| 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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hard to set up and poor performance, October 3, 2004
By boobie (Cupertino, CA USA)
Like everyone else, I had problems setting the expander up. The instructions are so poor. Thanks to the notes from previous reviewer that I got the unit working. However, found this on linksys.com knowledge database searching "WRE54G speed":
"The Range Expander will reduce the transmit rate to approximately half of the original source data rate transmission.
For example, when the WRE54G detects a 54 Mbps connection with a WAP54G, WRT54G or WRT54GS, it will relay approximately half of the transmission rate to the wireless clients that are connected to it. In this case, the wireless client will connect at a speed of approximately 22 Mbps."
Oh well, the unit is going back. This performance degradation is unacceptable.
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Not Good, buy WAP54G Instead, September 28, 2004
By Jon Piot (Dallas, Texas)
This device does not work that well. The setup is not bad, but the signal strength is weak. You can buy a WAP54G from Linksys for less money, get much better signal strength, and get the same functionality. The WAP54G has been updated so that it can be configured just like the WRE54G (e.g. expand the network as a repeater).
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DO NOT BUY THIS!, September 27, 2004
By -- Tech geek & Gadget shopaholic (Cold Spring Harbor, New York United States)
All these negative reviews are actually right! I really like LinkSys products (wired and wireless routers specifically), but this "range extender" just does not work. I spent over an hour on the phone with tech support in India (not fun), and they had the nerve to tell me the product works just because I could ping it! But the LED's should both be BLUE, yet they are not. The LINK light is RED -- this is an indication that something is not working properly. Not to mention the configuration software is a joke. It never worked, and always ended by saying "The setup utility was unable to locate a Wireless-G range expander...". So the lights are RED, the config software says it cannot find the range extender -- but Tech Support has the nerve to tell me its working? Please, save your own precious time and money and do not buy this junk.
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Have your phone and plenty of time, September 26, 2004
By princess superstar (Palo Alto, CA)
I had high hopes for that auto-config button, but no luck. It took me 3 calls (a total of 6 hours) to support to get the range expander set up. One rep tried to convince me that my DSL just happened to go out immediately after we re-enabled WEP; another disconnected me when she had to transfer me after I hit the maximum amount of time they're allowed to spend on a call. I had to upgrade the router firmwear, then downgrade it to another version. The third rep knew the secret: turn off WEP, enable it on the access point FIRST, then on the router. Now that it's connected, it works fairly well. I get a signal in the front of the house (generally "very good" strength), which I didn't before. However, it does seem to drop the link now and then -- I've unplugged it and plugged it back in again a couple of times to get the link light to come back on. Overall, it was worth it, but if I'd had more options, I probably would have gotten a different product.
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Only works well with default settings, otherwise....., September 26, 2004
By D. Lloyd (California, USA)
I purchased one of these a few days ago. It has to be the most frustrating piece of computer equipment I have ever come across, and that's putting it mildly. In order to get the unit up and running you *must* configure your access point to factory defaults settings (disable WEP, etc). The WRE54G only supports WEP, not WPA. Broadcast SSID must be enabled before you can configure the unit (it can be disabled after initial configuration). I was unable to change the default IP address range of my WRT54G, otherwise the WRE54G would stop working. The setup wizard on the supplied CD does not run on either of my wireless PCs, both have Linksys cards installed, and I have found no trace of any firmware upgrade on the Linksys site for this product.
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Easy Install, Works Exactly as it should...no probs here, September 24, 2004
By G. J. Wilkins
Not sure what the deal is with people who could not get it to work, but I suspect it is because they work for a competitor of Linksys or they are just not computer savvy. Had the thing setup, working, encrypted and running in less than 20 mins. Boosted my networking so my entire home (both floors-- router upstairs, expander downstairs) gets excellent connections. Pretty simple folks -- I glanced at the manual, popped in the CD, followed along and poof, 20 mins later, it was working with both my linksys cards and my belkin 54g cards (again, encrypted).
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What's the friggin' problem, people?, September 21, 2004
By PCF (Austin, TX)
I have a NETGEAR wireless router and I got this repeater working with it in less than an hour. I don't know if the directions are helpful or not because I didn't read them. The CD that comes with it has a setup wizard.
