Linksys WRT54G2 Wireless-G Broadband Router Reviews

• Open NAT for xbox 360!

  
  By A2489M0NYX8SJR on 2008-03-28
  This was very easy to set up. It took about 5 minutes total to set up the router and have a wireless connection to my desktop. I have an excellent reception to my desktop that sits about 30 feet away in another room. Also, I have my desktop and laptop (both running vista), xbox 360, and ps3 connected to it wirelessly. the xbox 360 NAT is open and the ps3 NAT is type 2. I'm not sure what that stuff means technically, but in normal person terms it means that I can connect to others with no problems. The back of the router has 4 10/100 ethernet connections on it as well if you want a wired connection.
  
  The design of this router is really excellent. The antennas are built into the router and the dimensions of it are really small and thin! This gives you more flexibility of where the router can be placed.
  
  Streaming recorded TV, music, and pictures from my desktop to xbox (using media center) work well for both being connected wireless with no reduction in picture quality.
  
  *Update* I just got the 20" 2.66ghz iMac and connecting it to my linksys was as simple as selecting the network and typing in my password. The router has been up and running several months now with no resets or connection issues. This is a very stable router that requires little to no maintenance.
  
  

• Does what it's supposed to.

  
  By A2UOHALGF2X77Q on 2008-05-15
  I had an original WRT54G that I bricked screwing around with the firmware. I needed another router right away, so I picked the WRT54G2 up at my local BB for $50. I was going to spend a lot more for an "N" router, but figured it wasn't worth it for my modest DSL/home network. I had the WRT54G2 up and running within 10 minutes. No problems. No drama. I was concerned about the internal antenna, but I still get a full signal even in my basement. It seems to work very well, and looks much better in my office than the original WRT54G.
  
  

• Works fine with a Dell desktop and a Macbook Air

  
  By A1RSFAWRQY416K on 2008-04-02
  After reading good reviews in amazon, I bought a WRT54G2 at Circuit City. Although the package doesn't say it supports a Mac and the Circuit City man told me routers are always tricky, implying this might not work fine with a Mac, it works flawlessly with my Dell desktop running Windows Xp and Macbook Air.
  The installation was easy, finished in 10 minutes. Macbook Air connected to the Internet at first attempt.
  So really there was no problem at all.
  Macbook Air supports 802.11n and I could have bought a diffrent router that supports it. But my internet connection is 1.5MB Verizon DSL and I thought 802.11g and 11n do not make any difference in my case.
  The range is strong enough to cover my one bed room apartment.
  In short, I'm very satisfied with this product.
  
  

• No go with old modem

  
  By A1E8PWW106DRBE on 2008-04-29
  If you have old (3 or 4 years old connection) done with DSL modem of SpeedStream 4100 you may have problems with Linksys. Upon installation Linksys program informed me that everything fine, Vista told me network is good, but of course I can't use their (Linksys) secure web site in order to change setting or configure it completely. I understand that my old DSL modem or AT@T is at some fault (incompatibilities with Linksys). But why Linksys doesn't fix it. Or at least they should write on a package "don't try to connect with old modems that run on DSL".
  
  

• unbelievably easy

  
  By A2BTGCHAUSKMLH on 2008-06-10
  I am still just stunned. Here I was, all prepared for a painful afternoon of geekese and error messages and unexplained no-connectivity, like the last time I had to do this...ordering out for pizza and a late night and probably some booze to ease the pain...and twenty minutes later, I'm on my laptop. (Fifteen minutes of that was fighting with the laptop.) You insert a CD, it walks you through four easy steps, generates the needed keys, and you're done. So now I have to stay sober and cook dinner, but it's a small price to pay. The wifi signal is strong, the router design is sleek and unobtrusive (a minimum of horrible sleep-disturbing blinking green lights, my personal pet peeve), the price was absolutely right. We'll see how I feel a month from now, but at the moment I'm on a non-techie high....
  
  
• Probably not the best out there, but it will suit almost everyone perfectly!
  By A3W3Y7C1D4FXFF on 2008-05-16
  This is great! I'm not too "computer savvy," and this was just the right wireless router to get me started with my own home network. I'm sure there are many more wireless routers that can perform better than this one, but they're so much more expensive, and I guarantee this will suit your needs perfectly!
  
