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| Date Reviewed: 08/08/2004 |
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Strengths: Increased signal to areas of my house that where getting poor signal due to thick walls and distance.
Compact design.
Good power source options (Wall mount, or directly on outlet)
Weaknesses: Tricky to configure.
Documentation weak.
Kept picking up other WLANs in neighboorhood
Summary: I have WEP on my network and the "Auto Config." feature found my neighboor's WLAN instead of mine. I had to reset it a few times and place it on top of my AP to get it to work. In order to get it to work, I had to disable WEP, and change my IP scope on my AP to match the cope the unit came with.
Once I did that, I was able to use the web interface and enable WEP and change IP address to what match the rest of my network. The unit is working great, but I was ready to return it because it kept picking up my neighboors network.
If you have thick walls and problems with weak signal, this should solve your problem. Just don't use the crappy setup disk. Use the web interface.
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| Date Reviewed: 12/28/2004 |
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Strengths: Strong signals, aesthetically pleasing, small and robust product.
Weaknesses: VERY difficult to setup, not particularly intuitive
Summary: As I work in IT for a living, I was pretty sure a product like this would be a snap to include in my home wireless network. It wasn't. Despite the ease of setting up Linksys wireless routers and access points, the expander is relatively difficult. I spent roughly 45 minutes working on it myself, followed by a good hour with Linksys support. The instructions that ship with the product don't even begin to scratch the surface on how to setup the product - especially if you wish to have any type of security within your wireless world.
My recommendation is this: Buy the product, it is a good one. However, be prepared to spend some time with it, and don't be shy about calling Linksys support as you will not be able to figure it out on your own.
Once setup, it really works great. It is truly a nice little product. It is small and innocuous, so you can place it almost anywhere. It is aesthetically pleasing, as far as network equipment goes. And it does everything it claims to do, and works especially well with Linksys routers and access points.
Again, I would recommend this product, just be sure to accept the fact that it isn't going to be setup in a few minutes.
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| Date Reviewed: 09/06/2004 |
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Strengths: Unit works great once it works
Weaknesses: Documentation should start out saying that you might need to upgrade the firmware on your other equipment to have this device work properly
Summary: When we first installed this product and tried hitting the auto-configuratoin button, it did not work. Looking through the enclosed material did not point to a solution to our problem. On the web, we found that at least with our WAP54G product, we needed to do a firmware upgrade before the Extender would work. After we did the firmware upgrade, the product worked very well and gave us the added distance we needed to accomplish our goals.
We did not use security on our network because we are out in the country with no one else around. Therefore we could use the quick auto-configuration button.
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| Date Reviewed: 02/25/2005 |
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 Heed the reviews you read - this is difficult to s ... Strengths: Good signal once you get it working
Weaknesses: very difficult to setup - documentation is useless
Summary: Heed the reviews you read - this is difficult to setup. If you had ANY problems setting up your router, I would not attempt the extender. There is a new router on the market for about $180 that apparently has a very good range and is probably a better bet than the old router and this together - that being said, if you prefer to keep your old router, then the extender is a good product - as long as you are patient setting it up. It took me about an hour and a half to finally get it going. If your extender does not have a network port on the back (like mine), it is an old model and harder to setup. The newer ones apparently have a port and can be directly accessed from your PC for easier configuration.
Some key points to get it working:
1. don't bother with the documentation - it does not help really
2. turn off all wireless security on your router and PC
3. run the setup utility
4. you may find that the utility can not find the extender (which seems to be very usual) and may rename your SSID
5. be patient and try to ping both the extender at 192.168.1.240 and your router at 192.168.1.1 You may have to run the setup utility a few times before you can finally access the extender.
6. if you can ping the extender, access it via the web interface with your browser
7. set it up with the correct SSID and preferably without security
8. make sure your router is setup to match along with your wireless profile on your PC
9. try to load the newest firmware version as soon as you can ping the machine and have a good connection to the extender. Get that from the linksys website.
10. test connectivity out at various ranges.
11. once you have it working well, add the security back in on the extender first, then router, then your profiles.
Good luck.
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| Date Reviewed: 01/14/2006 |
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Strengths: Excellent signal strength, good robust design. The module approach to the power cord is also very good.
Weaknesses: Setup for the novice is extremely difficult.
Summary: I purchased the WRE54G version. 2.0. Unlike the version 1.0, the version 2.0 has a RJ45 jack (Ethernet jack). This allows you to connect it directly to the router for setup.
The unit comes with a choice of two power cords. One allows you to directly plug it into the wall and the other has an approximate 6 ft cord. This is a very nice feature and it also uses wall power and not an adapter.
Like other reviews, the setup using auto search from the CD is useless. The only good about the CD is the user manual on it. It would have been very simple for Linksys to create a quick setup sheet using pages 14,15 and 23 of the user manual. Basically the instructions should be like this:
1) Make sure a PC is either directly or wirelessly connected to the router.
2) Using a web browser, login to your router from the PC and change its’ IP address to 192.168.1.1 then logout. You may have to unplug or reset the router afterwards.
