Linksys WRT54GS Wireless-G Broadband Router with SpeedBooster Reviews

• The only thing difference between this and the WRT54G is...

  
  By A3AODJET9WUN27 on 2004-08-12
  I love the WRT54G which I have bought for my home a year ago. I am a college student and just bought another one since I moved off campus. At first, I had trouble deciding between the WRT54G or the WRT54GS( with speedbooster). From first glance, the speedbooster tag seems enticing since everybody wants fast wireless transfers that would hopefully come close to wired networks. After reading some reviews and speaking to my best friend who works for Linksys , the only difference between the WRT54G and the WRT54GS is the flash and Ram memory. It is an upgrade from 4mb to 8mb for the flash, and 16mb to 32mb for the Ram. Basically you wont surf the internet any faster. The benefits of this is just transferring files from one computer to another will increase. For those who just want to share an internet connection, stick with the WRT54G and save the extra 20 bucks for a 30 pack of beer. If you like to transfer files between computers, spend the extra dough.
  
  

• Being Wireless Can Be So Beautiful

  
  By A1RYL1DAFV8161 on 2004-04-01
  I have nothing but good things to say about this item. I can't believe that there is not one review on this item yet. After struggling with the D-Link DI-624 & all of its included problems for about 3 weeks I decided to return it. Those were the worst 3 weeks of my life. The router would reboot every few minutes, & would disconnect every time the phone rang. The very worst part of all was that the D-Link PC Card would freeze my notebook with no way to properly shutting down. I even tried the new Netgear card with the same results. At this point I had given up on wireless, & switched back to using cables. About a week ago, my girl showed up at my doorstep with an Amazon box. When I opened it & saw what was inside. I said to myself, oh boy here we go again, & to my surprise it was nothing like that. Everything went smooth as silk, from beginning to end. The best experience I have had in a long time. The router it self is very well built & sturdy, unlike the D-Link. I guess it's true what people say, you get what you pay for. For anybody in the market for a wireless router, I would highly recommend you spending a few dollars more & getting a quality product from a well known company like Linksys / Cisco. The installation was a no-brainer, & the configuration process was just as easy. The configuration wizard walks you step by step & explains what each setting does. Till this day, I haven't had any problems with reboots or disconnects when the phone rings. The best part is my Linksys PC Card doesn't freeze my notebook, & does have slightly better range than the D-Link. Another thing I love about the router is that it has all the bells & whistles for those who like playing with the advance settings. The transfer speeds are slightly faster than the D-Link's, but I really doubt they even come near of what they claim. All in all I'm very satisfied with this Linksys combo, & the 3 year warranty is a big plus.
  
  

• Tech Support stinks, good product, flakey Parental Controls

  
  By A1BT2M3G1GSP08 on 2004-09-08
  I had trouble installing one of the PC cards. Tech Support must be in India and there was a serious language barrier going on when I called. (At least three times I said "I'm sorry sir, I can't understand what you are saying!!!). After I described the problem several times (setup wouldn't run to install the card), he still was having me troubleshoot the router. I got frustrated and hung up. Long story short, removing and reseating the card fixed the problem.
  
  The router was fairly easy to set up and the only major problem I had was getting decent signal strength to a PC that was fairly far away. The PC housing is actually in the way of the signal, since the antenna is somewhat "hidden" behind the PC, so I kind of expected it. Might need an antenna extension to increase the signal strength a little more, but repositioning the router and antennas seemed to help a little. Our laptop works all over the house and my PC (same room as the router) is fine too. No problems with the laptop card.
  
  WARNING: The default router settings leave you pretty open to hackers, so change your SSID to something less obvious than "default", turn off SSID broadcasting and use MAC address filtering as soon as you can change those settings! Write down your MAC addresses before you install the cards; it will save you some time trying to get them using Windows.
  
  I don't have any data to support this, but the reliability seems to be better after I installed SP2 for XP. I can't remember the last time I had a problem connecting and it happened many times before I did the upgrade. I either couldn't connect when I booted, or it would just drop during the middle of something. I think I remember hearing that SP2 had better wireless support.
  
  The parental controls feature works great when it's actually working (and it's nicely priced), but it was flakey during my free trial, so I didn't sign up. When Parental Controls are turned on, it appears that all Internet traffic gets redirected through their Parental Controls server. Guess what happens when that server goes down? You either have (1) no access or (2) unlimited access. When I emailed Tech Support, they said they had never heard of that problem (yeah right, even a popular Internet reviewer mentioned it in their review). One more thing, you either have Parental Controls for everyone on the router or no one. So, Mom and Dad have to log in on their PC's if you want your kids to surf safely. A smarter move might have been to use a MAC filter to only have Parental Controls on certain PC's.
  
  The reporting options outside of Parental Controls are next to nil. You get a weak outgoing log that only lists IP addresses. It doesn't even appear to be accurate, from what I can see (entries missing?). Tech Support said they don't have a utility to pull better logs yet (They do have one for earlier Linksys routers).
  
  I have never installed a wireless network before, so I can't give you any comparisons to other manufacturers. However, setup and speed are very good to excellent. Tech support stinks. Parental Controls will be very good if they get their servers to be more reliable.
  
  ***Update 9/8/2006: After about two years of usuage, I think I have figured out that my cordless phone (also 2.4 GHz) is interfering with my wireless connection!!!
  
