| Linksys Wireless-G Range Expander WRE54G |
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Model: WRE54G
Brand: Linksys
Manufacturer: Linksys
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 416
Platforms: No Operating System
Operating system: Windows
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
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| Features: |
Expand your wireless networking coverage to eliminate dead spots
Works with both 802.11b and 802.11g wireless networks
Supports 64 and 128-bit WEP encryption
Configurable through your networked PC's Web browser or the included Setup Wizard
Compatible with the Linksys WAP54G Access Point, and both the WRT54G and WRT54GS wireless routers |
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| Description: |
| The WRE54G Wireless-G Range Expander increases the effective coverage of your wireless network. Unlike other access points, this wireless expander doesn't require connection by a data cable. Just place it within range of your wireless router and bounce the signals off remote wireless devices. It's perfect for any wireless home or business network that requires wider coverage: Multi-story homes, warehouses, outdoor spaces and more. |
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| User Reviews (416 total): |
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Has done wonders for my internet, December 10, 2007
By T. Hai (Atlanta, GA)
My neighbor and I share an internet connection and I find this product works great! He lives across the hall and we split a Comcast membership and so I was getting the weak signal but once I installed this product, my internet connection became full signal. Little pricey which is why it doesn't get 5 stars but good product overall.
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Didn't work out of the box, December 7, 2007
By D. White (House Springs, MO United States)
It didn't work out of the box. Customer service was quick to help, but to no avail. The port on the extender wouldn't talk to my nic card on my PC. Had trouble with the auto programming due to a WIFI network in my neighborhood over took the signal from my router. The extender wouldn't connect to my network.
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Very difficult to setup if you are security conscious, December 3, 2007
By ken.trains (Dallas, TX USA)
The range extender is a great idea, but the Linksys model fails to make maintaining security simple when installing this device. Installation is overly complicated.
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Unimpressed, and it doesn't take much..., December 2, 2007
By Mark Gatzke (Plant City, FL USA)
Bought it new. It was a pain to set up for reasons already stated by other reviewers, but I'm used to that. Its performance was inconsistent, requiring sporadic, annoying power resets for no particular reason. It was close enough to the router to rule out signal strength problems. After five months the lights went out and it stopped working altogether. Pretty shabby all things considered.
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won't work with vista, December 1, 2007
By gadgeteer (NW Pennsylvania)
After wasting an hour trying to set up the product, I called Linksys customer support who told me the range extender will NOT work with Windows Vista. This is despite the fact that all three of the computers in my house are Vista and communicating on a Linksys wireless network. Note also that this "minor" detail is completely missing from the box, advertising, and product documentation. I will add that I did try to setup the extender on a separate Windows XP network (just for the challenge) and THAT wasn't successful either. To get an idea what you're up against, go the the Linksys support site for the extender and enjoy the page after page of long instructions that will attempt to guide you through what should be a simple process. Good luck!!! You'll need it.
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Extremely simple to install ... works as advertised, November 21, 2007
By Paul Hoover (Superior, WI)
The installation instructions were clear, and actual setup took about 5 minutes. I placed the Range Extender about halfway between the wireless router and the area where I want to work -- it's hardly visible on top of a bookcase -- and now I have excellent connectivity everywhere in the house.
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Get a smaller house, November 19, 2007
By Hamish Macphail
As far as I can tell it's easier to move to a smaller house than get this thing working. Perhaps I was on a non-starter as I have the WAG54G which isn't on the very short list of linksys kit that the box says it "also works with". Additionally the box says "works with most routers", which you'd think included most of Linksys' own routers. Not, apparently the WAG54G. If you have the WAG54G, don't buy this thing, you will have no joy. It will simply stop your network functioning and if you do plug it in via ethernet to your WAG54G it will cripple it with IP conflicts. So don't buy it. Move, it's easier.
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Great Solution, November 17, 2007
By Reviewer
Easy to install and is working well. Far easier than adding an additional modem and router.
