| Linksys-Cisco WRT54GL Wireless-G Broadband Router (Compatible with Linux) |
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Model: WRT54GL
Brand: Linksys
Manufacturer: Linksys
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 321
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
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| Features: |
Firewall - SPI
VPN Support - Yes
VPN Passthrough - Yes |
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| Description: |
| The Linksys WRT54GL Wireless-G Broadband Router combines the functionalities of three devices into a single device, a wireless access point, a four-port full-duplex 10/100 Mbps switch and a router. The wireless access point lets you connect Wireless-G or Wireless-B devices to the network while the switch connects your wired-Ethernet devices together. The router function ties it all together by letting your whole network share a high-speed cable or DSL Internet connection. The push button setup feature makes it easy to configure your wireless devices. The router serves as a DHCP server, includes an SPI firewall to protect against Internet intruders and also supports VPN pass-through. The WRT54GL even features TKIP and AES to protect your data and privacy with up to 128-bit encryption. With the Linksys Wireless-G Broadband Router at the center of your home or office network, you can share a high-speed Internet connection, files, printers and multi-player games with flexibility, speed, security and simplicity. Status Indicators - Port status, link activity Compliant Standards - FCC IEEE 802.3, IEEE 802.3U, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g Data Link Protocol - Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g Interfaces - 1x network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - RJ-45 ( WAN / DMZ ), 4 x network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - RJ-45, 1 x network - Radio-Ethernet Dimensions - Height 4.8 cm x Depth 20 cm x Width 18.6 cm Weight - 0.5 kg |
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| User Reviews (321 total): |
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This is the 3rd and 4th ones I've used, July 20, 2006
By user (Raleigh NC, Boise ID, Las Vegas, NV)
I have a mini wide area network with 4 locations in different parts of the country. I have loaded the DD-WRT firmware into each of these units and they perform well as cable routers.
I use some of the wireless features, but was mainly interested in having WOL and other remote management features such as SSH that the DD-WRT software allow.
I have been pleased with all of the units thus far after having them in service reliably now for about 2 months. The ability to wake up attached computers remotely has been very useful for me.
I will experiment with the VPN capabilities of the DD-WRT software on the router soon and build a virtual SMB network over the network to tie my windows machines together. Hopefully this goes as well as the rest of my installation efforts.
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Excellent Little Router, July 16, 2006
By user (Marietta, GA USA)
Do not buy the WRT54G, spend the extra $15 and get this model. The extra memory and flash make it well worth it, especially if you spend a lot of time online using different programs. The functionality of the system is superb and wasn't a problem to setup and get connected to the internet using Bellsouth/FastAccess DSL. This router connects up my 3 PC's, 2 laptops, and an xBox without any issues.
If using this router and you are technically minded I recommend installed DD-WRT firmware as it's advanced feature set is great and loosens the restrictions some of the settings of the Linksys firmware.
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works great, July 15, 2006
By user
bottomline, it works with no issues
flash it with dd-wrt and some increased db antennas and you are in business
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Linksys router with Linux is the best, July 12, 2006
By user (Highland Park, NJ USA)
We took Windows Secret's advice and got the best one, essentially version 4, with the Linux operating system. It has worked out very well for both range and speed.
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Why isn't WPA2 stated on the box?, July 10, 2006
By user (St Cloud, MN)
This is the best of all the other routers I have tried. Netgear, D-Link, and, Belkin don't even come close to the superb functioning of the WRT54GL. It wasn't a problem to setup and get connected to the internet; it only took about 5 minutes total - 30 secs to hook up the cables and the other 4 to change the SSID, tweak the firewall and wireless security settings by entering my own pre-shared key, and manually entering the settings on my laptop to connect to the router.
I'm just curious why WPA2 is not stated on the box when there is clearly a setting for WPA2-Personal and WPA2-Enterprise, AES and TKIP. Of course, I set mine for WPA2-Personal, AES.
All and all, this router is well worth the $$ spent. I get excellent range and I have never experienced any dropouts, but, then, again, I have installed DD-WRT firmware.
