| Linksys Wireless-G Range Expander WRE54G |
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Model: WRE54G
Brand: Linksys
Manufacturer: Linksys
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 0
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: |
Dimensions - 1.1 x 7.4 x 6.9 in (H x W x D)
Wireless Standard - IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
Security WEP - 64/128 bit WEP |
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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 (0 total): |
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Buyer Beware, August 9, 2004
By P. Garcia (BURBANK, CA)
Now looking at the box, it looks like a great idea. A wireless range extender that is good to go right out of the box. But I think we all know things like this are usually too good to be true. That can be said about this product. YOUR SPEED WILL BE CUT IN HALF DEPENDING ON YOUR ROUTER SPEED. They don't really advertise this on the box. But go to www.linksys.com and check it out for yourself in the Knowledge forum. Now the setup can be broken down to 50-50. Either it works right away or you'll be struggling like myself or the previous reviewer. In my case, I thought it was a simple case of firmware version incompatibility. Upon upgrading to the mose recent version, I found it still didn't work according to instruction. Now I thought I was doing something wrong. I checked all the software and hardware connections and settings. I failed to see anything out of the ordinary. I loaded the setup software and ran it again and again. Still no connection. After 2 days of trial and error, it finally began acquiring the signal. Now my light is red not blue, but it still works contrary to the instructions. But since it works, I'm not going to knock it. I hope if you decide to buy it, you understand the potential risks of the setup...namely you'll be delighted with the speed of the setup or yanking your hair over it. I recommend D-link as their wireless repeater comes with a hardwire port for connection and setup. Good luck to you all
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Typical Linksys wireless setup headaches, August 4, 2004
By edelbeb (Silver Spring, Maryland United States)
I need to add a MAJOR WARNING to my review below. THE WRE54G IS CURRENTLY INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE LINKSYS WGA54G GAME ADAPTER! It will, in a time of between several minutes to 24 hours, cause the wga54g to lock up and lose it's internet connection, with the wireless light staying lit solidly. The lock-up will clear if you unplug the wga54g, but will reappear within several hours. I'm guessing that this problem can be resolved via a future firmware update from Linksys, but who knows when that is coming. I have no clue how Linksys missed this problem (which others have also experienced). Linksys must perform little or no quality review of their firmware.
I'm returning my wre54g. As it turns out, it's unnecessary. The signal strength problem that lead to my purchase was due to a bug in my WRT54g's firmware (2.04.3) that was resolved when I upgraded to the recently released 2.04.4 wrt54g firmware. As I discovered, the 2.04.3 firmware for the wrt54g was released with a recognized bug (from reading the usenet and forums, it seems that nearly everybody suffered from that bug) that reduced signal strength by about 75%. Again, Linksys demonstrates an amazing inability to properly test their firmware.
I'm glad I don't need the wre54g. According to the Linksys FAQ, the WRE54g, by design, reduces bandwidth by 50%. That's ok when your option is no or very low signal strength. However, with the new Linksys WRT54g 2.04.4 firmware, I am currently running at between about 36% and 52% signal strength, which provides a minimum of 36 mbps, higher than the maximum 27 mbps (54/2) that the WRE54g can deliver. And, because my signal strength is lower, my signal is more difficult for intruders to detect and is less likely to cause interference with my neighboors.
If you need more signal strength, consider Linksys's new high strength antenna. If that does not work, and you do not have a Linksys wga54g game adapter (or you are patient and trusting enough to wait for Linksys to correct the problem in a firmware update, or you are feeling lucky), and you have a Linksys router that the WRE54g is advertised as compatible with, purchase the WRE54g. Do not be afraid to spend some time getting the WRE54g configured to work with your router and your security settings. With some work and careful thought, it will serve your needs.
This product works great ONCE YOU SET IT UP. As usual, Linksys makes set up a nightmare. I guess the setup CD makes a great frisbee - it certainly does not help with setup, as it couldn't detect the WRE54g, even with WEP and MAC filtering off, and broadcast SSID on, and using a wrt54g router having the latest firmware downloaded from Linksys (2.04.3). BTW, before turning off MAC filtering, I had dutifully entered the MAC ID on the box into the allowed list for filtering.
