| 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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"Easy Setup" Not!!, October 11, 2005
By cmacphail3 (Solana Beach, CA USA)
It's probably a fine router, but I found the install wizard to be of poor quality.
If you have good networking knowledge, you'll abandon the wizard, use the 100-page online manual, and be fine.
I know more about networking than 70% of the consumers out there, so I was able to puzzle my way through it, but only by second guessing the documentation at various stages.
The Wizard is particularly sinister. It just tells you to start disconnecting and attaching cables without any input as to whether your current setup includes a pre-existing router (mine does), without any clarity as to whether you should be running the wizard on a hard-wired PC or a wireless equipped PC. After asking for a password (Is it asking me to set a password or am I supposed to know from page 20 of the manual that the factory set password is "admin"?) it refused to go past step 8. These are just some of the pathetic examples.
They provide no printed manual. I had downloaded the 112 page manual from the Linksys Website. Stupid me. It turns out to be copyright 2002 and much inferior to the 2005 manual included on the CD. But can you decide to access the CD manual once you have started the Wizard? No, of course not. You have to completely exit the Wizard and re-start the CD in order to find the "User Guide" tab which loads the manual.
The box proudly displays "SecureEasySetup (TM)" "Wireless Made Simple" "One Touch Setup Button" "Easy Start" "Easy Security" "Easy Everyday"
Apparently Linksys/Cisco knows that ease of setup is crucial. It just doesn't follow through in any consumer-tested way.
I don't know if Netgear, D-Link, etc are any better.
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Router fine, Power supply = helicopter, October 11, 2005
By Zander Zmith (UK)
Ive had this router for a few days now, it works fine, very easy to install and configure the network for the house. We have 1 laptop and 2 desktops, all run fine.
Main problem soo far is the power supply is noiser than a damn helicopter!! I had to get in the night at unplug the power supply! The router is quite, its just the power supply!! The noise gradually picks up, to start off it pretty quite, but it gets to a point where its just unbearable!
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A little difficult to get started but works great, October 8, 2005
By chameye
I had a hard time setting up the router because my computers are using different versions of Windows. I had to call what sounded like India to get the problem straightened out. It works great now that it's all set up. I get a great signal everywhere in and around my house.
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Using this router as I write this review, October 8, 2005
By Software book maven (Austin, TX USA)
I picked up this router when the standard was still being set and have used it ever since. I have both a desktop and a laptop, which makes this router perfect for my environment. The four wired ports plus the wireless access makes it a nice combination. I added the longer antennas to give a little better range. Had I reviewed this when I first got it and when it first came out, I would have given it 5 stars. Now that the newer technologies have come out with the longer range, I am inclined to lower the rating. I really like the Linksys brand and was happy to see that Cisco is the parent company of Linksys, which gives me more confidence in purchasing Linksys products.
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Fast, reliable and relatively easy to set up, October 7, 2005
By ambientpunk (San Francisco, CA USA)
I purchased the WRT45G when my old router (D-Link DI-714) started dropping my VPN connections to work nearly as quickly as I could make them - whether my connection to the router was wireless or not.
Not only does the WRT54G handle my VPN connections reliably, it is also noticeably faster for all uses than the DI-714 (at least with 802.11b). These two improvements alone are reason enough for me to recommend this router.
I was also impressed by the browser-based interface, which presents a vast array of parameters and information in a manner that is visually pleasing, legible and navigable. As a computer professional looking for a lot of control, I appreciate this amount of configurable detail, but I think that the experience for less technical users could have been improved by putting the most critical pieces of configuration (ISP connection, SSID, router password and possibly encryption) on the same page, or together in a simple setup wizard (note that I didn't use the Windows-only setup software - see below). And there were some minor interaction annoyances: Many drop-down lists remain blank even after a selection is made, and most form submissions return success pages with a single "Continue" button (which may inspire confidence in some people, but I find them excessive).
