| Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router |
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Model: WRT54G
Brand: Linksys
Manufacturer: Linksys
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 1702
Platforms: Windows NT, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows NT 3.5, Windows NT 4, Windows NT 5, Windows Me, Windows XP, Windows 2000 Server, Windows
Operating system: Windows XP Professional Edition
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
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| Features: |
All-in-one Internet-sharing router, 4-port switch, and Wireless-G (802.11g) access point
Wireless data rates up to 54 Mbps--5 times faster than 802.11b
Shares a single Internet connection and other resources with Ethernet wired and Wireless-G clients
Interoperates with 802.11b clients at 11 Mbps
Advanced wireless security with 128-bit WEP encryption, MAC, or IP address filtering |
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| Description: |
| LINKSYS WRT54G - Wireless-G is the emerging 54 Mbps wireless networking standard that's almost five times faster than the widely deployed Wireless-B ( 802.11b ) products found in homes, businesses and public wireless hotspots around the country. The best part is, since they share the same 2.4GHz radio band, Wireless-G devices talk to existing 11 Mbps Wireless-B equipment. Operates as a DHCP Server NAT technology to protect against Internet intruders Supports VPN pass-through Easy configuration with web browser based configuration utility |
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| User Reviews (1702 total): |
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Worked out of the box, March 22, 2006
By Rajiv Batra (San Francisco, CA. USA)
I bought this router for home use, but as soon as I got it, I had an occasion to take it on a trip where a group of us would want to share a broadband connection. Setup on the trip and at home when I returned was a breeze. Choosing a network name, enabling WEP, etc., was all remarkably simple.
My signal has been strong and unfailing throughout my mid-sized apartment. I've been very happy with my purchase.
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Linksys has Abandoned Quality for Profit - Buy Netgear Instead, March 21, 2006
By B. Waller
In late 2005, Linksys reduced the amount of memory in their WRT54G version 5 router to 8MB and changed the operating software to VXWorks. Previous versions had 16 or 32MB and operated on Linux. Increased profits appear to have been their sole motive.
Ultimately, they turned a reliable and very popular product into one that should be avoided at all costs. The current WRT54G frequently drops connections or locks up. I now see similar erratic performance in even Linksys' higher-end SRX routers. Some may recommend this router based on its past performance, but their information is out of date.
Another problem is that the 12-volt AC adapters that come with the WRT54G almost always put out 16 or 17 volts, but some go as high as 22 volts. This defect will certainly reduce the lifespan of the router, but if you call Linksys, they'll tell you that they're okay. It looks like the bean counters at Linksys decided not to scrap a shipload of bad adapters.
I now recommend Netgear routers to my clients. I can't afford to let Linksys hurt my reputation.
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Initial setup is a pain, March 20, 2006
By Mahesh (Montgomery, AL, United States)
Initial set up was a pain, It was so hard to understand the instruction manual, but later on once the set up was complete it worked fine. signal strength was 54 mbps most of the time.
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Never Again, I Think, March 20, 2006
By T. Arenson (Brooklyn, NY)
Instructions that came with the router did not result in installation and calls to Linksys customer service suggesting downloads also did not get it working. Additionally, it screwed up my cable modem connection which necessitated a replacement modem from my cable service. Ergo, this router sits on a shelf as I am too apprehensive about what may happen if try to install it again. Meanwhile, I'm doing very well with my new modem and my direct cable connection. I should mention that that similar Linksys unit that I shared for months gave no problem. This new unit did.
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Works great, where's my rebate??, March 18, 2006
By K. Herrick Esq
My sister who works with computers recommended this one to me, and it was fairly easy to set up, I think most people could do it easily with a little help. I have had no problems and get a good signal everywhere in my house. I am still waiting to hear about my rebate though, which was a small factor in my deciding to purchase it.
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Absolutely unstable (v5), March 18, 2006
By NSObject (San Francisco, CA USA)
The router works fine for the first several weeks until it starts dropping signals, losing connection, requiring one to power-cycle the unit every five or so minutes. This is darn annoying considering you have to move back and forth (to power cycle the router) from the couch to the room where router is. Call me a couch potato, but wasn't it the sole purpose of having a wireless network, so you don't have to be literally sticking to a router?
