Linksys 2.4 gHz 54G Router IS THE WAY TO GO!!

[Feld]

Alright guys I know you've probably heard lots of rants and raves from official reviewers such as PC magazine, and the other magazines and media sources, but now you have me, the one who just picked one up a few days ago and is suggesting this to you based on a NON-BIASED opinion.

Ok. So I picked up the Linksys Wireless-G Broadband Router w/ 4 Ports at my local Best Buy store and hooked it up. Installation was pretty easy, especially with the quick installation (which I did not use because I'm pretty knowledgable with Linksys routers). I hooked it up, setup the Router Control Panel along with the WEP settings on there so I was completely secure, and after a quick 6 minutes and 34 seconds of work, I was online on my laptop!

The network runs at a top speed of 54 mbps, and the average cable modem doesn't run any faster than 3mpbs so it is more than fast enough. Just as Linksys recommends, it's best to place the router itself on the lowest point in your house that you will be using your laptop, which for me is my basement. This proved to be true, and I still had 46% signal strength as I went up two stories, and to the complete opposite side of my house. 46% signal strength translates to a maximum speed of approximately 25 mbps. Now, my cable internet runs at a top of 3 mbps, so I was in great shape to run at my maximum speed! I hopped on my favorite speed test site at bandwidthplace.com and did a test. No surprise at all, I was getting 2.97 mbps! Even if my signal strength were to go down to 6%, I would still be running above 3 mbps. So, in short, this router and laptop card are nothing short of outsanding. Anyone interested in going wireless, THIS IS THE WAY TO GO!!! Model #'s and links posted below.



Linksys 2.4 gHz Wireless-G Broadband Router(w/ 4 WIRED ports)
WRT54G
http://www.linksys.com/Products/product.asp?grid=33&scid=35&prid=508

Linksys Wireless-G Access Point (no wired ports)
WAP54G
http://www.linksys.com/products/product.asp?prid=505&scid=35

Linksys Wireless-G Notebook Adapter
WPC54G
http://www.linksys.com/Products/product.asp?prid=507&scid=36

Linksys Wireless-G PCI Adapter
WMP54G
http://www.linksys.com/products/product.asp?grid=33&scid=36&prid=520

[Midknyte]

glad to hear everything is working well. :)

[eshort]

I also purchased the same router last weekend but have not been able to "get it going" with my Gateway PIII-866/WinME machine.

I will try it with my other machine (has WinXP) and see what happens.

Various reviews of this device (Tom's hardware) report possible "early production" issues with ther "new" 'G" technology.

Glad to hear yours runs well.

My problem is im brand new to "networking" and most likely did not "do" soemthing properly with first hookup attempt :(

I paid $129 at CompUSA 2/8 for the Linksys 'G"..also purchased wireless ethernet card/wireless PCMCIA card (for my notebooks)--they're still in the boxes!

[Feld]

What was the problem? Usually the most common mistake is not setting up the server control panel. Read the instruction booklet. The first thing to do after you plug the cord from your modem directly into the ethernet port, is to open up 192.168.1.1 in your IE browser. It will ask you for username, which u leave blank, and the deafult pw=admin. Once you're in there you need to setup everything. You need to type in your computer name (supplied by your ISP) Mine is something lik c222__-a. My host is ATTBI. Puttting those in are essential. Then you need to double click the windows icon for the wireless thing that should popup on the laptop once you put the card in. (this is after you install the software on the laptop). Talk with me on ICQ later: 93727371 or AIM: Feld187 and I'd be glad to run you through the setup.

[Midknyte]

when you're first setting up the network, set your system with a static IP just in case DHCP isn't working. for the linksys, you can use 192.168.1.254 as your system IP. use IE to connect to 192.168.1.1. once you make sure that DHCP is enabled, you can reset your network settings to obtain IP automatically.

[Midknyte]

almost forgot, that was for a wired connection. if you're trying to connect via wireless, make sure that you are in infrastructure mode, have the same SSID (if they are all the same brand then they should be the same), and disable encryption. once you are able to connect properly, you can always re-enable encryption.

[the xenon]

What about the Wireless Access Point Router with 4-Port Switch (the one without the G) its cheaper... but is the G one any better?

[Midknyte]

which one are you talking about? G is a new standard and is still in draft phase (not totally standardized).

