Linksys by Cisco Wireless-G Range Expander WRE54G

Bought this from Newegg refurb for a nice deal, around $26. Worst experience with a product in my life.

First off, the setup disk is worthless. It is better used for a coaster. Second, the 'easy setup' only works if you have a unsecured network... which if you are using you might as well invite people to steal your information. I talked with linksys customer support, and they said my unit is defective so I can pay them $10 to ship it back. What the hell? Also, it comes with a wall mount power and a cord power adapter. Once I slid the cord power adapter in my unit, it is stuck permanently. The machining on this product was so pathetic that there was no tolerance and once it went in it's not coming out.

Conclusion: If you have no security on your wireless network, this is a great buy as long as you dont change AC adapters. If you have security on your wireless network, be ready to strangle some people once you are done trying to set it up.

This WIFI extender was easy to setup. I just followed the instructions and it worked the first time.

I should have been suspicious of all the bad ratings but thought Cisco was better than that. I was wrong. Auto config didn't work. Two calls and over an hour of my time no results. Wanted to return it but since it didn't rom Amazon I can't. Infinite Surplus has a no return if opened policy so this useless piece of s*** will not be used as a paperweight. If you want to give it a try make sure you don't get it from them. At least at least Amazon has a return policy.

I often have to reset the ranger expander by unplugging it. By often I mean once a day. If I don't, my computer shows an excellent signal but I have limited or no connectivity. When it's working-it works well. However, the problem could be how the cable company set up our internet for our business---they just plugged in the original and we have no tech support.

The user guide was no help, unless you have a Generic setup. All I needed to do was to set the SSID in the stupid part. Then, when I called up Linksys for support, I spent 10 bucks to download a program, and save THEM time and money.

Let me repeat. It cost me $10 so that Cisco can save money. I guess there's a sucker born every minute. Me.

Next time, I look for FREE support. For goodness sakes, I spent good money to buy the stupid router.

I bought this to extend the range of the wireless network in the house I live in. It's a 3 story house, and the network is very weak on the ground floor where I live. My parents have an older version of this product installed at their house, so I knew it had some challenges to set up, but figured I could work through them. WRONG. The auto set up does not work, apparently, because the network is WEP protected. So after some searching on the internet, I find a manual work around. Which I did 3 times. None were successful. I went so far as to call Linksys support, where I was connected to a tech, but he then proceeded to ask me to hang on while he did something (unintelligible). 20 minutes later, I was not on hold, but the tech was not responding when I asked questions and tried to get his attention. So customer support gets a 0. I'm returning this product. What a waste. Does anyone even have an unsecured network anymore? Linksys needs to make sure the product is easier to use!

Que fiasgo!. Este producto debe ser retirado y si acaso, emitir una versión ultra mejorada pero con otro nombre para evitar desacreditar el nombre Lynksys y Cisco. Recomiendo a los fabricantes que revisen el manual de configuración porque simplemente NO SIRVE. El fabricante debe además tener un manual para configuración manual. Tuve que arreglármelas para configurarlo, porque nadie sin algunos conocimientos de redes va a salir a camino con ese inútil manual. Y después de instalarlo, una lentitud horrible y un alcance pésimo. No amigo, no lo compre, busque otra salida, dese a respetar. Yo que casi siempre me llevo de las estrellas, no compro nada que no tenga de 4 estrellas para arriba. Esta vez no hice caso porque confío en Linksys y fracasé. He pasado una verguenza grandísima por estar sugiriendo este equipo. Ojalá este mensaje llegue a los fabricantes.

Call to Linksys tech support declared the expander non operational said to send it back. The replacement expander arrived and had Linksys tech support remote into my system to setup the expander. After 45 minutes with no luck they gave up and hung up the phone. Needless to say I have returned both items and will not buy anymore Linksys products. I should have taken a clue from all the refurbished Linksys expanders up for sale. Buyers beware!

