While the world of wireless routers continues to grow, some models continue to stand the test of time. The Linksys WRT54G wireless G router is one such device that has continued to be in high demand years after its initial release. What makes the Linksys WRT54G so popular?
Three main things come to mind: features, price, and the ability to be customized to the owners needs.
Linksys WRT54G Wireless G Router- Included Accessories
Out of the box the WRT54G is very minimalistic. All that is included is the router, power cable, a fairly short Ethernet cable, and an envelope containing the CD and basic instructions on how to do the initial WRT54G setup. If the user follows the directions and does not skip any steps installation and setup of the WRT54G is very easy and straight forward.
Linksys WRT54G Setup and Security Issues
The WRT54G setup interface provides for the use of high levels of wireless encryption to protect wireless data. Depending on the level of security the user requires the router can utilize WEP or WPA encryption technologies.
The Linksys WRT54G is ideal for home or business users that need a strong, secure wireless router but do not require the additional speed of a Wireless-N network. Users that do a great deal of video streaming or high bandwidth applications may wish to invest in a faster wireless router but in tests done in a home network environment the WRT54G was more than fast enough to provide wireless Netflix streaming to several household devices.
In terms of price the Linksys WRT54G is very affordable when compared to the higher end Wireless-N models. Coming in at around $50 the WRT54G provides a lot of utility for very little money.
Linksys WRT54G Firmware Upgrade Offers Additional Features
Perhaps one of the more important features of the Linksys WRT54G (and similar models such as the WRT54GL) is not really a feature at all. It is the fact that the router itself can be modified through a firmware update to enable additional features and extend the range of the wireless transmission.
The unit utilizes dual external antennas which in general provide far better wireless reception than units with internal antennas, but the Linksys WRT54G has the ability to swap out the antennas for stronger, long range Wi-Fi antennas (sold separately). However, when used with the DDRT firmware or the Tomato firmware updates the router's transmission gain can be adjusted through the setup interface to allow it to reach throughout the home with a stronger overall signal strength.
source: suite101