  All I had to do was put the CD in my computer, then some text instructions and an animation showed me exactly what to do. There are about 4 steps, (not including naming your network and such.) This is a well-priced, general wireless router, and is just amazing! I used this to connect to my game systems also - (A Wii and Nintendo DS) And they connected perfectly! No worries at all. And, I get a perfect "3-bar" range everywhere in my house! The router is on the middle floor of my house, and I can get perfect connections in the basement, upstairs, wherever!
  
  I highly recommend this router to any first time users of a wireless network, and anyone else looking for a reliable wireless network. Many other routers are 2x more expensive than this router, and don't do that much different. I hope this is the router for you!
  
  -Sleek design -> No external antenna
  -VERY simple set-up, even to a first time user
  -Great range, no "dead spots"
  
  Enjoy! ^_^
  
  
• Easy easy easy
  By A2YB6FOFFJ6MLD on 2008-04-30
  I was so scared when the box came. I do ok on a computer but i still have a ton to learn. This router was so easy to set up. The cd did every thing. I even set up my play station 3 no problem. So good luck and don't be scarded.
  
  
• Limited Features
  By A19PXWQ918LAVG on 2008-05-13
  Signal and operation seemed ok. They make a fuss about installing software before connecting the router - which seemed silly. I guess it is for people who don't know what they are doing. I didn't bother with the software, and did not have any problems getting things set up. I just looked in the manual for instructions on connecting to the admin interface for the router.
  
  I only had it hooked up for half a day. The problem is - you cannot assign a static IP to a mac address. I have a printer where this is necessary and from what I could tell the only way to do it is to download third party firmware. It is ridiculous that any router would not support such basic functionality.
  
  So - for people who don't care about that, this would be fine, but for me it makes the thing completely useless and I mailed it back to Amazon today. Thank goodness returns are so easy.
  
  
• Flawless setup on the first attempt.
  By A3ESSJ2SGCKBG4 on 2008-06-24
  A good friend of my just set up his pc in a new apartment. He wanted to wirelessly network his pc with that of his roomate and an Xbox 360. As a long time owner of a Linksys WRT54g router that I've never had a problem with, I reccommended this one to him. Since I was doing the setup, I wanted to work with something I was familiar with. We were not dissappointed. To setup the router to his roomates pc in the living and to configure a Linksys WUSB54GC Compact Wireless-G USB Adapter to his pc and setup the 128 bit WEP encryption took all of 30 mins. Everything connected on the 1st attempt. Connection range to router about 80 ft away, thru 2 walls was at max strength at a constant 54Mbs . If I ever need to get another router, this is the one that it will be. Linksys makes a great product.
  
  
• Works for Macs - if you go to linksys web site to get the setup
  By A1QMO4M0173MZ8 on 2008-07-19
  Of course, it doesn't come with a setup disk for mac, and there seems to be no way to manually set it up using the IP address UNLESS you go to the linksys web site to download the mac os x setup utility here: [...]
  
  Then, it's super quick, worked just fine, no problems whatsoever. Stupid that they don't include the mac setup on the disc they provide, but c'est la vie.
  
  
• Linksys WRT54G2 Router
  By A2VV24WM7K94TU on 2008-05-15
  Got this router to replace an old 802.11B that was beginning to fail. Easy to set up, was working in minutes. Connected three PC's via the wired ports, had little or no problems connecting a laptop, and two gaming systems (Wii, and PS3) wirelessly. Good router for the price.
  
  
• Great product - if only the DHCP server didn't have problems and it was hard to get support from the linksys forums
  By A3AYUOSC92IJYO on 2008-08-10
  I have to say that I have come to like the WRT54G2 a lot.
  
  Works very well with my PC, my fiancé's Mac, a Playstation3, a wired multiuse printer/fax/copier and the standard cable modem RCN provided.
  
  Configuration was quick and easy and I had no problems in that regard.
  
  My only complain with this product is the fact that the DHCP server has problems after a while. If you leave a PC/device on for too much time, it will "lose" it's IP address and there is no way around the issue other than rebooting / power cycling router and affected devices. It doesn't happen too often so it's not a major issue, but I would have appreciated the linksys forums to be more supportive of my post on this issue - as they really have not been.
  
  So 5 stars for product design, features and ease of use
  - 1 star for DHCP server flaw
  - 1 star for poor product support
  = 3 stars
  
  
• It's a Beautiful Thing
  By A1N6O9WWUC4OQD on 2008-04-08
  New to the world of laptops, high speed and routers. Glad that it was a smooth transition into the world of wireless. Lovin' it!
  
