| 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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This Router Rocks, September 9, 2004
By Grant (San Diego, CA USA)
Best small networking device I own. Highly recommend. Very flexible. Be sure to install the Sveasoft firmware.
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BUY THIS IF YOU WANT AN EASY WIRELESS NETWORK, September 9, 2004
By Cool Dude (CA United States)
I bought this when it first came out and it's by far one of the best routers available. I am a Linksys fan ever since! EASY setup, runs fast, easy connection, wide range, and extremely stable. Update the latest firmware to run even MORE stable and MUCH faster. I noticed my download speeds increased after the latest firmware...maybe I'm just a really happy wireless user =)
Highly recommended! Very affordable too! I just upgraded to the WRT54GS and couldn't be more happier!
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Great product, easy to install and configure, September 7, 2004
By a_hui_2002 (T.O., CA)
It look me less than an hour to install the network and notebook card adapters to set up my wireless at home. I had some questions about security and the 24 hour phone support was very helpful.
I highly recommend this product.
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works good, September 6, 2004
By law_schoolin_it_up_biatch (fayetteville, ar)
linksys may be pricier than the rest of the router-makers, but you pay for what you get. i've owned/used d-link and netgear, and i bought the linksys upon a recommendation from a computer nerd. he was right. the router is far more reliable, faster, and has much better reception than the other two brands.
the biggest plus was that the d-link router kept on dropping my connection and i'd have to restart outlook and my IM programs. not the case with linksys.
one other thing: this router is essentially a small computer running linux, and is completely modifiable in all sorts of ways.
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What an improvement!!!!, September 6, 2004
By Mr Salas (PR, USA)
This product is by far the best Broadband Router on the market, I bought this to replace one of those Linksys Instant Wireless B routers, worked great for about a year. In my opinion a year is a good service time for a device, I dont expect this router or any other to work great for more than a year.
My opion is concentrate on what you need now, This product has EXELENT range, holds a teady connection, hasent even droped one and i have it for more than a month now. IF YOU NEED A WIRELESS ROUTER.... GET IT GET IT GET IT.... works really good....
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Cheap and decent router, August 31, 2004
By angst (SoCal, USA)
This router is a good performer. It has its own little quirks though. The range is average for the power output the source tells it to. The main problem with this router and most wireless devices is a dropped connection. (Mind you that Windows 2k/XP have a tendancy to drop the connection too, so it is not always the router to blame.)
It seems many people are not familiar enough wireless networks to find out that 802.11b/g are susceptible to interference to common household items. b/g devices use the 2.4GHz spectrum to transmit data. If you are like me you may have one or more cordless phones that also use that spectrum. When my Panasonic cordless is in use I get a dropped connection every time. The cordless Sony does not kill my connection as long as I do not have the base station near the router. Microwaves, Bluetooth devices, and even other wireless networks can cause enough interference. If you live in an apartment complex this can contribute even more.
A big Bonus to this router is the fact that the source code is available via the GPL. There are several people/companies out there that have aquired this source code and are modifiying it to make it better. Much better. One nice feature that some of them add is a boost to the send/receive signals from the router.
You can visit linksysinfo.org for more if you are interested (no I am not affiliated with them. I just get info and news from them.)
All in all, it is a stable (when RF interference is minimized) and very good "bang for the buck".
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Great Router....., August 27, 2004
By Theodore J. Jackson Sr.
I am truly a novice with wireless. Read up on the technology online, bought a laptop with wireless adapter installed and the Linksys WRT54g router. Called Toshiba (my laptop) help once and Linksys once and I was up and running. Initially had to remove WEP as advised by Linksys tech to get a very good to excellent, consistent connection but went back and set up WEP 128 bit encryption on my own and still have a strong connection and never a dropped signal. I first set it up with 64 bit encryption but had frequent signal drop off. With WEP 128 have had no problem. Sufing the net is just as fast as if I'm plugged directly into the modem. Only con is, none of these company's understand how to write an instruction manual. They leave out gaps of info assuming users will know. I had to enter the WEP key manually. DHCP, though enabled, wasn't getting it done. No troubleshooting documentation in the manual that I could find. But again, all is well and I'm surfing wirelessly with no problems. Buy it, it works...
