Linksys Wireless-G WAP54G Welcome to the World of Near High Speed Wireless

Author's Rating:

Pros: Ability to interoperate at 11Mbps & 54Mbps.

Cons: None to speak of, yet, stay tuned.

The Bottom Line: 
The Linksys Wireless-G WAP54G represents the best of both worlds; it can meet your need for current 802.11b standards, but still has the flexibility to expand beyond to 54Mbps.

Author's Review
My successful (and experimental) odyssey into the world of wireless networking continues. So far I have used equipment conforming to 802.11b, 11Mbps (megabytes per second) and 22.5 Mbps neither of which could touch the blazing fast throughput of my 100Mps wired network. So yet another Wireless Access Point (WAP) was needed to bump me up to the new Wireless-G (802.11g) 54Mbps wireless networking protocol. I had already bought one Linksys Wireless-G PCI card, the Wireless-G WMP54G (see below for a link to my review of this product), with great success and I decided it was time to make the leap and replace my existing DLink AP 900 22.5Mps WAP (see below for a link to my review of this product) with a new Wireless-G 54Mps WAP.
Wireless-G is the next wave in wireless networking technology. Wireless-G WAP’s, and Network Interface Cards (NIC’s) are capable of transmitting and receiving data at speeds of up to 54Mbps, almost five times faster than the widely deployed Wireless-B (802.11b) products found in homes, businesses, and public wireless hotspots around the country, and indeed around the world. Wireless-G devices can utilize either the 2.4 GHz or 5.0 GHz band, and some can utilize both bands. Those Wireless-G devices that share the 2.4GHz radio band, can also work with existing 11Mbps Wireless-B equipment, while those which utilize the 5.0Ghz band will interoperate only with Wireless-A (802.11a, 54Mbps) equipment. Dual-band Wireless-G equipment are capable of interoperating with all three protocols; i.e. 802.11a (54Mbps), 802.11b (11 Mbps), and 802.11g (54Mbps).
Enter the Linksys Wireless-G WAP54G Wireless Access Point. The Linksys Wireless-G WAP54G operates at a frequency of 2.4 GHz, and supports the following wireless protocols: 802.11b and 802.11g (draft). The Wireless-G WAP54G can transmit and receive networking traffic in a range of 1 – 54Mbps. I choose the Linksys Wireless-G WAP54G for three reasons; 1. Because the card operates at a frequency of 2.4 GHz the same frequency band I currently use for my wireless communications; 2. The card is compatible with the 802.11b 11Mps standard, and; 3. Wireless equipment that operates at 2.4 GHz vs. 5.0 GHz have better range; i.e. 100-150 ft. (2.4Ghz) v. 50 – 75 ft. (5.0Ghz)

Installation:

Like all of my previous WAP installations, I placed the Linksys Wireless-G WAP54Ghigh on a shelve in the upstairs spare bedroom closet where it would cover the most area. Upon unpacking the box, the first thing you’ll notice about the Linksys Wireless-G WAP54G is the handsome distinctive rich blue with black accents, color of the WAP inherent to all Linksys products. Another distinguishing feature is dual antennae and a plethora of LED (Light Emitting Diode) readouts on the front panel, which relay vital information to the user, such as connection speed with the wired hub and wireless clients. The package also includes a networking cable (for connecting the WAP to a hub), a two piece power supply, and installation CD.

Linksys’ installation scheme requires that you first install the configuration software onto a computer tied to the wired portion of your network, and then plug the Linksys Wireless-G WAP54G into the same hub. Once this was accomplished and the unit was powered on, I ran the installation program and configured the WAP. The whole procedure took me less then five minutes to complete. The default IP address is in the 192. range, but it can be changed to conform to the particular IP Addressing scheme utilized for your network. As for me, I use the 10. range of addresses with a 255.0.0.0 subnet. Once the IP address and Subnet Mask are plugged into the Linksys Wireless-G WAP54G, configuration is complete, unless you want to change the name of the SSID (Service Set Identifier); default is “Linksys” or turn on encryption; default is “off.”

After the configuration of the Linksys Wireless-G WAP54Gwas accomplished I queried it via the ping utility for the next hour just to ensure its continued operation. I then removed it from the hub, and using my spouses workstation (already equipped with a Linksys Wireless-G WMP54G PCI Card, see below for a link to my review of this product), I was able to connect at a full 54Mbps.

First Impressions:

I am impressed! I had read on Amazon.com & Buy.com via user reviews that some had problems communicating with the WAP after the installation process, and quite frankly this gave me pause, but not enough to forgo purchase of the unit. My reservations were unfounded; the Linksys Wireless-G WAP54Ghas thus far worked flawlessly.

Under real-world conditions, the Linksys Wireless-G WAP54Gperformance exceeds my expectations. So far I have been able to connect to the WAP from anywhere in the house; upstairs or down, at either a full 54Mbps or 36Mbps, and rarely 18Mbps. My laptop has consistently connected at a rate 54Mbps, and it is in the downstairs master bedroom! This comes in handy when I am perched in front of the television in the downstairs living room, but I am still able to surf the web and download files to and from my server and workstation on the second floor! And the signal strength drops off only marginally on the backyard patio; 36Mbps is the best I’ve been able to do, that is still markedly better then the 5.5Mbps I used the get with my other two WAP’s. The Bard is a happy man!

The spouses Windows XP workstation, which is also downstairs just off the living room, connects to the Linksys Wireless-G WAP54Gwith a signal strength that fluctuates between ¾ and full, and a connection rate that floats between 54 – 48Mbps. As for my primary workstation in the upstairs loft; the signal strength is full at all times, and the connection rate is 54Mbps.

The Linksys Wireless-G WAP54Gis capable of automatically downgrading its data transfer rate as the signal from the connected wireless clients becomes weaker, thus maintaining connection. When at the extreme range of the clients the Linksys Wireless-G WAP54Gcan downgrade as far as 1Mbps, which is still within acceptable limits for surfing the web and working with documents, but little else, but isn’t nice that I do not have to worry about that.

Conclusion:

The Linksys Wireless-G WAP54Gis a phenomenal product. Since installation I have yet to touch it; it just works and works well, but of course time will tell. If you are looking to make the leap to the Wireless-G protocol, and leave far behind the vestiges of the now obsolete (in my mind anyway) 11Mps standard, look no further than the Linksys Wireless-G WAP54G. The Linksys Wireless-G WAP54Grepresents the best of both worlds; it can meet your need for current 802.11b standards, but still has the flexibility to expand beyond to 54Mbps. Can you say no-brainer? I knew you could.

My other wireless product reviews:

*Linksys Wireless Products

Linksys WDT-11 Instant Wireless PCI Card: (http://www.epinions.com/content_38700355204)
Linksys WPC-11 Instant Wireless PC Card: (http://www.epinions.com/content_38866816644)
Linksys Wireless-G WMP54G PCI Card: (http://www.epinions.com/content_102771822212)

*DLink Wireless Products

DLink AP 900 Wireless Access Point: (http://www.epinions.com/content_88160636548)
DLink 650+ Wireless PC Card: (http://www.epinions.com/content_86601076356)
DLink 520 Wireless PCI Card: (http://www.epinions.com/content_98676674180)

*Cisco Wireless Products

Cisco PC4800B Wireless PC Card: (http://www.epinions.com/content_39004966532)