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Best Seller Ranking | #42 in Wireless Routers |
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Brand | Linksys |
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Model | WRT54GL |
Standards | IEEE 802.3/3u, IEEE 802.11b/g |
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Wireless Standard | IEEE 802.11b / IEEE 802.11g / IEEE 802.3 / IEEE 802.3u |
Device Management | Web-Based |
Security | Wi-Fi Protected Access2 (WPA2), WEP, Wireless MAC Filtering |
WPA | WPA2 |
WAN Ports | 1 x 10/100M |
LAN Ports | 4 x 10/100M |
LEDs | Power, DMZ, WLAN, Ethernet (1, 2, 3, 4), Internet |
Buttons | 1 x Reset Button |
Wireless Data Rates | Up to 54Mbps |
Frequency Band | 2.4 GHz |
Antenna | 2 x External Antennas |
Channels | 11 Channels (US, Canada), 13 Channels (Europe, Japan) |
Transmitted Power | 18 dBm |
Interface | Ethernet Port |
Power Adapter | External, 12V DC, 0.5A |
Dimensions | 1.89" x 7.32" x x 6.06" |
System Requirements | Minimum Requirements: Internet Explorer 6.0 or Firefox 1.0 or Higher for Web-based coniguration. CD-ROM Drive. Windows 2000, XP, or Vista. Network Adapter or Wireless Network Adapter. |
Weight | 0.82 lb. |
Temperature | Operating Temperature: 32 to 104 degree F (0 to 40 degree C) Storage Temperature: -4 to 158 degree F (-20 to 70 degree C) |
Humidity | 10% - 85%, Non-Condensing |
Features | UPnP able / cert: Able Security Features: Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) Firewall, Internet Policy Enhanced Internet Security Management Functions including Internet Access Policies with Time Schedules All LAN Ports Support Auto-Crossover (MDI / MDI-X) - No Need for Crossover Cables Cabling: Type CAT 5 Certiication FCC, IC-03, CE, Wi-Fi (802.11b, 802.11g), WPA2, WMM |
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Package Contents | Wireless-G Broadband Router Setup CD-ROM with Norton Internet Security User Guide on CD-ROM Power Adapter Ethernet Network Cable |
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Date First Available | December 09, 2005 |
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Pros: Older model and doesnt include wireless N. Seems like all the reviews on ones that have wireless N go out always within 2 years. SO no N is great for me. Easy setup dont use disk just do it manually it is so easy. 192.168.1.1 into a webpage address bar and enter admin as the default pw. Your in it now and can easily set wireless password and so on.
Cons: First one only lasted almost 6 years.
Overall Review: Used this same model and make when i first went wireless about 6 years ago. Finally took the dive last week so i was happy to get this same model i had. I also have a spare one of these to use while i was waiting for this new one i got a few days ago to come. I dont use wireless N so this model is great and since it last so long i had to get another.
Pros: This is the 2nd one we have bought of this tyope in the last 6 or 7 years we did buy a cheaper one in between but it not last but a little past warranty so back to what we know works properly. One of the best you can get in price range.
Cons: it only has 4 ports on back so have to buy a hub or router if need more than just the basic four for home use there are 8 computers in our home so some have been made wireless like my primary desktop
Pros: This thing loaded with Tomato firmware is a beast! Enables QoS and forwarding features that are incredible. Stock firmware is ok, but highly recommend Tomato.
Cons: THe 4-port switch is only 100BASE-TX but that is expected for a router that's been around for over 6 years now.
Overall Review: This replaced a previous WRT54GL I had for 5.5 years that finally died. In that time I had to reboot it less than 10 times. The thing just works! I'm expecting the same great life out of this new one.
Pros: Works great added DD-WRT and away I went
Cons: Why change a good thing
Pros: Great!
Cons: None
Pros: As the others have stated before me the WRT54GL benefits from the ability to be flashed with third party firmware. I would not recommend this router to someone who plans to use just the standard firmware, if that’s your intent I would go with the WRT54G. However, that being said this router is an excellent buy for someone with networking experience who wants an inexpensive router to do expensive networking tasks. Like what you may ask? Well I may tell you that you can set up your own VPN server on this router, as well as a Samba or FTP server, it can perform as a bridge, it can boost wireless signals, it can be a Radius server, and I’m sure if you’re cool enough you can even get it to slice, dice and julienne. Those however are just a few of the extra features that you can add with third party firmware. On top of all this you get one robust little machine. A 200MHz with 8MB RAM and 2MB of flash might not seem like a lot but it is more than enough for home or small office nee
Cons: The biggest con with this router is that by flashing it with third party firmware you void the manufacture’s warranty. On top of this, if done improperly or with incompatible firmware the router can be made into a fairly expensive paper weight and or doorstop. This is called “bricking” the router, recovery is possible most of the time and I’ve included a link below for how to unbrick the router. If this doesn’t appeal to you I would think twice before purchasing this router. On top of this, most of the third party firmware out there will need some networking experience for all of their features to be fully realized. That being said this router is not the best for an inexperienced computer user.
Overall Review: My GL is currently sitting in my apartment running OpenWRT White Russian 4, an open source firmware which lets you choose which features to add (http://openwrt.org/). I also tried DD-WRT (http://www.dd-wrt.com/) but OpenWRT won out for me because it let me pick and choose which features I want installed. If the router has the stock firmware there’s a limit on the size of a firmware flash. I think the limit is 3MB, if the third party firmware you are trying to flash the router with is bigger than this limit the web-interface won’t allow you to flash the router. Use the TFTP command instead, see the brick link below for an example. I tried to install Alchemy by Sveasoft on my GL because it claimed to work with the Gv4. I learned the hard ware that Alchemy bricks a GL. This site really saved me, if you’re in a similar situation thy this: http://www.linksysinfo.org/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=33.
Pros: Awesome router for the customers that I build PC's for. READ MY OTHER THOUGHTS.
Cons: Use the below settings if you use a torrent client.
Overall Review: The first thing I changed was the NAT table settings, increasing the table size from the default 512 to 4096, and dropping the NAT timeout from 3600 seconds to 90. In English this basically tells the router “store heaps of connection details, but discard them pretty sharpish if you don’t need them anymore”, which is exactly the behaviour we want with Bittorrent and other P2P apps. The result? Bittorrent downloads are consistently 50-100kBps faster than I’ve ever had them, and web browsing is still possible with torrents running (well, unless of course our third-world internet is congested). The router is also as stable as a rock, and the custom firmware offers so many tweaking options that I can’t imagine it being unable to deal with anything thrown at it. Heck if you want to sell WiFi access to your neighbours it appears to only take a couple of clicks!
Pros: These may be an older model, but in my opinion it is still one of the best for commercial applications where speed is not of the utmost importance. This client was looking for a cheap way to implement a wireless network for two non-mission critical PCs and the employees phones. The pricepoint and stability of this router makes it an excellent choice for these applications. I was able to get two of these for less than the price of a decent AC router and create a WAN that is scalable and sturdy. Also completely supports DDWRT which is a much more powerful firmware than the stock Linksys. I highly recommend this router to anyone looking for a good b/g router
Cons: Does not offer wireless bridging. Knew that going into it so I'm not taking off an egg. But if you need that function can still get this and then install DDWRT.
Overall Review: Purchased these to install in a customers business which is in a commercial building (concrete walls, raised roof).