| 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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product did not work / Inadequate customer service, February 28, 2006
By J. Prucey (NY NY USA)
Without going into great detail, I cannot recommend this product. It did not expand the range of my wireless router, and after SIX hours, yes that's correct six hours with customer service, and speaking with four different "specialist" on three different occasions it worked, but it didn't expand the range. During this time they managed to completely disable my cable modem at one point and I didn't have any internet service at all. The "expert" told me to call the cable company because the cable modem somehow mysteriously sopped working after three years while he had me rebooting every device attached to my computer. Save yourself the trouble and avoid this product. I sent it back and have had a great sense of relief ever since
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It's criminal, February 27, 2006
By Bargain Shopper (Garden Ridge, TX)
I'm disappointed that a CISCO company could sell such a piece of junk. I've worked with the range expander for more than 10 hours and still can't get it to work even when I use the suggestions shared by other users here. I tried the support help line and the person on the other end, while courteous, could barely speak english. I can't remember having a more frustrating experience! I will never purchase another Linksys product!!!
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Be Careful, February 23, 2006
By John G. (McCall, ID USA)
I bought the expander and found the instructions were not helping me to install. The during the first call to Tech Support it was apparent they do not understand the product. She said she would get her supervisor to help, but after 40 minutes on hold I called again. This time I got a person who was even more helpless, she got frustrated and either hund up or we got disconnected. During the third call the tec worked for two hours and then said I was up and running, however, it became apparent my sinal strength did not increase. My fourth call was made on day two and again I got a person who got frustrated and we suddenly got "disconnected". My fifth call (by now I have been on the phone a total of SIX HOURS) was a person who was pretty good, but after two hours she told me to take the expander back because I needed a Version 1 not a version 2. I honestly do not know if it is worth trying a version 2. Their technical support is horrible. I onwed the product for two days, spent a tremendous amount of time with their tecnical support teams, but have no idea if the product works! I am not certain I would have given it a One Star, but I could not go lower.
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no fully compatibility with 802.11b, February 17, 2006
By Luis F. Ochoa
Linksys says it can be used with the standard 802.11b but is not totally true. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't.
It looks I will have to buy the G wireless router.
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Good prodcut. It really Expand the wireless signal, February 14, 2006
By J. Gonzalez (CA, USA)
I don't give it the 5 starts because of its poor installation procedure and the technical support or Knowledge Base from Linksys.
I bought this expander knowing of some of its problems especially with the set up procedure by reading some of the previous reviews. I got the WRE54 Ver2. which has the ethernet port, so I follow some recommendations that I read here: First, I downloaded and installed the latest firmware for bouth, the router (WRT54G Ver2) and expander. Then, I connected a wire from one of the ports of my router to the Expander and used my desktop to browse to 192.168.1.240 and entered manuallty all the information for my Network and WEP. Then, I moved the expander to the middle distance from my router and my laptop .... And ready, I was able to connect my laptop to the Internet from the death spot of my house. Before I did not have any signal on my laptop and now I had a full strength signal and 54 mbps. GREAT!!!! I was very happy until I noticed that, I was not able to see the shared files or the shared printer of my desktop from my laptop, but I was able to ping the laptop from the desktop (wired to the router) and vice verse. When the laptop was connected to the router (wireless) without the Expander all the sharing files and printer worked fine. I checked the Knowledge Base at Linksys.com but couldn't fine anything releated to this problem. (There are only 4 articules about the WRE54G), so I called Linksys tech support, and as many of you mention, after waiting for almost an hour to be connected with the technical support, they told me that, they have "limited support" and of course didn't solve my problem. Finally, I discovered that, when I uninstalled the protocol "NWLink IPX/SPX/NetBIOS", which I was using for my sharing files, and rebooted the desktop and laptop all the sharing files and shared printer started to work fine. Now I am happy again :-) Everything is working fine and the Range Expander work very well. The only thing I have noticed is that it got disconnected once in a while. It reconnects again, but I am wondering what if I am in the middle of downloading a file from the Internet, then it will be a problem. So far my house death spot is now alive :-)
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Works great...after I broke down and called Linksys tech support, February 11, 2006
By R. M. Silva (Healdsburg, CA)
I never thought one product could frustrate me so much! Having worked in desktop and networking support for 10 years, I thought setup would be a snap. Below is a snapshot of what I did and hopefully this will help out some other poor soul who buys this.
