| Linksys Compact Wireless-G Broadband Router WRT54GC |
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Model: WRT54GC
Brand: Linksys
Manufacturer: Linksys
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 186
Operating system: Microsoft Windows 98SE/2000/ME/XP
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
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| Features: |
All-in-one Internet-sharing Router, 4-port Switch, and Wireless-G (802.11g) Access Point
Shares a single Internet connection and other resources with Ethernet wired and Wireless-G and B devices
Compact form factor fits in anywhere
High security: Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA/WPA2 Personal), wireless MAC address filtering, powerful SPI firewall
Compatible with Windows 98SE, Me, 2000, or XP |
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| Description: |
| The WRT54G Wireless-G Broadband Router puts you onboard for the newest wireless networking standard. Wireless-G is 54Mbps wireless networking that's almost five times as fast as the widely deployed Wireless-B (802.11b) products found in homes & businesses. They can interoperate with existing 802.11b equipment, making them more flexible thanother networks. The built-in 4-port full-duplex 10/100 connects 4 PCs directly and lets you daisy-chain out to more hubs and switches for as big a network as you need. To protect your data and privacy, the Wireless-G Broadband Router can encode all wireless transmissions using 128-bit WEP encryption. The powerful Stateful Packet Inspection firewall will defend against most Internet attacks. |
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| User Reviews (186 total): |
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Good for what it is ... small and portable, June 15, 2006
By user (New York, USA)
I'll be the first to admit that the Home-LAN here is not particularly normal in size or traffic, but this little gem just isn't up to the task.
I've been using one small, old system or another as a router (running Linux) for the past 8 or more years. It serves up DHCP, DNS, occasional files, SQL, and web pages for the Home-LAN, besides being firewall, NAT router, print server, centralized logging server, and more. My cable connection is capable of 10 Mb/s bursts and can sustain over 600 KB/s given a fast enough source (not many out there!)
Obviously, this unit wasn't designed to do all of that. So, I set it up pretty much as default, and left the rest on the Linux server. For two connections, it wasn't a problem. For three connections, throughput was seriously compromised, and beyond that the unit started to choke. It is simply not capable of handling my network load.
Hey, I got a deal, or I would have gotten something more appropriate. I'm really not complaining: it is what it is, and is perfectly capable of handling my wireless needs. I suspect it will be relegated to the notebook's bag Real Soon Now.
Bottom Line: Don't expect too much from this unit and you'll be pleased with the results.
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Easy to install. Cannot reboot remotely., June 12, 2006
By user (London, UK)
Like a lot of other reviewers, product is easy to install and speed is fast.
It's a charm, but only when you're not making config changes.
My gripe to share is that I'm using it with a cable modem (Comcast) and LinkSys routers (this is my second LinkSys) need to reboot if i) I reboot the cable modem; or ii) I modify the IP settings of the router.
I did NOT have to do this rebooting with my D-Link and Netgear routers.
This rebooting itself is not such a big deal. However, the pain adds up because the LinkSys management utility (the one when I go to 192.168.1.1) doesn't let me reboot the router from the screen. That means I have to physically plug/unplug the unit each time I make configuration changes. This is inconvenient since I installed the router in another part of the house, while I work in another room. The management utilities from D-Link and NetGear allows me to reboot the router, even thru wireless.
Thus the reason I don't give this 5 stars.
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Great Item, June 7, 2006
By user (Palm Beach, FL)
Works great. I have a mac and it hooked up perfectly. a little confusing to set up, but if you go to this website it'll do it for you automatically. Hint: $39.99 at circuit city right now...
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Efficiency Plus, June 3, 2006
By user (Ontario, CA)
I am running this as my main router connected upstream to SDSL and downstream to a high speed Net switch. I connect internal network connections to the high speed switch and connect the printer, DNS server, and e-mail server to the Linksys. This gives me great performance on the intranet and optimizes the slower Net switch in the WRT54GC for things not requiring high throughput.
I am a big fan of Linksys. My old Linksys WRT54G router (V1.0!! -- I'll miss all the blinking lights) cranked away 24/7 for years and would still be working if the PS hadn't died.
LinkSys has a winner here. I can see this as the definitive portable router for people who travel. I use this in my SOHO and it is cranking along without any glitches.
Setup is simple. It took me five minutes to get things up and running. Kudos to LinkSys for their well organized setup facility which has enough configuration parameters to satisfy just about anybody. All I had to do is set my static IP address, turn on MAC address filtering on the Wireless, and forward a few ports for my various servers. The new Web-based configuration also has a configuration backup features (great!) and some preconfigured port forwarding settings (which should help newbies a lot). The manual (regrettably a PDF file on the CD) is pretty good, explaining things in clear language. Altogether, it's a very nice little router.
