| 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: 433
Operating system: Microsoft Windows 98SE/2000/ME/XP
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
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| Features: |
Internet-sharing Router, 4-port Switch, and Wireless-G (802.11g) Access Point
Protects all wireless transmissions with 128-bit encryption
New SpeedBooster technology increases wireless network performance by up to 35 percent
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and 802.1x
Shares Internet connection and other resources with Ethernet wired, 802.11g, 802.11b, and SpeedBooster devices |
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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 (433 total): |
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LED is flashing. Linksys shoud recall this product., December 28, 2006
By Tojam (NY USA)
I used it for 11 months without problems, but it works on and off all of sudden. I thought something is wrong with the internet connection. I found that the LED of the router was flashing. As I tried to find the solution, there are a lot of people have the same problem. If some people are lucky, they could upgrade the firmware, but in my case, it never conncet the router to upgrade the firmware. When I contact the customer service, it was one day after the warranty period. IT IS THE NORMAL PROBLEM WITH THIS ROUTER, DO THE RESET, but if the reset button doesn't solve the problem, just contact for a replacement. They HAVE TO RECALL THIS MODEM. Nobody think the flashing LED is normal, which is damaged firmware. The firmware damages by itself.
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Robust router for home network use., December 18, 2006
By WiFi Goodness! (Racine, Wisconsin)
I am using the Linksys 4-port wireless-g router with Speedbooster and have done so for better than a year. Before I purchased the wireless version I was using the 4-port router also by Linksys. In both cases I have been very happy with the ease of use, to include; setup via the installation instructions, navigation through your favorite web browser to configure the router, and the upgrading of firmware provided to you via the web by the manufacturer.
I live in a 2000 square foot single family home with solid walls. The router is located in a back room of the house and my general use is in the family room, located three walls away. The connection to the Internet is as strong as if I were plugged directly into the router itself!
It does help to start with a fast Internet connection, but based upon my experience you would be hard-pressed to top this router in the wireless-g category of 802.11g products. The new wireless-n certification is already in the pipeline and assures to be a bit faster and have greater range than the wireless-g. However, the cost to value ratio has this router on top and my recommendation would be to pick this established and robust router and wait a year or two before considering the upgrade.
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Good customer support., December 16, 2006
By Tax Specialitst (POMONA, CA United States)
I set up the router for my mother. I had to call customer support as there were problems with the install. It took some time but after downloading an update to the software and changing some settings the network was up and running.
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couldn't be happier!, December 10, 2006
By Stratocuse (Syracuse, NY)
Having never dealt with wireless before, and on top of that being a computer retard, I was expecting a complete head-ache from this thing. I popped in the CD, unplugged and replugged in a couple of wires and I was zipping along the internet in 20 minutes, tops.
I don't know the ins and outs of this router, and can't say if it's good for hardcore gaming or data transfer, but if you need basic wireless to surf, e-mail, and do online school work with little hassle, this ain't a bad product.
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So easy, December 5, 2006
By girl_frog75 (DeRidder, LA USA)
I am new to wireless and recently bought a new laptoop with built in wireless...This was the only wireless router at the Super Walmart, so went with it. I have to admit the CD explained the setup completely and had me sitting on the sofa in the living room surfing the net within 15 minutes. Definitely worth the money.
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Run away!, December 5, 2006
By Dr. Philip J. Kinsler (Lyme, NH USA)
This product provided the single worst computer experience I have had in 30 years of computer use. Our needs seemed fairly simple. We wanted to upgrade an existing 802.11b network to 802.11g because some of our computers no longer worked with the 802.11b standard. We have a house, and a home office attached to the garage. We had two Netgear routers, one in each location. Their setup was maybe an hour. The Linksys routers would not talk to each other or assign IP addresses properly. My wife is a computer specialist. We both spend hours and hours over the Thanksgiving weekend trying to make it work. Tech support was horrid. I waited for something like 45 minutes to obtain a chat session that did not help. I searched through 400 unhelpful articles in their self-help web tool. Many of them had contradictory instructions. I tried phone support--one time a tech decided one of the routers was bad. Another time I waited on hold for about a half hour while they tried to re-direct me to the tools that had already failed. And while they told me how much my business means to them. We estimate we spent some 10-12 hours trying to do what should have taken an hour. Buy something else!!!
If all you need is one router in one location, maybe this product is OK. If you have any more complex needs this product and the company stink.
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Experienced user finds no fault, November 29, 2006
By M. Davis
Easy to install, online support was excellent. This thing smokes the last router I used. I won't name the other brand, but it was Gear I bought on the Net. The Linksys product is faster, it doesn't overheat and more importantly has not had one service interuption in 10 days. The old product radiated enough heat to warm your hands and I lost internet service 8 to 10 times daily.
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Excellent device, easy setup, solid performance, November 28, 2006
By philosopher (Texas)
The key to installing this device is to insert the setup CD into the computer BEFORE DOING ANYTHING WHATSOEVER TO YOUR COMPUTER and follow the step-by-step directions carefully. Throw away any directions you may have downloaded from the internet or Microsoft about the ins and outs of setting up a wireless network--you won't need them. The Linksys CD setup program is very sophisticated and it automates the execution of what is actually a fairly complex set of algorithms, with very little user input needed. It is a most impressive bit of hardware, and a no-brainer to set up. It took me all of 20 minutes to set up my network and connect three computers in the house to it. I can't comment definitively on the strength of the signal, since the distances covered in my house are small, but over those small distances (30 feet and three walls at most), the signal strength is excellent. This is one of the best computer purchases I have ever made. The key is, again, to follow the CD setup directions carefully. . .