However, despite its excellent performance and reliability, and even if my minor complaints are addressed, say in future firmware upgrades, I could not give this product five stars because the initial installation "requires" Microsoft Windows. A bright orange sticker on the back of the router admonishes the reader to "Run CD First before connecting cables" (sic), and I noticed that some reviewers gave up due to this apparent restriction.
But the Windows setup software, as it turns out, is entirely unnecessary. Anyone can configure this router using the browser-based interface after following these three steps:
1. Connect the router to your cable/DSL modem, connect the router to a computer with a web browser, then connect the router to an electrical outlet.
2. Bring up your network connection to the router (e.g., on Linux: `ifdown eth0 && ifup eth0`, or on Mac OS and Windows: if all else fails, rebooting your computer should do the trick).
3. Point your web browser to http://192.168.1.1 and login (user: admin, pass: admin).
As I said before, most people only need to worry about specifying ISP settings (in Setup > Basic Setup > Internet Connection Type), changing the default SSID (Wireless > Basic Wireless Settings), changing the default password (Administration > Management > Router Password), and possibly changing the "Security Mode" (Wireless > Wireless Security).
The WRT45G came with a lot of paper advertising so it would have been fairly easy to replace or supplement the Windows-only CD with quickstart guides for a variety of platforms: Windows, Mac OS and Linux. In fact, a Windows "Quick Install" guide is even available from the Linksys web site (http://tinyurl.com/dz779).
So while I find the WRT54G to be a solid product, it could be a great one with only a couple of seemingly trivial improvements.
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Stable, VERY easy to set up and install, October 1, 2005
By motu (connecticut, usa)
I found this router VERY easy to set up and install. Very good performance so far. Good security.
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Tempermental, Unreliable, September 30, 2005
By A. Patterson
This is my 2nd Linksys router. Totally a frustration in the 2 months that I have owned it. If there is a power glitch, I'm crawling around on the floor shutting down the modem, router, switching cables, etc. to get my router to grab the IP.
If that doesn't work, I'm on the phone w/ Linksys support. I have had to update the firmware twice.
I will NEVER buy Linksys again. They do not seem the same in reliability since CISCO bought them. Glad I sold my CISCO stock!
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linksys wrt54g wireless g router, September 30, 2005
By Dan (Providence RI)
What can I say, easy to install out of the box, plug it in and you are ready to go. This is what technology from a enterprise company should be like, easy to use, simple to install and almost mainteance free. Cisco made a good purchase here, and they had the good sense to not mess it up.
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Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router, September 28, 2005
By HH (Carrollton, TX)
Excellent product. Needed some help with the setup which I received through my ISP. Works like a charm.
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Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router - A Screamer, September 26, 2005
By Larry G (St. Louis, MO United States)
Took me a bit to figure out configure the router as a hub so it would appear on the my ethernet subnet, but it's all been very smooth, lightning fast sailing ever since. I also have an older Linksys wireless router and the two can't come close to comparing. This dude is a screamer!
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Easy Install, September 26, 2005
By G. Runnels (Madison MS)
My PC and laptop operating system is Windows XP SP 2 with an internet connection via Time Warner cable. I installed the latest software (microcode) from Linksys. I did not use the CD that came with my WRT54G router.
Using my PC hard wired via an ethernet cable to the Linksys, I set up for WEP and MAC filtering to be used by my laptop(Dell Inspiron 8600). Unpluged my cable modem and the Linksys power cables for about 30 seconds. Wow - just like it should and to my surprise (I'm in the computer field) it came up and worked flawless.
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Best performance for price, September 25, 2005
By E.Garten (CA, USA)
Excellent product. Range is the best I have had from a wifi-g router. user interface is easy and has many features. reliable product. highly reccom0mended
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Tricky to configure on the Macintosh, September 25, 2005
By aaron-aardvark (Mountain View, CA United States)
Since I got the Linksys WRT54G wireless-G router configured, I've been completely satisfied with the performance and reliability of the product.
