Cisco-Linksys WRT54GS Wireless-G Broadband Router with SpeedBooster
by Linksys
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Our Price: $159.00 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $12.50 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Cisco-Linksys WRT54GS Wireless-G Broadband Router with SpeedBooster
Customer Review: Great performance and a good price
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been running the WRT54GS for a few months and it has been fantastic.
My main objective was to run the WRT54GS as a centrally located stand alone unit - not hooked up to a computer. For installation it was necessary to hook up the WRT54GS to a computer via the provided Ethernet cable, but once up and running it is independent. After initial setup, setting changes can be done through the wireless network using a browser, and in case of a crash a laptop can be hooked up to redo the setup if necessary. We have had several severe thunderstorms and power spikes that are typical for our area. These have sometimes caused problems with other equipment (despite being on APC surge protectors or UPSs). The WRT54GS has only once needed to have the power unplugged and plugged in again to establish normal operations, and then with no loss of settings.
Our building has provided a great deal of interference for an ad-hoc network between computers. The WRT54GS equipped with a pair of Linksys high gain antennas solved the problem, and provided a single internet connection. I got a range expander for dead spots, but so far I have not needed to use it. Using the Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 Mini Card on Dell laptops we achieve 54 Mbps everywhere in the building, even where the signal is weakest. Reception is even good in the courtyard outside. We get similar performance using the Linksys WMP54GS in our desktop PCs. Our 10 Mbps cable modem link (to Brighthouse/Warner Cable) is the slowest part of the network. Other companies offer better speed and range performance with proprietary technology, but the WRT54GS gave us the same great performance no matter what wireless hardware we were using. It was also the best solution for the price.
Our initial installation of the WRT54GS was problematic, requiring a firmware update. However, a couple of calls to Linksys technical support was all it took. I received a tech person within a few minutes and after going through the settings step by step they answered all my questions. They log all tech calls so even a new tech on a different call is instantly aware of the history of any problem.
The setup software works well, but fails if there is no internet connection. Otherwise, it works great and makes installation easy. The default settings allow for a quick start even without the setup software, and the advanced features allow for sophisticated security and access solutions. The manual (on CD) is also excellent.
Customer Review: Worst piece of crud I ever purchased.
Summary: 1 Stars
The first thing you must learn about Linksys is that there are several versions of the same router out. Currently they are up to version 7. Versions 1 and 2 were the best, and since then Linksys has tried to cut costs by reducing product quality. I purchased a version 7 WRT54GS router because I believed it was going to be as good as the Version 2, which I had previously owned. Version 2 used Linux as the basic OS, which is far better than the customized OS they have on there now.
Was I ever wrong about this thing living up to its predecessor's image.
I have owned this device for three days. It works sporatically at best, and the wireless frequently and regularly goes down for no apparent reason. We added another computer today and for some reason the router changed the network name and reset all securities, which booted the default computer off the network and made it a nightmare to fix. After five hours of colorful language, renewing IP addresses, plugging/unplugging power and network cables, I am at wits end. Now I am back on the network, but it still refuses to connect wirelessly to the internet.
Linksys brags that it has 'won awards' for its customer service and tech support. I spent TWO HOURS on the phone trying to get to an operator and never did. Their online trouble shooting forum is filled with issues that were never addressed by the staff, but by other people unfortunate enough to have been conned into buying this product.
The router works just fine with a wire, but that sort of defeats the purpose of a WIRELESS router.
The software also caused Windows XP to crash 30 seconds after startup if it is selected to start with Windows. You should also take a look at your Run>MsConfig>Startup settings to see all the bloatware the software adds. It's a nightmare. I had to use Spybot.exe to determine which files were crucial for the router's operations and which could be unchecked from the list.
Stay away from this product. A cell phone wrapped in network cable works better as a wireless router than this thing.
UPDATE: I replaced this router with a Netgear Rangemax WPN824 v.2 router. No bells or whistles, quick and easy setup, and NO BLOATWARE! It actually works, unlike Linksys. The only thing going for Linksys is that the external antennas do give it extra range (I was getting a Very Good signal vs. a Low), but having a cost-effective router that works and works well is all that I wanted.
Customer Review: Solid Product. Great Signal Strength. Easy to Setup.
Summary: 5 Stars
I chose this router based on a few considerations:
1) Stability
2) Ease of Management/Flexibility
3) Price
So with the above in mind, I set out to replace an overly flaky previous router from DLink. My experience with the WRT54G routers of other makes (namely the non-L and non-gs) versions led me to go with Linksys due to a real-world stability. I've used a number of other wireless routers and have seen linksys models outperform other brands in terms of number of necessary reboots in a give period of time.
After stability, I wanted something that was easy to manage. And to be sure, Linksys has had some extremely clunky interfaces in models/revisions past, but this model was very easy to configure out of the box w/ no CD. The initial setup took less than 20 minutes - and I'm not a network expert, however I am versed in the ins/outs from previous experience. I was able to rename the SSID, setup new login credentials, Configure WPA2, configure PPOE and setup a new address range (changed from the standard 192.168.1.x range).
