IOGEAR GWA501 Wireless-G Broadband Gateway Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased this product instead of a comparable (in fact, faster) D-Link router because of this wireless gateway's print server capability. Sure, it cost a bit more (D-Link offered rebates) and it didn't have the positive reviews and buzz that D-Link had received, but I thought it would allow me to print wirelessly.
Two weeks after first installing this thing, I have spent lots of my own precious weekday time (and long distance dollars) on the phone with tech support. As of this moment, the router works with my IOGear 54g PC Card Adapter and my wife's integrated Broadcom 54g Max Performance adapter. But it still does not allow me to enable WEP encryption (to create a reasonably protected wireless LAN) and I still can't print to my HP PSC 750 printer, one of the natively supported printers that tech support insists "hasn't been a problem" for IOGear equipment.
I understand that networking can be tricky. And when it comes to technology, I'm a relatively patient guy who feels it's a worthwhile challenge to get new solutions up and running. But my patience with this product and its manufacturer is quickly wearing thin. My second call to IOGear tech support was spent listening to a new IOGear employee who, while having worked in networking for ages, admittedly knew very little about the company's products (and nothing about Windows XP. So on my dime, he pontificated about the importance of setting all device properties exactly the same when getting network nodes to talk to each other. So we slogged through every control panel and dialog box on both laptops and -- well whaddaya know? -- I had them all set correctly. Still no success, and thanks to the total lack of product-specific expertise from the tech support guy, it was another phone call wasted.
My distaste for going through this process again with D-Link products (or someone else's) just might inspire me to hold onto these products for another week, at least to attempt to get WEP encryption up and running. If I can do that, then maybe -- just maybe -- I'll find a way to activate the print server function. As it is, however, this product has provided only a third of what I wanted from it. We're getting a nice, fast 54 Mbps connection, but it's a completely unprotected network and it thoroughly lacks printing capabilities. On top of that, the customer "service" -- available only by calling on my own dime and only during weekday business hours -- is growing more infuriating and disappointing with every encounter. In fact, the more I write about this, the more I'm convinced that this just ain't worth it.

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MODEL- GWA501 VENDOR- ATEN/IO GEAR FEATURES- Wireless-G Broadband Gateway 802.11g 4-port Router/Print Server. Wirelessly network your computers in minutes! IOGEARs Ultra-Fast Wireless Broadband Gateway is an all-in-one wireless access point and router for both small and home office users. With IOGEAR, you can surf the Internet, share files, chat with your friends, and print.. Wirelessly! A simple, easy-to-use, web-based setup wizard will have you up-and- running in minutes. Moreover, the turn-key FireWall and Wireless Security packages keep you safe on the net. Remember, IOGEARs Wireless Broadband Gateway gives you the same connectivity and security that big companies use..all in a small, cost-effective, reliable setup. Go with IOGEAR, and go Wireless! Includes Wireless-G Broadband Gateway, Manual CD, Quick Start Guide, Warranty Card, Power Adapter, Ethernet Cable. * Easy - Fast and simple setup via wizard * Complete - Includes everything you need for effortless installation and configuration. * Secure - Built-in Firewall, supports WPA and WEP * Versatile - Backward compatible with 802.11b devices * Accessible - Share DSL/Cable connection * Practical - Built-in print server -- SPECIFICATIONs ------------------------------------------ANTENNA - Two Dipole Diversity AntennaCONNECTORS - (1) 10BaseT/100BaseTX/RJ45 port for WAN (4) 10BaseT/100BaseTX/RJ45 ports for LAN (1) USB port for printerINDICATORS - LEDs for LAN, Power On, WAN, WLANMANAGEMENT - Web-basedMODULATION - CCK, BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAMPROTOCOL - TCP/IPCHANNELS - 11RANGE - Open Space: 11Mbps up to 300m, 54Mbps up to 50mRF SPREAD - OFDM, DSSSSECURITY - Supports WEP (64, 128-bit), WPASENSITIVITY - -85 dBm(typical)STANDARDS - IEEE 802.11g and 802.11bTRANSFER RATE- 54, 48, 36, 24, 18, 12, 11, 6, 5.5, 2, 1Mbps, auto-fallbackREQUIRES- PC: 200MHz or faster CPU Internet browser Microsoft Windows 98/ME/2000/XP Ethernet interface card or WLAN client card installed Mac: G3 Power Mac or higher Mac OS 9.2 and above ...

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