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Setup needs to be easier., November 16, 2007
By Kevin B (Richmond, IN)
I played with this thing for hours trying to get it setup to use with encryption. I tried the advice of the other reviews and still couldn't get it to work secured. My network wouldn't access the expander wireless, kept getting page not found when trying to access the the expander at 192.168.1.240
I have a WRT54G router, a laptop and a desktop. The desktop is hardwired into the router via ethernet, this is the computer I used to configure the network. Here's what I did to get it to work.
1) The network was up and running under WPA secure mode when I did this.
2) Plug expander into wall socket, I did not push config button, don't pay attention to the lights on the expander.
3) Run an ethernet cable from your router to the expander via the ethernet port below the lights on the expander.
3) Open up 2 browsers on your hardwired computer, one browser at 192.168.1.1 (router) and the second browser at 192.168.1.240 (expander)
4) Set the SSID and subnet mask on the expander, the same as the router.
5) Go to edit security settings on your expander, type in the security key that is in your router, and save settings on the expander. A couple redlight flashes and you should have two blue ones, your ready to move the expander anywhere to get a signal.
If you get a IP conflict when moving the expander, unplug and plug back in
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Do NOT buy it, November 11, 2007
By C. E. P. Serra (Caracas)
If you want to expand your wireless network DO NOT buy thisa product.
This product DOES NOT work out of the box. The "run first" CD is completely unusable. It is not as a normal hardware works. You install the hardware, plug the device and then update. No, here you have to guess what goes wrong and pry for a solution. You live outside the US? Forget it. Get ready to come up with a monstruous phone bill because that is the only way you can get help form the "professionals" at Linksys.
You plug it in and at once it doesn't recognize any network at all. It stops when searching for networks with the "site survey fail, try again" and doesn't do anything eles.
If you plan to contact Linksys in search of help, you'll get an email saying: "Thank you for contacting Linksys Technical Support. Linksys has discontinued the e-mail support channel for Technical Support Inquiries."
From then on, you'er alone by yourself. You may browse for help on Linksys website and try to guess the solutions or follow procedures such as "upgrade the firmware of your router" and check your access points. As if that were not enough already, trying to upgrade a firmware for a router is compllicated and troublesome.
But your adventure won't finish there. After doing that procedure with the help of someone familiar with those things, you have to reset your router configuration and "insert the cd" again and configure it a second time.
After that, the Range Expander won't even blink one time on that and you will not be able to install it.
Now after sending the mail to the manufactuer and receiving that annoying mail answer, I'm one more time alone in the dark trying to guess what to do with a 75 $ alien.
Running up and down their website, it may be possible that I have to "update the firmware" of the Range expander, doing direct conections with a LAN cable between the computer and the antenna. But that's just the beginnning. You have to give your PC an IPO address (great, what I has wishing for!!!!!!) and introduce a series of values that someone at Linksys believes is of everyday use.
Search for another brand or manufacturer. DO NOT buy from Linksys if you are not a graduate in System Engineering.
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Returned the very next day, November 6, 2007
By Tom R (Chicago, IL)
I bought this because my existing wireless network was very weak and slow on lower level of my duplex apartment. Before installing this, I had about a 10% signal at any given time, and it would take about 2 minutes to download 10 megs or so, which is REALLY slow given my cable connection.
After the incredibly difficult (I have set up quite a few wireless networks before, and I do IT consulting for a living, so I can only imagine how difficult this must be for someone without networking knowledge to install) setup process, my signal downstairs did improve dramatically, to 95%, but the speed seemed to be reduced even further, to the point where it was near unusable.
Overall - If you can get it working, it WILL expand the range of your network. The sacrifice, however, is that any connection from this extended ranged will be slower than normal.
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Nice idea, but needs more power., October 30, 2007
By K. Freel (GA)
This does expand the range of the wireless signal but not as much as I would like. Dont expect to expand across a home because it bearly reached across two rooms for me. I dont know if there are legal restrictions on signal power but it seemes that current technology should allow further range for a signal expander. 5 stars for functionality, minus two for being weak.