I had my unit for about one year. Installation was good, it work quite appropriately and transparently behind a sofa in my family room. It provided service to a section of my house where my main WiFi signal was too low, the signal was in fact significantly improved. Therefore, everything here sound very good so far. The only reason why I am giving it 2 stars is because it broke after about one year. Not like other Linsys devices.

I have been using this for a few weeks. I use it in the basement where there is little wireless reception from the wireless router upstairs. After hooking this up,which is just plugging it in, then running the program, which runs itself, I have full reception anywhere in the basement. If you want an easy way to boost your wireless signal,, this is it.

This tool is a nightmare to install, especially if you are a Mac user.
The installation disk in fact doesn't run on a Mac and there is no support driver that you can download or anything else for a Mac.
So I had a Windows borrowed from the office and it took me 2 evenings before, eventually, by trying on the different channels, the installation setup was able to find the signal.

After I installed it, it worked, but the reach was never as good as I hoped.
In my apartment there are large brick walls, and the repeater doesn't absolutely reach after the second room.
Even where working, the device needs frequent rebooting and repositioning (depending on the day), as the signal disappears often.
Like 3 times in a afternoon or so.
I was told this could be due to the WPA security choice, rather than WPA-2, but I didn't try anything else, since I was scared to have to redo the installation again..

Anyway, I got fed up with it and I'm currently looking to buying a new one that -hopefully- works better.

Make sure you don't order this unless you have the right router:

"Linksys' WRE54G Wireless-G Range Expander [reviewed here] is a WDS-based 802.11b / g repeater that Linksys says works only with its WAP54G access point and WRT54G and WRT54GS wireless routers."

You have to make sure you read the instructions, all of them... For us, the CD installation would not work for some reason (would not find the unit during scan), but when we did the manual install (using the IP address in browser) along with referencing the linksys web site for additional information, well it eventually worked.

If it does not work, when you set it up, make sure that you check the channel - that was our last problem, (was not the default channel 6 but channel 1).

Sorry for the gurble review, but if you are buying one, you will find this review very suitable.

But, once it works great. The previous network level was only two bars and after the install, a full strong five bars. When we unplugged it and then plugged it back in at the final install location (install higher on the wall for better reception), it started up and works great...

All round, considering what this piece of equipment is trying to accomplish, it is awesome and does the job right - but do not give up on install, when in doubt, linksys as instant chat support as well as telephone support...

This is an older version of the Linksys WRE65G (v1.0 I think). It has very basic features and it's a bit difficult to set up if you don't know exactly how wi-fi works, and how this little thing is suppose to work. The setup program is hit-n-miss, but it can be configured manually. You only need to connect to its config page via 192.168.1.240 and enter the MAC address of the router you're trying to connect to. There are various ways to get that.

It works best with a Linksys router, and it will attempt to automatically configure itself with one if it finds one (If your neighbor has an unsecured Linksys but you don't, whoops!). I've been using it for a month now and it works great now that I know how to configure it myself. If you can find a newer version of this device, I would recommend it for the more inexperienced users, but I bought this one for $25, and I couldn't beat that price. :)

I was looking at a booster, and read everything I could before I bought one. I was hoping it would work out because returning things is such a hastle! Lucky for me, I picked a good one, and it's a keeper!
I live in an old house, with THICK WALLS and it was hard to get a signal anywhere other than right in the room where the wireless is... now I am 4 rooms away, and my computer says "excellent" and works much faster... before it said VERY LOW. This is great! I bought this product, really because I bought a Roku box, that thing from Netflix, and the connection would NOT reach it... this is a wonderful boost, and now my son can watch DORA episodes any time he wants, and it hardly ever reconnects. Some times I have to unplug the product from the wall and plug it back in... "reset" but only twice and I have had it a few months. It's great! EASY to setup, and EASY to place. I want another one for the other side of the house.

