Editorial Reviews:
Wireless-G is the upcoming 54Mbps wireless networking standard that's almost five times faster than the widely deployed Wireless-B (802.11b) products found in homes, businesses, and public wireless hotspots around the country, but since they share the same 2.4GHz radio band, Wireless-G devices can also interoperate with existing 11Mbps Wireless-B equipment. The Linksys Wireless-G Broadband Router is really three devices in one box. First, there's the Wireless Access Point, which lets you connect Wireless-G or Wireless-B devices to the network. There's also a built-in 4-port full-duplex 10/100 Switch to connect your wired-Ethernet devices. Connect four PCs directly, or daisy-chain out to 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.
Amazon.com Product Description
Early Adopters Pick: January 2003. The first high-speed wireless networking router to use the 802.11g standard, which is four times faster than the current standard (802.11b) and backwards compatible. The Linksys Wireless-G broadband router is really three devices in one box. First, it's a wireless access point, which lets you connect Wireless-G or Wireless-B devices to the network. There's also a built-in four-port full-duplex 10/100 switch to connect your wired-Ethernet devices. Connect four PCs directly, or daisy-chain out to 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. To protect your data and privacy, the Wireless-G broadband router can encrypt all wireless transmissions, and it supports the industrial-strength wireless security of 802.1x authentication and authorization. The router can serve as a DHCP server, has NAT technology to protect against Internet intruders, supports VPN pass-through, and can be configured to filter internal users' access to the Internet. Configuration is a snap with the Web browser-based configuration utility. 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 multiplayer games with the flexibility, speed, and security you need! Wireless-G is the 54 Mbps wireless networking standard that's more than four times faster than the widely deployed Wireless-B (802.11b) products found in homes, businesses, and public wireless hotspots around the country. But since they share the same 2.4 GHz radio band, Wireless-G devices can also interoperate with existing 11 Mbps Wireless-B equipment. Because both standards are built-in, you can protect your investment in existing 802.11b infrastructure, and migrate to the new screaming-fast Wireless-G standard as your needs grow. For more information on the differences between an access point and a router with access point, see the following table: 
See a comparison diagram of the different wireless technologies. | Wireless networks are rapidly becoming more popular and coming down in price. Since they don't require cables, you can use the devices anywhere in an office or home, even out on the patio. There's no need to roll out an Ethernet network cable to each room of a house; you can network anywhere--without wires. Outside the home, wireless networking is available in hotspots at coffee shops, businesses, and airports--great when you're on the road and need to get some work done. For convenience, wireless networking is the answer.
Which Wireless Standard Is Right for Me?
Now that you've decided to create a wireless network, the next step is to figure out which wireless standard to use. Basically, a standard is a set of specifications for a device. All devices that follow a specific standard share operating characteristics, such as the radio frequency used and maximum data transfer speed.
For wireless networking, there are three standards to choose from at this time: To learn about the differences between the standards and select the right one for your network, click here for an easy-to-understand chart. |
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Customer Reviews
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
 If you stream music or download large files,skip this router, May 20, 2023
I upgraded from an older 801.11b router to the Linksys WRT54G for its improved security, and of course, speed. However, this product performed well below my expectation.
The Achilles heel of this router is its inability to stream music, or copy large files over the local network. I use Apple iTunes to stream music to my stereo via the Linksys router. Although it will work for a few minutes, it will eventually hang. This behavior (hanging) also occurs when I transfer large files between my PCs. After some research on the Net, I discovered that there is indeed a flaw with the current WRT54G design (WRT54G, version 3, which Amazon currently sells).
If you just use the router to surf the web, this router should serve your needs. As I mentioned in my first paragraph, it supports WPA security, which is far superior to WEP. In addition it is very easy to setup.
I wanted to rate the router higher than 1 star, due to its security, easy of use, etc. However, since it is not being able to perform its core function adequately, it doesn't deserve any higher. The reader can find a better product with the competition and at a lower cost.
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
 DEFINATELY A MUST HAVE FOR NEWBIES, May 18, 2023
We bought this router in order to bring WiFi into out home. We have 3 wired PC's but we got a new laptop so we wanted to expend out possibilities.
We got the WRT54G and it was VERY easy to set up, even though for us computer newbies.
It has a built in web server so you can set it up from any browser on your network wich i think is a cool feature. It also supports MAC address filtering and wep security.
On the "bad" side i should say the plastic wich this router is made of feels kinda cheap but that doesnt mean anything since it works out nicely.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Greater router and wireless, May 16, 2023
As a long time fan of LinkSys, with some exceptions on early versions, I upgraded my wired BEFSR41 router for their WRT54G equivalent. The upgrade was trivial, in part, because I was familiar with the language, technology and simily products.
When buying wireless equipment from any vendor keep in mind that the version number for the hardware and software is as important as the model number. In this case, it was version 3 hardware, and 3.03.6 software, operating under Win2k.
As with many LinkSys products, which are build using real computer chips and open-source operating systems, they produce some heat. To minimize the negative consequences of heat use the chimney effect. I always mount units vertically, with air under between the unit and the wall, using the standard LinkSys mounting bracket, which can be found on eBay and other places. Keep the unit coooool, and like all equipment, it will last forever.
Another issue is that the range of wireless depends very strongly on the enviroment, not just the vendor. In one room, local hot-spots, no more than a few inches in diameter, producd a 10 dB change in sensitivity (3:1 in signal strength). The best location for my WUSB54g turned out to be on the side of the monitor, where internal metal acted as a corner reflector, significantly amplifying the signal.
Finally, if you use the most advanced features, or if you combine the unit with differnt vendors and technology, especially with WinXP SP2, the probability of having problems increases dramatically. Regardless of what the literature says, no vendor can test the millions of combinations. Bugs happen and you may be the only one to experience a particular kind of bug if your environment is not typical of the rest of the world. And technical support is way down on the corporate food chain.
As we say, KISS (keep it simple stupid) and the technology will work fine. That means you should not load Beta firmware or other 3rd party stuff unless you want to be a bleeding edge victum. Follow, do not lead, when it comes to high technology, even if the price is the same as that of a hamburger.
2 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Don't by this router, May 15, 2023
I have been working with Computers for a lot of years and this is the worse piece of computer equipment I have ever worked with. I would like to rate how well it works but I never got it working. I thought maybe it was just me, but a friend had the same problems. He suggested a Netgear router which I installed in about 10 minutes. This equipment has terrible help, terrible web site and is not worth the trouble. DON"T BUY IT.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Real Good Stuff, May 14, 2023
Yes,Its really good. But the CD that comes alongwith the Router is no good. I tried several times as they suggested but failed. I then went to Linksys webpage and downloaded an utility for easy setup and in minutes I was browsing the net on my Centrino notebook wirelessly! Its a good Router and the signal is fairly good throughout my home.Good for Indian homes for the beginner in wireless networking as well as advanced user. I would definitely recommend it.
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