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great product for the price, August 20, 2004
By Isabella Valentine - www.IsabellaValentine.com (Bloomington, IN)
This is a fantastic router for those who want to connect more than one computer to the internet. I have connected my laptop and my desktop computers through the router and was able to set it up relatively quickly.
Easy set-up. Great tech-support.
My only complaint is that on more than one occasion, I would be on the internet on both computers (not uncommon) and all of a sudden my connection would go down. My internet would work fine, but the router would have to be turned off, reconfigured, and both computers restarted. It gets aggravating sometimes.
But it has only happened three times in the last month and a half. To me, that is three times too many. Lots of unsaved work down the drain.
I do recommend this product, it works, it is easy to setup and configure, and if something goes wrong then tech support is great and they ACTUALLY SPEAK ENGLISH.
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Tremendous!, August 14, 2004
By S. Howe (Jersey City, NJ USA)
In the space of a couple of hours I have gone from one computer connected to the internet via a slow dial-up connection, to a bevy of laptops networked at high-speed both wirelessly and via ethernet cables over this router and a new DSL connection. One of the computers was even patched over to my company's corporate network so I can, if I like, work remotely. This router was easy to set up and does what you want from a router--lets you invisibibly and non-intrusively connnect to a broadband connection so you can actually use your computer for what you want to do. The router's range even reaches every room in my apartment, through walls, while still maintaining signal strength.
One additional comment: I am networking both PCs and Mac laptops with no problems.
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Excellent Upgrade from Linksys 'b', August 12, 2004
By golfman76 (FL United States)
The upgrade from an existing 'b' router to this 'g' router couldn't have been easier. Since I was already familiar with the web interface using 192.168.1.1 to get to it and the admin password was the same as the old one, I would highly recommend this upgrade to existing Linksys 'b' router owners. It has a much shallower footprint (by 1/2") than the old one and far fewer lights on it to confuse you. The data Xfer speed upgrade on my centrino (Intel 2200) laptop is definately noticeable.
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Very poorly designed, often has many problems, August 11, 2004
By S. Asarnow (Portland, Oregon USA)
This router, while exceedingly popular, is very poorly designed, has a much shorter range than most of its competitors and does do very well at sustaining high speed (or low speed) connections for any period of time. If you want a router that has great range and is easy to set up, buy Netgear, not Linksys.
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An expensive cheapo, August 7, 2004
By Loka (Florida)
Pros: this router has a significant advantage over the others - it has a mini-Linux running inside, and the firmware source code is available under GPL.
Cons: If you plan to use VPN, get a Netgear WGR614 instead.
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Decent router, terrible customer service, August 6, 2004
By Hawk1572
I recently purchased the Linksys router and have now spent the better part of 2 days attempting to get it to work with my laptop. I do not consider myself to be a real techie but have spent the last 5 years working in IT and usually have no problem. Unfortunately for me, I ran into problems setting up the router with my T1 line and routing it wirelessly to a Centrino IBM laptop.
My experience with Linksys tech support was one of the worst experiences I have had. The reps were dificult to understand and their knowledge of the technology was severely lacking. In addition, on multiple occasions, the reps would hang up when the troubleshooting reached a dead end.
Only advice: Hope your installation is flawless. Because if you run into any remotely complex problems, you may end up spending days trying to resolve it.
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Great Router, August 4, 2004
By John O'Keefe (Springfield, MO)
I just recieved the router and I'm still waiting on the adapter for my laptop. But I did connect a small wired netword of 2 computers together. One computer is running Mandrake 10ce and the other Windows 98. I didn't have to configure anything for either computer to run. I just plugged it in typed an internet address and the defaults handled everything just fine. It automatically found my ISP (Well acutally I use a LAN type connection through the apartment complex I live in, however, the router had no problems communicating with their ISP) then I actually set it up to be more secure. I think that as long as the adapter gets configured correctly (which shouldn't be a problem considering half these things are PnP) I should have no problems with hooking it up wireless. But for all those who have a wired connection now and are looking to expand later, this is the perfect router.
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Satisfied newbie, August 4, 2004
By B. Credle
This is the only wireless router I've ever used, but I couldn't be happier. I bought this and the wireless notebook card. The day it arrived I had my old (Win98) desktop wired to it and the newish (XP) laptop running wireless. No problems so far, and I get great signal throughout my 3br house and on the backporch, too.