  

• Installation for dummies

  
  By AHNA95NW8BMMN on 2004-05-19
  Decided to go wireless. Reviews sounded great! How hard can this be. I am a Test Pilot, so this should be no challenge. We also ordered the wireless WPC54GS notebook card to go with the router. My son, being a typical 20 year old know-it-all decides to configure the notebook card first (against my wishes). Every time we put the card in the notebook, it locked up. The Linksys tech support people said "oh yeah", you need to download new drivers! The ones on the CD ROM won't work. OK, back to my original idea, lets do the router first. Put in the CD ROM, followed instructions and WA LA. We were on the net (hard wired) through our cable modem in less than 5 minutes!!! My recommendation on the WRT54GS - BUY IT (but DO NOT let your know-it-all teenager or 20 year old, install it. Do it yourself). One major problem! Back to the notebook card. The second Linksys tech support person told us "the card is bad, send it back to Amazon.com to have it tested" What??? How can this be??? The dang card is brand new!!! Lets try other options. Card still locks up computer! Third Linksys tech support person helped, but the computer still locks up on start-up. WOW the card is bad! Amazon.com, you guys are great! Within 5 minutes we had the return information, and about 10 minutes later we were notified by email that another card would be sent out tomorrow. Great!!!
  Ok lets review - Buy the WRT54GS router!
  DO NOT buy the WPC54GS notebook card - even the Linksys tech support people seem to think it is junk. I guess the quality control guy in that department is always out to lunch!
  Read all the reviews that are shown on Amazon.com under each piece of equipment. There are some very good tips there that you will not learn from the installation information (like turn off the Windows XP fire wall before you start installation or you will get a lot of nasty windows "Hey idiot, you can't do that" messages.
  AMAZON.COM You guys are great as usual. We also ordered our print server this morning. Keep up the good work.
  Linksys - You guys have a lot of work to do. First thing I would do is fire the Notebook card quality control guy.
  
  

• Good Value with Built in Security

  
  By A2M8HGYHREHG2P on 2005-10-29
  I recently purchased the Linksys wrt54gs router upon the recommendation of our firm's IT manager. We use this same router in our business office. I am using this one in a 3000 sq ft home and the router covers the entire house with an "excellent" to "very good" reception (54mps). It does take a little while to hook up. AND, this is important - it is much easier to hook up the router using a program download from the linksys.com web site. The program will walk you through the set up process and program the router for your system. I figure Linksys created the program to reduce all the time their technical people were spending with people like me. In fact their technical support recommended the program instead of the cd. So skip the cd that comes with the router and don't mess with the "easy set up button"; just use the free download. Also, if you're a novice like me you need to know that you program the router using your internet browser. The address is in the manual. Finally, be sure to set up the security features otherwise your wireless network will be open for anyone within range to connect.
  
  
• Latest v5 is inferior!
  By AS6534SXKS1KZ on 2006-01-23
  DO NOT BUY THE CURRENT VERSION OF THIS *FORMERLY* EXCELLENT PRODUCT!
  
  Linksys WRT54GS v1 through v4 were terrific products and the reason for the reviews with so many stars prior to this one.
  
  Recently Cisco/Linksys changed internals completely, cut flash memory to 2 megs and switched OS to something called VxWorks. I don't understand why they did this. Or at least could have called it by new model number? To know if you have the dreaded v5 unit you can look on the box for serial number CGN7. Easy to do in a retail store, but you cannot do this by mail-order can you? So you will probably get the new one.
  
  As it is the old customer reviews for this product do not reflect the current product which looks same externally. But new GS v5 unit does not work nearly as well if you try to do BitTorrent or anything beyond basic usage. Also complaints of connection speeds being way slow unless you upgrade firmware. Is Joe Consumer now expected to upgrade firmware on a device just to get it basically working? How did this get out of the factory with so many bugs?
  
  
• Installed Flawlessly in less than 30 minutes!
  By A3R24Z18JA51L7 on 2006-10-25
  I had an existing Router and Wireless access point from Linksys, the router started acting up so I decided to replace both of them with this wireless router.
  
  The key is to get an Internet connection from your DSL modem directly to your computer, once you can get online the rest is cake.
  
  I unplugged my main computer from the old router and plugged it directly into the Verizon DSL modem. Turned on my computer and was able to get online immediately. Once you can, insert the CD that comes with this router and follow the instructions. It checks for the Internet connection, and instructs you to then plug in the router. It took few seconds for it to recognize and configure the new router, it then installed some basic security setting for me.
  
  It automatically let my computers that are hardwired to the router access the Internet also. The wireless devices that I have had to be changed to the new security settings, unless you use your old security settings again.
  
  The thing that bugs me is that it doesn't tell you how to log into your router from the web browser. I know from experience so I did it automatically. This is important because you should always change the default password, or anyone could log into your router and change it. Becuase the default is widely known. To change it, go to your web browser, type in 192.168.1.1 in the address field (without the http://), when a box pops up the log in is: admin and the password is admin. CHANGE THE PASSWORD. Even if you do not set up wireless security, you should, but if you don't at the very least change the password and write it down so you don't forget it.
  
  When you are logged in it is a good idea to set up the security settings for wirelss access. You can find some good intructions on the Linksys website. If you don't do this anyone in your neighborhood may be able to log in and use your Internet connection. A friend of mine had this problem and someone had also changed the default password.
  
  
  
• version Differences and DO YOU CARE??...
  By A34BPK1HC0P13 on 2006-02-01
  [previous reviewer]- you are absolutely correct that the new version (5) of this router is downgraded compared to others. the "original" router shipped with 32mb ram and 8mb flash, and version 5 shipped with 16mb ram, 2mb flash. you should also take note that you implied that v.4 was a fully featured product; it only has 16mb of ram and a 4mb flash (a downgrade from v.3). but you are correct, the most crippling thing that linksys did to this router was switch the operating system from the open source linux to VxWorks.
  