I have used a range of Linksys products over the years but I've never encountered anything like this WRE54G Wireless-G Range Expander. Before purchase I noted the polarity of the reviews regarding this item, but based on prior experience and satisfaction I thought it was worth a try. How wrong I was! Though I used the WRE54G with a Linksys wireless-G router, planned the placement of all network gear carefully according to the Linksys instructions, and even tried the automatic setup, no connection could be established. Hours of manually attempting to get reliable communication between the router and the WRE54G resulted in a completely unreliable signal--now strong, now missing altogether. I finally gave up attempting insrtallation on my own and started a chat with a Linksys agent. That person displayed hardly any familiarity with the range expander and its possible problems. After spending 3/4 of an hour going around in a circle, I closed the chat.

The very poor documentation for this item leads me to suppose that Cisco really could't care less about the more unusual equipment Linksys offers. I think in future I'll think twice before purchasing from this source. They aren't the only game in town.

3 hours trying to install. Two calls to Linksys' 800 number. Finally, gave up. Interesting additional annoyance. When I run setup, my laptop never sees the Expander, but to really stick it to me, it prevents my laptop from using the wireless router at all - even after I disconnect the Expander. Doesn't work by wireless or cable connect. Recycled power, played around with settings, nothing seemed to work. Finally, hit the right combination and now at least I can use the router again.

As some one who considers himself highly technical I read the reviews of this product and the problems people had with little concern....I thought I would have no real issues getting it going. Of course, I was wrong.

It is not a complicated product in itself as the config is more basic than a regular wifi router....but the documentation is pretty much useless. I wanted to use the setup utility that comes on the cd rather than the auto-config, but that would not even see my wifi network whether I was using an ethernet cable or the wifi. So I HAD to use the auto-config and eventually got it to work that way after probably an hour of messing around.

The key for me was to follow these steps:
1) Disable all security on your regular wifi router. Enable SSID broadcast. At this point your wifi is wide open.
2) Plug in extender close to your regular router, press auto-config button. After a few seconds both lights should turn blue.
3) Get into extender by typing 192.168.1.240 in your browser.
4) At login screen there is no username, pwd is 'admin'.
5) Change all security settings to how you want them on your regular router. Save settings
At this point your extender will lose connectivity and the link light will turn red.
6) Change security settings on your regular router back to what they originally were.
Router & extender settings should be the same.
7) Power off extender for a few seconds. Power it on again.
8) Extender SHOULD come back with both lights blue.
9) Power off extender again and move it to eventual location.

If the documentation had been clearer about powering off & on once config had changed I would have been fine....but instead it indicates that all you need to do is make the changes and you're good to go.

Anyway, the extender is now working well and does exactly what it says it is supposed to do, that's the main thing. But it could have been easier.

Let me make this clear. This thing just doesn't work. In fact, it makes signal clarity worse. My computer gets confused between this signal and the direct signal from the router. The WRE54G has to be reset ALL the time. Save your money and time. Do not buy this product.

The one button set up was a scam and not to disappointing based on what I read. Nearly had it by myself but needed to run the install from a second computer not directly connected to base router. Don't know if I would have discovered that variable for a while. Set up was easy once I got through to cisco helpdesk and turned it over to them. They were helpful for an additional $10.00. I guess it was worth the money considering the time factor to setup. It works fine I have good signal strength where I need it. I guess if it were easy we would not need tech support; what would they do for a living? Chase stray cats?

I bought this range expander to eliminate "lag outs" that my son experiences when he plays x-box 360 on line in the basement. Our wireless router is on the main floor of the house, and the wireless connection to devices in the basement has always been weak (1 bar at best). Within a few minutes of removing the range expander from the package, I had it up and running, with 3-4 bars on the x-box 360. The range expander was very easy to set up (I just put the cd in the computer and followed the pdf setup instructions for auto-configure). It literally took about 3 minutes - and I'm no rocket scientist. Then, I just experimented placement of the expander device in the basement to yield the most bars on the x-box 360. FYI, I have a linksys router WRT54G running firmware version 4.21.1.