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IGNORES MAC ADDRESS FILTERING WITH NO WARNING!, September 20, 2004
By SLY (Texas)
Works OK once you get it configured...
The product does work once you get it configured, but to get it configured watch out for not only what is documented by Linksys (WEP must be disabled at the access point) but also know that if you are using MAC address authentication at your access point, adding this range expander totally ignores that and will allow anyone to connect to your network, even the access point that had MAC address filtering turned on. Also, if you have disabled the SSID broadcast at your access point, the range finder auto-configure will not work nor will you be able to get into the firmware to set it up manually. Set your access point's SSID to enable broadcasts before you try to configure this range expander. I have reported the MAC address security issue to Linksys and I hope they are working it (Case ID: 3711695). It really is a bad security issue. I would rate this product high if it were not for this MAC security issue.
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don't buy if you need 128bit security, September 11, 2004
By cfar62
how come you can't give less than 1 star?????
i waited several weeks for the wre54g to arrive. when it finally arrived, it looked really pretty. however, having spent a couple of days trying to get it to work with my network, using 128 bit security, i've decided to send it back and continue using multiple APs instead.
Basicallly, the setup utility doesn't allow you to enter 26chararcter security keys to generate the 128bits required for that level of security.
i spent a wasted hour on line with Cisco's help desk and eventually just terminated the session because the support guy was obviously working on dozens of sessions at the same time and asking really helpful questions like "is the extender set up for 128bit security?"... derrr.
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Excellent Product - Does the Job Effectively, September 9, 2004
By Cool Dude (CA United States)
I live in a 2 story house and a router in 1 of the bedrooms - I add the expander downstairs on the opposite side to my router - it basically expands the strength to the entire 1st floor so I can browse either out in my backyard or kitchen while I'm munching on cookies. Product took about 10 minutes to setup and runs fine - just make sure you have the latest firmware.
People who couldn't get it working: please be patient, as it takes a little time to get it up and running if you're not computer savvy, but it WILL work! This is the most useful product besides my Linksy WRT54GS w/Speedbooster router!
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Forever to hook up...Tech support horrible...Does not work!, September 7, 2004
By Amorr (Arlington, VA)
DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT! IF YOU DO, DON'T PLAN ON GETTING GOOD TECH SUPPORT FROM LINKSYS.
I have some dead spots on my patio so I wanted to extend my network. The tech folks at Best buy told me that this Linksys extender would work with any 802.11g network including my Dlink. It didn't so I called Linksys and they said I had to buy a Linksys router. I bought the router they recommended and still could not get the extender to work.
The next tech I spoke to at Linksys was out of the Phillipines, spoke fast and had a strong accent. I asked him to slow down and he just ignored me. After about 30 minutes on the phone I gave up, took my case number down (CASE NUMBER 3591401) and hung up. I called back minutes later a got another tech in the Phillipines who stayed with me on the phone for 2 hours and was extremely helpful but felt it was a firmware issue and said he would send me firmware updates via email. I had to get off the phone but about an hour later got the firmware and was finally able to see the extender as an available network.
I called Linksys again and got a tech in India. This tech ran me through all the same steps I ran through before even when I told him I had already gone through this. After about 45 minutes he said he would transfer me to a "senior tech". He refused to discuss the fact that I was finally able to see the extender as an available network. He placed me on hold for about 15 minutes and then the line dropped. I called again and was again transferred to hold for a "senior tech".
After another hour I gave up and emailed linksys with instructions to call me. About 24 hours later they emailed saying I had to give them a time and including some walkthroughs that might as well have been in Japanese. I emailed back a call time and number. I never got the call back.
I called a local tech company the next day who came out and got the extender working in about an hour and a half. They downloaded a stumbler program and found that the extender did not add any strength to the system. In the spots where I had weak signal with the router the extender was intermittent at best.
At the end of this process I returned the Linksys router and extender, had spent nearly 10 weekend hours working on it and spent $90 on tech support with a local firm. WHAT A WASTE!
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Great range, but KILLS your bandwidth! (do not buy), September 6, 2004
By napsfan (Granville, OH USA)
I had an older Belkin 802.11b WAP that worked fairly well, but left us with dead spots in certain portions of our house. So last night we bought a Linksys WAP54G access point and the WRE54G Range Expander. Set up the access point quickly and without any issues. It is definitely an improvement over our Belkin and provides better range.