* Turn off any wireless encryption and configure the range expander with a wired connection + CD provided with setup application. I was unable to connect wirelessly because the default IP address of the expander was in a different subnet than my router.
My Router Configuration
IP: 192.168.15.1
Subnet: 255.255.255.0
My Expander Configuration
IP: 192.168.15.2
* Laptop Network Configuration - This is where my phone call to Linksys saved the day. Support suggested that I plug my information manually and they indicated that I needed to plug my Router address into my DNS settings. I'm not sure where they get the 2nd DNS number from, but my internet connection started working before I could even close the network panel. I'll tinker with DHCP settings later.
IP: 192.168.15.3
Subnet: 255.255.255.0
Router: 192.168.15.1
DNS: 192.168.15.1
4.2.2.2
So...as much as this product frustrated me, Linksys saved the day with their amazing tech support. My problem was solved quickly and without any grief or attitude. I would give 5 stars if I could have set this up myself without calling.
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works as advertised but some "assembly" is required, January 29, 2006
By F. Olivares (Tegucigalpa, Honduras)
I'd give this product 5 stars because it works as advertised (good signal boosting, seamless integration with network, reliable...couldn't be happier)..but I don't because of the time I had to spend figuring out how to make it work.
As every other reviewer says, stay away from the autoconfig utility that came with the CD (or the one you download from Linksys.com). Follow the instructions other reviewers had suggested (came in very handy...THANKS!).
...and yes, it does work with the BEFW11S4, provided that you find VERSION 2 of this expander (I bought mine from eBay and had the seller email me pics showing the sticker just to be sure). Here's one happy user who can confirm you that they pair well with each other (make sure the router has firmware 1.5 [STAY AWAY FROM 1.52]).
LAST MINUTE ADDITIONAL COMMENT!!
June 27, 2006
Paired it with a DLink router (DI-624 revision C, firmware 2.53 if I recall correctly). Pressed autoconfig button on Linksys expansor and voila! Perfect connection.
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It works, and customer support was surprisingly great, January 26, 2006
By Chief Bootknocka (Naptown, Indiana)
I have excellent range and speed with this device. The installation CD, however, could not find the device with which it was packaged. So, I ran the auto-configuration and it worked!
My problem came when I tried to use the repeated signal on my iMac desktop. My PC laptop had no trouble seeing the SSID, but the Mac could not see it. The online chat help at Linksys.com was surprisingly helpful and friendly. Nancy de Leon with Badge ID - 12961 was amazing. I expected the worst and got the best. I have to give it 4 stars instead of 5, however, because the manual configuration is still troublesome.
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Don't Buy It, January 22, 2006
By A. Swerdlin (Houston, TX)
Cheaper and easier to buy a wireless access point and put it in repeater mode...especially since you can plug in a cat5 cable to configure the wireless portion. I'm above average on wireless network knowledge and my opinion is this product stinks!
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Once you get past the setup... Works great!, January 19, 2006
By Chris (Garland, TX)
It took me two nights' worth of aggravation, but I finally got this thing to work. And work it does. I did the auto configure and both lights went solid blue only after a few seconds, but I couldn't connect to the WRE54G's web interface and it was not extending my network yet.
My big breakthrough was using the CAT5 port under the flap on the front of the unit. I plugged that into one of the ports of my WRT54G and I was finally able to acccess the WRE54G. Once there, I upgraded the firmware (A MUST). After that, I could connect to it wirelessly.
