| Linksys WRT54GS Wireless-G Broadband Router with SpeedBooster |
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Model: WRT54GS
Brand: Linksys
Manufacturer: Linksys
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 556
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
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| Features: |
Warranty - 3 years
Standards - IEEE 802.3, IEEE 802.3u, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11b
Ports - One 10/100 RJ-45 Port, Four 10/100 RJ-45 Switched Ports
Button - Power Port, Reset Button
Cabling Type - UTP CAT 5 |
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| Description: |
| LINKSYS WRT54GS -- The Wireless-G Broadband Router with SpeedBooster is really three devices in one box. First, there's the Wireless Access Point, which lets you connect Wireless-G, Wireless-B, and other performance-enhanced SpeedBooster devices to the network. There's also a built-in 4-port full-duplex 10/100 Switch to connect your wired-Ethernet devices together. Finally, the Router function ties it all together and lets your whole network share a high-speed cable or DSL Internet connection. Easy configuration with web browser based configuration utility Linksys Parental Control Service (free trial included) keeps your family safe on the Internet, setting profiles for time-of-day and day-of-week access restrictions, and controlling which of 16 content categories each family member is allowed to see Also includes email & instant messaging filters |
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| User Reviews (556 total): |
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DO NOT BUY! JUNK!, January 19, 2006
By user (Davis, CA USA)
Latest versions of this product are junk!
Linksys had great product, WRT54GS, for years running Linux.
Very stable. Very good. Community of 3rd-party firmware developers.
In latest v5 version, Linksys threw away their advantages. Started over with new board, using new OS called VxWorks. Well, it doesn't actually WORK all that well but that's what they call it.
So it is now a completely new and BAD piece of product unfortunately hiding in same piece of plastic as old product. So existing customer reviews of v4 and earlier should be ignored.
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Not useable for aftermarket firmware any more., January 19, 2006
By user (Maine)
For the vast majority of users, this will not be an issue. However, for those of you who use aftermarket firmware like DD-WRT and HyperWRT to take full advantage of the excellent hardware in these devices (and to overcome P2P and other issues in the default Linksys firmware) - BE WARNED.
The WRT54GS has now joined its cousin, the once-excellent WRT54G, in using the closed-source VXWORKS operating system instead of Linux. The new hardware, dubbed "WRT54GS V5", is now in stores and sporadic reports of encountering them are coming into Linksys enthusiast sites.
If you want to load third party firmware, that is only guaranteed now in the WRT54GL, Linksys's last remaining model in this series that is not VXWORKS based.
If you have no interest in third party firmware, this router will probably still make a decent consumer router. The WRT54G had quite a few growing pains when it went to VXWORKS, though, so expect to have to load new Linksys firmware in the near future to fix the inevitable "introductory issues" on this new hardware/software platform.
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Excellent broadband router, January 10, 2006
By user
This Linksys Wireless-G Broadband router with speedbooster is an excellent product. However, the instuctions are very vague. I had to call Linksys and be on hold for over an hour to reach tech support. However, once I got a tech guy on the phone he told me to a web page and following the instruction on the page was so easy and I got my items working just fine.
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Works well, but......., January 9, 2006
By user (Pittsburgh, Pa)
setting it up can be frustrating. Tech support, though pleasant and readily available, proved to be clueless. After 4 hours of on-line support I spent another 1.5 hours on the phone. The first 1/2 hour of my phone call was me saying "I'm sorry. Could you repeat that?" After that, I became familiar enough with the thick accent to understand the person at the other end.
Tech support talked me through every possible security option - including turning off all security and firewall(s). Nothing. Eventually they had me return it to the store and get another. Same problem - no connection to internet. The router would not issue an IP address. Before returning the 2nd router I decided to try setting up the remote computer with a static IP.
The documentation is vague. And as near as I could tell, the static IP settup was only required with certain ISPs, but not mine. I had nothing to lose, so I gave it a go. It connected right away and has worked fine ever since.