  
• I do believe this is my first 5 star review.
  By A37QUQPYFMR9Y9 on 2008-05-08
  OK.
  
  So I was initially looking at the Wireless-N version of this router, to potentially replace my old WRT54GS (Linksys Wireless G Router with SpeedBooster). That router had problems, admittedly so. It worked, but not as well as I'd liked given my setup. Since all of my devices are either G or B wireless, I figured I would just settle for the G router and save money (this one is almost half the cost of the N router).
  
  For the record I've got a laptop (wireless), media server (wireless), PS3 (wireless), PSP (wireless), DS (wireless), EEE PC (wireless), PS2 (hardwire), 360 (hardwire), printer (hardwire), and DirecTV HR20 (hardwire). Yeah, I know. What's important: the media server is in the master bedroom's closet, far from the router, which is in the living room. With my old router, signal strength got weak through walls, extremely weak. Local network activity was painful, streaming movies from the media center was painful as it would frequently lock up and stutter; thumbnails would not load.
  
  Enter this router. First thing to note: the CD is NOT required. If you're new to wireless connections you may want to just follow the directions and CD, but if you're comfortable with navigating the router web interface, just bypass the CD and set it up like you normally would; it'll work. Setup was quite painless and recognition was fast, I managed to replace my old wireless network in a matter of minutes. There is also a feature that allows for a WiFi Protected Setup with a one-button press, but apparently the receivers require that feature to be built in as well - and none of mine did. Therefore I just ignored it. For those who are setting up for the first time and bought receivers with the feature included, they might find it useful when doing the setup.
  
  I immediately noticed an improvement in the local networking speed. The aforementioned media server is now screaming fast over the network; thumbnails load just as fast as if I'm at the machine, file transfers are nowhere near as slow and streaming content plays with minimal lag. Internet connectivity was also slightly improved on devices that were not close to the router.
  
  There are a couple of issues, not necessarily the router's fault, but more an issue with the way Linksys designs them. First, getting internet connectivity took way too long and was not as easy as it should have been. I had to powercycle my modem to get it to pull the IP information - even though the details should have easily been accessible from the previous router having gotten them. This might be a Time Warner issue rather than a Linksys issue - maybe it sees a different MAC and freaks, but I doubt it. Once I got the IP information, the router still would not give internet connectivity for a minute. I'm using Vista Premium so I can tell when it's "Local", "Internet" or both and it struggled to get both up.
  
  Second, and a minor nitpick at best, the power cord is easily half the size of the WRT54GS. For the life of me I can't understand this. It makes it hard for me to locate the router in a good place, because I like to have the router on the UPS, and by shortening the cord I have to have the router in the middle of the floor. Minor issue, but still a problem for me.
  
  Otherwise, I highly recommend this. It seems they fixed the majority of the problems the previous devices had. I noted that the negative reviews came from people who had support problems; I never call the Bombay support line, so I have nothing bad to say.
  
  
• Quality router, worth the price
  By A1L6J6ZU93S031 on 2008-06-05
  So far it's working quite well after 2 weeks.
  
  I previously bought a Belkin F5D7230-4, but soon exchanged it for this one (see my review for it). This router is noticably faster loading uncached web pages, and I see less performance overhead in the Networking pane of Windows Task Manager. I suspect it's because of a newer, faster chipset.
  
  So I definitely recommend this router but won't give it 5 stars unless it lasts at least 2 years.
  
  One tip for those who know little or nothing about wi-fi: This router doesn't have auto-channel, so pay attention to which wireless channel you're using. There are 11 channels (1-11), but by default all Linksys use channel 6. If you live in a congested wireless environment, like my apartment complex where I can detect up to 10 signals simultaneously, then you'll want to use a software tool to detect all available wireless signals. The Dell Wireless Utility does a great job for me. If your environment is anything like mine you'll see most people use the default channel with a few using channels 1 and 11. I use channel 2 since there's only one other weak signal on channel 1 and I want to stay as far away from 6 as possible. Otherwise I get interference and performance loss.
  
  
  
  
• Did not like this router
  By A3S3F61ZI83ZEK on 2008-06-14
  My old system never had issues. This was easy to install, but we pulled it out after two weeks because it kept losing it's internet connection to our cable box. Not fun to run downstairs to reset the system twice a day.
  