802.11x
B is 11mbps max 2.4GHz
G is 54mbps max 2.4GHz
G is backwards compatible with B

A is 54mbps max 5GHz

[the xenon]

I am talking about the BEFW11S4 it costs around $89

And also what if i want to put the wireless AP on the 2nd floor and the client computer will be on the 1st, would that be a problem for the reception?

[Midknyte]

it should be ok. The range of wifi is kinda like a flattened donut. the worst reception is right below or above the wap.

http://www.esoterraka.com/twcn/nodes/setup/appendix_a2.html

if your signal is still weak, you can also get a signal booster. if you got solid walls or other interference, it might never work.

http://www.linksys.com/products/product.asp?grid=33&scid=38&prid=478

[Feld]

I still recommend doing whatever necessary to put the router on the same floor as operation, or on the lowest floor of operation. When in doubt, go lower rather than higher than the operation point. Linksys says that, and I can confirm it.

[Midknyte]

if you can put it on the same floor, that would be the best. one floor up or down isn't too bad. I have set up wireless networks with the wap on the middle floor and it's fine.

Of course, you want to follow what the vendor recommends first, but they cannot account for everything. You have to assess each situation and do what works.

[the xenon]

I just installed Linksys Wireless router (befw11s4) to split cable internet among my 2 computers (1 wireless, 1 wired) Everything works like a dream and had no problem with the installation or setup.
And the signal quality and strength both usually up at about 85%
(AP on the 2nd floor and client on the 1st)

koo :D

[Feld]

So I guess I was wrong. Glad to hear that it works :)

[Midknyte]

Nah, you weren't wrong. Linksys makes recommendations, but it's not the law. Heck, Linksys tech support told me to do the exact OPPOSITE of what I had to do when I was setting up my wireless bridging. hehe I had to learn the hard way and I don't want anyone else to go through the stress I did. :)

[the xenon]

The only thing that i am worried about with my setup is that when i turn all computers off, the activity LED on the router and the modem comes on occasionally , like as if someones using my valuable bandwidth ... anyone knows whats going on?

[Feld]

SAME HERE. I had just a BEFSR41 (normal 4 port cable/dsl router) and wanted to hook in the new 54G 4 port router, and the guy told me I would have to change the settings in the router control panel to make the BEFSR41 the "Router" and to make sure the new one was set as "Gateway". Turns out he was wrong. They are both supposed to be Gateway, but you need to switch the IP address of one of them to something other than 192.168.1.1 so that when you hook in the second one, they dont get all screwy.

[the xenon]

Originally posted by the xenon
The only thing that i am worried about with my setup is that when i turn all computers off, the activity LED on the router and the modem comes on occasionally , like as if someones using my valuable bandwidth ... anyone knows whats going on?

yeh but anyone got an answer to my problem? ^

[Feld]

They all do that. Usually the ISP sends some packets to get info about your connection to make sure everything is hunky dorky. Nothing to be worried about.

[Midknyte]

if it is occasional, then I agree with Feld. test packets are sent regularly. if you feel that there may be intrusion, then you could supplement your router with some firewall software.

[the xenon]

Originally posted by Midknyte
if it is occasional, then I agree with Feld. test packets are sent regularly. if you feel that there may be intrusion, then you could supplement your router with some firewall software.

how do i do that?

[Midknyte]

buy a program like norton firewall that has intrusion detection. zonealarm is also pretty good.

http://www.firewallguide.com/

[the xenon]

i have black ice defender on my computer, but that only on my computer it doesnt protect the router....

[Midknyte]

oh you mean the router. make sure to change the default password and disable remote admin capabilities.

[kwebb]

46% signal strength translates to a maximum speed of approximately 25 mbps.

Hate to tell you this but you do not use the signal strength as an explicit indicator of your throughput. First of all, your only going to get about 20-25 Mbps at best, if your standing right next to your AP with 100% strength and SNR. Your strength will fluctuate depending on what cell your associating in, 54, 11, 5.5, etc.. Signal quality or SNR is a much better indicator of what your bandwidth efficiency is. Your still not going to bust your broadband modem's cap so it's not relevant but I thought I would correct the fallacy that Strength Percentage = percentage of available througput. It relates and it's most definitely a factor and something to address if your link is poor, just not your barometer when your measuring your WLAN speed.