I set up the WEP on the WRE54G and my router. This all seemed to work fine.
The final step to get the thing to work was to enter my router's IP address in the "Gateway" portion of the WRE54G's setup page. I thought this would part of the auto-configure... guess not.
Anyway, after that, all worked exactly like i expected it to _ I hada bedroom in my house that was completely dead to my wireless network, but now, I have "Excellent" connectivity.
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Stay away from this product., January 14, 2006
By H. Tabb
2 hours working with their tech support only to be told to take it back for a refund. The unit would not handshake with their own router! Something about incorrect firmware. Give me a break! We have to test and debug their product. Just throw it out on the market and then worry about if it works with other Linksys products. No thanks.
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Don't waste your money or time, January 11, 2006
By Ed (Washington, DC)
Difficult to setup and when you call support they will leave you on hold for 3 hours. After all that it doesn't really improve the signal that much.
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Beware - only works easliey with linksys routers, January 9, 2006
By michael h (madrid)
You should only buy this if you use a Linksys router and note that if you do it will halve your network speed - this is in the tech support section of the linksys website. (Even though Linksys put 54 in it name!). Non-linksys routers need to support WDS (So much Linksys's implementation of the 802.11b/g standard ). But good luck setting that up!
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REALLY NEED TO UPDATE FIRMWARE (A MUST), then works perfect!, January 7, 2006
By atwi_confidence
I have it for more than a year now..
(B4 updating firmware) YES, set up was too hard. and I had to reset the whole network (turn off EVERYTHING)l, and then turn on everything every 3 days, so it works again. THAT WAS a big headache, but the only way to get a signal in the basement. (it should be really put very very close to the laptop or computer getting signal from it).
(After updating firmware) Yes, I still Kinda lose the signal from time to time, (like only for 10 seconds, and I guess its becuz of interference, however it happens once a day or twice every 3 days). BUT now, I dont have to shut down the whole network, the range expander works flawlessly even if i lose signal. Then it connects back by itself, no need to shut down anything. Its really kool, and thats how it is supposed to work from the beginning.. anyway, I guess it was not until now that engineers at Linksys figured out the right way to configure it..
BTW, Im using WEP 128 bit security, and it works fine with it...
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Does the job!, January 6, 2006
By Info and more... (Oakland, CA USA)
I'm quite pleased with the Linksys WRE54G Range Expander.
I think range is one of the biggest complaints for people who have installed wireless networks. In this 'era of the laptop,' we expect a wireless network to cover most all areas of the home, which in many cases doesn't happen.
When my wife switched from her desktop to a laptop, I decided to supplement our CAT5 wired network with wireless, so she could use the laptop as it's intended. Alas, with our DSL entering the house downstairs, and the wireless router located down there, coverage upstairs (where she did most of her work) was woefully inadequate. If she could get a signal at all, it was a very weak -- and therefore proportionately slow -- one.
I therefore went out to review alternatives: antennas and range extenders. With antennas being a much cheaper alternative at the time, I almost went that route. However, after talking with several trusted sources, the feeling was that the higher cost of the range expander would be worthwhile. Well, I'm glad I went this way.
Setup did require one call to Linksys, but they once again proved to have some of the better technical support I've found (admittedly, the bar isn't set very high in this arena). With one short call, we had the unit running.
We now have a connection rating of 'excellent' in most areas where my wife works, with a corresponding increase in speed.
I may add another unit near our bedroom on the opposite end of the house, which remains a poor reception area in the network. An expensive solution? I think over the long run, it will prove worthwhile, especially since it eliminates so much aggravation and allows the network to function as you expected it to.
Now it would be great if the range extension was just a LITTLE more powerful, but all-in-all, it's a good solution.
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MAC address security implication, December 30, 2005
By Juan Crouix
Be aware that if you secure your network simply by listing "allowed" MAC addresses, this unit will allow unauthorized MACs to access the network. This is because your router can only see the MAC address of the Range Expander. It cannot see the MAC addresses of equipment homing on the Range Expander.