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sorry product, sorry support, October 28, 2007
By L. Mobley (Durham North Carolina)
The Linksys Wireless-G range expander WRE54G is the worst product I've ever tried to use with my computer. After hiring a computer consultant, I was finally able to get it configured to work. The setup tools did not work and the so-called technical support is worse than nothing. Now after 6 months of use, my device suddenly stopped working alltogether. After 2 hours on hold, the so-called technical support suggested that I buy a new one - the device can't be repaired.
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Linksys Expander Works GREAT, October 28, 2007
By The Florida Irishman (USA)
This range expander works great. I've got a user @200 ft in another house away. I tried the expander 1/2 the distance away and no good. Then I put the expander in the user's house, in a window pointng to my transmitter - works great.
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Works a dream., October 27, 2007
By Skip of Alabama (Alabama)
First, a caveat. I live in the country in rural Alabama but do have cable.
Not as far out as many so Road Runner gets here.
I have a Linksys WRT54GL (with the aftermarket antennas). I am not computer illiterate. Do this stuff for a living.
All that said. I have an unsecured wireless network. Even living in rural Alabama, I will have to, sooner rather than later, encrypt my network. Especially now.
BUT, I plugged in the WRE54G in my office where the 54GL is located. Held the button for the required 5 seconds (maybe 6). Lights flashed then went blue. Took my wife's and my laptops to the patio (on a good day on my laptop I would get a "good" on hers never more than "poor") and turned them on. "Poor signal, you might not be able to connect to the internet" from my wife's. Mine was not much better.
Plugged the WRE54G into a high electric receptacle in my garage, then rechecked (after wireless list refresh (hers) and a restart (mine). Now I have "Excellent" signal strength. My WRE54G is about 100' from the 54GL. The signal has to go thru many internal walls then a brick exterior.
I have not yet had the opportunity to check just how far my signal has been increased.
Start (take shrink wrap off of the box), stop (jubilation and writing this review) 10 minutes. But I did stop for coffee refill.
After I decide to encrypt my network, I may have to re-review this extender and relay my tales of horror. But then maybe not.
Well pleased.
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Additional setup comments, October 25, 2007
By Christopher Weitner (Wayne, NJ United States)
One comment I'd like to add is that during setup, if you have MAC address filtering enabled, you either need to disable it or add the expander's MAC address to your list. Once I did that, setup was easy. It's working great!
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It works!, October 19, 2007
By M. Chabot (Waltham, MA USA)
A family member lives in rural Vermont near an inn that sells WIFI internet access for its guests. The signal was not strong enough to connect to any of our available wireless adapters on various PCs in the house. However the WRE54G placed in the same spot picked up the signal. It works! No more telephone modem, phonebills!
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Not worth the time and effort, October 13, 2007
By J. Dennison (USA)
I did buy this for a good deal, but getting this thing to work was a nightmare. Almost no helpful documentation is included - make sure you already have an internet connection available so you can find help on how to get this working.
After spending a lot of time and frustration trying to make it work, it barely extended any signal. I was very hopeful this would solve some connection issues I was having but this caused more trouble than it was worth.
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Garbage, October 7, 2007
By Bumper (Atlanta, GA USA)
The setup program located my wireless B network, but could never find the range expander. So I turned off WEP, and auto-configured by pressing the "auto" button on the range expander. I got a solid blue light, indicating that it had connected. But when I moved the device to a more distant part of my network (once again with solid blue light on), the broadcast signal was no stronger than when the device was disconnected. I can only assume that it was not working. I do not know for sure, because debugging is impossible. The only feedback the device gives is the little light that is either red or blue.
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It works!, October 1, 2007
By Paul (Ventura, CA)
I have a desktop and a PS3 showing weak signals from the wireless router in the office. I bought the range expander, put the CD in the computer, plugged it into the wall, and hardwired (cable included) it into the router. I shut off security, as stated in other posts and in the documentation. It took about 2 minutes for the range expander to set-up. I then unplugged the expander and plugged it into the room with the desktop and PS3. Hooray, my signal strength on both devices went from ~7% to 90%. I then spent the next four hours on the PS3 surfing the internet, downloading game demos, and playing online. Awesome!
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