3) Using the supplied RJ45 cable (Ethernet cable) plug the WRE54G into one of the RJ 45 ports of the router.
4) Using a web browser, login to your router at 192.168.1.1 and change the DCHP range to go from 192.168.1.2 through 192.168.1.240.
5) Using a web browser, login to the WRE54G at the factory default IP address of 192.168.1.240. It will ask for a user name and password. The default user needs to be left blank. The default password is: admin.
6) Setup up the WRE54G. For security you should change the login default password.
Once the WRE54G is setup you can change its’ IP address. This can only be done once it is setup because the default address is 192.168.1.240
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| Date Reviewed: 02/05/2005 |
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Strengths: Finally solved my wife's internet issues in her home office!
Weaknesses: Instructions simple but simply do not work...manual useless (get an error message? Don't bother looking in the manual, no errors expected!).
Summary: 2005-02-07 17:36:01 This thing finally solved my wife's intermittent internet connection in a home office, where it seems sun spots and which lights are turned on had an impact on whether she could conect - sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes not at all - and sometimes alternate between those on an hourly basis.
Now, 7 days with no drops and perfect signal strength.
Setup however was a pain - had old firmware, upgraded that, instructions for WEP didn't work, got strange errors where it could not find the extender when it was sitting a foot away... but once straightened out, it works fine.
If you run into problems on setup, Here is advice, although I'm not sure what exactly made it work:
- If you get an error on setup 'Cannot connect to this AP in repeater mode', ignore it, and see if you can get to the AP (192.168.1.240 by default) AND your access point/router (192.168.1.1 by default on Linksys) from a range you couldn't before. If you can, and you can ping websites and get consistent results, it's probably set up right, no matter what error the setup CD gave you..
- Ignore the self-config instructions
- Upgrade the firmware right away (current as of this writing is v1.04.17, Oct 13, 2004
- Enable SSID broadcast on your access point and disable WEP temporarily
- Be sure the AP, range extender, and wireless PC are all close to each other when configuring (i.e. don't try to config it when there is any chance you're out of range)
- Go to the browser setup utility as soon as you run into problems (192.168.1.240 by default, password 'admin') - if you can, you know you are at least reaching the unit. If you can get to both the repeater and your AP (192.168.1.1 by default on Linksys) that's good. If you can get to both from a range you couldn't before, it's set up right, even if the CD setup gave you errors.
Once that is all done (you've verified that you can get to the AP from a range you couldn't before), run ping to the AP for a while to make sure you are connecting consistently, then re-enable WEP and disable SSID broadcast on the unit, re-enable WEP and disbale SSID boradcast on your AP (assuming you're the least bit concerned about security), and you're all set up.
I believe the CD setup utility reports errors when there are none. For instance, I got a 'Cannot connect to this AP in repeater mode' and it died - I never got that error fixed - yet it works perfectly... go figure...
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| Date Reviewed: 08/01/2006 |
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Strengths: Good signal strength, great form factor
Weaknesses: CD setup guide doesn't work w/security enabled network
Summary: Had this unit running is 30 minutes - would have been quicker had I not tried the CD guide (had to try based on the reviews). Without security, the auto config worked first time out of the box w/o firmware upgrade or tech support. With security, couldn't get it setup using CD approach. I reset the unit, connected to the wired network, called up the utility using the default IP from the user's guide (192.168.1.240), set the parameters, and it came right up, blue lights and all. I walked around the house with the laptop and got very good to excellent signals at or near 54Mbps. My advice? Use the web based utility to set your SSID, channel, g only (unless you have 11b stuff), security enable, key number, code, shared (I use 128 WEP). I also bookmarked the page so I can easily change key periodically. My AP is a Motorola SBG900 wireless cable modem.
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| Date Reviewed: 10/12/2004 |
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Strengths: Great Performance
Weaknesses: Terrible Documentation, software and web support
Summary: It really increased my signal from 2 lines and speed varying from 5.5 to 11 Mbps to full strenght and 54 Mbps.
It was tricky to find the optimal position to set it up. When I was first trying to configure it. I didn't see any improvement. I tried to run the setup disk and it ruined my network's configuration (had to do a system restore). I kept playing around with different locations and once that I found the optimal position the device really performed at its best.
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| Date Reviewed: 11/11/2005 |
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WRE54G
Strengths: extends the range of 802.11b and 802.11g wireless networks
Weaknesses: quick installation guide, non-replacable antenna and WEP only encryption
Summary: Here are good instructions -> throw away the quick installation guide
To connect to the device, change your IP address to 192.168.1.99 with a subnet of 255.255.255.0
Using your Windows Wireless Network Connection, browse the availble SSID's and connect to linksysXXXXcc.
Open an internet connection to 192.168.1.240... login with password admin
Change the password page first and save. Then Change the settings page to match your network.> > > Here is an important clue> > > Change the channel, SSID and WEP(IF USED)to match your existing wireless settings along with IP address, subnet and gateway.
