Linksys by Cisco WRT54GL Wireless-G Broadband Router (Compatible with Linux)

Following the BLUF recommendation (Manager-[...]) let me just say that if you wait until the 30-or-so day return window is expired, you'll never get satisfaction.
After weeks of puttering around with this router, unsuccessfully trying to create an error-free connection, I finally called and got into the nightmare that is Linksys tech support, and finally got them to agree that I had a piece of junk. But all they could do was send another one. No refunds. Amazon's refund window expired the day before. Oh well, guess slow learners pay more.

Anyway, the issue is that I dial use a Citrix remote-connection to the office, and any interruption kicks me off, and forces me to restart the login/authentification process. For regular Web surfing and e-mail, intermittent interruptions are pretty much invisable. But every time I tried to remote-in to the office, I'd get kicked off several times an hour. Tech support ran tests, and had me install new firmware. Still nada. So went through RMA process (not to painful) and got another one (not new, but rebuilt). It was worse than the other.

I called tech support, and they wanted to have me jump through all the same hoops again. I declined to waste more time.

What a PITA. Next time, I'll test the heck out of it the day the box arrives and ship it right back if it even smells funny.
:-)

Oh, should mention that I also got Time Warner (Road Runner) to come out about three times to test the internet to the house and the cable modem in the house. They made a convincing case that their feed was error-free, and when I took the router out of the loop, I could verify the same thing: no dropped connections.

I have been using the product for a month and no problems
whatsoever: no interruptions in the wireless connection. The
setup as followed in the CD did not work however and I had to
rely on my son who has the same product (and had recommended it
to me) to get me connected via the Linksys web site.

I got this router specifically because it supports the Tomato firmware (google for it, it's free and open source). The firmware from Linksys/Cisco kinda sucks but the Tomato firmware makes managing multiple users with high bandwidth and low latency needs a breeze. It looks good and works great.

I now run Skype calls while my housemate does torrents and the Skype signal sounds better, with lower latency than my phone line. This was not the case with my older Netgear WGT624. Granted, this is after I spent some time configuring QoS.

Again, the built-in firmware on this router sucks. Buy the router and install Tomato.

Easy to install the DD-WRT firmware (took all of about 20 minutes to configure), up and running better than a $600 router in my opinion.

Great router, easy setup, great performance. There was an issue: the new item shipped with a european adapter! I called customer service which routed me to someone who was a total idiot. Here is a summary of the transcript:

Me: "The item shipped with the incorrect power adapter."
Customer Service: "I see sir, are you able to pull up any internet sites on it?"
Me: "Er... I cannot plug the item in because of the power adapter, which looks like a european adapter"
Customer Service: "I see sir, are there any lights that are lit on the router"
Me: "I CANNOT PLUG THE ROUTER IN"

It was almost comical how he was not listening. Lucky for me AMAZON saved the day. They gave me a free return shipping label, and immediately shipped me a replacement (without waiting for my item to be returned), and sent it 2nd-day Air. AMAZING service. The replacement came with the correct power adapter. Thanks Amazon!

Thanks for nothing, Linksys customer service.

The vendor-supplied software wasn't as functional as I'd like; limited use of the available storage space, reduced configuration and so on.

The ease of installing the dd-wrt software was ridiculously easy. The only problem relates to the design of the 'reset' button. The third-party software installation requires extended (90 seconds!) pressing-time on the reset button -- two or three times during the process. The button is difficult to hold for that length of time.

But that's probably a good thing, because it means the settings don't easily get wiped by accident.

The other problem I had was with one of the antenna mounts -- the post the antenna screws-down on, that exits the body of the device: One was loose, and not affixed well. It floated in a way that didn't make me comfortable. A drop or two of cyanoacrylate glue ('Super Glue') easily fixed it, but that's not something I think I would need to do right-out-of-the-box. Points off for that.

One design suggestion: I'd like to see mounting holes on the bottom so one could easily wall-mount this device. As it is, the footprint takes up usable space on my desk.

Good wireless router, though. I like it.

