Customer Reviews

Cisco-Linksys Refurbished WRT54G2-RM Wireless-G Router

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

I ordered the WRT54G2 'refurbished' (not from this vendor) because I wanted a replacement for my 801.11b Linksys and the refurbished could be had for a significantly lower price and the product was Linksys certified and came with a 90-day warranty. To my surprise - I expected some glitches - I had close to zero problem installing and operating it. Here is my experience.

- I followed the advice to first run the installation off the provided CD.
- Even though all of my computers are wireless, I followed the advice and connected one of my computer to the router via Ethernet to perform the initial installation.
- After disconnecting the old 801.11b router I used the exact same name for the new network. This allowed for all devices to connect immediately, as soon as the setup completed.
- I made sure that the DHCP server was on.
- The end of setup. All devices, including the wireless printer and the VOIP box connected without a problem.

To my surprise, LELA is not on the CD. It took me longer to find, download and install LELA (Linksys EasyLink Advisor) than to complete the initial setup. I strongly recommend that you do install LELA because, besides the nice graphic of your home network it allows you to restore broken connections without having to turn off the router.

As far as performance is concerned, I believe that I notice a slight but not significant improvement over my old 801.11b router. We have about one dozen connected devices: desktops, laptops, a PS3, a PSP, VOIP, printer and, with all on, everything worked just fine. With the router in the basement, I had '3-bars' on a computer 15-20 feet from the router. Surprisingly, I had 3 bars on the first and on the second floor as well and I had the same 3 bars outside, about 90 feet from the router, by the pool. The old router gave me 4 bars in the basement but only 3 bars in the rest of the house and only 1 or 2 bars with intermittent disconnections outside the house.

With LELA running, I was able to quickly fix the the few disconnections that occurred over a several-days period without having to power off the router. This was better than my old 801.11b that had me power off the cable modem and the router whenever the connection to the Internet stopped working. Disconnections do occur after computers are set to 'sleep' but recovery is usually quick when the computer wakes up. I never had issues with non-computer devices such as printer, PS3 or the VOIP box.

Overall, I am very happy with my new router so far. It's probably as good as any 801.11g device can get.

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DNS issues update:

With DHCP, strangely, after a few months of operation, the router began to 'forget' about passing DNS queries to the outside server. It KNOWS about the 3 DNS servers the ISP has but, out of the blue I get 'resolving host' errors and LELA claims that I'm no longer connected to the Internet. This while VoIP, connected to the same router works without a problem and so do the PS3 and my kids computers.

The initial 'solution' was to power off the router and then power it back on.

I have no idea why this was happening yet but, this is my quick solution: on the 'Network and Sharing Center' click on your connection 'View status' then 'Properties', highlight 'Internet Protocol Version 4...', 'Properties', 'Advanced', from the DNS tab click on 'Add...' and enter all the DNS servers that your router has listed under 'Status'.

This eliminated all problems.

Linksys and Amazon must be teaming up to pawn off this worthless Version 1 router, hence the NO RETURN POLICY. It disconnects constantly every day. No matter what firmware is loaded. And I have owned many routers over the past several years. Avoid it at all costs.

This router is worthless. Its signal quality is very low, and even with full bars, it suddenly drops download speed from 20 mbps to less than 1 on a frequent basis. Since there was no return policy, I had to get a new one, which does work. In conclusion, I was ripped off.

This Wireless G (WRT54G2) ships with a "Linksys Certified Refurbished Product Limited Waranty" that says, "Linksys warrants this Linksys Certified Refurbished hardware product against defects...for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of purchase."

I bought the unit on May 5, 2010. It proved defective. I contacted Cisco/Linksys on June 1 and "chatted" over the web. I was told this:

from Jayson (18185):
Gene, this product is listed as being out of warranty and is no longer eligible for chat support. However, I do have a couple of support options that may be of assistance to you. First, we have our complimentary award-winning online support tools OR I can give you the 800 number to connect with our phone support staff where they can offer you technical assistance through various fee-based support options.

from Gene Geiger:
So, you are saying there is no waranty. Correct?

from Jayson (18185):
Sad to say, according to our system here the product listed under that Serial Number (SN) is already out of warranty.

$25.43 is not a huge amount of money, but the value of my purchase is $0.00

If the Amazon page says the product is sold "as is" and without recourse, I missed it.

My previous wireless router was becoming such a pain - constantly drop connections and needing a reboot several times a week. With that as a backdrop, really any router that actually works will be near perfect... and gladly, the Cisco WRT54G fit that bill perfectly. I didn't want to spend a lot of money, which this router satisfied as well. I was a little concerned, due to the handful of negative reviews here on Amazon, but have been completely satisfied. This router has been rock solid.

I originally bought this router to turn it into a wireless bridge. Most of the WRT54G2 model line can be flashed with dd-wrt. The revision on the particular one I received however was 1.5, which is the only revision not supported by dd-wrt firmware. This could be why it was a good deal. I was able to upgrade my existing Linkys wireless router with dd-wrt and made that one my wireless bridge and used this one as my main router instead. It worked out fine, but if you are thinking about buying this router because the model is generally compatible with dd-wrt firmware, be advised that you may get a revision of this model that is not.

I have had one of these for several years at my main home and now this one for my second home. I have never had any trouble with a refurbished Linksys Router. Setup was automated and a snap. It was truly plug and play - directions provided were excellent. I needed to call tech support years ago and they were very efficient at helping. Once I dumped AT&T I never needed tech support again! Great products from Linksys.

I bought this router less then a year ago and was told by comcast that it was out of date and the reason I'm getting spotty wireless connections is because of this router... now I have to buy N-router! Comcast did come to my house and replaced all the cabling and modem so I have to now replace this router.

This router stopped working just after warranty ended. DO NOT BUY. Search for Cisco WRT54G2 connection problems and you will understand why not to buy Cisco products. They are notoriously horrible and fail repeatedly.

We have been using this wireless router for our Office for some time now. It is quite easy and pretty secure as well. Plenty of options to satisfy more than the average user and easy to understand help files. Best you can buy if your not looking to do too serious networking architecture. Also love the Network magic software.