No instruction for set up! I followed instructions posted by other users who reviewed this product and got it working in about 30 min after a few trial and errors; it works great once you set it up.

Like many others, bought this to reach the far end of my house where the signal from my WRT54GL is weak. Really disappointing. The setup of the unit isn't bad IF you do so manually (or the autoconfig button if you have no security on your network).

However, the additional range is really lousy. I get maybe an additional 10-15 feet with a usable signal. That knocks the unit down to 2 stars (if I am being generous) right there...Why does an extender get me just another 10-15 usable feet when my WAP is throwing a couple of hundred to begin with?

Worse, the unit stops working every 2-3 days, knocking everything connected to it off the network and requiring a power cycle to reconnect.

Really a disappointing product; I'd look for a powerline adapter instead - or even consider pulling some wire through the attic if you really need a decent connection. This thing's basically worthless.

This range expander is an aweful product to get functioning. I updated every driver and firmware on several different routers and the range expander, all to no avail. I would not ever buy this device again.

This is a really great wireless router bridge. Its very simple to set up and use. I live in a house that has two floors. I need a good connection to play my ps3 and my router was downstairs in the basement. The signal was very weak upstairs so i needed a solution. I bought this bridge and pluged it in an outlet up stairs. It did not work at first but then i reallized i had to reset it. After I reseted the bridge worked perfectly. The signal i used to get up stairs was like 30% and after the bridge it went to 100% (A huge difference). If you have a new linksys router or one bout in the years 07-09 then this product is great for your needs.

Great product, difficult to install correctly and start working properly, directions are a bit vague, but once it you get it to work, it is fabulous. Arrived before the projected date.

I bought this Expander to increase the range of my Linksys WAP54G Access Point, which has worked flawlessly for me! So why not buy from the same manufacturer!? Here's why......

Since I was running a secured wifi network with the WAP54G Access Point, I tried to use the Extender's CD to configure the Extender. The CD software was NEVER able to find the Extender. All I ever got was a message that said "site survey failed. please try again." So, I decided to use the web-based configuration software. Again, the Extender couldn't be found. (Meanwhile the software for the WAP54G Access Point could find the Access Point.) Even after shutting down the security on the Access Point, I got the same results.

Next I tried the Extender's auto configuration button. That didn't work. After spending most of the day working through many technical scenarios (most found here) I finally decided to reset my trusty WAP54G Access Point to factory specs (pressing the reset button for 5 seconds and unplugging it for 30). After that I tried the Extender's auto config button. SUCCESS!!! Or at least thats what I thought.

The Extender DOES NOT boost the wifi signal, just "repeats" an already weak signal into a far corner of my house. After I repositioned the Extender several times I finally did get a decent signal.

Now that everything was working, it was time to crank up the security on the wifi network again to keep all you nasty hackers and snoopers off my system. Supposedly the Extender can only handle WEP not WAP security. So now it was time to kick up WEP on the Extender. But alas, I didn't have a way to configure the Expander's security settings and it wouldn't auto config the security settings from my WAP54G Access Point. If I changed the security settings on my WAP54G Access Point, the Expander dropped off the network. I won't run a wifi network without security.

The last straw was calling Linksys customer service to figure out the "security" issue. If you can understand English with a heavy Indian accent, you are one step ahead of me. I gave up on the first customer service person. Mostly because I was too frustrated to be reasonable with the thick accented customer service person. So, I called back the next day and customer service person #2 had less of an accent but left me on hold for over 20 minutes. I finally had enough. I hung up and packed up the Extender and sent it back.

I spent two days trying to get that thing to work. I'd bash Linksys, but I that wouldn't be fair. They make some great products, but this isn't one of them.