I got this to replace the many of many Netgear and Dlink routers I have used in the past. I got it because there were so many good reviews on it and I know why. The wireless reception can reach the bottomless pit of my basement which my old recievers couldn't at all. It has amazing customization options with it. It also has a one button push if you need wireless right away. I would suggest using at least WPA encryption though which is easy to setup via the disk that comes with it. Overall I would give this 6/5 stars because it works perfect and has a great signal and great price. Tons of awesome reviews can't be wrong, you won't be dissapointed with this router. Don't even look elsewhere for any router alike because this one is in their price range and functions like a very expensive one.

Solid like a rock. I did not update its firmware although there are free mod firmwares out there that can do many extra things.

The only thing is that the router must be on a different sub net as my DSL modem. My DSL modem is on 192.168.1. The router came pre-configured on 192.168.1 as well. Some of my apps do not like this. After I changed the sub net to 192.168.3, everything worked great.

Just a word to say I am pleased. Set up was a snap. Had my home network on in less than 15 minutes. Works fine.

I buy Linksys because of its reliability, ease-of-use, and three-year warranty. I gave it a slightly lower rating because Linksys now only offers a one-year warranty.

Regardless, it's my fourth - three currently working - and I've no complaints, especially since it gives me the option to "upgrade" using third-party vendor software. The OEM-provided software and upgrades are more than sufficient for my needs. I don't run any file-sharing nor am I an avid online gamer but we do have five wireless users who use the Internet for E-Mail, productivity, and online banking - sometimes, to VPN to work.

I've had this router for maybe 5 + years now (maybe longer I can't remember) and its been great the entire time. The only time it gave me any issue (it was my fault for resetting it) was when I messed around with it and thought I had bricked it. But I Found Tomato firmware (recomended) and its been great ever since. I get great reception with it for b/g. The range is not great but its not bad either. It's an old product now and doesnt support new features but it's still doing the job, it's a high quality product.

Arrived quickly. Easy to set up - pictures accompanied each step. Used with Roku video box and both performed as expected.

I am among the people who buy this router because of the 5 star review and so called 3rd party firmware support. But the truth is this router almost freeze daily, mostly at night, when it happens, there is no single packet recieved from the wireless router, which means the wireless is completely down, you need to manually restart the router to make it work again.

I am trying to find the possible solution for this problem, you can google "wrt54gl freeze" or "wrt54gl lockup" to see how common this problem is, people give numerous suggestions, such as "try using tomato or dd-wrt firmware", "TCP time out tweak" or "Qos", none of these really make sense but I still tried all of these and it does not work. The only one I find may be reasonable is the one [...]/. In short, due to the author, the reason the router freeze is due to a very cheaply maded power supply, so when there is sudden drop of power grid, which is pretty common at night when a lot people using electricity, the router can not get enough voltage and malfunction, thus not a single packet you will recieve from the router.

According to the author, the wrt54g is also affected due to a similar design in router power supply. For $60 router using an outdated broadcom chipset with slow CPU and almost zero function firmware, linksys still want to save pennies from several capacitors of power supply, I really have nothing to say.

Purchased this LinkSys Cisco wireless G band router about a month ago to replace a three year old NetGear unit that was developing an inability to reliably (and quickly) connect with the net. I really didn't want or need to upgrade my wireless laptop computer to the newer and faster N-band capability so I was shopping for reliability and price in this replacement. My research indicated that (free)3rd party software could be easily flashed into this LinkSys unit if I needed more than just basic setup up and that potential additional flexibility led me to purchase one.

Unit arrived with Amazon's usually good shipment speed. I followed the directions and setup disk for the install but needed to go into the manual router configuration (via browser) to get it to work with my existing home and wireless network settings. This is not a difficult process if you've done it before, but it wasn't just 'plug and play'

In the past month, I have had NO problems. Speed is excellent and connections reliable. Somewhat improved signal strength on the wireless side. It also solved a problem I was having with my faster Windows 7 desktop establishing the internet connection on the old NetGear unit. I have had no reason to pursue 3rd party router software as the standard LinkSys stuff is working fine. This router currently supports a quad-core desktop PC, wireless laptop, Vonage phone modem and connects via cable modem to the internet. It resides on the second floor near the front of our house and the wireless range is sufficient to reach all first floor rooms and the back porch.

I think this is a very good bang-for-the-buck value. Happy Camper here.

The set up process is simple but connection wise, it's not worth buying. Customer service is 50/50 and don't get nothing resolve.