So far so good. Then I set up the WRE54G Range Expander. I agree with the various comments about being complex to set up with anything beyond the basic autoconfiguration. But we did get it up and working and confirmed that it did a GREAT job of expanding our range. We were initially quite pleased with the results.
But I did notice my web pages seeming to be slow. So I checked the internet reviews and saw comments about how this unit slows your bandwidth. So I used the www.pcpitstop.com bandwidth test and confirmed that this expander KILLS my bandwidth!! Without the expander, my bandwidth (DSL) averaged about 855 kbps. With the expander turned on (and with my wireless signal indeed showing much stronger, as advertised), my download speed was down to less than 100 kpbs!!! From 855 kpbs down to less than 100 kpbs!! (as low as 43 kpbs, as high as 138 kbps) I had to try this many times to confirm, as I couldn't believe it myself. Wow. I'm taking this unit back to the store today.
Be forewarned -- What a bandwidth killer this is. Very disappointing.
(P.S. I am using 802.11b cards in our laptops. I did not upgrade to the newer 802.11g cards yet. But I can't imagine that this would matter. My 11 Mbps cards are plenty fast enough for my 1 Mbps DSL line.
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Exelent... but...., September 6, 2004
By Mr Salas (PR, USA)
This product works great, Its exactly like having two acces points in your house. Set up was easy and quick, barely took me 5 minutes. But let me point out i dont encrypt my connection, I really have no need. This device wont let you encrypt your acces so... if you encrypt your wireless network DONT get it, at least not yet. They will probably fix that in a few months. But it does work as advertised. Range is slightly lower then a regulas Acces Point, but since this is just a complement to an existing network I see no problem there...
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Do not buy!, September 5, 2004
By BlueHooker (Reston, VA United States)
I should say first that I've been very happy with LinkSys products and support. However...
Why would LinkSys put a product on the market that doesn't use WPA encryption? Why did I have to disable security on my network entirely to install it, then enable WEP, then repeatedly reboot every machine in my house connected to my wireless network? Why did the Setup utility finally say, repeatedly, "Cannot associate with this AP in repeater mode"? Why is this message completely undocumented? It turns out that the RE is *not* compatible with my WRT54GS, contrary to the claims on the box.
Most of all, why did a LinkSys technician finally suggest to me that I run a cable up the stairs from my router, attach it to a brand new WAP54G, and return the Range Expander? Because that would probably work, unlike this device, which consumed oh, about 3 working days.
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Run screaming, September 5, 2004
By Dave (Acton, MA USA)
Other than the fact that it just didn't work, there's the little things, like selecting 128 bit encryption mode to be compatible with my home network and finding out you can only enter 10 characters instead of 16 making it impossible to configure.
I hope they didn't pay the monkey they used for testing this product very much.
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Save Your Money, September 4, 2004
By mjmj2007 (SE Ohio)
After hooking up our home wireless network using a Linksys WAP54G and appropriate cards, in combination with a Direcway DW6000 sattelite Internet connection (the recommended approcah by both parties) we anxiously awaited the range extender. WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT. This product, once it finally decided to set itself up after numerous attempts, crippled Internet bandwidth capability to pre dial-up speeds, locked up PC's, and required electrical power reboots after several hours on the device to restore network communication. If you use broadband
satellite internet/e-mail with a WAP, DO NOT USE A WRE54G.
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Misleading Marketing = Return, September 4, 2004
By Jason Fry (Brooklyn, NY USA)
Spent 90 minutes on the phone with perfectly nice tech guys before the truth came out: Range expander won't work with my BEFW11S4 router. Incredulous, I read off the back of the package that "the Wireless-G range Expander is compatible with both Wireless-G and Wireless-B devices" -- to which the tech replied that " 'devices' means cards, not routers." When I noted that was incredibly misleading, the tech acknowledged that yes, they've had a lot of complaints. Which raises the question: Are the Linksys marketing guys evil, or just dumb? Either way, it's pretty hard to recommend a product that doesn't work as advertised.
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Not ready for prime time -- but works if you try hard enough, September 3, 2004
By Matt LaMantia (Boston, MA)
I bought the linksys range exapnder after experiencing utter failure with the similar DLink item. Clearly both of these items were rushed to market before they were ready.
