Cisco-Linksys Wireless-G Cable Gateway (WCG200)
by Linksys
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Category: CE
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: LinksysAudio: English (Original Language)
Format: CD
Release Date: 2011-11-29
Platform: Windows
Model: WCG200
Product features:
- Product Type - Gateway
- Warranty - 3 Years Limited
- Share the Internet -- connect one PC to the integrated Router via USB and four more via Ethernet using the built-in 10/100 Switch
- ¿ Wireless Access Lists and WPA to enhance wireless security
- Wireless Access Lists and WPA to enhance wireless security
- Share the Internet - connect one PC to the integrated Router via USB and four more via Ethernet using the built-in 10/100 Switch
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Cisco-Linksys Wireless-G Cable Gateway (WCG200)
Customer Review: All-in-one but limited/unreliable
Summary: 2 Stars
I purchased the WCG200 from Best Buy for two reasons: one, because I have had a good impression of the Linksys WRT54G wireless AP/gateway router, and two, between the $[...] mail-in rebate and $[...] gift card, it was free. The WCG200 is also the unit that Comcast provides as part of their "Wireless Home Networking" package. Installation and configuration is easy. For six months I had pretty steady service but noticed a few limitations:
- TCP connections that are idle more than a couple of minutes will mysteriously vanish. For example, a telnet or SSH session, left at a prompt for two minutes without input, would stop responding and eventually time out.
- My PSP refused to associate with the wireless AP unless I put it in B-only mode. Mixed mode would not work.
- Port forwarding was easy to configure but limited to the same port on the inside and outside of the router. Could never get it to accept more than 10 or eleven inbound connections at once, and many connections would mysteriously drop.
- No option for WAN connectivity besides the internal cable modem. No chance of changing type of service or upgrading to newer technology.
- No control over the firmware. Cable company is able to login to the box and view your settings (see how many computers are connected) even if you change the password and have remote management turned off.
- No "official" way to reset the modem through the web interface. Power cycles take too long for the box to reboot, reestablish its WAP, and reconnect to the cable system.
- Quickly refresing the web interface causes the WCG200 to crash and reboot. This is consistent, repeatable behaviour. Bring the status screen up in Firefox or IE, then press F5 about 20 times within 10 seconds; the WCG200 will crash and reboot.
- Three times the WCG200 has reset itself to factory defaults, including default password and a running open, unencrypted WAP with the default SSID of "linksys".
After six months, I started experiencing a degradation of service and lots of problems with it dropping the cable system. This started with maybe one drop every couple days, then once or twice a day, to complete unusability at times. Called Comcast and with two onsite service calls, they replaced all the wiring, splitters, and connectors from the hard line to the box and could find no problems with their signal. My digital cable box had no problems. However, the WCG200 would keep losing sync and resetting, sometimes once an hour, sometimes every few minutes. Sometimes after a reboot it will reestablish connection, other times it requires a power-cycle.
Further investigation revealed the dropouts only occurred during constant wireless traffic. Using wired ethernet produced no dropouts at all. My guess is the wireless radio is somehow interfering with the cable modem radio. I have tried leaving it off for a good period of time and resetting it to factory defaults. Even called up Linksys technical support and waited an hour to speak to a foreigner who could barely converse in English and said I had to tell Comcast to upgrade my firmware but couldn't give me a firmware version number. I asked Comcast to upgrade the firmware and they replied that it was at the latest revision Linksys would provide to them.
Although Linksys has a 3-year warranty, my experience with the device has been less than pleasing. Instead, I have since purchased another WAP and turned the wireless service off on the WCG200. The dropouts have stopped, and the new WAP will let the PSP connect in mixed mode without forcing it to 802.11b. The new WAP is also noticeably faster overall for web, SSH, and gaming, and also has much better wireless signal quality throughout the house. I will need to invest in a new cable modem to get around the TCP timeouts and port forwarding limitations.
Conclusion: you get what you pay for (in my case it was almost free). Might be adequate for the basic household that wants to get on the internet and add wireless right away, especially if the reliability can be improved. Any computer- or network-savvy users without a very limited budget should consider something else, preferably separate WAP and cable modem devices.
Description of Cisco-Linksys Wireless-G Cable Gateway (WCG200)
The Linksys Wireless-G Cable Gateway is the all-in-one solution for Internet connectivity in your home. The Cable Modem function gives you a blazing fast connection to the Internet, far faster than a dial-up, and without tying up your phone line. Connect your computer to the Wireless-G Cable Gateway via USB, or take advantage of the built-in 4-port 10/100 Ethernet Switch to jump start your home network. You can share files, printers, hard drive space and other resources, or play head-to-head PC games. Connect four PCs directly, or daisy-chain out to more hubs and switches to create as big a network as you need. The built-in Wireless-G Access Point allows up to 32 wireless devices to connect to your network at a blazing 54Mbps, without running cables through the house. Its also compatible with Wireless-B devices, at 11Mbps.Digital Cameras & Photo Categories
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