Cisco-Linksys WRT54GL Wireless-G Broadband Router
by Linksys
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List Price: Our Price: $54.95 You Save: $25.04 (31%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $40.00 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Cisco-Linksys WRT54GL Wireless-G Broadband Router
Customer Review: Good for Experts and Novices
Summary: 5 Stars
I am very impressed with the Linksys-Cisco WRT54GL Wireless-G Broadband Router. I am no networking guru, yet I was able to set this router up in a pretty straightforward manner, with almost none of the complications I expected. I used to enjoy experimenting with networks when I was younger, so its nice to know I have the options this router allows, but to tell you the truth, I'm so satisfied with what came in the box that I probably won't be changing it any time soon -- in fact I bought another for my parents, who were having a terrible time with the wireless router they rented from their ISP (They are very happy with this router as well.)
The signal is strong enough to pick up a hundred feet away, through at least one wall. The encryption package offers several options, including WPA 2. I have had one failure that occurred while I was setting the router up, all I had to do was unplug it for ten seconds to reset, and it has worked perfectly ever since. The directions are very good, clearly written and comprehensive (including security precautions.)
The last thing I love about this router is the additional options allowed by the ethernet ports on the back -- all the old computers (including an Apple IIe) came out of the garage and are now connected to the internet, and to each other. This is a fabulous product right out of the box, I can't imagine what can be done with it by people who really know what they are doing. I am very satisfied with this purchase.
Customer Review: Best option for tinkerers
Summary: 5 Stars
First off, as to the out of the box directions or to those without any networking knowledge, have a friend help you. If you like to tinker, have at least an entry level knowledge of what a router is and how networks work, this is by far one of the best options out there. I've setup half a dozen of these (and older WRT54G v1-4) routers running on Tomato for friends and family. It's not that great on it's own, what it is great for is being able to use the 3rd party firmware of your choice, which offer far greater features than pretty much any out of the box router. It is worth noting that this router does not have N support, for that I use a standalone Wireless N access point in conjunction with this router.
Second, No router out there has the community base of support that this router (and the prior series) has had. It isn't the best looking option, but it is by far the most functional single-purpose device you can get. For years, I and others have hoped for a proper successor to this series, and even the WRT160NL falls short of that promise. This is, at the moment the single best option, if you want to own your hardware, vs. having your hardware own you. As others have mentioned consumer level support from Cisco/Linksys falls short, fortunately this is a great product on its' own merit.
For 3rd party firmware, search for Tomato, DD-WRT or OpenWRT, there are other options out there. My preference is for Tomato for the best front end application.
Customer Review: Stable and reliable
Summary: 5 Stars
I got this router to replace my D-Link 624 router that came with my Verizon FIOS connection a couple years ago.
The D-Link had been pestering us for a long time by dropping connections and not working functionality (time restrictions/unreliable NTP client). Time had come to finally get it replaced with something more robust.
I've done my research and came out to the Linksys WRT54GL as wordy replacement for a very nice price.
I've been running the WRT54GL for a couple weeks as it came out of the box. All works great and is indeed very stable and reliable. No connection drops and good reception throughout the house.
The router is serving 5 wireless laptops and 1 wired server without any problems.
The firmware that it ships with has a few limitations though that I'm after to better control my network and when my children can access the internet. Its DHCP server can not deliver static IP addresses and has no time restriction functionality.
I decided to switch the router to the open DD-WRT firmware (which was very easy to set up) and I now have all the functionality I need and a very reliable/stable network.
This is a great router that has been serving my family well for a couple of months now!
The router comes with a Windows CD and seems to have very little support for Linux.
My home network is fully Linux though and as it turned out, I didn't need the Windows CD at all for anything :-)
Customer Review: Macbook Users
Summary: 1 Stars
Be aware Macbook Pro users that you will receive no instructions with the router. You receive a CD that is not compatible with a Mac. I called Cisco (name & address on the box) and, after listening to endless recorded messages, reached a live person, who told me disdainfully that I needed to talk to Linksys. Like, duh, what was I thinking calling the name/address on the box. I was then dumped into another maze of recorded messages, only to end up -- guess where -- India!! -- the modern day quagmire of "customer support" -- where you can't understand them, and they can't understand you -- where the connection is always bad -- where you have someone obviously with little or no technical knowledge, probably less than you, reading from a manual like a machine. Yeah, that's right, I'm bitter and I'm sick of it. I'm sick of paying for products that provide no support, because I don't consider support from India any kind of support at all. No, I don't know much about technology. But I think that when I pay $67 for a router, that I should receive connection instructions with it. Yes, I've hired a computer guy to come over and help me out. And yes, then, after he's set everything up, the router will probably work fine. But this initial delay and aggravation is not worth it to me. I think that I'm going to have to preface every purchase I make now with the guaranty that I am never going to have to call India relative to its purchase.Customer Review: The wireless version of this is crap...
Summary: 2 Stars
This router is merely "ok" if you need a wireless router in your home. I believe the reason people love this thing so much is the easy to use setup interface that comes with the router OS. Insert a CD and click your way through the wizard and you're done!
However if you're a gamer or use a lot of internet bandwidth you might want to shell out some more money for a D-Link or a Buffalo technologies router. In fact, better yet, just grab one of the new industry standards of wireless "N" because that is eventually where you're going to want to be anyway.
When I had this router it would constantly drop my signal or stop broadcasting the network. I would have to go upstairs, unplug it for 1 minute, and then let it reboot and broadcast again. As time went on, this kept happening more and more to where I just gave it to a family member and told them to use it as a hub instead of its real intended purpose.
If you're not very good at configuring and understanding network configurations and such, then sure, buy this router. It's very user friendly and easy to set things up. Linksys knows that not everyone out there is good at wireless networking or networking in general. But if you want something truly reliable then go with a DLink or Buffalo. If you want something that's just as easy to use and setup but won't give you as many issues, go with Netgear.
Hope this helps.