  So i guess the real question is: DO I CARE?
  
  for most people the answer is no. if you hook this router into your network, it will run smoothly, no problems for the average consumer. the reason so many people are criticizing the router and its new release is because the old wrt54g and wrt54gs were big items in hacker communities, and they afforded people who wanted to modify their router's firmware great flexibility to do so. the added ram fueled the power and speed that people were able to gain from their router.
  
  so if you are !NOT! looking to modify this router, i would give it five stars.
  
  if you !ARE! looking to modify this router, i would give it -1 stars, just because the old product was so good compared to the new one.
  
  /*if you are deciding between the wrt54g and the wrt54gs, you need to have speed booster adapters to gain speed. those adapters will cost 20 bucks over the price of the regular ones (can get pricey if you have many computers) the older versions (1.0-4.0) of the wrt54g can be enabled for speed booster, but you won't have the hardware advantages provided by the wrt54gs.*/
  
  
• The best wifi router out there for techies
  By A3EX9PGC97VY3X on 2006-03-30
  I've owned several wireless routers. (SMC, Belking, Netgear, and Linksys to name a few). Hands down this is the WIFI router a techie should get. Now someone who don't care about security and just wants to plug and get things done, I've found Netgear to be more frienlier but lacks features. So why 'THIS' WIFI router?
  
  1. Linksys has stable releases of firmware. Especially if you like to do things like port forwarding, and so forth you want good support.
  2. Linksys has provided the source code to the firmware. And there are several open source firmware codes for this thing. Some provide few additional configurations while others are compltely new firmware. It's a geek's dream come ture.
  3. If you use VOIP. (telephone service running on top of your internet), this router is one of the very few who provides QOS. QOS (Quality Of Service) can put higher priortiy by physicial port, or network port. I just plug my VOIP to the port and prioritize it. My calls are substantially more stable then before.
  4. Reputation (Solid hardware.) I bought Linksys's first home router back in 1999. Linksys has always made reliable and good routers.
  5. So do you need the GS? Actually no, but they are pretty much identical hardware with GS having more memory. Besides the speedboost thing (which I never used), it doesn't matter. Which ever is cheaper and more readily available, you should pick it up.
  
  I have to repeat that this is a great techie router. A beginner will be fine too, but I found 'Wizard' like menus of other WIFI router to be more 'consumer' friendly. But for someone who wants to configure the router to do a lot of things and require something that can take heavy abuse, this is THE router.
  
  
• Excellent Product
  By A1IKU0IXTQ8I96 on 2004-05-06
  Having read all the reviews for this product, including some not so favorable, I decided to upgrade my wired router to wireless.

  Setup couldn't have been more straightforward. I didn't use the setup CD, but followed the setup guide. Within ten minutes, I was connected. The router is connected to a custom built P4 and my laptop is a Sony Vaio. I used the Linksys WPC45GS to connect my laptop to the network, another easy and flawless install.

  After the initial install of the router, it is strongly suggested you do the following:

  - Change the SSID
  - Disable SSID broadcast
  - Change password for admin access
  - Enable MAC filtering
  - Change SSID often
  - Use highest encryption possible
  - Change encryption keys often

  For me, this router has been working flawlessly for the last week. Installation and configuration was simple. With my laptop, I can go anywhere in my 1800 sq ft. home and get a strong signal with no dropouts.

  Excellent product. Highly recommended.
  
  

• Tips for first timers with SBC Yahoo DSL and Windows XP!!
  By A3ISUEJT1EMPCI on 2006-04-14
  FINALLY got the wireless network going but not without help from many of the reviews listed, a long call to Linksys tech support and then stumbling on the Windows XP Network Setup Wizard. This wizard was able to resolve the last of my issues!
  
  Being BRAND new to networking and especially wireless networking here is what I have learned in the past 24hrs that helped get my router/wireless network up and running, but note my experience listed below was to get my desktop which was plugged into Port 1 on the router to access the internet via SBC Yahoo DSL. Once this was FINALLY sorted my wireless laptop was easily connected as soon as I entered the security settings mentioned below into the wireless card software AND THE SIGNAL/SPEED IS EXCELLENT!!
  
  The hard part was connecting the wired desktop below:
  
  -On your desktop that you wish to be wired to the router, first close/disable your virus/firewall software and/or Windows XP firewall
  
  -Do NOT use the CD that comes with the WRT54G. Instead while your computer is still traditionally plugged into your DSL got to www.linksys.com/easy and download NetSet software to your desktop (so you can find it easily). While on this page also download NetUpdate to your desktop also - this program will check if you need a firmware upgrade (ie router software upgrade) - but you have to have your router connected before running this program. So once you have downloaded these 2 programs run the NetSet program and it will guide you through plugging in the router.
  
  -Once the router is plugged in, run the NetUpdate program to check if you need a firmware upgrade (note: my version 5 router did not need an update according to this program)
  
  -If during this entire time the little box saying "Dialling SBC Yahoo DSL" continuously keeps popping up followed by "Error 678 - Remote computer did not respond", and opening Internet Explorer does not result in your home page coming up - well this is what I spent an hour on the phone with tech support about!! They eventually fixed it, but the next morning the same problem still occurred!! This was FINALLY solved by going to My Computer/My Network Places (under Other Places on left side)/Set up a home or small office network and then the Network Setup Wizard pops up. Follow the wizard (there is a requirement saying Connect to Internet - continue on even if the error 678 boxes keep popping up as in my case I WAS connected to the internet through the router despite the error boxes!!) Select the option about sharing the connection through a gateway and once the wizard is done, power down DSL modem and router, then turn on DSL modem first, then router, then restart your computer (as prompted) Once restarted, try to open Internet Explorer....hopefully your home page comes up and the "Dialling SBC Yahoo DSL" followed by "Error 678" is gone....
  