I have no idea why tech support did not suggest this in my 5.5 frustrating hours with them.
For some people this item works well, straight out of the box. If you are not one of those people and need to contact tech support, I recommend a heavy sedative and an interpretter.
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Great so far, January 9, 2006
By user (USA)
This has been a great router so far. I upgraded from my Netgear MR814v2 (802.11b). The boost in speed was worth it (B -> G) - I was able to stream DVD movies from my PC (hardwired) to my laptop with no problems (certainly not possible, and jittery on the previous router). I was also pleasantly surprised by support for WPA2-PSK.
The WPA2-PSK was a HUGE addition over WEP-128 that my old Netgear had (I had to install a support patch for winxp to enable it). It didnt cause visible throughput differences when enabled.
With my previous router, I also had to stick to static NAT IPs and turn off router DHCP for security reasons (to make up for poor WEP security). This also meant using the "alternate ip configuration" on my laptop (I had to keep the primary config at DHCP for work purposes) - but also a 30-45 sec delay before my laptop could be assigned the static IP. I no longer had to do this on the linksys due to improved security it provided (I also turned off SSID broadcasting).
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excellent product, east setup ..., January 3, 2006
By user (Missouri, USA)
Am using it with Win 98 Desktop via ethernet cable, and Win XP notebook via WiFi. It has the WPA (Wireless Protected Access) that makes your wireless network inaccessible to outsiders unless they punch in the network key code.
Installing the router was easy. The included setup CD made all the task easy with step by step instructions. Installed it on my desktop first via dedicated network cable. some minor problems that were sorted by:
1. power down of modem, router and my desktop. and restarting - modem then router then desktop.
2. wait of 5 minutes after the router was configured for WPA during the installation process.
3. my mistake: i noted incorrectly the network key code for WPA during installation process. and wasn't able to access the internet via WiFi. then i had to use my desktop, open my IE and type http://192.168.1.1 to access the router setup. I got the correct WPA key number and got going from there.
entire process took about 45 minutes.
(Note: i got the version 4 of the router. you can not find the Version number from outside. You have to open the box and look on underside of router. on searching the internet, i found that Ver 1 of this router is best. but i couldn't find it.)
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To speed or not to speed..., December 24, 2005
By user (Orem, UT)
I think probably the most important thing you need to understand about wireless router/access points is that they split a signal and work very much like hubs rather than switches, meaning that the signal is sent and received at every receiving point available. That is why wireless is less secure than guided media.
Also, when you're thinking about getting an 802.11g router/AP, you should consider the capabilities of your existing hardware. Is it an 802.11b? If it's a b device, you will not see the coveted 54Gb ever on any machine sharing the frequency because they router automatically selects the lowest speed available. The same thing can be said about the speed booster features.
I'm not sure if the speed boost option is a proprietary technology or not. If it is, all the computers sharing your network will need to have a compatible wireless card -- ie, the WPC54GS -- in order to use the speed boost. If all wireless routers/APs share the same technology, meaning it is standard for all products, then it wouldn't be a problem.
Most likely, it's a proprietary technology. So upgrading to speed boost would mean a complete upgrade to your entire network and everyone you share it with. Good for Linksys, maybe not so good for you and your pocketbook, or your friends' pocketbooks, if you're sharing with everyone else in the apartment or building or however you're doing it.
My recommendation, since Linksys makes such wonderful products, is to simple save yourself the extra doe, and settle for the WRT54G, then everyone can share the network and it won't slow anyone down, as long as they have an 802.11g card in their laptop or desktop or whatever. Especially since most laptops today come with their own built-in cards that come with their own settings and such. It is very unlikely that they will be compatible with a speed boost configured router or access point.
It will also depend on whether you're using a cable internet connection instead of DSL. Cable is a shared network which will allow the same near-advertised speed depending on total metropolitan network demand for all the computers on the network regardless of how they are connected. DSL is a dedicated connection, meaning that there is one speed going through the router (probably 1.5Mbps) and all the computers using the network will have to split the speed between eachother.
