim. As much as I hate buying replacement equipment, that's the only solution. If you haven't purchased this yet, DON'T.
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Avoid at all cost!!!!, September 20, 2007
By SAM (SD, CA)
This thing doesn't deserve a single star. Do a search on this product and you'll find scores of unhappy consumers. Linksys (Cisco) knows they have a problem with this product and blame the ISP.
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good idea, bad product, September 17, 2007
By ipod listener (scottsdale, az)
I decided it was time to upgrade both my cable modem and my wireless router. I've generally had good luck with Linksys products in the past, and saw the wcg200 as compatable with Cox Comm broadband service. I've had some problems with dropped cable connections as mentioned, but I've had serious problems with the wireless, using every form of encryption. The wireless connections will randomly drop, then will refuse to correctly connect, despite the fact that nothing has changed. Then after hours/days of wasted time, the connections magically work again.
I've had it with this piece of junk. I'm switching to separate modem/router devices, and this may be the last Linksys product I ever buy.
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Setup not as easy as I had hoped, August 31, 2007
By M. L. Granger (SEATTLE, WA United States)
Still can't figure out if the setup problem is with the host PC or the wireless PC trying to access my internet connection. Frustrating.
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