  -If not, right click on the Internet Explorer icon and select Properties/Connections and check "Never dial a connection", then click on LAN settings and make sure all boxes are unchecked, then click OK to exit and try opening Internet Explorer again...
  
  -If still no home page, then close Internet Explorer and double click to open My Computer then go to View/Toolbars and check Address bar and you should see and address bar (may have to drag things around on the tool bar to see it fully). Type the router's default IP address (without www) into this bar - it is listed on FAQ's slip in the router box and looks like ###.###.#.# and hit enter. A box should pop up - leave username blank and type default password listed on FAQ slip in router package and hit OK. Now a new page should come up, click on Setup/Basic Setup and for SBC Yahoo DSL select PPPoE from the drop down menu (different selection req for cable modem). Enter SBC Yahoo DSL username and password and click Save Settings then Continue.
  
  -While you are here, you'll want to change the security settings, so click Wireless/Basic Wireless Settings and make up a new SSID network name that you can remember that contains numbers/capitals. All computers connecting to this wireless network will need to know this SSID, so write it down as well as the wireless channel selected (I was told to select Channel 11 by tech support). Then check Disable SSID broadcast so that your SSID network will appear without a name on a wireless computer's scan. Knowing what channel your network is broadcast on will help you find your network later from your wireless computer. Click Save Settings then Continue. Then click Wireless/Wireless Security and then select either the super secure WPA2-Personal with AES algorithm or the still secure WPA-Personal with TKIP algorithm. Both are acceptable and way more secure than nearly useless WEP. You will need to type a >8 character "password" or WPA Shared Key into the box - again all computers connecting to your network will need to know this so write it down, it should contain capitals and numbers and all computers connecting to your wireless network will need to be compatible with either WPA or WPA2 security and have your network SSID and WPA Shared Key (password) entered into their wireless connection software.
  
  -For extra security, you can ensure that only listed computers can connect to your network. To do so, write down the MAC (basically ID#) printed onto the wireless card of any computer you want to connect. Then on the router set up screen mentioned above, click Wireless/Wireless MAC filter and check enable. Check "Permit only listed PC's having access" and then click "Edit MAC filter list". Enter MAC (ie ID#) from the wireless card of any computer you wish to access your network, then click Save Settings then Continue. Before exiting, click Save Settings then Continue and then close program.
  
  -Now try to open Internet Explorer - if it doesn't work, you will have to call tech support....
  
  -To configure wireless laptops, open the software on the laptop for the wireless card, scan and select your network - it will have a blank area under SSID anme and should be on the channel you wrote down above. Select it and then enter in the SSID network name you created and select either WPA or WPA2 security and enter WPA Shared Key (password) to EXACTLY match whatever you selected on the router configuration page. Hopefully you should be now be able to connect!
  
  -The last problem I had was with Outlook email, as when click Send/Receive it also tried to dial! Click Tools/Email accounts/View /Change existing accounts/Change/More Settings/Connection/Connect using my local area network(LAN)/OK. Then click Test account settings - should work fine. NOW click NEXT to save settings, then Finish and hopefully all "Dialling" error boxes should be gone!
  
  -Once configured and connected you should be able to turn your virus/firewall software back on - GOOD LUCK!!
  
  
  
• Linksys WRT54GS
  By A27KE9FL663AES on 2004-04-27
  I purchased the WRT54GS to upgrade an outdated router that I'd had for about 4 years.
  Ultimately I was hoping this router would allow me to use my laptop anywhere in my town home (~1300 sqft) AND work with Xbox Live despite it's absence from the list of approved routers; I figured "how much different could it be from the WRT54G", which IS approved for Xbox Live.
  With some minor difficulties I was able to get it to work with Xbox Live. You'll need to toy around with the security settings (SPI, Anonymous Internet Requests, and DMZ) a little bit, but it WILL work. Once Xbox Live is connected you can re-secure everything until you turn off the Xbox... at which point you'll need to go through the routine again when you want to reconnect. This has something to do with the way Xbox initiates communications... hopefully Linksys releases a firmware patch to correct this simple, but annoying issue.
  The laptop network connection works anywhere in my town home, but if I take it outside onto my deck the signal is eventually dropped. To be fair the router is on the complete opposite side of the town home when I'm on the deck. I'm betting that I could improve my coverage area if I could move the router to a central room and elevate it a little bit. The WLAN coverage is about what I'd expected.
  The browser interface is a breeze so adjusting your settings to work with Xbox and secure your WLAN is not hard at all. Initial setup was incredibly easy. I literally plugged the router into my cable modem, plugged my desktop PC into the router and I had internet. The router automatically spoofed the MAC address required to get through the cable modem.
  I haven't had to use Linksys technical support, but their knowledge base is decent enough to solve the most common problems. This product is fairly new however, so knowledge base articles for out of the ordinary problems are somewhat sparse as of right now.
  
  
• Completely Disappointed
  By A1SMZTIVAIQ7VM on 2004-08-01
  Review of the LinkSys WET54G bridge point, and WRT54GS router
  
  Completely Disappointed
  
  ("two Stars", both for the support, and none for the products)
  
  These LinkSys wireless device both failed utterly. The WET54G was replaced, and the replacement failed identically.
  
  Who will repay me for my lost time, and productivity? Noone.
  
  I have used LinkSys wired devices for years, and have found them reliable. This is why I purchased the LinkSys WRT54GS wireless router and WET54G bridge point despite their higher price, and negative reviews.
  
