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Linksys WRT54GC Wireless Router
Price Range:
$120.00 to $299.96
The Linksys Compact Wireless-G Broadband Router is really three devices in one small box. First, there's the Wireless Access Point,...
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The Linksys Compact Wireless-G Broadband Router is really three devices in one small box. First, there's the Wireless Access Point, which lets you connect both screaming fast Wireless-G (802.11g at 54Mbps) and Wireless-B (802.11b at 11Mbps) devices to the network. There's also a built-in 4-port full-duplex 10/100 Switch to connect your wired-Ethernet devices together. Connect four PCs directly, or attach more hubs and switches to create as big a network as you need. Finally, the Router function ties it all together and lets your whole network share a high-speed cable or DSL Internet connection. Once your computers are connected to the Router and the Internet, they can communicate with each other too, sharing a printer, digital music, picture and document files, and multi-player or on-line games.
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17 Reviews from Shopping.com
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Good all around...so far
| Author's Rating: |
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Pros: low cost, easy setup, WPA2 security, good transfer rates/no connection problems
Cons: updating firmware a problem, small antenna = smaller range, external antenna expensive
The Bottom Line:
Hands down recommend
Overview
Well one of the key reasons I bought this router were the generally positive reviews here and around the web (especially compared with other low end routers). I wanted something newer and most of the other "G" routers have been around for a while. I found the review over at Tom's helpful http://www.tomsnetworking.com/2005/05/12/h_2_h_asus_3com_mini/
Physical Specifications
This router has a very small footprint, measuring 4" x 4" x 1" deep. There is a little foot on the bottom of the router that swivels 90-degrees to provide a reasonably stable base, but I found I had to place my printer on the foot to keep the router from following from the top of my desk (due to the weight of all of the cables pulling it down). Also included with the router is the AC adapter and a 4ft long LAN cable.
Performance
I've had the router for just over a week and it's performing quite well. The setup was a breeze though I would suggest not updating the firmware. I bricked the first one I got as I tried to upgrade the firmware via Firefox and I have since learned this appears to be a problem others have encountered. The linksys support was actually not bad (though not great either), free online and telephone support.
Anyway, transfer rates are good using my Intel 3945 ABG adaptor on my Dell 640m:
-20-30kb/s,-40to-50 dBm @ 15 ft line of sight from router
-10-15kb/s,-70 dBm @ 50ft line of sight from router
The signal strength of course reduces as you move away of course but it's only has a small internal antenna. I've never had any connection problems or drop outs which is really nice.
Security
The router supports WPA2 security which is great, SPI firewall, MAC filtering and a tonne of security features which I doubt I'll ever use. This was my first router and using the Linksys set-up tool to set-up WPA2 security was a breeze.
Future Proof
There is the option of getting a high-gain antenna, though it is expensive (cheapest I found was a 7db Dlink for $42 US). This provides an option of getting higher signal strength if you find yourself outgrowing the "compactness" of the router.
Other than that, most a/b/g routers are slowing being replaced by pre-N routers, and then later next year, approved-N routers. However, abandoning G would also require getting a new card in each of your laptops which isn't that desirable. Given the very nice speed of this router, I suspect it's got a long life ahead of it.
Recommendation
So far so good...I'd recommend this router for general use. For wireless gaming, I don't think it would cut it.
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