Cisco-Linksys WGA54G Wireless-G Gaming Adapter
by Linksys
|
Our Price: $89.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $24.99 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
|---|
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Cisco-Linksys WGA54G Wireless-G Gaming Adapter
Customer Review: Not sure what all the configuration mystery is...
Summary: 4 Stars
Okay, that's not completely true. The mystery is Linksys' waning software and documentation quality. But first things first...
This unit worked perfectly out-of-the-box and is currently feeding a Blu-Ray DVD player Netflix streamed video at a rate sufficient to view their HD titles. Using a laptop, it took all of twenty minutes total to configure, test (via speedtest.net) and hook up the unit. 'Nuff said.
Thanks, Cisco/Linksys for *finally* designing a reasonably-sized AC Adapter! The one that comes with this unit is only slightly bigger than a three-prong plug and won't take up more than one position on a power strip.
I'd rate this unit 5 stars, but it was way more expensive than it needed to be, and I don't know at this point how long it'll last. If my BEFSR41 ver. 2 router is any indication, it'll be a long, long time. That router actually lasted long enough to outlive its usefulness; its WAN port is limited to 10Mbps. Who knew back when it was made that ISPs would be pumping out 25Mbps bandwidth by now!?
Back to the configuration mystery. If you've already set up a secure wi-fi network in your home, this unit is trivially easy to set up. It's unfortunate that Cisco expends the effort to create configuration software and the associated documentation for their home products because, apparently, they're not very good at it.
I say "apparently" because I've never needed to use them. All of the Linksys products I've had, except for an older laptop PCMCIA Wireless-G adapter, support a set of configuration web pages served from a static IP address (e.g., 192.168.1.250, in this case) that's pre-installed in the unit. At this point there are numerous HowTo pages out there, all available by simply Googling the model number, that explain how to configure the product in question for the purpose you intend. One simply needs to educate one's self (or find a friend or helpful Cable TV tech. who knows how). The problem I guess is that so few people want to make the effort to understand what they're doing these days. Thank you, Public Education.
This is not to let Cisco/Linksys off the hook entirely. They could reduce the price of this unit probably by $25 or more by reallocating their software development/test/documentation efforts and simply including a manual on how to use the configuration web pages - including some background on how/why you need to use encryption and where to go for more info.
The bottom line here is that a wireless access point on your network is a very serious security risk if you don't know how to configure WEP or other encryption and/or (better yet) add MAC address filtering. And that's before you even consider adding a gaming adapter like this. One really does need to know what one is doing when setting up a home wi-fi network - no different than keeping your house doors and windows secure. The information is out there, free. If you can navigate Amazon's web site and place an order, you can configure this adapter.
Customer Review: Works but is a bit problematic -update-
Summary: 3 Stars
I purchased the WGA54G to work with my Linksys WRT54G after a hellish experience getting another competitor's router to work with my cable modem. The WRT54G worked great, so I contacted Linksys to see what I would need to bridge my network wirelessly to my ReplayTV and Playstation 2 on another floor of my home.
After numerous confused replies from Linksys support I ended up narrowing my choices down to the WGA54G or the more expensive WET54G. After some more stumbling through Linksys tech support (email and phone) I finally got someone to say that the WGA54G would do what I wanted, so I went ahead and ordered it.
When it arrived things seemed great. I plugged it into my laptop and used the included software to configure the unit's settings. Unfortunately this is where I ran into my first snag. The WGA54G didn't have a setting to enable WPA encryption, which I had enabled on the router and the laptop I was using. I searched online for updates or information on updating the unit or enabling the setting by entering the manual setup, but failed.
Finally I called Linksys Tech Support. It took 2 separate techs to confirm that there was no WPA encryption on the WPA54G, but that I should keep an eye open for a future firmware update to enable it. It has been more than 6 months since then and still no update. In the meantime I reset all my other hardware to WEP encryption, which seems to work fine.
The unit is functioning with the ReplayTV and the PS2 (at least the network setup disc, as I have not had the time to play any online games) going through another manufacturers network switch to the WGA54G. I have had some issues with it losing connectivity with the router that can usually be resolved with a reset of the Game Adapter and switch (unplugging power, waiting a minute and replugging).
Still I wish the WGA54G was more 802.11G standard compliant so I could up the encryption again and not have to worry about security intrusions to my network.
Update!
Since moving I tried to replicate my setup and was unable to get the ReplayTV to connect. After trying different setting for a week or two I finally contacted tech support and was told that the WGA54G would only support one device at a time, no matter how you hooked it up. I asked why they had told me that it would when I was first researching it (to the point where the Linksys tech even settled if I should put a switch or a hub between it and the devices I wanted to connect) and was told that the previous tech had obviously been mistaken. Ooops.
So now I am no longer using the WGA54G. Instead I have recycled my WRT54G (after upgrading to a newer VoIP router) with 3rd party firmware to work as a bridge to 3 devices. It was cheaper and actually does what I wanted to do for no additional cost. If Only I could lower my rating to 1 or zero stars I would.
Be wary of this device!
-Update-
Still no WPA encryption! How can Linksys not realize that this is in demand?
Customer Review: Discouraged but hopeful...
Summary: 2 Stars
I have to reiterate all the reviews listed regarding the difficulty in configuring the WGA54G. I am a newbie to the wireless networking world, but not to networking in general. I decided to configure a wireless network in my house, rather than put holes in the walls running ethernet cable from the office to the consoles in the living room.
I picked up the WRT54GS router and a wireless-G PCI card for my fiance's PC, have my PC wired to the router, and bought the WGA54G for the consoles (XBox, PS2, and GC). I was able to get the router and PC on the wireless network without any severely time-consuming issues, DHCP, IP filtering, 128-bit WEP (even though it's apparently not secure), unbroadcast SSID, etc.