Some minor quibbles:
First is that with five Cat6 network wires hanging out the back it is difficult to get this little guy to stand up vertically on its little stand. The wires make it flop up on its back corner. A wire tie around the wires and some creative wire bending and it now sits on its stand properly.
Second, there's no external antenna for the WiFi. I have stucco walls in my house and propogation requires something more than the little built-in antenna. I'm going to have to get an exterior antenna. Fortunately, the WRT54GC has a connector for this (another very nice feature). RadioLabs makes some very nice and inexpensive antennas which should fit the bill.
In summary, the WRT54GC is a tiny Wireless router which could serve either for either SOHO or travel. The configuration is simple and requires few, if any, changes on connected workstations. When compared to the prices of other "travel" routers, the WRT54GC ought to be a very competitive. It's plethora of features make it a slam dunk.
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Did you know that..., June 2, 2006
By user (Heredia, Costa Rica)
...if you pull out the antenna connector the built in antenna is disengaged. This makes the range of the router ridiculously short, like some people describe in their reviews. I wonder if this is the cause for those 1 star reviews. :-)
Did you know that you can get cheaper antennas from other sources like Radio Shack? Just make sure the connector matches and any 2.4 GHz antenna will outperform the built in "toyish" one.
Conclusions:
-DON'T pull out the connector door unless you are connecting the externall antenna.
-If you are having trouble reaching a second floor (like me) borrow an external antenna and play with it.
My two cents.
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Quick and Easy, May 23, 2006
By user (Plano, TX USA)
I've got 5 Computers and 1 Laptop on my network. I got this router because of the wireless capability and because we need more access ports. Setting up the router was a snap. I hooked this router into my other router (a D-Link 4 port) and hooked my PC in and it worked with no configuration changes! I went into the setup utility and changed this router's IP address and setup the wireless properties, and was surfing the internet on my laptop in less than 5 minutes. The signal strength is excellent (I loose 2 bars when I'm in the garage, which is clear across the house from the router) and the freedom from wires is so nice! It's great to be able to sit out on the front porch and be able to check my E-mail or browse a website while I'm enjoying a nice day outside!
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Compact router for road warriors, good performance, but, not for your home network, May 21, 2006
By user (Traveller)
Having been used to wireless internet, it is impossible to stay without it. Since I am travelling most of the time, and many of the hotels do not have wireless - I thought of buying a compact router.
I bought this one from Staples ($20 after rebate) and started using it the same day. Have been using it for the last 2 weeks and do not have any complaints so far
Pros:
+ Compact, even the power adapter is small
+ Very easy to install - just follow the auto-installer prompts
+ Anybody observed ? The power adapter is dual voltage - 230/110, so if you take it to europe/india/china - it would still work
+ Decent speed - I use it to browse, maybe download files a few times, VPN into my company network and even do telnets and ftp
+ Decent signal strenght - I do not live in a presidential suite or something, atleast in my hotel room - I get good signals everywhere, even if I walk into my co-workers room in the next floor
+ Comes with a 4 port switch, so you can use it in your office conference room if you run short of network ports
Negatives
- Signal strength rapidly drops as you go away - so if you are setting up a home network, I would advise you not to go with it - Instead go for a Netgear WGR614 (see my review on that)
- They could have bundled a high performance antenna with it. If you want to buy it seperately, these guys rip you off (costs $60)
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Exactely as advertised! Great job + Highly reccomended., May 20, 2006
By user (Bucuresti, Romania)
Happy about my new router! It is doing EXACTELY was is presented. Easy installation, without any type of problem, 100 Mbps on wire, 54 Mbps on air. I have a tiny two rooms appartment, so this means that's the air speed at about 6 meters (7 yds) from the router. Couldn't make a better choice for my needs and also a great value for money. It is very small and light, very practical for business travel needs.
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Amazing!, May 17, 2006
By user (Houston, TX USA)
I bought it for $21 and change from OfficeDepot ($60-$40 instant saving) and shipped free.
It is easy to setup just like the other Linksys router, and works great. Even without external atenna, I am still getting very good or excellent reception around the house.
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Slooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwww, April 25, 2006
By user (NJ)
Bought in December 05 for it's size. Thought my intrnet connection was slow until I researched the problem. Spend the few extra dollars and get the WRT54G full size router.