This is my second wireless router purchase. Although setup was a breeze, installation and security setup, it was a disappointment. I was able to connect my ipod and laptop, but if I moved more than 20 feet from the router, I would constantly lose signal. No matter how much I tried to tweak the settings, it just wouldn't hold a solid signal. This is unacceptable, I need something that has decent range, so back it goes. Why is it so hard to find a good wireless router :(

Out of the box it worked and was easy to configure (unlike routers of the past). Its been working fine since I installed it three weeks ago. I do not have a lot of experience with wireless routers so I can not make any comparisons as far as performance. I have it installed in the basement. I get very good signal strength on the first floor and medium to fair signal on the second floor depending where I am. In no case have I ever lost the signal. I sure if I mounted it higher in the house, the overall signal would be improved.
I am very happy with the WRT54GL so far....

I love this little gem she has a good signal and I don't get dropped.I did find it works better connected to a standard router. If you just use this with your tower and don't have her configured with your ISP she will file for seperation. I did the reset button and the check wires and no go so I just put her up to the d-link I already had and the ole girl is working as I'm typing this on my dell laptop.I'm very happy with it.

I received this router today, and was able to set it up in about 15 minutes. The signal strength is very good so far. MUCH MUCH better than the signal strength on the last router I bought and then returned (the Belkin ME1004-R).

While going through the set up wizard on this Linksys I got an error message saying my desktop computer couldn't connect to the router. I called their tech support and after waiting on hold a while I was connected to a tech person who was able to solve my issue. She determined I could ignore that error message.

I would recommend this router. It was easy to set up and I can get very good signal strength across my house from about 40 feet away from the router.

This router works like a charm and was easy to set up. It was our second router, and I've had no problems with this one at all.

I love this router. I've purchased, hacked, and installed at least 30 of these things, and there simply isn't a better , more reliable router on the market.

With the stock configuration, this router still edges out the competition, but once you replace the firmware it blows everything else out of the water with ease. Not even close.

The most basic replacement firmware (Tomato) gives you as much functionality in this router as high-end equipment. I can do some pretty cool stuff with it, the most basic of which is boost the wireless signal strength by about 300%.

Upgraded from wireless B to this G. Could have gone all the way to N, but my internet line delivers only a speed that G makes sense.
The installation was flawless, quick and easy. The wireless signal strength was a bit better than the old B. However, most of all, the router is totally stable. No need to reset it from time to time. I also use Alfa units to pick up the signal at the most remote corners of my property, and again, it all works perfectly. Though this is an older model, this is the best router I ever had anywhere.

Having previously used linksys routers I already have been impressed by their overall performance. After recently moving I spent nearly a month using a netgear router owned by my roommate. My routing demands were constantly overwhelming the device. When my new linksys router arrived I had it connected and ready to go within five minutes. Gone were all the issues that I had been battling with. Web pages loaded smoothly, downloads started coming in faster than i'd seen in a long time, and instances of incoming security risks dramatically decreased. Add to that flawless compatability with my Xbox 360 and I have been tremendously pleased with this device

my review is somewhat unfair due to the fact that the unit was purchased for a certain purpose and either it is being set up improperly or it was just the wrong purchase not sure yet we need to contact customer service,it was purchased to help boost the wireless internet signal for a home and it does'nt seem to be working or maybe that is not what this unit does.

I would suggest buying this product to all my family and friends. My son hooked/set this unit up for me in about 30 minutes.

well, I use it for gaming and net browsing. It works well for my purposes. It doesnt drop connections , and the speed is good for gaming , as far I am concerned. Good price for a pretty solid router. DD-WRT(firmware. Is a good firmware upgrade)) is a Linux based alternative OpenSource firmware suitable for a great variety of WLAN routers and embedded systems. The main emphasis lies on providing the easiest possible handling while at the same time supporting a great number of functionalities within the framework of the respective hardware platform used

The router works as advertised. I get good coverage over 1,645 sqft of space. If you are AT&T DSL customer, it requires couple of additional steps to install it. First, you have to call AT&T to un-bridge the DSL modem. Second, you have to call Linksys to have them reconfigure the modem for DSL line. It took me 30 minutes to set up.