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Great router, July 5, 2006
By user (Honolulu, HI)
I was saddened when I heard that Linksys discontinued their line of Linux based routers. I was surprised to soon find out that they actually started manufacturing a different model, WRT54GL, specifically for people who were interested in trying out 3rd party firmwares. I haven't updated the firmware yet but the item arrived promptly and when I tested it it worked fine. I can't wait to get a 3rd party firmware installed and up and running.
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Fast and Esay, July 4, 2006
By user
I've set up two homes with this router. With Windows XP it was simple to get running, and the wireless side shows no visible speed reduction in Internet connection. I have another Linksys router that was miserable to work with, and works best in the trash to save my time. If you want a hassle free router, with or without wireless capability, this one has been proven a safe bet to me, Linux or XP.
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Purchased WRT54G, but went with WRT54GL instead., July 1, 2006
By user
I purchased the WRT54G at our local bestbuy store and had nothing but trouble, family would complain of very slow speeds and occasionally the unit would need a reboot to get it working again. Very frustrated, I took it back and the person at the store told us to buy the WRT54GL same parts but different software inside? Plugged it into our network and have never had a problem since, why would linksys keep selling the WRT54G with this much trouble? Oh well 5 stars for the WRT54GL.
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Linksys router WRT54GL, June 26, 2006
By user (USA)
I have had no problems with the router after intall. The software that comes with it does not support it, and the online help does not support it. BUT the teck support, and I am sure I was talking to someone in India, Was the BEST. The teck would not let me go until he was sure that I was sure everything was in order.
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great router for mixed platform wireless network, June 26, 2006
By user (the valley)
we run a mixed network off a cable modem with 2 apple power pcs on os X.* and airport cards and an XP dell inspiron with its original card. i am a novice at networking and had the router and network up and running by myself in short order. "secure easy setup" button (self-configuration function, i am assuming) did not work and biggest delay was figuring out i needed to just skip that and do it myself. have been using nearly a month. good reliability, range, and signal power up and down stairs and on deck. linksys 'online chat help' was eager, if not helpful for my issue, and linksys seems to have a good help database online. bought this in part for the open source option.
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So far very stable, June 24, 2006
By user (Phoenix, AZ)
I bought this router about 3 weeks ago to upgrade my Linksys BEFW11S4 802.11b router. The main thing I was looking for is the stability. So far, this router has been perfect, it hasn't dropped the connection yet. It also appears this router has much better range than my previous router. The product comes with a CD which has the installation guide on it. As usual, it's not well written.
Update:
It has been more than 3 months since I set up this router and I haven't had any problem. - 8/16/06
Update:
This router has been in operation for 7 months and hasn't had any problem at all. Not even a single reboot. - 1/16/07
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my first wireless experience, June 18, 2006
By user
I've always wanted to go wireless. I just recently got a decent high-speed connection; much faster than DSL, which meant enough bandwidth to actually make wireless really worth it (at least for me). The main reason was that I had an old sony vaio with a dial-up modem only (i know... sad), and I wanted to use my "old friend".
I have no experience with networking, or wireless networking for that matter. After reading up, found out about this router and just had to have it. After setting up my network using the linksys firmware (very easy), I decided to use the 3rd-party firmware dd-wrt. Its almost the same interface as linksys but WAY more features. Of course most of these features us newbies won't use at first, but if your like me you'll learn quickly.
There is a lot of helpful information on this router online (simple Google search) because its so popular; much more helpful than Linksys support from what I've read. Even if your internet connection doesn't take full advantage of wireless-G now (mine only uses about 25% of what it can actually do - around 27 mbps), it should eventually as ISP's are getting faster and cheaper.
All in all, my first experience with wireless networking was awesome, and the WRT54GL is worth every penny, even if the sorry people at linksys are pawning an old version off as new.
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Worked perfectly right out of the box, June 8, 2006
By user (San Francisco)
I bought this box on a recommendation from my system adminstrator after having rediculous problems with the WRT54G. The "GL" is definitely the way to go.
