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(More customer reviews)I hate this device with every fiber of my being. Clearly the worst computer related device ever created since the beginning of computer history and quite possibly the worst consumer product of all time. Yup, it's that bad.
Every morning when I get up, I have to reset this thing, because it hardly ever makes it through the night holding a connection. All sorts of things make it lose connection. Connecting to multiple computers makes it lose connection. Long idle periods make it lose connection. Ever so slight power blinks make it lose connection. And seemingly, presence of oxygen makes it lose connection.
The worst thing you can do is what I did...set this router up with stairs between your primary computer and the router. Or, it could be the best, depending on the level of exercise you require in your life. Last year, I was able to participate in a 10K run, thanks in large part to my involuntary stair training regimen.
Honestly, it got so bad that I installed a Handy Switch Wireless Light Switch; one of those wireless switches that you can use to control lights or whatever that plug into the wall. Now, when it locks up (every 13.6 minutes), I reach under the end table where I installed the switch and reset it. (Thanks, Billy Mays!) This has made living with the WRK54G a little more tolerable, but has added another $15 in operating costs that could have been used to buy a REAL router.
Every so often, I try again to run encryption on the WRK54G. Everything works as well as can be expected for a few months, then the WRK54G suddenly refuses to allow anything to connect, even with the correct passcode. Nothing makes any difference, even trying another computer still results in no connection with the router. At that point the only thing to do is disable encryption entirely or stop using wireless. After about a week, I can once again enable encryption, with the EXACT same password, and magically, all computers hook to it just fine. WHY????
Rarely do I take so adamant a stance in recommending against a product, but Linksys has destroyed my enjoyment of computing, so I will be very honest about this. If you're thinking about the WRK54G, instead, try to find a Carrot Top DVD (such as Chairman of the Board) and put that in your DVD player on Repeat. Turn the volume up all the way and tape your eyes open. You'll come out far cheaper and still not be as aggrivated as you would buying the WRK54G.
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Linksys WRK54G 4-Port Wireless-G Broadband RouterThe Linksys Wireless-G broadband router is really 3 devices in 1 box. First, there's a wireless access point, which lets you connect a Wireless-G (802.11g) or Wireless-B (802.11b) device to the network. There's also a built-in 4-port full-duplex 10/100 switch to connect your wired-Ethernet devices. Connect 4 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, files and other resources such as printers and hard disk storage space.
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