I don't recommend using the autoconfig button on the Extender unless your the type that took your wireless router out of the box, plugged it in and is happy.
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| Date Reviewed: 03/08/2005 |
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If you can stomach the installation pain/hassle, i ...
Strengths: Great signal boost, great form-factor with 2 choices for plugging directly against the wall or using a cord.
Weaknesses: Bad documentation, bad setup utility on the CD, one-touch configuration button usually doesn't work, only supports WEP
Summary: If you can stomach the installation pain/hassle, it's solid once you get it going. I've installed dozens of Linksys access points and routers and a handful of these range extenders.
There are already LOTS of important tips posted in earlier reviews (disable WEP/WPA/etc before starting, use the web interface instead of the setup utility, etc). Here are a couple of useful tips which I haven't seen mentioned very often:
1) BEFORE you even think about taking the thing out of the box, BACK UP THE CONFIGURATION of your access point or router. Save it on your PC where you can find it.
2) You MUST update the firmware of BOTH the base AND the WRE54G! This is a mandatory step!
3) If there are multiple wireless networks in the area, pay close attention to ensure that your SSID, Channel, and subnet IP's are different from your neighbors. Ex: use channels 1 or 11 instead of 6, and use something like 192.168.25.x.
4) Don't try to configure the WRE54G while sitting at the outer fringes of your signal range, where you might pick up a neighbor's stronger signal. Instead, stay within close range of the base while configuring it, then relocate it after it's working. It sometimes helps to be able to watch the lights on BOTH the base and the extender during setup.
5) Make liberal use of the 'reset' button on the WRE54G after a failed attempt. Use a paper clip to push and hold the reset button until the red link light starts to flash blue, then release the reset button.
6) If you're ever so sadistic as to attempt to install TWO or more WRE54G's in a single WLAN (as I did yesterday), be sure to:
a) get the first one solid before attempting the second, and
b) change the IP address of the first one (i.e. 192.168.xx.241 instead of xx.240). If you don't, the second one will try also try to use xx.240, clobbering them both.
7) AFTER (if?) you get the WRE54G working, BACK UP THE CONFIGURATION of the WRE54G! (You don't really want to go through that hell again if a brownout/surge confuses the poor thing, do you? C'mon, admit it, you have it plugged directly into the wall, with no surge suppression....)
Good luck!!
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| Date Reviewed: 04/29/2005 |
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Strengths: Good range, strong signal. Just what I needed.
Weaknesses: Did not work right out of the box.
Summary: In order to set it up correctly I had to disable WEP security on my wireless network. Only then I could connect and adjust settings. Then I enabled WEP security back on my network and everything worked just fine. The guide included with the set up CD does not address this issue and that's why I am giving it only four stars. It is a good product but if you're not familiar with wireless networking be ready to spend some time on the phone with customer support.
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| Date Reviewed: 07/26/2004 |
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Strengths: Very good range and signal strength.
Weaknesses: The range expander absorbs some of the connection's speed.
Summary: This product was very helpful especially when trying to get a connection in highly populated areas. Even with two other wireless connections surrounding my location, I found my signal strength increase by more than 2 levels. The only draw back is that is doesn't maximize the potential of the connection.
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| Date Reviewed: 11/23/2004 |
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Strengths: This product works great, it expanded my wireless network as described, took signal into parts of my home which previously would not work. Set up disk also worked well if you follow the instructions.
Weaknesses: Speedbooster does not work with the expander so you are limited to 54Mbps.
Summary: This product works great, it expanded my wireless network as described, took signal into parts of my home which previously would not work. Set up disk also worked well if you follow the instructions. Speedbooster does not work with the expander so you are limited to 54Mbps. This product was part of new Wireless network replacing a D Link 802.11b which worked well but I wanted more speed, the Expander is a great add on.
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| Date Reviewed: 07/26/2004 |
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 I was waiting for months for Linksys to start sell ... Strengths: None
Weaknesses: Everything
Summary: I was waiting for months for Linksys to start selling these. It seemed like the perfect solution to expand the reach of my wireless network. I am a Network Engineer and could not get this thing to work properly. It appears that this was rushed to market. I would imagine a firmware upgrade will fix the problems, but I would definitely wait until new firmware is available to buy one. When I returned it to Best Buy, the clerk told me he had taken a bunch of these back. Come on Linksys....wait until it's ready next time. Now I will be very leery of buying any of their products in the future until they have been out for a while.
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| Date Reviewed: 09/21/2004 |
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Strengths: Easy 'automatic' setup and... it really increase the signal!!
Weaknesses: I still can't set the 'secure' mode (WEP)... poor documentation...
Summary: If no one else has wireless network around your neighborhood, you're ok... this device really extend the signal... without it, goes between 2 and 0 bars... using it: full... but (as always) if you aren't wireless 'alone', then 'oops'... or if you want to set 'secure encrypt', then 'oops, again'... I guess is 'cause the 'easy automatic setup', sort of 'plug & play'... so, you better do a lot of research about it before you even start nothing...
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