One of my favorite features in the WRT54G is the "g-only" setting. This means that only those using an 802.11g card can access your network. Pretty snazzy and makes sure that you never get slowed down by those with outdated b-cards.
Lastly, WEP is very easy to break. There was a demonstration done by the FBI, can't remember where, but they demonstrated that the 64-bit WEP only took a few minutes to break using what was then the current code breaking software that is available for download on the internet. 128-bit took only 3 minutes for their demonstration and that was with dummy signals that were given off to try and confuse the software they used. I would suggest you use WPA for your network since, while it isn't fool-proof, it is much more complicated to break. The only drawback is that it requires other cards to be compatible with the WPA standard, which is fairly new. WPA2 is even newer and would require the same compatabilities.
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works well for me, December 14, 2005
By user (Georgia)
I am by no means a sophisticated computer user, and I often have problems with installations etc. Nevertheless I found the setup of this router to be fairly straightforward (although I admit I've set up one of these once before, so I do have some experience). The enclosed instructions are not very helpful, but the Linksys website is pretty good for assistance. As far as the SpeedBooster thing goes, I really can't tell any difference (the last router I used was a similar Linksys w/out this feature), however mostly all I use it for is web-surfing so I can't speak to data transfer between network computers etc. I am very satisfied with the overall performance however, and the range is very good. The few problems I've had with installation and operation have been minor issues that were easily fixed (I tend to blame most of these on Windows rather than the router itself, and I may be mistaken in that). There may be better or easier to set up routers available, but I don't know of any.
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Once confirgured, it works fine, December 5, 2005
By user (New York City)
I bought the router along with a usb adapter. My main computer is hard wired to the router and the adapter is on the kids computer in another room. On the hard wired computer there is no appreciable reduction in internet speed. On the remote computer, internet access is a little slower, but still much much faster than the old dial up connection and the kids are more than happy! I am also impressed with the strength of the signal. We live in a high rise with cement walls and have had no problems with signal strength.
Buyer Beware: Unless you have a fairly sophisticated knowledge of computers, IP addresses and networking, you will probably not be able to set up the system without calling tech support. The included setup instructions are pretty much useless. I consider myself at least in the high intermediate category for knowing computers and I was stumped. Tech service guided me through the setup in about 10 minutes. Also the security features advertised do not appear to be that functional, something about firmware changes (i am using v.4). So you might want to keep you computer based firewall and parental protections in place, not relying on the router.
In general I am happy with the performance of this unit.
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URL blocking does not work!, November 28, 2005
By user (New Jersey, United States)
I bought a WRT54GS v4 wireless router on 10/30/2005. It does not work by just following CD setup instructions. After talking to Linksys technique support, I manually configured the router in router configuration pages. The problem was both Verizon DSL modem router and Linksys router use the same default IP address.
After got DSL working, I found that my PC is always talking to buydomains.com which slows down every command I entered for at least 20 seconds. I need block this URL in Linksys router. I did configuration, but the blocking URL does not work. The router can't block any URL by its name, nor by any keyword. Even disable HTTP service do not stop internet access. I spent three hours with the first level and his senior supports, updated the latest firmware and reconfigured Wireless router. But it still does not work. Then I was told that the hardware is defected and needs be replaced.
I exchanged a new one from CircurtCity. But blocking URL does not work. After talking to three technicians and reached the 2nd level support, he admitted it was the problem of the the firmware because he experienced the some problem. I can either wait a newer firmware to fix this problem, or exchange to a old version of the hardware v3. All WRT54GS routers at Circurtcity are v4 hardware.
Two days later, I found the Secure Easy Setup does not work on this new router. After few hours talking to three technicians, reload the latest firmware, and did reconfigurations, I was told that it is hardware defect.