Auto-detect (not documented in the only printed documentation, the "quick-install" guide works) sort of. I could finally see the WRE54g. The web interface for the WRE54g reported an odd truncation of my network's SSID. I wondered if that was what it was supposed to do. The on-disk documenation didn't say anything. I thought it best to leave things as they were. The WRE54g listed two MAC ID's, one for device itself and another one for my wireless devices to see on the network (At least that's what I think). I made sure that both MAC ID's were in my router's MAC filtering allowed list. BTW, the computer I was using for setting up the WRE54g is wired to my WRT54g router. My wireless pc is two floors up.
I then enabled the WRE54g's WEP set the passphrase on the WRE54g web interface. No confirmation of the password change, and I lost communication with the WRE54g. Yes, that's normal (since the WRT54g router's security is disabled during configuration), but Linksys's documentation says nothing, and, it should have been relatively simple for the WRE54g to first acknowledge the change password command on the web interface, tell you that the new password is stored and will become effective when you hit "OK" and that you will lose communication with the device until you re-enable security on the router.
Anyway, I re-enabled security on the router, and re-enabled MAC filtering. I then navigated to my web interface for the WRE54g, but the unit was not there. I check my router's setting and all seemed OK.
So, I reset the WRE54g and started again. This time, I corrected the web interface's incorrect entry of my SSID, but otherwise repeated my steps. Still, no go. Except, my wireless pc upstairs saw the device and the signal boost. The upstairs pc, however, listed two identical SSID's (later I found out this was normal, but it was not mentioned in Linksys's documentation or on their website), one with low signal strength and one with high. Unfortunately, the connection between the upstairs pc and the router was 1Mb/s.
I checked the website and noted the existence of new firmware. The new firmware's date was 6/8/04. My firmware's (ver 1.04) date was 5/8/04, so I thought the new firmware would help things. Too bad the link on Linksys's website resulted in the download of yet another useless version of the WRE54g setup utility, no firmware included. I then checked Linksys's ftp site for the mystery firmware, but the firmware was nowhere to be found.
I did another reset of the WRE54g. When I reviewed the status on the WRE454g's web interface, I noted that the MAC ID provided for my unit had changed. Earlier, it had agreed with the box - now, it no longer agreed. So, I edited my router's MAC list to add the new MAC ID, and redid the configuration routine. NOW, I even with WEP enabled, I could talk to the WRE54g using the pc wired to the router.
Back to my upstairs wireless pc. Yes, it saw the WRE54g, but could not connect to it. After several minutes of hair pulling, I had a thought. Reboot the wireless pc. It worked. Great signal strength, good wireless bandwidth. I turned off SSID broadcasting for my router and the WRE54g, and everything still worked.
Of course, the link light on my WRE54g remains red. But who cares about that? It's working. I hope it stays that way.
If you've got a network with no MAC filtering, no WEP and no WPA, and you haven't changed your SSID from the factory default, you may be a fool (if you live near other humans), but this device should be a snap to install. Just remember to reboot any other wireless pc's on the network and you should be good to go.
If you are somewhat security minded, have enabled WEP (the device does not support WPA, so forget it if you need higher security), have enabled MAC filtering, and have selected an SSID with symbols and mixed capitalization, etc., expect a nightmare during setup. But persevere, and it WILL work.
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Works fine, just read the manual before you begin, August 1, 2004
By Peter Samson (Snohomish, WA USA)
I own the WRT54G wireless router and purchased this range expander since the wireless router is in the basement (in my office) and I was getting marginal WiFi signal upstairs. I do not use WEP (see below) so I plugged in the product, pressed the auto-configure button, and immediately observed a very-strong signal throughout the upstairs portion of the house. I did not need to perform any manual configuration of the product.
So, read the instructions before you begin! The instructions clearly state to NOT use the auto-configuration button if you have WEP enabled on your wireless router.
I agree that a lack of support for WEP and WPA with this product means that it is not appropriate for some individuals at this time. I live in a rural area and don't need to worry about the neighbors receiving/using my WiFi signal, but if you live close to your neighbors then you definitely want to enable the WEP feature.
