Cisco-Linksys Wireless-G Range Expander WRE54G
by Linksys
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Our Price: $129.00 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $29.98 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Cisco-Linksys Wireless-G Range Expander WRE54G
Customer Review: Linksys WILL knock out your internet connection
Summary: 1 Stars
First off, I'm pretty savvy when it comes to computers. Figured I could muddle thru any setup. Read all pertinent reviews here in reference to setting up to get a headstart. Once I autoconfigured the unit by pressing the auto-config button, all hell broke loose. The unit assigned itself the same IP as my router! My internet immediately went down and I could not even get into my router via 192.blah.blah. So, I'm sitting there with no internet and no way to access my router. Here's what I did to get everything back to normal.
* This is only a way to get your internet back - not to make the Linksys work - PRINT THIS OUT BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO CONNECT YOUR UNIT *
1) Plug the Linksys into your router via the provided cable.
2) Run the setup disk until the software recognizes the Linksys, in Vista, go directly to the disc and right-click on setup.exe and select "Run As Administrator"
(if it fails, take a pen and reset the Linksys by pushing the tip into the 'reset' hole and hold for 5 or so seconds and release - if that doesn't work, unplug/plug back in Linksys and then hold auto-config button down for 5 seconds and release, let it cycle for one minute, rerun software)
3) In your browser, goto 192.168.1.240 (default Linksys IP) * note, you may have the internet back at this time, but it's probably thru the Linksys and you'll have the same problem if you power down and back up)
4) Change the IP to 192.168.1.241 and save settings. It will reboot. Wait one minute and then type 192.168.1.241 in your browser and you should see the Linksys menu. This means the new IP took.
5) UNPLUG THE LINKSYS FROM YOUR ROUTER AND POWER IT DOWN
6) Reboot your router.
7) You may have to search for wireless networks again on your PC,etc and reconnect.
I tried to get the Linksys working 4 times and each time it overtook my router. Even after trying all advice here on amazon and other websites. Changing the IP, SSID, etc - all did not make a difference.
This is a horrible product. It's going back and I will NEVER buy a Linksys product again. Really. (amazon needs a zero star category)
Customer Review: Say a prayer, dance a jig and hope you accidentally get it right. UPDATED REVIEW Aug 2009
Summary: 3 Stars
I have used this for years and have bought a 2nd one when the first one died BUT I can tell you it's a crap shoot to get the thing to work, It might or it might not, it almost always can be made to work as far as boosting an unsecured signal BUT if you are even vaguely concerned about security you have a night mare on your hands. The thing has never worked for me with any type of security septup (WEP etc) and on my old router I could use a combo of limiting DHCP IP addresses and MAC filtering to keep my network secure. Unfortunately my old router died and my new one works great but does not have all the abilities to adjust everything my old one did and so I am broadcasting to the world today, I am looking into a Wireless Access Point that I can add to my existing network wirelessly (not much out there that does what this thing does) so it's a tuff decision, make no mistake I have used it for years but always with work-around for minimal security. If you have no security concerns this thing will do exactly what you need as far as extending the range of your network. The setup is a combination of black magic and good luck. I wish you well and hope I can find something that will replace this for my use.
UPDATE!!!: 21 AUG 2009 Well I bought a new Netgear WNR3500 RangeMax Gigabit Router and spent about 2 hours burning incense and praying to all points on the compass and a miracle occurred, the WRE54G not only linked up but I was able to access the config menu (also new) and my network is now secure. One little trick for anyone with a Netgear Router if you have that menu to setup a repeater DO NOT TURN IT ON!!! That's only for other Netgear products (duh, now how did I find that out). I have to say that today it gets 4 stars because it's working flawlessly and the signal is stronger than ever (no clue on that one, got 4-5 bars now instead of 3-4). If you are a novice to networking this thing might make you suicidal, but its working awesomely for me. Note that I have been using one of these for years now, but this is the first time I was ever able to get it to pass on the security.
Customer Review: Does what it's supposed to do but docs are out of date
Summary: 3 Stars
Like other users I wrestled mightily to get this puppy working with my router which happens to be a Linksys WRT54G. You'd think it would be pretty much a slam dunk but alas, no. One huge issue with Version 1 was that it had no Ethernet port. So make sure you get Version 2. Although, connecting to the Expander was not really the biggest problem.