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The Router Of Routers, June 4, 2006
By user (Marlton, NJ United States)
This is really the first versions of the wrt54g. It runs linux and thus you can use 3rd party firmware. Bottom line, if you are going to stay with linksys firmware, you don't need this router.
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Great router, May 8, 2006
By user (Los Angeles, CA USA)
Pros:
- Compatible with third-party, open source firmware that gives you extra features.
- Fast transfer speeds over wireless.
- Easy to set up.
Cons:
- A bit expensive, considering that this router is pretty much the same as older WRT54G routers.
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Fabulous router, March 25, 2006
By user (Wescosville, PA)
Went wireless in 2002 with a Linksys wireless "B" router/gateway/switch. With a Netgear USB-interface 802.11b wireless adapter that was adequate for my PC, but since purchasing an Apple iBook in January I've noticed that signal strength in my home has been inadequate in many areas.
Replaced the old router with this one last night, and I couldn't be more pleased. Signal strength problems now gone; great reception throughout the house. Web page loading speed is now greatly improved. The iBook Airport Extreme card seems to "get along" much better with this wireless G router.
Have not yet experimented with the mixed environment that will result when the PC (with the old 802.11b adapter) is running at the same time as the 802.11g Airport Express.
Two minor quibbles: something about the native Linksys web interface is not Apple/Safari-friendly. Many menu items in drop-down lists had code snippets present as part of their text when viewed from Safari. The router was configurable with some work to ignore the code and find the actual text of the settings. Replacement of the Linksys firmware with the current dd-wrt third-party firmware resolved that problem, and also resulted in a HUGE speed improvement in the web management interface. (Note: The signal strength improvements happened without needing to manually reset the antenna broadcast power in the dd-wrt firmware!)
Secondly, the "Run this CD first" installation walkthrough seems to be Windows-only. One would think that a device which is specifically marketed to be "Linux friendly" would come with setup and support tools for a variety of operating systems, no? As a former network admin I had no problem with the manual config, but "Uncle Joe" with his iMac would have a rough time figuring things out.
Taking everything into consideration, an excellent product that has already exceeded my expectations after only two hours of use - but may be difficult for unsophisticated non-Windows users to configure without help.
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Open source rocks, March 25, 2006
By user
I originally had a BEFSR41 router with a WAP54G AP and upgraded to this after reading all the hype about DD-WRT. Once I got it, I immediately flashed the firmware and starting configuring. So far I'm very impressed with the feature set and reliability. Having QoS on my router is exactly what I was looking for! And I should be able to sell my old devices to make up for the cost of this one (free upgrade!)
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Just beautiful, March 17, 2006
By user
This router with open source firmware is more than the little box that could. It is so cool what it can do. It is so cool what users and open source programmers have built for themselves on this hardware.
Now if only it could implement and document this stuff, like different possible mesh networking settings as simply as an Airport Extreme Base station does it would be the world largest and most polished blue diamond.
Still, you can't put a price on the free firmware responsible for this little box's abilities.
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10 stars!, March 16, 2006
By user
I was using a Belkin "G" router and it was giving me a download speed of 500 kbps...with an ethernet cable even. I stumbled upon some articles about this router and bought it hoping for the best.
I now get a speed in excess of 5000 kbps! Wired or wireless!
This router is excellent...HIGHLY recommended!
And all this time I've been blaming ComCast! My bad.
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Excellent Wi Fi router, March 10, 2006
By user (Hallandale Beach, FL)
I just implemented this router in my home wireless network after my old Buffalo Tech router died last night.
I am an IT type and Linksys products are the default products for small networks for our remote offices.
I found the initial set up to be very easy even if you are not an IT Pro, this product has very good security features, that everyone should use....YES, please don't set up a wireless network at home or work and leave it open.
The signal strength is excellent, now I have a good signal in some corners of my house where before it was marginal at best.
And for the adventurous types this router also supports third party software like Sveasoft, that might be my next week end project.
In a nutshell, if you are looking for a good solid wireless router buy the WRT54GL.
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