I was on a roll until I tried to set up the WGA54G. It starts out deceivingly simple...wire it to a PC, plug it in, run the setup disc...(I gave it a default IP within my IP range on the router). This is where the downward spiral began. The first evening I was configuring the thing I spent a frustrating 2 hours trying various combinations of settings, running downstairs to hook it up to the XBox, getting stuck again, taking it back up to the office, hooking it up...an endless cycle. I was trying to set it up in G-only mode, which I then read online is not supported (not sure if this is true or not). I found the firmware upgrade, supposedly making the adapter XBox live certified, so I gave that a try last night. The unit was teasing me. While in the Web-admin interface, the page would constantly refresh, clearing my SSID that was set. There were sporadic periods of time where the adapter would show a status of "Connected", but would then disconnect. Not to mention the fact that at one point I had to reset both the router and the game adapter because I couldn't reach either web interface.
At this point I threw my hands up, broke down, and called Linksys tech support. After over an hour of various tests (some of which I must admit I had not thought of trying, such as unplugging my router and trying to detect the adapter from the wireless PC) the tech concluded that the wireless interface of the adapter must be defective. One thing that did stand out was the fact that the tech spent about 15 minutes trying to get me to ping the adapter, even though this isn't possible - which he eventually realized.
All in all, this has been an extremely painful experience, but I am planning on exchanging the adapter for a new one tonight and giving it another go over the weekend based on the fact that many of the reviews are only negative because of setup problems. A buddy of mine has his set up and says it works great, so right now I'm going on faith...
Customer Review: Great Product Once It's Working...
Summary: 4 Stars
I didn't read all of the reviews so some of this information is probably repeated. Although some people have not had any problems, I feel I should walk through a good method for setting up this device with most security features, i.e. WEP, disabled SSID broadcast, and MAC filtering. I also use DHCP, so I will talk about this as well.
1) Log in to the web utility and perform all of the following manually (don't use the setup disk). If you are unable to log in to the web utility, this may be due to an issue which Linksys has conveniently left out of it's technical documentation. On some computers, you must set your IP address and Default Gateway for your wired adapter. IP: 192.168.1.100 and Default Gateway: 192.168.1.250 Now log in to the utility as suggested by Linksys
2) As far as entering all of the necessary information, I recommend disabling the SSID and MAC filter (on your router) first. Go ahead and enter the WEP key and SSID into the WGA54G's web utility. Save the information and then proceed to the advanced tab. If your router uses DHCP, click on the appropriate button, then save the settings. (You probably won't be able to access the WGA54G after this using your PC). Follow the correct device startup sequuecne discussed below and you are almost good to go.
3) Now you can worry about the MAC filter and SSID broadcast. Changing either option does not require you to re-access the WGA54G. Change the appropriate settings on your router and you should be good to go.
Note: Don't worry if the Wireless-G LED isn't lit. This does not mean anything. The device could be working perfectly and you wouldn't even know it because the LED is rarely solid. Nice of Linksys to mention that, huh?
Note2: Make sure you follow the correct startup order of devices. Router on, WGA54G on, XBox on.
Note3: I found patience to be the most important thing. If you are like me, you require instant network gratification. I am using this device to play Halo with some friends on a LAN at home. When the XBox starts looking for a multiplayer game, give it time!!!!! Give it up to 30 seconds (the first time) to connect to the router and find the game. After the first time, it should find games right away.
Fianl Note: The router I used was the Linksys WRT54GS, although the use of a different router with the same capabilities should not affect (ideally) the above process.
Customer Review: IF you can get it configed, works great!!!
Summary: 3 Stars
Ok, several other people have left reviews here on troubles configuring this device and I ran into the same. After hours and hours of searching the web, I found a tip here and a tip there and eventually got it configured. Hopefully this will help someone who is having some trouble configuring this device.
First I have the WGA54G v2, however, I believe these should help anyone who has v1 or the AG devices.
1) Plug the adapter into your CPUs ethernet port with the RJ45 cable that comes with it and the other end into the game adapter.
2) Since the game adapter will default to 192.168.1.250, you will need to configure your ethernet port to work with the above address. I set mine to 192.168.1.249.
3) Plug in the power for your game adapter and give it about 30 seconds to boot up and configure itself. Open your browser and go to 192.168.1.250 (may want to run the setup on the CD first), but some people may be able to go directly to the game adapter without running the setup CD.
4) Once you are logged on the game adapter, be sure to set up your WEP settings, if you want to use it. Sorry WPA or WPA2 security doesn't work, so you have to configure your whole network to use WEP.
5) On the advanced page you need to be sure you are using a Mixed Mode even if all your devices are 'G band', also don't forget to set the router to mixed too. Cloning should be disabled and don't forget to set the gateway.
6) After changing the settings on the game adapter and you can test your device by pinging 192.168.1.250 on your network. If you get a response your are set, if not, you should start over and make sure you set up everything correctly.
7) Once you have the game adapter working, unplug it from your computer and plug it into the game console. You will need to set your game console to use a static IP as well. Configure your game console to use a static ip as well. (at least I had too, I used 192.168.1.251)
Linksys tech support is hopeless, don't even waste your time calling them. IMPORTANT: if your wireless light doesn't stay on, don't worry about it. Mine doesn't and it works fine, I spent hours trying to get it to turn on when it was working all the time. As long as you can ping it you are fine.
I hope these directions helps save someone the hours I spent figuring this out, and I really, really, really wish Linksys would do better with their documentation.