I'm about to ask for a fourth replacement unit from Linksys, but my expectations are pretty low. The same symptom has been found across all the replacement units and the original purchase.
This afternoon, I called Linksys tech support and asked if I could get a refurb v3 as a replacement, if, and only if they have a v3 unit available. The answer I got was 15 seconds of silence with background noise, and then.
Click.
This version (v5) is a cheap knock off of the good old v3. Don't have the expectation that the same looks will give you the same stability/performance.
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Its Just OK., March 17, 2006
By D. Austin
Good for the average user who whats the speed of 802.11G 54Mbs but for the money u can get an 108mbs that's just as good. I bought this thinking that it was a V.4 for various reasons mainly that it was Linux based but no it's a v.5 and not impressed. Like I said there are other products that are faster and in the same price range some even from Linksys. So if u want a solid router with good security this is an o.k. buy.
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WARNING: WILL NOT SUPPORT 3RD PARTY FIRMWARE, March 15, 2006
By P. Cozzens
Pretty lame router, go for the WRT54GL. This is the version 5 model, which actually has _Less_ flash RAM than the previous models.
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VERY GOOD ROUTER, March 14, 2006
By douglas strock (red bluff, ca. United States)
THIS IS AN AWSOME ROUTER!
THE ONLY FLAW I SEE IS WITH THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR SETUP IT WOULD CONFUSE A NOVICE, I THINK LINKSYS SHOULD IMPROVE ON THAT I'VE SEEN OTHER REVIEWERS COMMENT ON THIS SAME ISSUE AS WELL
ONCE THIS THING IS SETUP IT'S PERFORMANCE IS ROCK SOLID AND THE FIRMWARE UPGRADES SUCH AS HYPERWRT GIVE IT MUCH MORE OUTPUT POWER FOR GREATER WIRELESS RANGE NO NEED FOR THE EXSPENSIVE HIGHGAIN ANTENNAS WHICH DON'T DO MUCH
THIS ROUTER CAN'T BE BEAT FOR THE PRICE AND PERFORMANCE IF YOUR LOOKING FOR A WIRELESS ROUTER LOOK NO MORE LINKSYS WRT54G IS PROBABLLY THE MOST POPULAR OUT THERE AND FOR GOOD REASON!
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no problems, great range, March 12, 2006
By Yaniv Bar-kana
I've had it for 6 months - no problems. It reaches every corner of my 3-floors brick house. Attached to it are a network -printer/scanner/fax (brother) and a network hard-drive (maxtor), all work flawlessly.
only 4 stars since the setup was not so straight forward.
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Everything works fine, "manual" was lacking, March 12, 2006
By K. Kojima (San Carlos, CA United States)
It did not take me that long to set this up, but it did require *not* following the instructions.
I had an old wired Linksys router. The new wireless router contained large warnings to run the CD first before trying to connect it. There was a big sticker inside the box saying "RUN CD FIRST - DO NOT DISCONNECT YOUR CURRENT ROUTER". And the router itself had protective tape over the Ethernet inputs. So I ran the CD, but doing that did not yield any results - my wired router was apparently too old, so the CD s/w did not recognize it. There were no other obvious setup instructions - though there was a softcopy manual, it did not give an answer readily on what do to. If I did not know anything about networking whatsoever, I might be stumped at this point.
But since I do have a little experience, I simply disconnected my old router and put in the new one. I do know what wires go to which inputs, I know what the lights mean, etc. So then running the CD, everything worked out OK to connect my wired computers again.
The only other problem was that security for the wireless connection. There was no obvious screen stating what should be done - the program simply said the router was secured. If I did not know what to do, I'd have no idea how to connect wirelessly. But knowing that the IP for my previous Linksys router was 192.162.1.1, I went there and found a drop down screen that had the information (the security key) I needed to connect my wireless laptop.
The router works fine for both wired and wireless. I can go pretty far away from my router and still connect wirelessly.