I'm an engineer and I'd like to think if myself as pretty knowledgeable able network issues, but it took me four hours of trial and error to find the formula that would make this work.
The setup wizard on the included CD doesn't work at all. You need to power cycle the range extender to make almost any configuration change effective. It's very fussy.
Here's what I did to get it working with WEP:
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1. Make sure you have a compatible router or access point with up-to-date firmware. My recent linksys wireless-g was ready out-of-the-box for this.
2. Disable WEP on your router, and make sure that it's broadcasting its SSID. Test that it's up and running by going to its admin page from a wireless PC.
3. Power up the range extender, close to the router, so it finds your own wireless network when it self-configures. Press and hold the autoconfiguration button until the lights start flashing blue and red, then release. The link light should go blue. Go to the range extender's admin page (192.168.1.240) from your wireless PC and see that it's working. It would also be a good idea to try to hit the admin page from a PC on your wired network, to check the link that way.
OK, you're successfully configured in insecure mode. If you're happy with that, you can stop here and treat your neighbors to free internet, and unfettered access to your personal data. On second thought, let's try to get WEP working on this thing. This is the hard part.
4. Unplug the power from your router/AP. Link light on the range extender should go red. Hit the range extender's admin page on the wireless network to make sure that you're actually talking to it. Configure its WEP settings, and click the "save" link. You'll lose your wireless network connection as soon as these are effective. To make these settings stick, you will probably have to power cycle the range extender! Then try to connect to it wirelessly again, and verify the WEP settings. You may have to go through a couple of iterations here to make this stick.
5. Once you're satisfied that the range extender is configured, unplug it from power. Now go to the router/AP admin page, and configure its WEP settings identically. Verify connectivity, etc, to the router.
6. Now plug the range extender back into power. Stand on one foot and sing "I know this product stinks but I really hate pulling ethernet cable" in the style of a Gregorian chant, until the link light turns blue. Verify connectivity by going to both admin web pages, from both your wired and wireless networks.
7. If you got this far, you're golden. You can now place the range extender at the edge of your old network's range, and enjoy better network coverage. If that didn't work, I don't know what will.
I have to say that I'm extremely disappointed with Linksys on this product. Their routers are excellent, working right out of the box, so I expected more from them.
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Great product, complex setup, helpful telephone support, August 30, 2004
By Drappier
This is an excellent product once you get it to work.
Unless you have some (what Linksys thinks is a) standard configuration, the setup is quite challenging. Disregard the setup disk. Anthony Taylor on August 1 gives excellent instructions (step1: disable WEP, step 2: powercycle the unit), but I got stuck trying to access the unit's default IP 192.168.1.240 (his step 3). There is no Ethernet connection to the unit, so you must find a way to connect wirelessly.
I'm not the type who quickly asks for directions, but after hours of experimenting, I gave up and called their 24h helpdesk. A very patient man walked me through the installation, and after about 15 minutes he solved the problem.
The problem in my case turned out to be that my Netgear router is using the IP address 192.168.0.xxx while Linksys is on 192.168.1.xxx
Temporarily resetting the Netgear router and the Linksys WAP54G to 192.168.1.xxx allowed me to connect to 192.168.1.240. Once the WAP54G and the WRE54G recognize each other, you then can change the IP address and re-enable WEP.
This may be a one-off problem, but I thought it doesn't hurt to pass the solution along.
Also, once the connection works, don't place the repeater midpoint between the AP and the receiving wireless PC. For best results, place it close to the receiving PC.
5 stars for performance, minus 2 stars for very difficult setup, plus 1 star for excellent telephone support.
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Item worked, range increased, link light still red. Quality?, August 29, 2004
By Rhodes (Georgia)
A bit of problem with installation, the red/blue link light never indicated a good link with the Linksys WRT54G even with the units within 3 feet of each other. With Linksys support on the phone, we figured out that the link was in fact increasing the signal percentage on other laptops in the house. Even though the Linksys representative couldn't explain the red light issue, he suggested that I not worry about it if it is actually working. Almost works right isn't a good enough solution for me. Sorry Linksys. As you can see from my other review, RSLU2, this is the second "Quality" issue with Linksys in two weeks.
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