I got the third router, but it is same as the first one. None of the Blocking URLs, nor disable HTTP service work. I can't do nothing, but waiting another updated firmware to fix those problems.
I don't think Linksys QA missed testing. It is whole page of settings, and none of them works. Linksys technique supports also have many problems. The first level and their senior supports have no hardware to test. I was very disappointed by this product.
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Great value and flexibility, November 23, 2005
By user (Redmond, WA)
This wireless router bests the competition for numerous reasons including: price, support, and flexibility. For non-power users you just plug it in, configure your security and you're good to go. Power users can tweak all kinds of configuration options to tune your network, security, and features quickly and easily. Part of the benefit of owning this particular devices is the huge user community and various alternate firmwares that can be used to enable many types of advanced scenarios. Out of the box the router did not have sticky DHCP adresses which caused problems with my firewall forwarding when an IP adress was renewed. Third-party firmwares easily fixed this problem and helped improve my Vonage quality as well. If you plan to upgrade you will want to make sure you do not have the latest hardware version or you will have less memory. Linksys will be coming out with a Linux-based hobbiest targeted router as well soon.
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Limited expandability for wirelss networking, November 22, 2005
By user
The features for the WRT54GS are impressive, but it still cannot provide the necessary functions for real networking solutions. If you want to have a wireless network with multiple routers in different rooms the connection has to be "hard wired" according to Rachelle (13384) at Linksys. The two wireless routers cannot bridge the gap and thus I will be looking at other options.
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Do NOT buy this router if you're wanting to use parental controls, November 19, 2005
By user
After 2 hours on the phone with Linksys (some of the worst customer service I have EVER experienced) I find out that they've removed Netopia router-based parental controls from v4 of this device without telling ANYONE. Even their web site still talks about its advantages. I know that it is a great router with lots of hackability, but I'm going back to Netgear.
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Parental Control service problem, November 12, 2005
By user (usa)
When linksys parental control server (pccfg.ourlinksys.com) is down, your internet access option is all/or nothing.
The only choice is either to disable parental control service temporarily from the router to allow unrestricted access to internet for everyone, or no internet access at all.
Also, time of the day restrictions works only on new connections. For example, if you set up the time restriction to allow internet access between 8:00AM to 11:00PM, then new connection attempt after 11:00PM will be blocked.
However, if someone started a session to download a large file (say 2GB) before 11:00PM, then the download session will continue even after 11:00PM. For some P2P client, this means the connection will be on forever as long as someone is trying to download from/to his/her PC. In other words, the parental control service cannot block "ESTABLISHED" connections after 11:00PM. I think the same is true for yahoo, AOL instant messenger session.
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Do Not Buy This Router for Parental Control Features, November 5, 2005
By user
I purchased this router for the parental control service that Linksys advertises on their website - one of the requirements to use this service is to purchase a WRT54GS - After purchasing this router I tried to subscribe to the service and received an error message so I contracted Linksys support. After checking I was told that my router was a "version 4" router and it was not supported, only the earlier versions were supported. I asked Linksys support what router I needed to purchase to use the parental support and they told me I would have to find an earlier model of the WRT54GS which is no longer available - If you want parental control options - DO NOT BUY THIS ROUTER!
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Good Value with Built in Security, October 29, 2005
By user (Ohio)
I recently purchased the Linksys wrt54gs router upon the recommendation of our firm's IT manager. We use this same router in our business office. I am using this one in a 3000 sq ft home and the router covers the entire house with an "excellent" to "very good" reception (54mps). It does take a little while to hook up. AND, this is important - it is much easier to hook up the router using a program download from the linksys.com web site. The program will walk you through the set up process and program the router for your system. I figure Linksys created the program to reduce all the time their technical people were spending with people like me. In fact their technical support recommended the program instead of the cd. So skip the cd that comes with the router and don't mess with the "easy set up button"; just use the free download. Also, if you're a novice like me you need to know that you program the router using your internet browser. The address is in the manual. Finally, be sure to set up the security features otherwise your wireless network will be open for anyone within range to connect.