Overall, if you know what basic steps to take, it was not difficult to connect, and the s/w worked well to connect. But if you did not know what to do, you might have to call Linksys.
I would suggest for Linksys to include a hardcopy quickstart guide for those users with little to no networking experience, just in case the automatic CD method has issues. I'd give it 4.5 stars if possible, but since 5 stars would be misleading, I give it 4 stars.
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I'm no techie and this setup was a breeze., March 11, 2006
By skrudeup (ohio)
Many reviews on this site have complained that the set-up and configuration of the wrt54g was difficult and/or never worked. I had just the opposite experience. I popped the installation CD into my main PC, followed the on-screen instructions, and immediately after completing the steps my laptop was receiving "excellent" strength from the internet.
In addition, I also have Vonage, so I have a broadband router on my system as well.
Sharing files and a printer was a bit more of a chore, not because of the Linksys router, but because I had to figure that out through Windows XP.
I've only been "networking" for a couple of days now, but all is well so far. Updates if necessary.
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needs another firmware update., March 10, 2006
By Sully
Got the router and installed with no problems. Installed 1.00.6 firmware...as recommended by linksys. Although the router works great, there is one bug. When the date/time are checked in the status menu, the month is wrong. It seems to only report Jan. Linksys verified the problem. Although this seem to only be a labeling issue. The date/time functions, I think, are correct. The logging feature is useless, as stated in another review, it lacks date/time stamping. I have an issue with the way the access restriction functions work. If I allow internet usage from 7:00a to 9:00p, the allow function does not deny access after 9:00pm. I think it should. If I use deny access, when the condition is not true it allows access. For my situation, I first have to setup a deny time condition, then add another allow access condition to limit my kid's internet time automatically. But it does work. The unit sets up easily. Tech support is just fair. I have had the unit for about a month and it's been stable. I would recommend the unit.
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Wireless router, March 10, 2006
By Richard F. Murphy
Works perfectly but my internet connection is disconnected intermittently and I have to turn off my computer and disconnect the router and Linksys modem before restarting , to get the internet back.
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Linksys security risk, March 5, 2006
By Frank P
As a Wireless router, this product works fine. It actually performs quite well. It does have one major flaw. I happen to be upgrading routers (Wired to Wireless) and tried to move my security settings (I block numerous ports such as FTP and SMB and others as recommended by security organizations. I found that Linksys will only block TWO ports. In this age of trogans and scanners, I couldn't believe this, but Linksys support acknowledged this shortcoming.
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Easy to install, use..., March 3, 2006
By KarenKaren (San Francisco, CA United States)
Router was very easy to install and use...even for a non-techie like me...I highly recommend it.
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Linksys WRT54G Wireless Router, March 3, 2006
By Terry J. Peavler (Buena Vista CO USA)
Excellent apparatus. Easy to install and works great. Serves the whole house, two stories, with excellent signal strength.
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Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router, March 3, 2006
By Coastsider (Half Moon Bay, CA)
Very nice to be wireless in the house. Cable is more reliable but this is a very good alternative.
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Wireless Router - WRT 54G, March 1, 2006
By SAHD (Marietta, GA USA)
I received a Sony PSP for Christmas. I soon realised I wanted a Wireless Router so I could use the PSP's Internet capabilities. We had a Linksys router and it worked well for years. So I wanted to use Linksys again, figuring it would be reliable and easy to connect to our networked desktop computers.
Well it was easy to get up and running, seamlessly replacing our old router and now I can surf the Internet with my PSP from anywhere in or near the house.The security settings were easy to apply and with the Broadcast signal turned off, there is no reason to worry about anyone hacking our system. Very Happy with the purchase.
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Low cost but high value wireless router, March 1, 2006
By Kim
We are using the Linksys WRT54G for quite a while now and are very happy with the results. For our wireless hotel Internet access we recently installed several of these routers within the hotel. For controlling the internet access each guest is getting a username and password. We use www.pointhotspot.com to control access and they installed modified wrt54g's around the hotel. Apparently the new version 5 WRT54G do not run Linux anymore and cannot be modified. But I hear Linksys is selling the WRT54GL (L for Linux) and that seems to work again.
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