  
• Sharp looking and works very well..A++
  By A3E2E6IOBU7UTK on 2008-03-30
  Bought it from Amazon had it in four days with free shipping and took maybe 10 min to set up. Connection is very good and attennnas are hidden within the router so it looks nice. Best router for the price!
  
  
• Easiest Router to setup yet!
  By A1YSKCQGXKQWEN on 2008-04-09
  I love it! It was easy to setup, my son's Linksys WUSB54gc adapter connected fast, and it's been smooth sailing!
  
  
• Happy so far
  By A1L7D3XVFK2JNB on 2008-04-14
  I just got this router and it was really easy to set up. It took me around 5 or 10 minutes and I'm not a technical whiz. When I tried to get my Fujistu PC's wireless modem software (Intel Pro Wireless Set) to recognize it, I had a lot of trouble, so then I switched to Windows software to manage my PC's wireless modem and I had no trouble connecting at all. My friend was also able to connect his MacBook Pro to the wireless signal without any trouble. Speed seems good so far, though it's only been a weekend.
  
  
• Great device that works very easily with Apple computers
  By A2RLPWOFJJ0O09 on 2008-05-29
  I think this is a great device. I will agree with all the positive comments from previous reviewers (which helped me decide to purchase this product), but I wanted to make a specific note to let Mac users know this router will work with your computers. It is not specifically shown on the outside of the package, nor in the instructions, but it does work with a little help from the company. I have a Powerbook and you have to search for the specific instructions and walkthroughs on the company's website. It's a breeze to install once you download these instructions.
  
  
• A very difficult company to deal with
  By AWUQXRTHN4FT9 on 2008-05-06
  This is a bad company. I purchased a wireless router from them and, truth be told, it never really worked right. The speed was ok, but it was impossible to set up without tech support and every so often it would simply stop working. When that happened I would be forced to call tech support and spend 30-60 minutes on the phone fighting with them about resetting the router. I recently purchased a new computer and decided to save a little money by moving this router to it. When I called tech support I was told that the router was out of its warranty period and they could not help me... unless I would pay them to. That's right, I would have to pay for the assistance on their product - a working product because it was not under warranty.
  
  So be warned that you are only buying the option to use Linksys' products for a limited time - that is if you have any problems whatsoever that require tech support. I am now trying a Trendnet. Let's see if they are any better.
  
  
  
• very nice...at least so far! :-)
  By A1509YCCYCYQQ3 on 2008-05-29
  My previous router was a Netgear. Expensive, issues hooking it up, constant lost connections, less than understandable customer service people...not a great experience all together.
  
  So when it appeared to have died, I admit I did not try too hard to revive it. A swift funeral will be in order.
  
  This time, after giving up on reviews on all routers, that claim each is the best in the world or a piece of trash, I just decided to buy a cheaper one from a popular brand, the Linksys WRTG2.
  
  And so far, I have nothing but great things to say. Installation was simple and problem free. Popped in the CD, followed a few simple steps on connections, create a name here, a password there and the wired connection to my desktop and the wireless connection to my laptop were all set in 5 minutes.
  
  Literally 5 minutes.
  
  And so far, the signal is very strong and problem free.
  It may not be the fanciest router out there, but for me, and I suspect many people, this seems a fine router.
  
  
• Good While it Lasted
  By A29DAGUJ3OIX2H on 2008-06-19
  Six days after Amazon's 30 day return window expired, my Linksys WRT54G2 router died. I cannot recall the last time a product spontaneously quit working on me.
  
  After more than 30 minutes, Linksys' customer service chat led me to an RMA process that was arduous at best. Much of the time was spent scrolling through pointless directions for uploading new firmware to a router where none of the ports were working. At least I got an RMA. For the effort, I might have been better off just paying for a new router and considering this a lost cause.
  
  Follow-up: decided to cancel the RMA rather than paying money to ship the old unit back to Linksys and waiting for a replacement to come out of backorder.
  
  Summary: poor product quality and poor customer service experience.
  
  
• BitTorrent = no!
  By A3Q1CZ1LI7UDQP on 2008-07-29
  Like all linksys "cheap" routers, this is great and easy to use and all that jazz and deserves its stars. However, if you use BitTorrent for anything and/or need a lot of connections (you know, like if you play World of Warcraft and like to use the default method of downloading patches) *skip* this router. It can not deal with a high number of connections! Maybe this is something that can be fixed with 3rd party firmware, but out of the box using BitTorrent will choke this router.
  
