Customer Reviews

Cisco-Linksys WAP51AB Wireless Dual Band Access Point (802.11a + 802.11b)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

The product works great! I have it in my basement and I can roam with my laptop to any room in the house and the performance is excellent!

Someone should be experienced in networking to fully take adavantage of the products features but the "step-by-step" guide would allow a novice to set it up just the same.

As I was setting up this device, I had the mental image of a product meeting where some beaten-down product manager was caving to some executive's demand to only include a PDF user manual on the CD. If Linksys wants to save a buck or two, they can forego the 4-color artwork on the CD and at least laser-print the user guide.

The Quick Start guide assumes the 80-20 rule for configuration. If you have a different network setup, you're going to be scratching your head until you search the web for help (thanks go to SmallNetBuilder in this case). For example, the device has a default IP address of 192.168.1.250, not mentioned in the quick start and only by obscure reference in the user manual, which I finally printed. The setup program couldn't find the WAP51AB on my network until I reconfigured my computer to the 192 IP block, with 255.255.255.0 subnet mask.

The Troubleshooting chapter does not address troubleshooting, it's just an FAQ on terms you do admittedly need to know. There's no problem/resolution format. Some obvious questions are not addressed in the manual, as far as I can tell. For example, does it matter in what order you install the WAP vs. the PC card in your computer? I guess not. If you are using DHCP from a Linksys or other router, can the WAP51AB get its IP address dynamically? I don't think you want it to but it's another question that may cross your mind.

Ultimately, I got things working by moving my configuration more to the 80% side of things (local network configured to 192 IP block, etc.). Things are working well but I have to say that my freedom of movement is quite limited in my rather small house. I'm probably going to have to run "wire for my wireless" to position it in a more central location.

In summary, Linksys needs to invest more in technical writing and less in graphic design for its packaging.

UPDATE: 4 days later, I've had more experience and learned that 802.11a, while faster, pretty much needs to be in the same room (access point and client computer). So I switched to 802.11b and seem to have better range, even though the Linksys System Tray application indicates only a "fair" connection for both A and B networks. Go figure. Also, I can't really tell that 802.11b is slower than 802.11a (during basic web browsing). These aren't tests, just impressions. But maybe the "a" wasn't worth it. I don't know yet.

When I configured the first unit, it froze when disabled WEP on 802.11a. After waiting almost an hour for support, I was told to reset it (I already had), and then return it since the "diag" light still lit.

When I disabled WEP on the replacement unit, it froze just the the previous one had. My email to support described the status of the indicators, and that I had already tried to reset it. Supports reply was for a different product, asked me to try to reset it, and asked for the status of the indicators. Not at all helpfull.

Since I knew the exact steps I went through that caused the second unit to freeze, I asked that support try the steps I went through to determine if they had a firmware problem. They asked me to take my laptop back to the store I bought the AP from, and see if I can't get my laptop to work there. No mention of my broken access point.

I highly recommend that you do not purchase this unit.

I was skeptical about this Access Point due to all the negative comments, but decided to give it a try. I've had it up and running for a day now (writing this wirelessly from my laptop) and all seems to be working well. I bought the WPC51AB at the same time as the WAP51AB and am running in 802.11a turbo mode without a hitch. I have been remote desktop'ing my PC downstairs and I can honestly say i can't see a difference between my wired connection (100 Mb) and my wireless connection (72 Mb). So far, no lost connections as others have complained about (I'm about 25 feet from the AP). My only complaint is that the 802.11a range isn't nearly as good as the 802.11b range - oh well! Setup was fast and easy - i'm running with 128bit WEP enabled, no perceived speed difference. Based on my limited experience with this product, I would recommend it.

Just purchased the dual access point by Linksys. I highly recommend it for those who have a small office with line-of-sight need to communicate wirelessly between computers. The only reason I didn't give it a five star rating is that I use it in a two story home and was disappointed when it couldn't reach in some areas of the house. I suspect it's because of certain building materials in the house but given the short distances between computer and access point, I felt it should have gotten a connection.

Great wireless access point/router. The A wireless band offers a more stable connection than the 2.4 Ghz B band. With bleed-over from portable 2.4ghz phones I do not recommend the B band unless you don't mind getting interference from your phones. The dual band allows you to turn on or off the B band, for when the friends come over with their cheap B cards and want to do gaming. And now that Cisco owns Linksys you will get award winning service with you Linksys products. Many pluses with only a few minuses.

Let me just echo anotheranalyst's comments. I've had the WAP51AB and the WPC51AB on a Dell Inspiron 8100 for 3 months now. I also bought a Linksys 80211b USB adapter. The 80211b works fine and I've used it at several conferences and Starbucks locations in addition to my home with the WAP51AB. However, the 802.11a simply refuses to work for more than an hour. What's more, Linksys doesn't have jack for support on their website or any new drivers or downloads (I've had this product since early October 2002). Maybe I'll just return the whole thing and get their new 11G product.

People keep complaining about not being able to be in there basement and get a signal. I had the same problem, but then I took some time and adjusted where the unit was placed, (made sure it was away from interference Power supplies, monitor, ect) and placed it on a shelf away from my computer equipment and my coverage got much better, I think a downstairs bathroom only gets bad reception but Hey I should not be on from there anyhow :-)

I wanted to like this a lot, but after surfing the web for 5-10 min my entire computer inevitably freezes. The only solution is a reboot. I haven't even bothered contacting Linksys because of the well-documented experiences of other reviewers here who have had the same problems.

Using WAP51AB and WPC51AB (on Dell Inspiron 8200 notebook running XP Pro). Found installation and configuration easy for both devices, but 11a connection consistenly fails when WAP51AB locks up after 10 to 60 minutes of use. Must recycle (and occasionally reset) WAP51AB to restore connection. Upgrading WAP51AB firmware (to v.1.02) and WPC51AB driver (to 12/3/2002 version) does not help. Neither does switching channels or changing beacon intervals on WAP51AB. Returned original WAP51AB at Linksys support's suggestion, but having same problems with replacement unit. Recommend you avoid this product until Linksys gets the bugs worked out (if they ever do). Would avoid WPC51AB also, since 11a connection problem may reside with that product as well as with the WAP51AB. FYI, I own several other Linksys products and they all work fine.