I have to withhold the 5th star for the product, though, because the configurator didn't have a Macintosh version, only a Windows version. I checked the Linksys web site, but didn't see any downloadable code for the Mac there. Then I phoned customer support. I was connected to a knowledgeable, helpful fellow in Manila, who escorted me through a complex manual configuration. I couldn't have accomplished the configuration task myself using the Linksys customer documentation.
The customer support person had me name my network with a word in the Tagalog language, and wouldn't tell me what it meant. I had a Tagalog speaking friend translate the word for me later, and the translation was completely innocuous. I wonder what was the big secret!
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good router, September 24, 2005
By Kurt Walther
Wireless works great. I installed the new firmware and have not had any problems that I see so many complaints about. One time the internet stopped working and I had to renew/release the DHCP on the router. Havent had any other problems at all. I recommend it.
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make sure your computer is up to the task, September 23, 2005
By M. Glass (Atlanta, GA)
The installation instructions were very easy. I had no idea it would be so easy to set up a wireless network.
If you have an older computer, though, make sure you have an ethernet port. I had been using my high speed modem with a USB port, but you must have an ethernet port to set up the wireless router. When I called them for help they said there was nothing I could do. The guy at Best Buy, however, told me I could install an ethernet port myself. It was an easy solution that I wish Cisco systems had mentioned.
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Works good but had trouple with DSL, September 20, 2005
By P. Gratton (WI, USA)
The intial setup went o.k., but when I hooked up the DSL modem to the router I couldn't obtain an ip address. I called tech support but I barely understand Linksys's India Tech help. I finaly got a friend to setup some different connections and setup perferences and it worked.
Also the Tech's with your isp are not sussposed to help set up your router.
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4 hours later... it is still not working, September 20, 2005
By Call me Kevin (North Carolina)
While I am not a complete computer geek, I do have some experience working on/fixing computers. However, the WRT54G Wireless router has just about been the death to me.
Yesterday, I received my new Gateway 4500 with a built in wireless network card... the whole thing was going to be "Plug-and-play" I would turn on my comuter and it would automatically find my Linksys router... awesome... or so I thought. After 4 frustrating hours on the phone with my internet provider, Gateway, and Linksys - I stll do not have the dumb thing working! Apparently, Linksys routers are known to be tricky in configuring to a wireless network - Gateway even provided SPECIAL instructions for this particular router (they didn't work... of course).
Also, while the technical service response was friendly - Linksys should hire native speakers to help their American clients. Our inability to communicate doubled a 45 minute phone call into 90 minutes - I literraly spent half of my time saying "could you reapeat that". More frustating is the fact that it wasn't one person at the help desk - both people I talked to had horrible English.
To sum it all up - 4 hours of wasted time - still no internet access- My suggestion - unless you are truly a computer expert (or plan to hire one) do not buy this product.
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I needed this, September 16, 2005
By Amy Benson
I needed this router in a hurry. It was easy to order and arrived the day I actually needed it.
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Wireless-G Router, September 16, 2005
By Steve Passaloukos II (Purdue University)
I am pleased with the router, we had a tough time setting up the newtwork, but we found the main obstacle was due to the ISP and the address their modem was initially addressed as. I would purchase another linksys product in the future.
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Excellent router, great range, solid performance, September 14, 2005
By An Avid Reader (San Diego, CA)
I have tried a number of routers by Microsoft, D-Link, among others, and this one is the best performer of them all.
The setup wizard is straight-forward for beginners, but doesn't create the most secure setup unless you limit your connection to the G-type (i.e., don't include the B-type connection).
I had to log into the router manually (via its built-in browser) and modify the setup myself... which was pretty easy.
Overall, this is a great device. It's solid - hasn't failed me more than once or twice in 4 months of use.
It works equally well with Mac G-books and Windoze notebooks. And the range is comparable to the best I've seen.
I highly recommend it for intermediate and advance users.
Beginners may wish to read the manual carefully before going through the Setup Wizard.
Good Luck.
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