Conclusion -- if you live out in the quiet country side somewhere, with no one else around, this might be the "unsecured wifi" product for you. (don't forget you need to have a Linksys Access Point and reset everything to factory specs before trying to auto config). If you live anywhere else, I'd say pass on this hopelessly flawed product.

Despite some comments, this extender will work on routers other than the WRT54G. I got it to work on mine and my friend's Verizon DSL routers. It also does not noticeably reduce the performance of your internet connection. That is, I do not notice a reduction after doing some download and ping tests, but I can not prove that is no reduction.

I used the following instructions and had it up and running in 15 minutes. The extender boosted the range of my wifi and I am very happy with it.

[...]

This is the worst wireless product I've seen and worked with.

Being a Microsoft Certified Network Engineer, I consider myself an expert in setting up wireless networking devices like this. At first, I thought it would be a piece of cake. Ha, wrong! Because the manual said, run the CD first, so I followed the on-screen instructions. Guess what, when the setup wizard ran, it disabled my "Wireless Zero Configuration" service. So window won't able to control the wireless selection. That was not the worst part! It also changed my Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) by putting my computer's wireless IP into the IP field, and 255.255.255.0 in the Subnet mask field, and leave the Default gateway blank! Also, it check the radio button "Use the following DNS server address" without filling in the actual DNS servers. So even my wireless computer was still able to talk to router, it just couldn't get on the internet!!! I was literary pulling my hair out to find why my computer suddenly couldn't connect to the internet.

After I changed all those settings back, and disabled my wireless router's encryption, used the Auto Config to make the repeater both lights blue (signaling ok to connected to my wireless router). But I still have to use the CD to change the IP address of the repeater (I didn't use the default 192.168.1.x). It just always failed in the last step!!!

Finally I changed my router's internal IP to 192.168.1.x, so I was able to connect to this repeater's default IP: 192.168.1.240!

You know what, it didn't booster the signal strength much. In one corner of my house, my computer was able to pick up the router's signal, but this repeater couldn't!!!

To save you some troubles down the road, find another product!!!

The product was easy to setup, and worked well enough, but the network was slower in the extended area. It is usable, but according to internet speed tests the difference is about 40% slower. But 40% of the full speed is by far better than no connection at all.

It wouldn't work and we couldn't get support. We don't recommend it to anyone for any reason.

When we called support, we got what sounded like someone from India. He didn't know what to do and communication with him was difficult.

It sucks to pay $75.00 for something that you can't get to work.

What a pain to setup (and I work in IT), still trying after hours of effort. I will call the 800 number and see what happens.

Will update tihs review if this thing ever works.

It is not able to be programmed with my cicso linksys router. I want a refund.

This item only works with laptops. This is going to sound strange. I could not connect my blackberry 8900 to this only my laptop. This is the second linksys product I received to strengthen my bad linksys router. Instead I am going to buy a new router that is not Linksys or any brand connected to Linksys. The set up is annoying as well. They give you a cd, but you are just supposed to go straigh into the setup page via web browser. I only gave it two stars because it worked well atleast with the laptop.

Like most other reviewers, I bought this device to expand my network.

The installation instructions were confusing.

1. The CD says run this first before setting it up. I tried and it told me to that it couldn't find the wireless point -- site survey failed.

2. The power pack didn't slide in the slot all the way. I still have about a 1/8 gap that I just can't seem to squeeze it fully in place. When I installed the adapter backwards, it actually took a hammer to get it unconnected.

3. It took about 4 hours of researching and connecting, but finally got it. I am somewhat of a techie, but the installation CD and manual included on the CD were not very helpful at all.

4. A product like this should work out of the box -- perhaps my expectations are too high.

I only just got it working, so I can say nothing of is durability.

This link expander is a complete piece of junk. The installation CD that comes with it fails with a "Site survey failed" message on the first step.

As is mentioned elsewhere in these reviews, you have to manually disable your router's wep, use the auto configuration button on the side of the expander, and log into it with the default password. Ok, done. I changed the default password before enabling WEP on the expander, and guess what. I can no longer log into the expander. The new password I set it to fails to work, the default fails to work. Its impossible to reset the device to default settings without logging in, so yet another paperweight. Avoid this piece of garbage.