  I must start by saying that LinkSys gets full points for the fine women and men in India whom they employ as their technical support staff. While I have mixed feelings for the socioeconomic ramifications of the North American jobs being outsourced to India, I must say that the general level of courtesy and expertise was higher than I have ever experienced before. Kudos to India for training such superior technicians who can work so much more cheaply than North Americans. In all, I spoke with eight LinkSys support technicians, and seven of these were from India. The Senior Support technician I spoke to in the end was in California, and he was also most excellent in his demeanor and knowledge.
  
  That said, the devices don't work.
  
  At first, I thought the router (WRT54GS) was working, and that I was experiencing signal drop out on the Bridge point side (WET54G). There was some initial contact, but it faded quickly to nothing. I suspected that the doors between the two points were affecting the radio signal, or that the local airport was interfering. Bringing both devices into the same room didn't help, though, and the airport shuts down at night - removing that as a source of interference. The senior support person I spoke to suggested that my wireless phones (also operating in the 2.4 GHz frequency range) could be interfering with the LinkSys products, but it made no difference when I disconnected them.
  
  The Bridge point (WET54G) repeatedly power cycled itself - establishing a link for a few seconds, up to a few minutes, and then mysteriously shutting itself off, and losing the link. This happened every few minutes forever, and eventually it failed to find the wireless connection at all. It just sat there turning itself on again, and off again. After speaking to several technicians in India, I was advised to have the Bridge point replaced. The replacement failed identically.
  
  No amount of tweaking, configuring, upgrading, or resetting makes it work for more than a few minutes. The failure is unrelated to distance between the nodes, time of day, version of the firmware, temperature of the product, OS of the host machine, or any other feature I may discern. It simply does not work. In fact, the two of them failed identically.
  
  I had thought that at least the router (WRT54GS) was working, but I was wrong.
  
  The router functions (or it's supposed to) as a 4-port wired router with a wireless connection. I was attributing the failure of the wireless connection to the Bridge point (WET54G). It took me a while to suspect that the wired connections to the router were perhaps failing sometimes as well. When I did notice that the configuration web page on the router was sometimes inaccessible through the wired ethernet port, I upgraded the firmware (on the advice of the local senior technician). This didn't seem to help, and in fact I then found that there was a complete failure of the wired machines to ping the router.
  
  Unfortunately, when I re-reinstalled the firmware (guessing that the first reinstall had perhaps failed partially), the wired connection to the host failed in mid-upgrade, leaving the firmware corrupted, and unfixable. (There was no firmware to tell the machine how to upgrade the firmware - a sad state.)
  
  The unit started lame, and died completely. Dead, dead, dead.
  
  LinkSys has offered to replace the units, and to replace the bridge with the more recent version (WET54GV2), but I have declined the offer. At best, the units were sometimes working - transmitting with a 50% packet failure rate, which is unusable for me (and most people, I suspect). I now realize that I will fare much better with a trench, and a buried cable to my garage. Ironically, I had initially opted for the wireless equipment on the notion that it would be quicker and easier than digging a thirty foot trench. That was three painful weeks ago. I am now looking gleefully at the trench as the cheaper, quicker, easier, and more reliable option.
  
  After having been a happy and loyal LinkSys customer for years, I am sad to say that I am utterly disappointed with my most recent experiences.
  
  What a major drag. I am very frustrated. If you need speed, and reliability in your network solution, I strongly advise you to seek another solution than LinkSys Wireless devices
  
  
  
• Nice!
  By A304GUEPCPYM3Z on 2005-02-02
  This router is basically the WRT54G, with the addition of Linksys' Speedbooster technology. It can service all 802.11g, as well as the older 802.11b, based networks. Or it can serve a network consisting of a mixture of those two standards. In short, this is a very versatile router to have.
  
  The Speedbooster technology provides an additional increase in network speed over the typical 54mbs of the 802.11g standard. This is very useful if you like to transfer large files between your computers. The extra speed should help things move along just a little quicker. But keep in mind that this will probably not give you any additional increase over the internet. Probably because the wireless connection between the router and your computer is not the bottleneck. The Speedbooster capability can only be fully utilized if your operating system is either Windows 2000 or Windows XP.
  
  Setting up this router was easy. My PCI wireless desktop adapter is also made by linksys. The ethernet card on my older computer is a standard issue IBM.
  
  I highly recommend this wireless router to anyone who frequently transfers large files from one computer to another. I have had the router in operation for over a week, and so far, it has not dropped my internet connection.
  
  For your information, my current network consists of two desktop computers (Dell 8200 and an IBM 300PL). The Dell is connected wirelessly, using a Linksys wireless adapter with the Speedbooster capability. The IBM has the original IBM network card. Speedstream DSL modem. The Dell is running on Windows XP Pro and the IBM has Windows 2000 Server.
  
  
  
  
• Superior product at a reasonable price
  By AYGA561ZCUP51 on 2004-05-28
  I've been a Linksys user since my first 4-port DSL router. Unfortunately I made a bad decision when I upgraded to a 802.11g AP. I bought a Netgear 802.11g AP based on the recommendation from CNET. Then my nightmare began!! Whilst the wireless signal strength was quite decent, the connection was dodgy.

  After months of suffering it finally came to an end today... from the moment I setup the WRT54GS router. :-) The web GUI is well organized and easy to follow. Connection speed as well as response time is far better than my old Netgear AP that has a very high latency in initiating connection. I used to have problems in maintaining my PPTP connection to my office. Now it's stable as rock!! Overall this is a very well built product with solid support (in terms of firmware updates/bug fixes).
  