I have WRE54G version 1 and on the advice of tech support and various Linksys articles, upgraded my firmware. I did this because I could not get my expander talking to my router, or rather it would talk to somebody else's router first when running auto-config. This was a huge design flaw. I guess their test labs run exactly one access point within range of the expanders. The major flaw was they relied so heavily on the automatic setup that they made it VERY difficult to configure manually. As most users point out, ignore the documentation unless you are on a wireless island. Or make sure your expander is auto-configured with the router only a few feet away (though this didn't even work for me).
I upgraded to firmware version 1.06.05 which was a huge mistake. Why? Because that firmware eliminated the option to manually set the Access Point MAC Address. Unfortunately Auto-config did not capture the MAC address (or at least it could never connect). And the Setup Wizard could not detect the expander. While on hold during my second support call, I took a quick look at the source (the browser lets you do that) on the setup page (setup.asp). The MAC address portion was in the source but was commented out so that it was not available. When the support tech came back online I asked him to point me to an earlier firmware upgrade. I ran the 1.04.17 version of the upgrade (downgrade in this case -- at ftp://ftp.linksys.com/pub/network/). After reconnecting, everything worked perfectly. I was able to enter the MAC address of my router, and set up security. Everything now works exactly as I had hoped it would but it took about 7 hours longer than it should have.
I suspect that the latest firmware was designed with V2 in mind, not V1.
Customer Review: Great when set up right
Summary: 4 Stars
If at all possible, get this at the same time you're setting up your wireless network. That will give you the chance to make sure you're buying all compatible components from the outset. I recently moved, and the changed setup made the range expander a necessity.
My old setup:
A two bedroom single story apartment where my Netgear wireless router was in the far bedroom from the living room. I had little problem with signal and functionality, unless I went a little further away to the balcony.
My new setup:
A two story house where the router was in upstairs bedroom farthest from the downstairs living room. Signal strength became a real issue when going through the walls and floor.
I got the Linksys router and played around with it some to no avail. I called customer service twice. As some have commented, Linksys customer service seems to have been outsourced to a far away land, which posed problems. My first called left me baffled, and the only good my second call did was to give me the impression that the Expander was not compatible with all routers. With both calls, language was an issue, as it seemed the techs knew enough English to pick out key words in what I was saying and then read the canned solutions associated with those words, but they were not able to answer any specific questions I had, or expand on their canned answers to any degree.
So, with the vague idea that it might be compatibility between the Linksys expander and Netgear router, I went and bought a Linksys wireless router that was specifically mentioned on the Expander's box.
Problem solved. I had it up and running in about 10-15 minutes and have had nary a hiccup since then. Now with my expander tucked away nicely atop some bookshelves downstairs, I have very strong signal strength anywhere in the house.
Summary:
Don't expect in-depth, detailed customer service (unless you're fluent in the other language) and try to set up your network with the expander and compatible components in mind if at all possible.
Customer Review: Trying the Linksys High Gain Antenna HGA7T Instead...
Summary: 1 Stars
I started my quest for better wireless coverage looking at the HGA7T antenna, and read a report there suggesting the Linksys WRE54G range expander device was a better solution. Based on that recommendation, I purchased this WRE54G range expander.
I'll be returning that device for a refund where I bought it...
Everything you read here is true, and very helpful information on the WRE54G. It's extremely difficult to set up if you have any kind of encryption or access restrictions (e.g., MAC address filtering). I did eventually figure out how to get it set up properly; however, with or without encryption turned on, the thing causes unreliable DHCP address assignment on my network; i.e., when WRE54G is on my network, it provides great signal in the room where it's installed, and it works at first, but after a time it fails to allow Windows to pull a valid IP address, resulting in no Internet access.
I wasted hours trying everything. I did not call Linksys Support, as I'm a very experienced network and PC user, and had tried everthing reasonable. The concept of the WRE54G is a good one - the ability to extend the wireless coverage.
Linksys has a lot more work to do to make this device usable by mere mortals, and reliable enough to actually deploy on my network. Also, I hope you realize that once the WRE54G is installed, it cuts your effective wireless throughput in half (which may or may not matter, given that most people's broadband bandwidth is still slower).
I'm moving on to try the HGA7T instead - a fraction of the price of the WRE54G, much simpler solution that should be "good enough" and provide a stronger wireless signal that has better coverage than a single room (oh yeah, the WRE54G supposedly only boosts the signal significantly in the room in which it's installed, and the antenna should increase the signal broadly around the house).
By the way, my router is upstairs and I'm trying to boost the signal downstairs about 50 feet away.