Unfortunately, this product could never complete the scan for available wireless networks. It always failed. Therefore, I could never complete the process of hooking it up. I wasted my money on this product and had to go with the plug adaptors that make your electrical wires of the house act as hard wiring.
This review won't let me enter a rating of 0 stars but that is what I give it.

When I bought this I was expecting it ,naturally, not to work, and was very ready to spend a lot of time on the phone. But it actually works great I ran the CD and it did the setup for me. If you are having trouble use the guides that are written in these reviews. It also works great with the Xbox 360. Unlike most range expanders it improved my signal without crappy speed and lag. If you are buying this for Gaming it is a MUST HAVE!

I found this product to be very very difficult to set up. Once set up it worked for a few months. I stopped using it for a while and could never get it to communicate with my computer again.

I later purchased the linksys access point, WAP54G. It is less expensive, relatively easy to set up (use an Ethernet connection) and works well as both an access point and a repeater (which is what the range expander is supposed to do).

I can recommend the WAP54G, it works well in both modes. Based on my experience, I do not recommend the WRE54G.

This product not only didn't work, the limited installation disk completely reset the protocol settings on my notebook computer. The reason I bought it was because I had one that worked and it failed after 13 months. Find something from another vendor but don't buy this.

This unit is really tough to set up, doesn't live up to Linksys' range claims, resets itself without warning, and/or stops working. I had problems out of the box and Linksys tech support couldn't walk me through making it work so they sent me a replacement. It took a couple of hours on the phone with the techies to get the new one set-up and it seemed to work for two weeks before giving up the ghost. I'm tired of babysitting a unit that's supposed to work in the background. Unreliability makes it an accessory that's not woth having. I'm getting ready to move soon and this range expander isn't coming along - I'll find another brand/model for the next house.

This little box is a life saver. Not only does it extend my routers signal to the other end of my house (5 bars) I can get 2-3 bars outside the house. Its not alot but much better then nothing!!

This extender was horrific. It never worked out of the box. The documentation was horrific. I struggled for hours trying to use it before deciding that it was hopeless. DO NOT GET THIS THING!

Most prevalent, and in real life the customer (you and I) receive from our ISP a Modem/router that may have wireless capabilities. Most of the current/new customers have the wireless feature. I am unable to find an ISP that ships a linksys MODEM/Router/wireless access point. So, when we find that we need a repeater often we look for name brand products such as linksys and D-link.

If you think that the WRE54G is a solution for the real life situation I'd described then you are mistaken. More correctly you probably were misled by the documentation and labeling of the product. This documentation and labeling need to include a warning. A correct warning could correctly say "WARNING: This product is not 802.11 compatible.".

DON'T buy this product if you are in the the real world where you haven't added another linksys product between the ISP provided modem/access point and the WRE54G. A probable reason for linksys misleading us is that they hope that they will convince you to purchase another, ancillary/redundant linksys device.

linksys support has repeated attempted to coax me into purchasing another linksys product to correct the shortcoming of this product.

THIS IS NOT 802.11 COMPATIBLE !!! This has been verified using wireless snoopers. These snoopers are tools used by companies who make the computer chips in REAL 802.11 products. Because I am a native/resident of the SF Bay area 'Silicon Valley' I am blessed with access to these snoopers. However, you may not have them available.

DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE OF BUYING THIS IF YOU WANT A REPEATER THAT TALKS WITH NORMAL 802.11 DEVICES!!!

The previous reviewers said it wouldn't work, and they were right. Now the setup wasn't particularly painful. I have a WRT54G router and the automatic setup trick worked, almost exactly as described. It did take more than a minute, and three tries.

Greatly expanded connectivity on my wireless network. Extended range as advertised.