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Has worked well, but not user friendly, November 26, 2006
By Steven A. Peterson (Hershey, PA (Born in Kewanee, IL))
This system has worked very well for me. My family has four computers (three laptops), and the network provided by Linksys is a life saver. I can access the system from the basement (the router is on the second floor). Seldom is there an interruption in access to the Internet. Before, we used dial up, and that was a real pain. First, people had a hard time getting their phone calls through to us. Second, it was soooooooooooo slow.
Thus, I am a very satisfied customer now that the system is running.
However, getting it to run was a challenge, including the dreaded call to outsourced expertise who helped me to get it going, with considerable difficulty in communication involved. Once that was taken care of, the system has worked well. The provider would be well advised to make it simpler to get the system up and running.
Nonetheless, in the long run, this was a good investment for my family and I am quite pleased with the system's performance.
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Very dependable product, very poor documentation, November 25, 2006
By ComputerNovice
No problems whatsoever since I installed the router several months ago. The only problem is installing the router and getting it working with your modem. Don't bother with the sparse Linksys documentation. Just contact your ISP for information on how to "bridge" your modem because this is what you have to do to get your wireless router to work with you modem.
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Overall satisfied, November 22, 2006
By patricktx21
Installation was a breeze and configuration was easy. One thing I would like to see is a stronger signal from the router as I have experienced problems with consistency of the signal strength. This issue would most likely be solved by changing the location of my router in my home to a more centralized point but currently that is not possible. I have read other user reviews of this router and they too have complained about the relatively small signal radius.
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Mac is not well supported, November 22, 2006
By H. CHUNG (PA USA)
I think maybe I'm having a bad experience with WRT54GS because I'm using both XP and OS X. Every other day, the router stop responding, then I can't even connect to the router until I reset it.
I upgraded the firmware to the latest, 1.50.9 released 10/1/06. It worked fine for a couple of weeks, then my mac mini couldn't get any DHCP assigned, even it was connected with Ethernet. This is a known problem, but Linksys hasn't been updated their firmware, and the user can't download older version of firmware from their site.
I didn't see Apple OS X as one of supported OS, so I guess it's not a Linksys' fault. But if you're using an OS X, you should avoid this router.
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Excellent, November 13, 2006
By Fletch
This wireless router does exactly what it is supposed to do and installation/setup was a snap. Highly recommended.
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Works Well (I'm using it right now), November 11, 2006
By Aspiring Photographer (MI United States)
I am using this as both a wired and wireless router without any problems. It was easy to set up and seems to be very secure with many features to help you make sure that no one breaks into your network. It also seems to have a great range, I have used it in every room of the house and outside with full signal. It is a little slow to transfer large files over the wireless compared to wired, but when using the Internet it is more than fast enough.
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not bad, November 10, 2006
By winddriver (Minnesota)
the installation is not hassle free, but after everything is done, it is pretty stable and fast.
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Difficult to set up, November 10, 2006
By Rupert Gilroy
While I will admit to very good assistance from LINKSYS, it still was a most difficult product to set up. It took hours of trying even with assistance from someone who already had a similar product. It is just not for the average user to undertake.
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Easy setup, yet bumpy service, November 10, 2006
By M. Yu
The router can be set up very easily, in fact it sets itself up. Worked really good for the first few days, but I've been having slow service as of late, (Becomes fast again when I reset the router).
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Linksys Router is Better than Netgear, November 6, 2006
By Dale E. Homuth (Mounds View, MN)
I had been using a Netgear WGB111 wireless router in our home for several months, but the connection speed was extremely unreliable and variable. By resetting the router frequently, speed improved. However, it was driving us crazy, so we decided to shop for a new router.
After reading lots of reviews we decided to buy the Linksys WRT54GS. What a difference! This router really rocks.
We have had to reset it a couple of times in the 2 months we've been using it, but when it has happened it is obvious (unlike the Netgear) and the connection is immediately restored.
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Linksys WRT54GS wireless router, November 5, 2006
By C. Maly (Wisconsin)
I'm very happy with the performance of my wireless router. After buying two others in the past that I could not get to work I was ecstatic when this one worked on the first try. My son installed it with little problem or frustration. Thanks!
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Installed Flawlessly in less than 30 minutes!, October 26, 2006
By Wolf (Southern California)
I had an existing Router and Wireless access point from Linksys, the router started acting up so I decided to replace both of them with this wireless router.
The key is to get an Internet connection from your DSL modem directly to your computer, once you can get online the rest is cake.
I unplugged my main computer from the old router and plugged it directly into the Verizon DSL modem. Turned on my computer and was able to get online immediately. Once you can, insert the CD that comes with this router and follow the instructions. It checks for the Internet connection, and instructs you to then plug in the router. It took few seconds for it to recognize and configure the new router, it then installed some basic security setting for me.
It automatically let my computers that are hardwired to the router access the Internet also. The wireless devices that I have had to be changed to the new security settings, unless you use your old security settings again.
The thing that bugs me is that it doesn't tell you how to log into your router from the web browser. I know from experience so I did it automatically. This is important because you should always change the default password, or anyone could log into your router and change it. Becuase the default is widely known. To change it, go to your web browser, type in 192.168.1.1 in the address field (without the http://), when a box pops up the log in is: admin and the password is admin. CHANGE THE PASSWORD. Even if you do not set up wireless security, you should, but if you don't at the very least change the password and write it down so you don't forget it.
When you are logged in it is a good idea to set up the security settings for wirelss access. You can find some good intructions on the Linksys website. If you don't do this anyone in your neighborhood may be able to log in and use your Internet connection. A friend of mine had this problem and someone had also changed the default password.
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