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Unreliable, April 23, 2006
By user (Brooklyn, NY)
Very disappointed with the product. The installation software is not compatible with Apple (despite claims to the contrary on this website) and while the customer support people are willing to help, they offer the disclaimer that they do not support Apple systems. Installation was long and tedious, the range is extremely limited (even in a tiny New York apartment the signal fades if I take my laptop two rooms away) and the router seems to require frequent, time-consuming restarting. The whole process has been a pain and has made me reconsider having a wireless network. I cannot recommend this product for use with any Apple computer.
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Pathetic tech support, April 22, 2006
By user
I had a bad experience with Linksys WRT54GC. It does not ask for Service name in pppoe configuration and if your ISP requires it, you r screwed. The only option is to replace router with a different one from Netgear or Dlink. All other routers ask for Service name except Linksys. When I contacted technical support, they told me that the only option is to buy a new router from a different company or tell my ISP to change their configuration so that there is no need to enter service name field. They are adamant on not upgrading their firmware to include Service name field in pppoe configuration.
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perfect!!!!, April 7, 2006
By user
this product is great! its compact, easy to install, and has a wide wifi range. a highly recommended wireless router!
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Good buy, easy to setup., April 6, 2006
By user (Dallas, TX)
I bought this because I liked how this thing looked and the price. Of course, its a Linksys(Cisco) so I trust the brand too. It is a compact beautiful thing on the desktop and does its job real well. The wizard based setup is a breeze and it hooked up with my SBC Yahoo DSL modem without any fuss. There was one problem though, when there were power drops due to thunderstorms in my area, this thing wouldn't get an IP from the modem. I had to plug my computer directly to the DSL modem, wait for the modem to give the computer an IP and then put this router back on. This was the only way the router would get an IP after a power cycle. It was real frustrating to keep switching cables during the thunderstorms. I called linksys support, it went to a call center in India, they spent 45 minutes reviewing and trying various options and finally fixed it. I had to switch my modem to bridge mode so the router now handles the PPPoE and the modem just sits there as a bridge for the phone line the ethernet. It works wonderfully now even after power drops. My laptop just works on this wireless connection for hours without any drop in signal, I'm very pleased. Thanks much to the tech support folks in the India call center, they were very skilled at this, I'm impressed.
Overall, one can buy this router given the price, without a blink.
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Works great!, March 24, 2006
By user (Fairfax, VA USA)
My previous wireless base station stopped working one day for no apparent reason. But that gave me a good reason to upgrade from 11b to 11g.
After doing a little web searching, I decided on the WRT54GC because of its small size, its reasonable price and the good experiences people reported with it on the web. Besides, my wife was starting to have withdrawl symptons because of her inability to access the web from her notebook.
When the WRT54GC arrived, I plugged it in, did some minimal configuration, and every thing just worked! No fuss, no muss. In my case the base station is in the basement of a 3 story town house, and I have no problem accessing it from the third floor.
I remember looking for one configuration feature that was on my old wireless base station that I could not find on the WRT54GC. Unfortunately, I can't remember right now what that feature was -- so it certainly wasn't critical.
The important thing is that its working fine and my wife is happy. But I'll give it only four stars, anyway, because of that missing feature.
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Worked Great for me, March 24, 2006
By user (FL United States)
This worked great. Had no trouble getting it set up and running. Recieved it fast and it great shape. My husband had it running the same day. I can get internet on my laptop in the living room, bathroom, or bedrooms. It is wonderful and makes my life easier. I would recommend this to anyone interested in wireless in thier home. We picked this one as we live in a one floor apartment and did not need signal to reach across the neighborhood.
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linksys wireless, March 22, 2006
By user
This compact wireless router works great. It's size makes it perfect for the desk. It's easy to set up and the signal is very good 95% of the time (the other 5% could be my dsl provider). Good price.
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nice li'l one, March 20, 2006
By user
This is a nice small li'l thing I enjoy every day. The wireless reach is a bit unhappy thing though. At about 20ft away it slogs. Data through put is also not really at its full potential. I dont know whether it is the problem with Road Runner(my High speed internet)or with modem.
It needs a good user manual. However they have excellent customer support. They walked me through the setup. I remember his name Senthil who made a 1>>2>>3 walkthrough setup and I am all set.
Finally a good product with a not so good user manual.
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very low performance & waste of money, March 19, 2006
By user (LA,USA)
I really didnt like this.bec if the security is on,it doesnt work.with out security also it does work sometimes.but not all the time.so fed up with this.no more time to return this.already spent enough time in returning this piece before.this is the secondone I got in exchange with this.no decided not to waste more time.I feel I have invested money on a unworthy thing
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Its a Good Piece, March 17, 2006
By user (Racine, WI United States)
It really works well. Easy to install. Easy to connect. Nice coverage.
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