The router drops wireless connection once in a while, but picks it up in a few seconds. That usually happens when the laptop is one for longer than 24 hours. I guess it has to "recycle" the connection. Overall, I had this router for a month now, it works fine.

This is a little tricky to synch with an ipod touch. Manually sync to the key not the passphrase unlike other routers. But once it's up and running - great stuff. Keep in mind it runs at 2.4Ghz so certain portable phones may go fritzy on the same channel. I recommend you use an old 900mhz or 5Ghz or 5.8GHZ model, some I've seen for < $20 online.

This router failed shortly after I received it. It was difficult to set-up/configure and was very user unfriendly with a DSL internet connection. Linksys wouldn't honor the warranty. When I got ahold of tech support (somewhere overseas) they were uncooperative and eventually hung up on me. So, in summary, a defective product and terrible customer service.

The Linksys WRT54GL is a solid reliable router, after the original firmware is replaced. I don't recommend this router if one is planning on using it with the shipped firmware. I downloaded and installed new firmware within an hour of initially installing the router. Do not panic though, it is very simple to find and install the firmware. I am currently using Tomato as my firmware. There are many other firmwares such as dd-wrt or open-wrt but Tomato is working great for me. Tomato increased my bandwidth speed by about 6mb/s instantly, taking it from 3 or 4 meg up to 10mb/s. All in all the WRT54GL is a very good router that I would highly recommend but also strongly encourage the firmware upgrade. You won't be disappointed.

This product is easy to set up, reasonably priced, and works as advertised. I use it for my laptop and I don't have a lot of demands for a router.

this this is so bad i have to use an eathernet cable for my laptop because the signal drops SO much i think u should avoid this router and get wireless N it has better receprion and is faster (with wireless N compatable cards) but it also works with Wireless G and B. Spend more money to get a better linksys router or better yet get a netgear router they are awesome.

Bought this router and installed Tomato firmware as a low cost and best of class solution. As configured, it is secure, powerful and my in-laws who are computer novices should never have to touch this appliance.
The firmware is easy to download / install and makes the router more secure and functional than the standalone, out of the box version.
This configuration was recommended on the [...] hardware forums and I could not be happier.

Am happy with the performance of this router so far. Have not had any issues.

I didn't know what kind of wireless product to get and asked other people what they had. They told me to buy Linksys, so I did. I installed it myself and with the CD, it was easy to do. I have enjoyed having the wireless connection for my new computer and have no problems with it.

I am pretty good with a computer...basically...but routers and networking stuff confuses me a bit. BUT, I have to say that this was easy to set up and install. Program takes you through all the steps for security and it was a breeze! Works perfectly!

Overall, I'm pleased with my new router, but I was irritated during the setup process. Linksys claims that setup will be a breeze, but alas this is only the case if you use a PC. I'm an Apple user who had never setup a wireless router before. The process had some confusing/frustrating moments.

The setup wizard that comes on CD with the router only works on PC. I can understand; I'm used to Apple users being neglected like that. What I found unacceptable was that Linksys included NO documentation for Apple users. No file on the disk, no booklet, no card, nothing. I had to poke around online to find the information I needed. There is some info on the Linksys website, but I found it necessary to supplement it by looking at blog posts.

Like I said, overall, I think this will be a great router, but if you're an Apple user, be prepared to fumble a bit.

Much of it has been said, so I won't repeat everything that is being said and done on the Intertubes. I have the WRT54G v2, which is the same of the WRT54GL. It's a valid point I guess.

- Stability:
What I must add to the crowd of 5-star rating is that it is dependable and is rock solid. It just goes running 24/7, and keeps going with no stability issues, no lock-ups, nothing. And most important (and common with other routers): no wireless drop outs. I once ran it for 2 or 3 months I guess, only to be stopped by an energy blackout.

Mine is 5 years old (and a few months), and I still use it for routing my home network. I have 3 computers, 1 media player, 1 media server and 1 wireless extender, all together sharing a broadband connection. It handles the load just fine, streaming high bitrate content on wired is perfect. True, the router is very outdated by today's standards (think wifi range and speed), but the fact that I still use it --- if only for routing and handling load --- tells how dependable the box is. You "set and forget", no checking, no rebooting, nothing. The fame is due.

