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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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Wireless Routing for Dummies
| Author's Rating: |
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Pros: Very compact; reliable.
Cons: Cannot turn off radio broadcast; settings are not intuitive; may be finicky to set up.
The Bottom Line:
A very good product, but find a computer-savvy friend to help you with the set-up.
For this dummy, this is a great router. The quick set-up CD is helpful, but I ran into problems configuring it with my service provider. I had to check with my provider's website (Telus in Canada), manually configure the router settings via the web, and guess at a few of the options before my internet access was restored (which took almost two hours). But since it's been going, it's been great. The thing to note about this router is that it is TINY. I don't use it as a wireless--it can take up to four wired connections--but definitely want that functionality should I require it in the future. There is no way to disable wireless radio entirely as with other routers. All you can do is enable password protection and opt to keep the router from broadcasting its SSID to any wi-fi adapters in the area. Theoretically, it can still be hacked.
There are a lot of security options, and the CD set-up wizard does not explain them very well. Figuring out the different options requires thorough consideration of the help manual and searching terms on the web. There is an option to add an antenna to improve the broadcast range, but I haven't had the need for it, yet. All in all, I've been very pleased with this purchase.
For Canadian shoppers who may have been enticed by the mail-in rebate offer through Staples/Business Depot: I ran into some big problems getting the rebate and was ill-advised at the store. Remember that the mail-in offers are always risky. If the rebate promotion is your only reason for choosing this brand, you may wish to wait for a better deal. I'm still happy with the purchase, but may have waited for a true sale instead of buying it at the time of the rebate offer.
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