As an aside, I had the impression that this product came with two options for power - one a typical AC cable, and the other an AC prong that was integral in the back of the device. The product came with a AC cable. I was hoping to have the product "neatly" plugged into an AC outlet upstairs with no long power cable dangling with it.
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It does what it's supposed to, once you can set it up, August 1, 2004
By Anthony Taylor (Sherman Oaks, CA)
If you're having trouble setting it up, definitely call the 800 number as opposed to going online. I tried with three different people through their website online and none could help. Right before I sent it back I decided to try phone support and it got the expander a reprieve. I've copied some instructions that Y.A. Escalante was kind enough to leave in his review, but corrected and elaborated some of the items based on my experience. I would've given this 4 stars, but I deducted 1 for it not having clear enough instructions with its initial shipping. (Would've saved Linksys some headaches)
Here goes:
1-Disable WEP on your Router or AP
2-Hold the auto-configuration button for 30 seconds(if everything goes well both lights on the expander will turn blue) and unplug while still holding button. Plug back in after 10-15 secs.
3-open your Internet explorer browser and type 192.168.1.240 (default ip of expander), a window will pop up. leave the user name blank and put admin as a password (this is default password).
4-make sure that the default gateway and subnet mask settings are identical with your Router or AP,change password on the expander if desired & save settings. (all settings should be correct due to auto configuration)
5-Enable WEP on the expander, once again remember use same settings as in your Router or AP, save settings again.
6-Go to your Router or Ap settings and enable WEP. Bang you're DONE. Enjoy
Hope this helps some of you...if not call the 800 number on the box and be patient. :)
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D.O.A., July 30, 2004
By Steve Frazier (Seattle)
My batting average with Linksys products is about 40% -- I've had a number of DOA's (dead on arrival) and this is one of them. After a couple of hours trying to set up, and an hour with tech support, they asked me to send it back.
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Follow this steps and you will be happy, July 28, 2004
By Y. A Escalante (West New York, NJ United States)
1-Disable WEP on your Router or AP
2-Hit the auto-configuration buttom for a couple seconds(if everything goes well both lights on the expander will turn blue)
3-open your Internet explorer browser and type 192.168.1.204 a window will pop up leave the user name blank and put admin as a password.
4-configure the expander(make sure that the default gateway and subnet mask settings are identical with your Router or AP,change password on the expander if desired save settings.
5-Enable WEP on the expander, once again remember to use the same settings as in your Router or AP, save settings again.
6-Go to your Router or Ap settings and enable WEP. Bang you're DONE. Enjoy(By the way this instructions are using a Linksys router or AP,I have not try using another brand)
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Does not work with older WAP11 devices, July 27, 2004
By RxProf (Cherry Hill, NJ)
I tried using this device to extend the range of my wireless-b network. I have had wireless-b (WAP11 version 1 plus router) for about 4 years and wanted to extend the range into a redone garage. After about 2 hours of mixed signals, changing from dynamic to static DHCPs, etc, I called tech support. I waited 25 minutes on hold, after which they told me that the extender does not work with WAP11 devices older than version 2.8. The product info (on the website or the box) does not indicate that. I returned the product. I am dissappointed in Linksys' communication.
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Great product - but very difficult to install, July 27, 2004
By mix579 (Sudbury, MA)
Once the repeater is up and running, it works very well. However, getting to that point is a nightmare - at least if you use WEP on your network. Basic rule: do not - repeat, DO NOT - press the autoconfig button. Which is unfortunately what I did, and it took me 45 minutes to fix the resulting mess. I am still not quite sure exactly what the problem is (and in fact how I solved it). But it seems to be related to the fact that the range expander defaults to WEP-disabled. When you run the installation wizard and connect to your WEP-enabled router (as per the manual), it can't find the repeater. I lost track of exactly what I was doing but after numerous rounds of resetting the expander and pulling the plug, it suddenly worked. Make sure you read previous reviews for details on some of the things to look out for, such as reconfigured IP settings, use of identical SSIDs, etc.
I give it four stars because now that it is configured, it does work as advertised. But the installation is certainly not for the faint of heart, and judged by previous reviews, Customer Support doesn't seem to be very effective.