  

• Run away!
  By A1LW93HGONNQUU on 2006-12-04
  This product provided the single worst computer experience I have had in 30 years of computer use. Our needs seemed fairly simple. We wanted to upgrade an existing 802.11b network to 802.11g because some of our computers no longer worked with the 802.11b standard. We have a house, and a home office attached to the garage. We had two Netgear routers, one in each location. Their setup was maybe an hour. The Linksys routers would not talk to each other or assign IP addresses properly. My wife is a computer specialist. We both spend hours and hours over the Thanksgiving weekend trying to make it work. Tech support was horrid. I waited for something like 45 minutes to obtain a chat session that did not help. I searched through 400 unhelpful articles in their self-help web tool. Many of them had contradictory instructions. I tried phone support--one time a tech decided one of the routers was bad. Another time I waited on hold for about a half hour while they tried to re-direct me to the tools that had already failed. And while they told me how much my business means to them. We estimate we spent some 10-12 hours trying to do what should have taken an hour. Buy something else!!!
  
  If all you need is one router in one location, maybe this product is OK. If you have any more complex needs this product and the company stink.
  
  
• excellent IF and ONLY IF sveasoft firmware used
  By A1TGQBNFNBW2CO on 2005-04-12
  Thanks largely to Cisco the WRT54GS *becomes* a great appliance when one uses the GPL licensed Sveasoft Alchemy firmware. The default firmware is so-so. Since Linksys released the firmware under GPL license the Sveasoft firmware is also GPL. This means anyone can distribute the Sveasoft firmware, and anyone can use it without paying anyone else a dime!
  
  Google for: sveasoft individual
  
  to get your legally free copy today!
  
  
  This appliance works well as a MULTIPORT wireless bridge. Use it for your Xbox! It's waaaay better than the junk microsoft is pushing. :D
  
  
• Do not buy if it is version 5 or later!
  By ADQJHPPBDIV7L on 2006-08-20
  Our ISP provides us with an static IP and static DNS server addresses.
  
  When I first setup the router, it appeared to work with the exceptiont that it kept replying with the gateway address as the DNS server address every time we plugged a computer into the network. I, however, got the damn thing to work by forcing one of the ISPs DNS address into the network interfaces of one the PCs.
  
  I then went to the linksys support page and upgraded the firmware as suggested there. This apparently went well, we didn't see the bad DNS server problem again in the computers that were directly connected to the router. We were happy that the network was up again.
  
  What a dissapointment followed when the wireless adapters quit working! We did get the IP address and the DNS address correctly, we could even ping the router and the DNS servers, but the router kept garbling all of the packets once we tried to use the browser to open the configuration page.
  
  As indicated in other postings here and everywhere, the older hardware versions of this router were more powerful and ran an embedded version of Linux. I believe that Linksys changed that to save a few bucks and now the router runs a different embedded operating system (VxWorks?) on a cost reduced version of the hardware. Well, as we all know replicating quality software on different operating systems is not an easy task. This is, I believe, the reason why the quality of the product has dramatically gone down.
  
  I am talking the thing back today.
  
  People (in India?) that do Linksys costumer support were nice but not technical enough to understand the problem (I offered a file with garbled TCP packets but did not take it!) and did not know how buggy their own products are.
  
  
• EZ Set-up, but Use the Linksys Website
  By AP6NB045PT0DV on 2005-04-12
  A CD is included with the Linksys router which guides you through
  the physical set up (which is very easy). It also guides you
  through the software set-up. However, I encountered a few
  problems with the software set-up.
  
  However, Linkysys has an *on-line* set up Wizard through their website. I found the software installation much easier using this on-line service. My computer and a laptop were up and running in a few minutes. I suggest people who are new to this technology might skip the enclosed installation CD and go straight to the website for set-up
  
  Once I was up and running, everything worked well. My desk top (not wireless) works fine and my new laptop downloads at an incredibly fast rate. Aside from the software installation glitch, I am very pleased with the product.
  
  
• Great g card but Customer Services drops the ball
  By ANQBF4XQJV4TA on 2004-05-15
  Well, I purchased my card (WPC54GS) and the router to match (WRT54GS) last Sunday for my work computer and after a week I finally got it to work no thanks to customer service at Linksys. There only help was to tell me the card was broken and I had to reinstall my operating system after 4 hours on the phone with them trying the same thing over and over again. But I'm sure that if you have windows XP or 2000 you wont have any problems but, my company gave me a great laptop but with windows 98SE which for those of you who have moved on to XP as I did with my home PC remember what a piece it was. If any of you purchase this card with 98SE and get stuck you can e-mail me at GEO1277@comcast.net and I can help you get it up and running. But as far as the product goes it gets great reception and as long as one of the antennas is pointed in the direction you are using the laptop or pc you can go through 3 well built floors and at least 100ft that I know of from my experience. Oh one more down side to this card if you have Windows 98SE you can't use the SpeedBooster unless you are using XP or 2000 just some info that I think was left out on this website but will be on the box when you get the card or router. I would give the Router 5 stars the Card 4 Stars and the customer service negative 5 stars.
  
  
• Don't rely on tech support, you'll be fine.
  By A1E02Y4KUIAQ9Q on 2004-05-21
  The -4GS is a piece of cake to set up. Running the primary computer on XP, it's promptly recognized and instantly connects to the web. Setting up the wireless on a Mac PB G4 didn't go as smoothly, but, within 10 minutes it too was up and running. I was surprised by the speed of internet connection working wireless on the Mac. The 4GS boasts speed with its SpeedBooster--and it's indeed valid.
  