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great customer service, October 25, 2005
By user (MDI Maine, USA)
Overall, this is just a great product that works as advertised.
But... when I first got this router it didn't work and I called customer service who fixed the problem immediately. If you have a DSL modem or cable router, this has to be set to a different IP address...I guess I'm new to home networks, so didn't think to check that....anyway customer service fixed the problem in like five mins.
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With Linux inside it is *amazing* what this router can do! - Get OpenWRT and you'll be amazed!, October 22, 2005
By user (Tuxville, USA)
This review is targeted to those geeks among us who like to color outside the lines. I have 2 WRT54G routers and now have this WRT54GS router. To be honest, the first thing I did when I received my GS router is boot it up and load the OpenWRT firmware on it. It's quite amazing what you can do using OpenWRT as a base. [...]
My favorite is the wireless remote control truck. I actually am using my oldest unit as a wireless web server. Here are two different sites running on it, one even running PHP:
I am actually using disk space shared from another server (NFS mounted, there are also other ways to mount disk for you non-Linux people).
People have turned them into wireless radios, vehicle tracking devices and more. You can wire up serial, USB, hard drives, sound, and more on these things. You can also hook up other antenna for other applications (outdoor directional, etc).
If you like to color outside the lines you might also use Linux as your primary desktop operating system (all my computers at home and at work run Linux exclusively). For those of you I would suggest this and for your laptop pick up a Linksys WPC55AG PCMCIA card. This card uses the Atheros chipset and works well with the Madwifi drivers (probably should do a review under the card). This is a great combo and for the most part nearly 100% driven by open source software on both the router and the card drivers.
NOTE: Nearly everything I have just discussed will void your warranty so continue at your own risk. I have been using these routers for a couple of years now and still haven't been able to render one unusable. At < $50 for the WRT54G and < $80 for the WRT54GS it might be something you want to risk.
Also, it is important to note that there are several versions of each of these routers and they all are a little different (internal switches are a different model, Broadcom MIPS processors are a little different, speed etc). There is even one version that comes with less RAM and a proprietary version of the firmware. I believe this is the Linksys WRT54GS v5. I wish the version number was listed as part of the model number so you know which one you are buying. The one I just received a couple of months ago was the WRT54GS v3 and it works GREAT with OpenWRT. I guess it's a roll of the dice which version you will get. If you get a v5 I would send it back. I believe they are also coming out with another model that will continue using the Linux firmware. It appears that this new version will be called the WRT54GL.
If you have a choice of versions get the v3, or wait for the WRT54GL to come out so you know what you are getting. I don't believe it even says anywhere on the box what version is inside. The only place you will find this version number is on the label on the bottom of the unit.
At any rate, you Linux experts/users and tinkerers go check out OpenWRT:
You'll find a nice Wiki and great Forums.
Void Main
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Excellent value for money, October 19, 2005
By user (Nassau, Bahamas)
This product performs very well indeed and enables internet access for both my desktop and notebook PCs via my cable modem. Internet access was a little frustrating initially but I resolved this by going to technical support/easy connect on the Linksys.com web site which guided me through the process with not problem. I would highly recommend this product.
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Wireless means FREEDOM!!!!!, October 16, 2005
By user (Mountain View, CA United States)
No more tripping on CAT5 cables, running up the stairs, and across the room!! I love this wireless router. I had the Linksys BEFSR41 previously, and I found it to be reliable and stable, so when looking for a wireless router, I decided to stick with Linksys. We have 2 laptops (one G and one B)and a desktop (wired) sharing a cable internet connection, and it works great. Another cool thing about this router is that it enables you to turn off wireless broadcast if you're just using a CAT5 wired connection through a desktop....I kind of like the idea that the thing isn't sending 2.4 ghz microwaves right next to me when sitting at my desk.
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