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Does not support WPA or Wi-Fi Protected wireless networks, July 27, 2004
By M. Knieriemen (Chicagoland, IL)
For some reason Cisco (Linksys) decided not to support WPA when this shipped this product. If you are using WPA of any kind on your wireless network, it will not work. I confirmed this with Linksys Tech. Support after purchasing the product. It only supports 64-bit or 128-bit WEP as of yet. Even worse, the Auto configure one touch button only works if you have encryption turned off (no WEP at all). Which, of course, is a bad idea.
Linksys hints that they'll support WPA via a firmware upgrade in the future.
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Does not currently work as advertised (on WEP), July 24, 2004
By J. Isabelle (Tucson, AZ USA)
The basic point here is that it probably won't work for you if you use WEP. Of course, now a days, we should all be using WEP (as the instructions mention) so this product should really be for no one. Realistically, there are people that don't use WEP and, for those people, this will probably work fine. I'll be returning mine tomorrow.
Here's my whole story if it helps someone decide on this:
When you attempt to use the setup wizard that comes on the included CD, it seems like everything would work fine for WEP; however, when you get to the page asking about your WEP config, it has two possibilities: 64-bit and 128-bit. Trying to be as secure as possible, I use 128-bit. The problem here is that the field that allows you type in your 26 digit hexadecimal WEP key accepts only 13 digits! If you enter only 13 with 128-bit selected and hit 'next', a box pops up that says you have to enter 26 but, frustratingly, you can not. If you use 64-bit WEP, this might would work for you.
So, first I checked if there was an updated version of the wizard on the Linksys site (actually, it's very hard to find anything on this product currently on the Linksys site (nice work, guys)). I knew, though, that the product had a built-in website that you can use to configure it so I figured I'd just use that. On the internal site I was able to configure WEP consistent with my settings. This was somewhat annoying, though, because the device does not have a hard-wire ethernet port so each step of the way, you loose the connection with the device as you change the wireless settings. I also found that it seemed simply saving the settings didn't result in them taking effect. Maybe I was too impatient but I ended up saving the settings and then unplugging and replugging the device in to restart it. This all seemed to work great despite the effort but it was still not talking to my other access point. I finally noticed that the SSID of this device has to be the same as the one it's 'extending'. I can see why they'd do this to reduce the configuration needs on your wireless devices; however, this means that once the SSID is set to the same as the other wireless device, if you need to continue to configure the WRE54G, you'll have to turn off your other devices or go to a spot that you're sure is out of range of your other devices so you can be certain you're connecting to the WRE54G. Anyway, setting the SSID the same as the other device didn't seem to result in a 'link' between the WRE54G and my other access point.
So, foiled again, I called tech support. This was a bad experience. The woman I spoke to was a little hard to understand perhaps due to an accent I am not familiar enough with. Additionally, there were long pauses where I eventually realized someone was directing her on what to say. Everybody needs training so I did my best to be patient and play along. However, when we got to the part where I mentioned the model of the other Linksys access points I have, she (well they) basically told me that they were only supporting this device with 3 particular wireless-G access points. This contradicts what the box and the literature on the Internet says but I figured there was no point in arguing. They were good enough to point out that I could buy a couple WAP11's and effectively do the same thing but that's what I'm already doing and that's what I bought this product to avoid.
I have at least 8 linksys products that I can think of (not including this one as I'm going to return it)--2x WAP11, BEFW11S4, WMA11B, BEFCMU10, a hub, a PCI adapter, a PC card adapter and that's just off the top of my head. I've installed a couple of linksys products for my parents and recommended them countlessly. This is the product I've been waiting for for years--a way to extend my wireless network without using two wireless devices, a wireless repeater. It's really too bad. I'm very disappointed. Between this and my experiences with the WMA11B, I'm about done with Linksys. Tomorrow, I will buy D-Link and they'll have the opportunity to earn my business and recommendation. If someone from Linksys is reading this, I'd say, "My guess is you need to beef up your QA dept. I obviously have no clue what's wrong with you but you ought to. Get it together!"
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Does not work with WEP, July 19, 2004
By unknown
It does not work with WEP contradictory to the claims by Linksys and set-up instructions.