  
• Compact design wireless router.
  By A2UNHMUJBA9SJV on 2008-04-27
  I needed a new router to replace my old wired unit but didn't have room for the usual antennas. This wireless router doesn't have external antennas! Plus it appears to work very well in my application.
  I would like it better if the design were more squared off to allow stacking of my DSL modem, as opposed to the streamlined, rounded one Linksys chose.
  All in all, I'm very satisfied with it.
  
  
• Excellent!
  By A3MWKS09FOBL1L on 2008-05-29
  The Linksys WRT54G2 is a realiable, robust, easy to use and configure wireless router.
  
  I just ran the configuration CD on the main PC (desktop) followed the on-screen instructions, and 15 minutes later my wireless network was up and running!
  
  For those who have deeper knowledge on PCs and security, it comes with many different security levels and characteristics (Wi-Fi Protected Access WPA, AES and TKIP Algorithms, MAC Address filter and much more) that can be combined according to your equipment's configuration and personal needs, so your wirelees network will be virtually impossible to hack.
  
  Although I was concerned about the internal antennas, the reception is excellent on every corner of the house. It's very small and thin, giving you more flexibility of where the router can be placed.
  
  Summary: it's an excellent product for a fair price!
  
  
  
• Not Mac Friendly and horrible Customer Service
  By A1ZWHRZHMLTKJ6 on 2008-07-13
  I will never buy a Linksys product again after my experience with this router. I am pretty good with technology, and figured installing a new router would take just a few short minutes (like Linksys says it should) but it took me nearly 2 hours to get it set-up due to the lack of information for Mac set-up as well as the horrible customer service I received. It was clear that customer service had little training with Macs (and were incredibly negative about macs while speaking with them) and were rude.
  
  
  Now that the product is set-up it still doesn't work very well, and even in my very small cottage I can not find a place in the house (even right next to the router) that I get all of my signal bars. I wish I hadn't upgraded at all after my experience with this product, and will never purchase a Linksys router again.
  
  Avoid this product, especially if you have a Mac!
  
  
• Simple Set-up - No Problems
  By A271TP21CKTQG2 on 2008-07-16
  Had this router set up and working in less than 10 minutes. Very clear, easy-to-follow instructions. I'm a 73-year-old woman, non-techie -- really appreciate the ease of operation. It looks great, too.
  
  
• I'm a computer idiot
  By A3DBY64880HILA on 2008-07-20
  Product looks good and works great. I had tons of trouble getting the product to work correctly due to my limited knowledge only. I've had a desktop computer for about 4 years now running on XP and it was my first computer - I'm almost 60 years old now. I decided to buy me a laptop with VISTA and learn the new operating system before the old one quits. No where did I see in the instructions that I had to hook up an ethernet cable to my laptop to setup and configure the router. I hooked it up to my desktop and configured it first. Did not work on Wi-Fi with my laptop. Talked to Toshiba reps, Linksys reps etc. Spent hours on the phone going to different screens and typing in all kinds of IP's or whatever. I'm a second grader when it comes to computers. From what I've read you don't even need to download the CD but please tell people to download it in their laptop and not their desktop. It dawned on me to do it that way this morning and it works just fine now and took about 5 minutes. From what I understand now the only WiFi computer that will work with my router is the one I have because of the security code. When I had first configured the router with my desktop my laptop was receiving an excellent signal from the router but could not connect because of the security key. Sorry about all the yapping in just a product rating forum. Still fun to learn with an older brain. First time laptop user with a touch pad, VISTA, and hooking up a router.
  
  
• So easy even a dope like me can set it up!
  By A10ED33LFKAJGO on 2008-05-02
  I was incredibly intimidated by the idea of setting up a router so I was diligent in my research. Just as I finally decided to bite the bullet to buy one of the other Linksys G routers they released this model. I liked the fact that it is sleek and there are no external antennae that you have to consider in trying to locate a space for the router. There weren't too many reviews for it because it was that new, but the reviews I did find were all favorable. Amazon got it to me quicker than they said they would and it was very easy to set up. The only problem I had was self-inflicted when I tried playing around with some of the settings, but the tech service was very cooperative and bailed me out. It's been smooth sailing ever since. All in all I am very satisfied with this product!
  
  

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