  
• Equipment works well - so do Parental Controls
  By A25X9O57E02FPK on 2004-10-20
  I bought this router mainly for the parental controls feature. I didn't want to buy software to control each computer in my small business network and this looked like a good solution. Here are some points:
  
  - setup of this router is fairly easy. I was able to get my wired and wireless clients set up within 1/2 hour. Be warned - in order to get that "Speed boost" you have to buy special linksys equipment for EACH computer - not worth it in my opinion. Speed of the router is definitely better than 802.11b, but don't go looking for a full 54mb. Theoretically, that's possible, but practically it runs around 22 or 23.
  
  - the parental controls work very well. I tried to go looking for gambling, violent, and smut websites on the internet after purchasing ($29/year) the router-based program. It blocks almost everything! The only way I've found around it is to go to a few select foreign-language websites (and you reaaallly have to work hard to find those). Even then, you can report these offending websites and they will be added to the database. The other way around it is to Google search (or other engine) for images. The parental controls allow you to bring up thumbnails (because of search engine caching), but don't allow you to go to the original site. I don't think there's a way to block that kind of content.
  
  Overall, I would recommend this router specifically if you are looking for a speed boost and haven't already bought other wireless equipment, or if you are looking for robust parental controls for your kids or small business. I favor this method of parental control over software because it allows you to control all access from one central point easily.
  
  
• G-Force
  By AD0J5KK4WQXNS on 2006-06-08
  [Personally I paid a little extra to own the Linksys WRT54GS Wireless-G Broadband Router with SpeedBooster model] I used to be hard-line only. I had a very nice Belkin 4-Port Cable/DSL Router that was cheap and fully universally compliant as a 10/100BT Ethernet Router (even supported Australian Bigpond settings in the internal software). It was the backbone of my home network. I also kept in the back of my mind that it was quite possible to add a wireless AP (access point) later if I wanted to go wireless. Sunny days are the reason why I just had to get outdoors with my laptop. When that wireless time came I decided to go with Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router. I was hoping to have 2 network routers, but the research showed that this was not recommended and to go Router + Switches + AP instead. The bottom line here is that although I planned on keeping the Belkin, making the Linksys a wireless AP, the Linksys ended up replacing the Belkin which is now sitting back inside its box again. Having an all-in-one wireless router/switch means everything in one box serving your broadband to any wired or wireless machine on your network. The Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router does not make your network limited to wireless-only devices because the router is built with Ethernet Out connections at the back. Now before you consider buying this router you need to make sure that you have an ADSL modem which absolutely must have an Ethernet connection (sign of a good brand) with USB optional, or without USB. What you do not want is USB-only. If you end up with a USB-only ADSL modem, throw it out, or return it. Just get rid of it. Your ADSL modem with Ethernet out is connected to the WAN Ethernet port of the router. The router then shares your internet Ethernet out to devices on the network and wireless out to devices on the network. If the router is using all of its four Ethernet ports and you need more, then you need to also buy a switch with this router. So again if you are serving to more than four machines via Ethernet then you need a switch. For 8 Ethernet out you can buy an Linksys EZXS88W EtherFast 10/100 8-Port Workgroup Switch or for more ports, such as 16, the Linksys EZXS16W EtherFast 10/100 16-Port Workgroup Switch. The switch is basically an Ethernet port splitter. It uses one Ethernet port of the router and gives you more. For big internet cafes you can keep adding switches so that the network connection looks something like adsl line->adsl modem->router->switch->switch->switch etc. The installation of the Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router was a piece of cake. Before you install it you should get your internet up and running first of all by going directly from the ADSL modem to your PC. Use the information the ISP gave you and try to create a working DHCP type connection. If your ISP can use DHCP then a lot of things become automatic and very easy to setup. You might need information on primary and secondary DNS settings if your ISP has them, ask for them and write them down. Once you have established an internet connections from your ADSL modem to your PC, then it is time to install the router, not before. Never install a router on a system that does not have the modem setup first. You are just begging for problems. If you cant get a working modem with internet connectivity then you are just going to exacerbate the issue by adding in a router. The Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router has a straightforward installation program. When you open the box the device has stickers on it and warnings about what you should read first. The installation process involved starting up the CD first, unplugging the Ethernet connection from the ADSL modem to the PC and putting it into the WAN port of the router, completing some tasks on the CD Software, assigning DHCP (makes it very easy), setting up security, writing down and printing out a wireless 128-bit encryption key, running Ethernet out from the router to the PC ( or more than one PC), turning wireless on, plugging in the Router, having Internet on all wired machines working, turn on notebook, detect wireless router, use encryption key, change Workgroup name on notebook, full Internet plus file sharing on network. Sometimes you need update the driver of Wireless NIC on your PC if you want to use WPA2 wireless security. Next up is the big test. Could I actually use my internet outdoors? I took my notebook outside and down the end of the garden approximately 35 feet (10 meters) to a 2 foot concrete house wall and window where there is a room 12 feet (4 meters) to a door, panel walls, and another 12 feet (4 meters) to the router. During the day, depending on weather conditions, my signal will read very strong to low, but never gone. It is my understanding however that this router can not penetrate all types of barriers like lead or metal walls. So unless you have this router inside a vault, you are going to be pretty much not just serving your internet all around your home, but to other homes also and probably places where you didn't think you would be serving at all. This is where you need to think strongly about making sure you activate some form of encryption on setup (don't skip it) and also change the name of your router and password. Make sure to keep the password or else you are locked out of your own router. The big bonus is that you can turn off wireless and still have a wired router with internet. The router has all the standard software functions that come with most routers. If anything new appears, the router has an easy firmware update function. Now if you really want to just add this router as an AP on your network, and not a router, just connect the LAN of the wireless router to the LAN of the hardwired router and do not use the WAN of the wireless router. Disable DHCP on the wireless router and make sure that you set up a non-conflicting IP address for the router. This should turn the wireless router into a wireless access point. There are software settings in the router to help prevent various malicious attacks. I have never had any spam ads or anything like that from this router. It does have two little shortcomings though. The power cord is about 3 feet (1 meter), a little short, so you might need to buy another power adaptor. It also has no off switch. I do not think this is for security reasons. You can unplug it at the rear just as easily. Apart from these two little problems this is a very cool piece of equipment. I would highly recommend it. Celebrate your new Wireless 54 Mbs!
  