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Make your Network BIG, July 19, 2004
By alaric a clarke (paden city, west virginia United States)
This is truly a "no brainer" product. It will perform exactly as advertised. My wife runs a business next to our house and the signal from our router was always poor, so I purchased this to increase the signal. The only down side to this product is that it will only work with the "g" type routers. So I had to upgrade to a WRT54g from the BEFW11s4. Note: It will work with your "b" type adapters, but your speed will be limited by your adapters. It has been my experience that Linksys works best with other Linksys, so I recommend using all Linksys for your network. The WRT54g is an excellent router, it has more features and so far is more stable than my old router. Use a laptop to locate the edge of your signal area and place the expander just with in it. It has an "auto configuration" button. Then you can use the browser utility to configure it. You will get roughly double your routers range. If you need more range buy it!
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OK for VERY simple wireless networks, July 16, 2004
By unknown
I had great difficulty setting up the unit. Even after disabling WEP and MAC filtering, configuring the unit to use WEP was annoying. Since you must setup the unit wirelessly (no ethernet connection is available) whatever wireless connection you are using to setup the unit must not be in range of any other wireless domain but your own. Whenever I tried to configure the unit using my wpc54g equiped laptop, my laptop would loose the original wireless connection to my network and connect to my neighbors wireless router instead of the wre54g. Once I got the unit configured it would work OK to extend the network, but would cause my wga54g to lockup after a few minutes, requiring a reboot of the wga54g and my XBOX. After two frustrating days I finally gave up and returned the unit. Oh well.
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Definitely worth it., July 15, 2004
By unknown
I don't normally write reviews, but I felt compelled to do so after dealing with Linksys' incompetent customer service representatives. I purchased this wireless range extender to complement a Linksys WRT54G router. After following the auto configuration instructions as well as the manual setup instructions, the extender still would not work. On top of that, it disrupted the connection my wireless computers already had! I decided to contact customer service. The first representative, who barely spoke coherent English, made me perform for 20 minutes the same steps I already had done (as if I couldn't read the instructions), put me on hold, then hung up on me. The second rep. either had no idea what I was asking or had no clue what to do. The first thing the third rep. asked me was the version of my router's firmware. It turns out that it was outdated and I needed an updated version. After updating that, the extender configured itself and my network range increased dramatically. This item is definitely worth the price. So please, if you purchase this product, update your router's firmware from the Linksys website.
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doesn't support WEP, July 15, 2004
By amazon_cust (Brooklyn, NY United States)
this is either a 5 star or a 1 star product. it either works or it doesn't. in my case - it didn't work with WEP which makes it useless. if you got this product to support your existing WEP you are in the minority. i spent 45 minutes on the phone with their bangalore tech support staff who told me to turn off WEP and use the auto config as this is the only way it will work. as of July 15, 2004 there is a known bug with this product which will not allow it to function using WEP. a firmware update is supposedly coming, but in the meantime - mine is going back. if you want to expand the range of your network for the enjoyment of your neighbors and anyone passing by, then this is the product for you. if you would like a modicum of security - then look elsewhere or at least be sure that the new firmware has addressed this issue.
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Security is an issue., July 13, 2004
By m_merchant (Los Angeles, Ca United States)
I like this product. It extends the range just fine without attaching nast looking "high gain" antennas to my 54gs router. There's just one thing I didn't like about it causing me to return this product. It doesnt support any other type of encryption besides WEP 64 bit and 128. I have a different type of encryption system and I couldnt find out all the encryption system the wre54g was using becuase linksys kinda let it open ended on their website as well as the manual. I spoke with linksys they said there will be one that supports other encryption standards in the near future, so I will wait.
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impressive and useful product, June 29, 2004
By duditos (tampa, FL United States)
I purchased this product against the advice of several computer geeks who warned me not to waste my money. My home wireless network had some areas where the signal was either "very weak" or nonexistent, severely limiting the usefulness of my laptop. Some of the "experts" I spoke with suggested fixes which would cost in the range of $400.00, so I thought I'd have little to loose in trying the WRE54G range expander. The set-up is a breeze, just plug it in and push a button (I didn't need the enclosed CD setup wizard). It's that simple. The signal which had been "very weak" or nonexistent is now "excellent" or "very good". I'm extremely satisfied with this product. I've never taken the time to write a review before, but the range expander is so good that I wanted to share my experience.
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