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Excelente producto. Un poco dificil de configurar, December 28, 2005
By Alon Shats (Santiago, Chile)
Si tienen problemas con la configuracion del producto (y les aseguro que los tendran), solo sigan los pasos sugeridos por Anthony Taylor y LISTO!!! En 40 segundos tendran el producto funcionando... EXCELENTE!
0. Deshabilitar WEP en su router
1. presionen el boton "Auto configuration" por 30 seg.
- La luz "Link" cambiara entre azul y rojo, y
- "Activity" se mantenra azul
2. Mantengan apretado el boton y desenchufen el range expander
3. Despus de 15 segundos vuelvan a enchufar el range expander
4. Listo.
Si quieren modificar la configuracion del range expander:
IP: 192.168.1.240
Password: admin (sin nombre de usuario)
GRANDE Anthony :o)
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Has become an expensive paper weight, December 27, 2005
By joesal (Long Valley, NJ United States)
I've had the LinkSys WRE54G in operation for over a year. It took many hours over several days to get this unit to work with its LinkSys WRT54G access point. The documentation that came with it was worthless, and in my opinion, has not improved. The setup utility is of little value as well as it can rarely find the WRE54G to set it up. Thank you to the many message boards for clues to this device's ideosynchracies. I did get the device setup. For months it had a Red link light, even though it worked. A later firmware upgrade cured that problem. The device worked well for most of 2005.
Seeing that there was a Nov 05 firmware upgrade available, I upgraded the firmware. Now the WRE54G refuses to associate with the WRT54G Access Point (which has the latest firmware). I have spent 3 hours and give up. Having dumped at least 20 hours into this device over its lifetime, I give up. It's now relegated to "paperweight." I was hoping Cisco would make these products more user friendly, and less mysterious...
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Tricky to setup-but it does work great once you get it going, December 26, 2005
By DDD (Westchester County NY-USA)
I'll make this short because there are plenty of reviews on this product. I purchased the item to add-on to my linksys wi-fi router and modem. Although the instructions say it easy setup I also had some trouble until I read several of the reviews which included instructions (or tips) to get the thing working. Once I followed the steps in the reviews I had it up and working in a matter of minutes, and it allows me to have full coverage throughout a 4 level townhouse...
If you have signal strength issues because of a large, or multi-level situation, and you are currently using linksys products, I would say this is a "must have"...Good Luck..DDD
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Agree that it is impossible to set up but great when it is finally working, December 23, 2005
By L. Cole (Los Angeles, CA USA)
Silly me thought that if I read through all of the reviews explaining how to set it up that I would be fine. First, I'll say that I agree that Anthony Taylor's instructions from 8-4-04 were the best to understand how to reset the extender (although it won't always reset, so keep trying) and to try to get it to automatically connect to your network. However, I tried his Autoconfigure instructions about 30 times over 10 hours and while I could get both lights to turn blue, my problem was that I could never get into the extender's online screen, which is supposed to be easy as typing in 192.168.1.240 to your browser. (I've changed my router's address slightly to reduce conflicts with neighbors' wireless networks, so I tried lots of variations on the address to try to get it to work. I even reset my router to its default connections, which may have helped and then changed them back again.) Because I couldn't get into the online menus I couldn't configure the extender so that it matched the encryption settings on my network nor could I upgrade the firmware. Somehow I was able to get into the menus a couple of times (not sure how since I can't do it again) and in one of those times I changed the settings. I spent another couple of hours working on it before I brought the extender into the other room, connected to it via my wireless card, and realized that it was actually working. At this point I'm getting a 100% excellent connection where I got 50% before so I'm quitting while I'm ahead and not trying to figure out how I got it to work. I'll need to set up a connection in another room in a few months so will deal with it then, hopefully in less time than I messed around with it this time.
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