  Some notes on security: Use WPA2 Encryption (either WPA2 personal or WPA2 enterprise). If you have trouble connecting to a WPA2 wireless network then you probably need to update your wireless network card drivers. For WPA ALGORITHMS use TKIP+AES. In setting use Wireless MAC filter - enable and permit only. Update MAC list for Wireless devices. For your wireless MAC address Windows users should open Command Prompt and type ipconfig -all and the MAC address is the physical address on the wireless network adaptor. After you do this make sure that Wireless SSID Broadcast is DISABLED.
  
  
• Worst piece of crud I ever purchased.
  By A2NXOW1IQ2BW85 on 2007-04-21
  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.
  
  
• Disappointed
  By on 2004-03-23
  Purchased the WRT54GS as an upgrade to Linksys BEFSX41 with an SMC 802.11b access point. Installed easily, but was very disappointed that with WEP and MAC filtering enabled the unit consistently drops connections after a few minutes in all available wireless modes (B-only, G-only, Mixed). It is indeed significantly faster than 802.11b for the short periods in which it holds the connection. ...
  
  
• Excellent and Easy to Install
  By A130ZOA4FCYXB3 on 2004-10-21
  This is my third router in 2 weeks. I tried Bliss, and D-Link, both of which were a pain to install, and the wireless worked sporadically at best. Read: worked once than never to connect wirelessly to the router again.
  
  A friend at work had a Linksys router, and recommended it. I ordered the Wireless-g with Speedbooster router and the notebook card. They arrived the next day.
  
  The installation was flawless -- the router was working within a couple minutes. It actually took longer for the computer to go through its regular re-boot than it did to install the router.
  
  The notebook card was the same. Flawless and worked within minutes. Again, the regular re-boot sequence took longer than the install.
  
  These work seamlessly -- not only on the desktop machine plugged into the router, but I have excellent reception all over the house with the notebook computer. Finally a networking company that steps up to the plate when it comes to a home network. Congrats to Cisco!
  
  After my first two router experiences, I am completely sold on Linksys -- I couldn't be happier with the ease of install and continued performance.
  
  
• Excellent Choice
  By A1O7TGVTV0X9NG on 2005-01-06
  I purchased what seemed like a good wireless router, which will remain nameless, but eventually the performance dropped, pages timed-out, etc. I scoured the internet, but found that my particular model had persistent problems, and neither the company nor anyone else had a fix for it. Eventually, I replaced it with a Linksys WRT54GS. Not a problem since.
  
  As for nice touches, the ports are fully stealthed, and the encryption algorithm is a bit more apple friendly - I have an iMac - since the WPA security has options for AES and TKIP, and the Apple only uses TKIP; other devices don't allow a choice. Also, the router has 4-wired ports, in addition to its wireless capabilities.
  
  
• Unstable router - at least for me
  By A2MCPGNK2BKDU on 2005-10-06
  I bought this router couple of weeks back from Bestbuy. Installation wasn't hard - fairly straightforward. Their controls are very professional - might be intimidating to non-IT guys. I dont see this router reliable at all. When I take my laptop to my bedroom in the 2nd floor, the signal strength is too low. The connection frequently drops out - couldnt explain why - even at night 11pm when there are no microwaves or phones etc. I live in a single family house and interferrences practically nil.
  
  In my Apple Powerbook, the SSID name keeps disappearing on a constant basis. At the same time, my old Netgear MR814 stays good. I dont know whats going on.
  
  Looks like there are many satisfied users out here but this one is not for me.
  
  
  
• Excellent device, easy setup, solid performance
  By A3CEH4ZZ3VQLU3 on 2006-11-28
  The key to installing this device is to insert the setup CD into the computer BEFORE DOING ANYTHING WHATSOEVER TO YOUR COMPUTER and follow the step-by-step directions carefully. Throw away any directions you may have downloaded from the internet or Microsoft about the ins and outs of setting up a wireless network--you won't need them. The Linksys CD setup program is very sophisticated and it automates the execution of what is actually a fairly complex set of algorithms, with very little user input needed. It is a most impressive bit of hardware, and a no-brainer to set up. It took me all of 20 minutes to set up my network and connect three computers in the house to it. I can't comment definitively on the strength of the signal, since the distances covered in my house are small, but over those small distances (30 feet and three walls at most), the signal strength is excellent. This is one of the best computer purchases I have ever made. The key is, again, to follow the CD setup directions carefully. . .
  
  
• Didn't work and install software messed up my laptop
  By A1DSRM2P0WGQNS on 2007-06-22
  I purchased this router to replace another wireless router that kept dropping connections. Upon opening the box I was greeted with a big warning sticker that said "Run CD before plugging in router!" OK - so I ran through the install instructions with the CD and I could literally never connect to the Internet and my laptop wouldn't see the network. I tried for about 6 hours, running through every set of troubleshooting instructions I could find. I finally gave up completely and returned the router.
  
  Now, even though I uninstalled the Linksys software - the wireless settings on my laptop get changed about 3 minutes after I boot up, preventing me from connecting to my current network. The only software I have installed is Linksys install - so it is clear that there is something still resident in my system that is rendering my laptop incapable of connecting to any wireless network.
  
  
  
  

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