Pros: Router/Switch/Access Point (and pseudo firewall) all in one. Easy set up. Good security...if applied.
Cons: Ships in a rather 'open' condition regarding security. Softcopy manual.
The Bottom Line: Great for home or small office network. Definitely recommended for ease of setup and use and performance. Just be sure to pay attention to the security sections.
sidraw1's Full Review: Linksys WRT54GS Wireless Router
The Linksys Wireless-G Broadband Router does just what it's expected to. I was able to set mine up in minutes and add security in a few more.
The unit boasts a rather small footprint but serves as a router, a switch for wired devices, and an access point for wireless devices.
The booklet that comes with it is sufficient for setting it up and getting running (set up is via a web interface), but I strongly suggest taking a look at the PDF on the setup CD for instructions on how to secure the unit. It ships with a few open things that I didn't like and immediately clamped shut. Also, change the admin password and the default name from Linksys and finally, turn off the ID broadcast. Use the WEP encryption. It's 128-bit and fairly strong, though not unbreakable. Doing all these things lessens the liklihood that your neighbors will start surfing for free with their wireless devices!
I really wish companies hadn't gone to soft version only of their manuals. When setting up a device, I like a hard copy in front of me. Yes, I can print the thing out, but I like something that I can have in hand from the get go.
The device hides all machines that connect to it. What this means is that if you name the router myrouter.com, then every computer or pda that is connected to it will show up as myrouter.com in weblogs AND your computer or pda is also not visible via the network name. A nice security bonus.
There are four 10/100 ethernet ports on the back for connecting your wired devices. There is a fifth port to the side of the four where your network connection goes. This can be a direct connect to an ethernet jack, or it can be to your cable or DSL connection.
The range is excellent and lived up to what was claimed.
The 802.11g protocol allows for 54mbps transfer which is almost 5 times faster than 802.11b, but I've had no trouble using 802.11b devices (iPAQs etc) on the network because of the backward compatibility.
People have complained about it crashing or only running for a few minutes before going dead. I've not run into the problems and for me it has run great.
For security, you have the option of filtering by MAC address that are allowed to connect to the system (Do it!). You can also use the WEP (in various forms)
I can't stress it enough. Read the PDF on the CD. Familiarize yourself with security and how to lock the unit down. Once you do, you should be quite pleased with the features and performance of this device.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 90 Driver Availability: Windows, Linux, and Mac
SpeedBooster technology is a compatible add-on to standard Wireless-G, which increases real-world wireless network performance by up to 35%.More at TigerDirect.com
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