I bought other routers, and some with the same or similar platform (Buffalo WHR-HP-G54), but they were not as stable as this one. No wonder those always find a way being just an AP, while the WRT keeps routing and doing the hard work.

- Features:
Granted, I have a 3rd party firmware on it (have used OpenWrt and DD-WRT, now on Tomato), but that's what is good about it. QoS, "access restriction" (on/off schedule for wifi), dynamic DNS, time server or any other custom task (if you have the Linux skills) you can imagine. People run everything on them. What I do here is just the "surface" of what can be "scratched".

- Cons:
The outdated specs. No N, of course, range and speed seems to be on the bad side.

- Support:
Years ago, when I didn't know about 3rd party firmwares (that was 2005), I was having a problem with dropped Internet connection. The Linksys support on the web was quick and solved the problem (config). Mind you, after that I never used the support again, so I don't know if Linksys support is still good (or if it ever was and I was just lucky). Not knowing is, of course, a good thing in this case, and speaks favorably for the router.

- Final thoughts:
That's about it. Buying many things that promise more and deliver less, I'm rarely enthusiastic with electronics, but this one is a winner. Also, not trying other firmwares on this does not do it justice. Installing a 3rd party firmware is also much easier than it used to be, so anyone with reasonable knowledge and the ability to read instructions exactly as written can do it. I didn't search much lately, so I don't think if we have a comparable, proven and trusted 11n kit like the WRT was with 11g.

I give it 5 stars, period. No footnotes, no asterisks, no nonsense.

As soon as I got this router I unboxed it and flashed it with the 3rd-party DD-WRT firmware which is available for free [...].

Upgrading the firmware is very easy, simply follow the instructions on the dd-wrt website. The router has been rock-solid reliable, and has a great array of features, especially if you use the upgraded firmware. I especially like the real-time bandwidth graphs and QoS features, both of which help you get the most out of your Internet connection.

An excellent bargain, enterprise-level router features that normally cost thousands for only $60.

Word to the wise - don't upgrade to a WRT160N. I tried it and it was awful, the thing crashed every single day. Stick with the WRT54GL until Cisco has a chance to work out the bugs on the new N-series firmware.

Works great so far. The only thing that confused me, but I have also not put a lot of time into figuring it out, was it asked me if I wanted to set up a secure network and yet I don't have to enter my password I set up to connect

Bought this for a Christmas gift based on the good reviews I read. I could not install it using the Set-up CD that came with it. Apparently my ISP codes were the problem. When I called Linksys for assistance I was pleasantly surprised to get connected with a live person in less than two minutes. They were very pleasant and helped me get the router running on the internet. This router is very stable and trouble-free. It stays on and does its thing with no problems.

The WRT54G series are probably the most prolific line of wireless routers ever built. Millions of them have been sold, and you've probably already used one at some point or another if you travel with a laptop or cell phone with built in WiFi.

What makes the WRT54GL different than the other WRT54G's that were recently released is the extra onboard memory, and the detachable dual antennas. The detachable antenna connectors allow upgraded antennas to be added for extra range. The extra memory comes in handy if you want to re-flash the router with third-party firmware like DD-WRT or Tomato. These firmware options have extra features that are not included in the software installed on the router, like wireless bridge mode, or the ability to turn the router into paid WiFi hotspot.

That said, this router is now a four year old design. Most newer routers in this price range are now using faster 802.11n wireless technology instead of 802.11g, and some of them have Gigabit network ports instead of 10/100 network ports. If you have a brand new laptop with these features, you might want to get something like a Linksys WRT160N instead.

i got it from amazon for one week and it is so nice and stable and i just love it!

The WRT54GL is essentially a reissue of the original and classic WRT54G router that LinkSys started selling in 2003. It is bullet-proof reliable and simply the most upgradeable router you can buy. You can not only purchase high gain antennas to increase its range, but it has the widest number of open source firmware options of any wireless router. I purchased mine and then replaced the factory LinkSys firmware with open source DD-WRT, which allowed me to increase the power output on the antenna and offered other advanced features. My wireless router is now used by my iPhone, a wireless printer and wireless laptop, and is wire-connected to a PC and a Sony PS3. It works perfectly and its throughput is excellent. I never have to reboot this router, as I have had to do with newer LinkSys 802.11n models. And I personally like the classic and timeless industrial design of this router over the newer "Darth Vader" designs that LinkSys has put out.