According to speedtest.net resulted in a 90% reduction in data rate to/from the internet from machines, whether they were connected via the extender or not. Hard wired machines were unaffected, as expected.

On the plus side, Amazon's return policy was quick and efficient!

Purchased this to use with my Netopia 3347-02 router. Did some searching on the Internet for tips on setup and here's what I ended up doing with the Netopia to get the WRE54G working:

Disabled WPA on my Netopia.
Plugged in WRE54G via ethernet cable directly from my computer to the WRE54G.
Opened IE and went to: [...]
Changed wireless channel to wireless channel on my Netopia.
Changed SSID to same SSID as on my Netopia.
Saved settings and let the WRE54G reboot.

Went into WRE54G admin again and enabled security.
Used WPA key as on my Netopia.
Saved settings and let the WRE54G reboot.
Unplugged ethernet cable from WRE54G.

I then unplugged the WRE54G and plugged it back in. The blue link light lit up after about 10 seconds or so. Unplugged again and moved it to a room at the other end of the house. It's been working for about two days now without issue.

I did not change the IP address on the WRE54G and left it at the default. I also have V3 of the WRE54G (manufactured in 2/09). I guess using this is hit or miss, but I had luck and it does what it's supposed to which is extend the range of my wireless.

Don't buy this product!!! After 18 months of intermittent behavior, it got a permanent red light and then died. It never worked as expected.

This unit is an excellent receiver but not so great a transmitter. Thus, put it at any distance from the base transmitter (Linksys wireless) but close to the device to be served (laptop or whatever). Their on-line instructions (for Macintosh) are much improved over the past 1-2 years. For those living in large houses or those with thick walls, this is an excellent way to disperse the waves.

I purchased the Linksys Wireless-G Range Expander in order to boost the WIFI and go sit out on the porch to surf the interwebs.

My excitement quickly turned to dismay as I embarked on an incredibly difficult setup process. First off, I attempted to get it up and running using a MacBook, the main computer that would be using the expanded range, but it turned out that the included set-up wizard is Windows-only. My frustration at this stage could have been averted if only there had been an indication of supported operating systems on the outside of the box!

OK then, luckily there was a Windows laptop available to use for the setup. After trying the auto-config button on the unit, I ran the wizard and received an error message (not much of a wizard if you ask me). I decided rather than continuing to fight I'd call the free, 24/7 tech support number.

I got a very nice tech support representative (presumably in India judging by his thick accent) who attempted to guide me through the setup. He quickly realized that the problem was not a simple one and asked if it would be OK if he "took control" of my PC. He said that if I allowed him to do that he could have things up and running in 10 minutes. I thought it was sketchy to let some guy "take control" of my PC, but I wanted to get this over with and I agreed.

"If you want me to do that" he said, "I will have to charge you $9.99." "Charge me!?" I said. I wasn't planning on spending more than the face value for this equipment. Now it's not working and the "free" tech support hotline is trying to charge more!? "It's your choice" he said. "If you want to get it fixed right now I can do it, or you can call back later and have to spend more time on this." Wow, really!?

In the heat of the moment I gave in and told him to go ahead and charge me the 10 bucks. The next thing I know some guy in India is controlling my PC, going into areas of the system that I would never attempt to mess with, and asking me for my credit card info at the same time. Sketchy!!

45 minuets later he was still messing around trying to make the thing work, asking me to un-plug and re-plug in the device etc. Finally I decided I couldn't spend any more time on this. I asked him to exit my system and I'll return the time-wasteing device.

Not only is it ridiculous in this day and age to make a product that doesn't work with a Mac and doesn't auto-configure like it says it will, but to then try and charge me for some stranger on the other side of the world to compromise my security. I don't think so, Linksys. I expected much more from you and your daddy Cisco.

Its a nice concept. The range expander would not wrk even when I seek the assistance of Linksys tech support. Infact the tech request that I return the expander. He claim the produc is faulty