Cisco-Linksys WET200 Wireless-G Business Ethernet Bridge

by Cisco

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6.7 x 7.7 inches ; 12.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000UKOB14
• Item model number: WET200
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,134 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 7, 2004

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Bring Nearby Networks Together. Bring separate Ethernet networks together—even if they're in different offices or nearby buildings. Formerly Linksys Business Series, now Cisco Small Business Wireless Access Points, the WET200 Wireless-G Business Ethernet Bridge uses Power over Ethernet (PoE) for ease of installation, even without proximity to an electrical outlet. Advanced security features include support for WEP, WPA, and WPA2 encryption using EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol), which gives small businesses the protection they need to communicate and transfer data securely. The integrated quality-of-service (QoS) features provide consistent voice and video quality on both wired and wireless networks, enabling the deployment of business-quality voice over Internet Protocol and video applications.

Overview

Expanding your network with Cisco Small Business Wireless Access Points is an easy way to connect staff, whether they're onsite or remote, to your business operations.

Cisco Small Business Wireless Access Points support:

• Connectivity: Now employees can securely access network resources from places that were previously out of range. The reach and signal quality of Cisco Wireless Access Points go beyond that of a standard wireless connection so you can provide stronger connections from further away.
• Security: Standards and encryption protocols keep Cisco Wireless Access Points just as secure as a wired network.
• Performance: Cisco Small Business Wireless Access Points offer the fastest speeds possible with expanded range and coverage--a transparent extension of your wired network.
• Ease-of-use: Web-based configuration tools make it easy for you to install the router and set up your network devices. Getting your business online with your new Cisco device isn't a complex process at all.

Product Features

• Bridging access point
• Bring together two wireless networks within two adjacent buildings or floors
• Supported Wireless Standards: 802.11g, 802.11b
• Maximum connectivity coverage
• Increased connection stability and performance
• Supports advanced wireless security protocols WEP, WPA-PSK, WPA2-PSK, WPA-ENT, and WPA2-ENT authentication
• The ability to connect wired and wireless communication devices, allowing you to expand your network operations and keep employees productive
• A choice of Wireless-N (300 Mbps) or Wireless-G (54 Mbps) connectivity, depending on your performance requirements
• RangeBooster and MIMO technology, which increase wireless throughput and the router's range to reduce "dead spots" in the wireless coverage area
• Advanced security features keep your wireless network as secure as your wired network
• Rogue access-point detection scans your network for unauthorized, unsecure gateways into your protected contents
• Compatibility with devices that offer Power over Ethernet, simplifying the installation process and eliminating the need and cost of installing external power supplies
• Easy installation and configuration through a web interface

Product Description

The Linksys WET200 Wireless Bridge seamlessly bridges separate Ethernet networks together wirelessly and is ideal for small businesses with offices and resources that are in different office suites of a building or a closely adjacent building. The WET200 is a Power over Ethernet (PoE) end device so it can be installed anywhere an Ethernet cable can be run if there is not ready access to a power outlet. PoE enables delivery of both data and power to the WET200. An AC adapter is also included if the device installation site has a power outlet nearby.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Works great, November 12, 2007

By 

C. Davis - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cisco-Linksys WET200 Wireless-G Business Ethernet Bridge (Personal Computers)

This is an excellent wireless bridge. I have it communicating with a Linksys WAP54G running WPA2-PSK to connect an "island" of wired computers to my main network wirelessly. The WET200 includes 5 10/100 ports, so you can connect several computers, a printer, etc. to your network.

The WET200 passes NETBIOS traffic, so Windows file and print sharing work fine. The WET200 also passes DHCP traffic, so you don't have to assign static IP addresses to the devices you plug in. This is especially handy for me because I sometimes have guests who bring their laptops, but those laptops cannot get onto my wireless network (usually because they don't support WPA2). With the WET200, they can just plug in to an unused port and they are instantly on the network.

The bridge features are quite advanced -- more than I need. It is a real learning bridge, not a dumb repeater. It supports VLANs, QoS, Spanning Tree protocol, etc. The good news is you don't have to worry about any of this if you don't need the advanced features. The WET200 comes configured from the factory with sensible defaults.

Setup and installation was a breeze. I followed the quick set-up instructions and was up and running within a few minutes.

At this price point, the WET200 is a steal.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Works great, easy to set up (but read instructions carefully), December 17, 2007

By 

JohnK-Seattle-WA (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cisco-Linksys WET200 Wireless-G Business Ethernet Bridge (Personal Computers)

I've had this for several months now. It's worked really well with WPA encryption. I use it for Moxi, Tivo and Wii systems in my entertainment center, with the router 2 rooms away.

I'm not using POE so I don't know how well that feature works.

An important note that could save you some headaches:
The instructions tell you to connect it to your *PC* using the included ethernet cable (not your home network). Make sure you set a static 192.168.1.x IP address on your PC, then connect the bridge directly to it (disconnecting your PC from your network temporarily). I made the dumb mistake of connecting the bridge to my home network and trying to configure it there. I was able to connect to it, but as soon as I set up the wireless, the wired connection was very erratic and it wouldn't connect wirelessly. I think the router freaked out trying to give out DHCP addresses to both connections. As soon as I realized what I'd done, I connected it directly to my PC and got it working within a few minutes.

UPDATE 8/30/08:
I've been using this bridge for about a year. 99.99% of the time it's worked great. I have noticed, however, that a few times (maybe once every 3-4 months or so) it seems to lose its connectivity (devices stop connecting and I can no longer connect to the bridge's admin page). A quick reboot by reconnecting the AC power cable always fixes it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Can't make it work, no support, February 16, 2008

By 

David B. Black - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cisco-Linksys WET200 Wireless-G Business Ethernet Bridge (Personal Computers)

The descriptions of this product sound quite wonderful. It's the only one I could find that seemed to meet my needs. I followed the installation instructions exactly, and at the end, the product would get hung up in rebooting -- it would reboot forever, and only unfreeze when I held down the hardware reset button for 10 seconds. I searched for help on the Linksys site, and found none. Their live chat service doesn't support it. There was no troubleshooting information about it. The community forums were empty. They advertise a network troubleshooting product you can download, but it doesn't support the WET200. And no number to call that I could tease out of their site. So I'm stuck. I'd much rather make it work than return it, but Linksys isn't making it easy. It's true my other equipment isn't all Linksys (as they recommend), but it's all less than a year old, so a product of this kind shouldn't have a problem. I would feel less frustrated if they appeared to make an effort to support the product, but apparently even going through the motions was too tough for them. I'm delighted the other reviewers had success and I wish them well, I only wish the same experience for myself.802.11G Enet Bridge Adptr Poe