Obviously the big downside of this router is that it predates the newer 802.11n or "N-wireless" protocol. I'm a fairly tech-savvy user who always likes to get the latest and greatest in terms of equipment, but I've owned 802.11n routers and I always come back to this router because of its rock-solid reliability. What most people don't understand is that for most users, the true "bottleneck" of their wireless network is their connection to the Internet and not the speed of their wireless router. I use Comcast cable for my Internet connection, which is pretty fast (averaging about 8.5 mbps), but the LinkSys WRT54GL router can send and receive data at several times the speed of my Internet connection. That means that even if I had a newer 802.11n wireless router, or even plugged my devices into the network through a wired connection, they would not connect to the Internet any faster then they do through the WRT54GL because the WRT54GL's speed still exceeds the speed of my Internet connection. For me, the illusory benefits of 802.11n simply do not outweigh the proven reliability and expandability of the WRT54GL.

Amazon has INCREASED the price of this router from $54.95.


Amazon.com items (Sold by Amazon.com, LLC):

1 Linksys-Cisco WRT54GL Wire... $54.95

I've had this router for a little over a month now and it has been nothing but a headache. The wireless connections were always dropping and everyone in the house constantly had trouble with it. I updated the firmware and searched for help on the official community forum and couldn't get the thing to work correctly. It's at a point where the wireless simply doesn't work.

I know I'm in the overwhelming minority, but this router was mediocre for me and I'm returning it.

Perfect for the Network challenged. Even though I'm a fairly savvy computer person, network stuff is needlessly complicated and confusing to me. I tempted fate adding this unit to an existing linksys wired router that came with my Vonage phone system. My main computer is a Mac, so the install disc (pc only) was not a handy option. So google time. Apparently both routers share the same IP address and GASP!!- according to the dire warnings, if I tried to use both devices with the same IP, all kinds of horrible things would happen just short of melting the polar ice caps. So I judiciously followed all the expert tutorials to change IP and other things, and successfully rendered the unit completely unable to get back on the internet, and totally screwed it up.

Since it was working just fine before I "fixed" it with this net wisdom, I hit the reset button on the back, rebooted the modem, plugged the unit in and all was fine again. The only thing I did agree on was to enable security on the unit.

So here's my "expert advice"- Just plug it in and be happy, it's actually pretty foolproof. To use two routers, (at least linksys brand) plug your wireless unit into a free port on the wired unit. The unit has great range, even from a basement.

However, unless you don't mind letting others poach/snoop your wireless, - you really should password protect your wireless network. Plug any computer's (Mac/Linux ok!!) ethernet cable into the router you want to change. Open your web browser, Type the web address of http 192.168.1.1 you'll be brought to a scary login page, leave the user-name blank, enter passcode "admin". Then go to basic set up: wireless, then security, enable WAP- then create your passcode of choice. You might also want to rename your network, because if you are in a dense neighborhood, you'll likely see lots of other router networks called "linksys"... I loved calling my network "Al Gore's House"...


I'll update if otherwise, but after a week no bad things have happened other than enjoying an easy wifi experience. Besides the Vonage and Mac, I have a WinXP Pc, ROKU player, an old laptop with linux, Iphone...all of them wireless- plus the wife's mac which is connected to the vonage router via a powerline system. All of them connect, stay connected, and work just fine- even at the same time, knock on wood. No issues, although it's suddenly been awfully cold weather here recently....hmmmmm

Shipping and handling charges! They screw you on these. I bought a $17 dollar item, a usb network device, and they charged my $19.00 to ship it ground! Do NOT do business with them, they are crooks. Hope this helps somebody. Amazon should pull them immediately.

Very fast connection through the house. Needed a little help from Customer Support with the installation but otherwise a great router.

Linksys are great product once setup but I had problem with mine due to some IP conflict which I had to call India to resolve. The company must be using some cheap VoIP type phone because you can hardly hear the customer service person and they can hardly hear you. Anyway, the router cannot connect to my verizon DSL modem but it was a simple changing of the IP address of the router but only if you knew this is the problem. I think this is a commom problem and Linksys should anticipate this in their setup process.