These configuration changes took no real time to get up and going and when plugged in to replace the dlink, it took one simple power-on for the WRT54GS to step in line and do the job w/ no issues. I'm currently sticking with the stock firmware (dated 11/07) but like the idea of being able to use the other open source firmwares if needed on this model (just like the L-series).
And finally - price. This model was actually less than the L-model at the time of purchase and features the same configurability/flexibility in terms of firmware.
So far, the router has been a major improvement over the DLink that was in service. Speed is noticeably faster as well. Both routers were set to G-only, so I can only infer that that the Linksys handles WPA more efficiently.
Overall, this is a solid wireless router. You can spend less money for a wireless router - but for the level of service this provides, the few extra dollars is certainly worth the increased performance. Many consider wireless routers to be a commodity - everyone has one and they must all be the same, right? Wrong. There are some subtle nuances that make or break a good router. This model from Linksys gets the details down right and in doing so shines in its role as the main wireless and wired router on my network.
Kudos to Linksys (Cisco) for producing a quality product.
Customer Review: Not worth all the hype
Summary: 3 Stars
I thought with how immensely popular this router is I would be 100% completely satisfied and not encounter any problems. But I was wrong. About a week passed by before I started experiencing random connectivity problems. It all started when I began using uTorrent, a popular bit torrent peer-to-peer software. At first the software would connect and download fine but it would eventually lose connection and I wouldn't be able to connect to the Internet at all. The only resolution was to cycle power to the router. But it would keep doing this over and over as I continued to use uTorrent. However, the problem disappears when I connect directly to my cable modem, I can connect and download just fine. And yes, I properly forwarded all the ports on the router. So I narrowed it down to being this router and after further research on the Internet I find that I'm not the only one with this and other issues with the WRT54G line of routers. See for yourself, just Goggle search "WRT54GS connection problem." You'll discover that this router has numerous issues with any peer-to-peer software and dropping connections for apparently no reason at all. There are other shortcomings with this router as well. First, you cannot log out of the router after you have logged in. This poses a security issue and should be a no-brainer feature that every router should have, even the cheap ones. Second, there is no feature to create a MAC filter list for wired clients. Third, you cannot assign static IP addresses to connected clients and exclusively associate a certain client with a certain IP. People claim there is a work around to this by assigning those machines IPs that are out of the DHCP range. This seems more like a simple fix more than an intended function. Fourth, you don't have to type a user name in order to log into the router. The only thing that is authenticated when you log into the router is the password. Seems like another security issue since requiring a user name adds another layer of safety. I guess that I'm too use to my old D-Link DGL-4300 router which has absolutely every feature you could want. I just figured that the popular Linksys WRT54GS would have these otherwise standard features. I am less than impressed with this router. Sure it might be great if you want to install an aftermarket firmware on it but straight out of the box with the default firmware this router leaves a lot to be desired. A lot.Customer Review: It's fine while it works - doesn't work for long.
Summary: 2 Stars
I had this router for about 6 months, and it started to slow down to the point of being unusable. Connection speeds were fine, but DNS lookup times were so high that they were timing out. (My internet connection was fast if i bypassed this router, but as the router slowly died, the connection speeds through this router became slow enough to be unusable. )
Long story short, while this router was working, it worked fine. Once it decided to stop working so well, there was nothing i could do. (Powercycle, restart, reset to factory defaults, manually tweak settings, etc.)
Finally i had to send the router back to Linksys to have it replaced (but only after confirming the problem with 4 separate technical support agents, and then a level 3 tech, then spending over 2 hours on the phone with different customer service agents who repeatedly told me "you'll have to have that confirmed by a tech" and "there is no manager for you to talk to." ) I did, eventually, get to send my router to linksys to get it replaced.
I had to pay for shipping. Over a week later i finally got my replacement, and it was in far worse shape than the partially working unit i sent to linksys. This one had only a single working port, and wouldn't stay powered up for more than 3 minutes.
So after another 3 hours on the phone with people who hardly speak english, after confirming that there is a problem with a level 1 tech, and then a level 3 tech, and then after being told that their RMA department "is busy" so i should call back later, i finally got a SECOND RMA processed, sent out my broken replacement, (for which I paid shipping again) and waited ANOTHER week for the new replacement.
Finally i have my 3rd router, and it is working fine. I can only assume that this one might last 6 months if i'm lucky (as my NEW one only lasted as long, and this is quite obviously a well-used refurbished model) but more likely it'll be a matter of 2 or 3 months before i need to repeat this whole process.
BE WARNED: the quality control for this hardware is far under par, the software interface is not intuitive and frustratingly unstable, and worst of all, their customer service and technical support is A NIGHTMARE to deal with.
I give it 2 stars because while it is working, it does actually work. enough to get by at least.