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Early versions beware, August 3, 2004
By Frustrated (Winston-Salem, NC)
Just sent WRT54G, ver. 1.2 back to Linksys under RMA. It is almost cheeper to throw the unit away. Linksys tech. support marginal at best. Would never have gotten it to work without BellSouth tech. support. Each time they got it working it crashed within a week or so. I finally got someone at Linksys that spoke English and she authorized RMA after a few simple test. Now I am out $10.00 return postage for a unit I that I could buy locally for $69.00 with rebate. Hopefully the replacement unit will be ver. 2.**, if not it goes into the trash.
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More Expensive than others - but worth the peace of mind..., August 2, 2004
By A. Joshi (NYC)
It was more expensive than the others. I got the router and the notebook adapter for 100$ after rebates...coulda gotten the Belkin for half that, the netgear and D-link for 70$-80$...etc..
But I chose this and am glad I did, cuz I've heard its the best and I believe it...it was a pain to set up - spent 4 hours on the phone...but that was bcuz I have AOL....and the problem turned out to be I was typing in the Caps on the password/login, whereas should been all lowercase...
after that, works like a charm....
plus it works great with XBOX...so that was another worry...so I spent a little more but I got peace of mind that it would work, and I wouldn't have to return anything....and I'm quite happy...
and I think you can configure it more than yer average router...good stufff.....highly recommend...especially if you have AOL and or XBOX
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When Linksys gets it right, it's golden..., July 31, 2004
By E. Tapanes (Dumont, NJ USA)
Let me start off by stating that I am an 'old-school' computer geek. I don't play dungeons and dragons or wear a pocket protector (only because of the attached stigma), but I've been in the computer thing since the Apple II came out (20+ years). My field is software engineering (big surprise) and I am a self-professed gadget freak. So my experience may not be the same as that of the average novice, but I think that if you're going wireless, you've already got some computer time under your belt.
The install was painless and quick. I should mention that all the PCs that I connected to it are XPs. And really, if you're running WinNT or Win98 or WinME, then you should really be spending your money elsewhere instead of trying to drag that thing into the 21st century. :-)
Performance-wise this unit performs flawlessly. I have it set up in my basement (a less than ideal location for a wireless router) and I can still connect to my network using my laptop from my neighbor's backyard (a good 50 feet away through several layers of sheetrock and a 6" concrete foundation). All in all, excellent reception. I live a block away from the park where my son plays in little league (approximately 1/4 mile away) and I can still detect my network via NetStumbler (but I can't connect to it). I'm going to try placing a repeater up in the attic to see if I can't connect from the park and give the grandparents some live video feed...
A word on Linksys tech support. It sucks. Fortunately, it has been my experience that a call to tech support is almost never required. This may have been my good luck or perhaps some early karma, but either way, dealing with them sucks, but they make a darn good product and you most likely will not have to deal with them. I'm not a Linksys apologist at all. They *should* have at least adequate tech support. But 'bang for the buck'-wise, they are well worth the money. And besides, do a Google on 'Linksys' and you'll find a gazillion websites detailing installs, common tech support issues, etc..
I would've given this product 5 stars, but I'm currently having some difficulty setting up WPA (as opposed to WEP) and am not exactly loving life right now. It's probably something I'm doing wrong, but it *should* be easier.
Cheers,
Ed T.
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The best Brand Name there is in wireless..., July 26, 2004
By jmgross9999 (Berlin, Ohio United States)
After trying BOTH D-Link and Netgear in my home (...) I finallt bought this gem.
The Netscape router worked fine up close and only through a few walls, but not near enough range for my liking. The D-Link had great range, but FREQUENTLY dropped my signal.
I'm using a local wireless internet service, so those of you using cable or DSL may experience different results than I did, but this router is SOLID!
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Everything under 30 minutes, July 23, 2004
By KAL (Birmingham, AL)
I have Cable Internet connection at home. I was able to unpack, connect, configure, register the product, and upgrade the firmware under 30 minutes! This router is very easy to setup.
Directly connect your PC to the Cable/DSL modem without Linksys in the middle and insert the CD. It should recognize the Internet connection, if it doesn't restart your machine and try again. After the connection recognition, include the Linksys router between the Cable/DSL modem and your PC. Continue the setup. You should be connected to the Internet, it is that easy.
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