Cisco-Linksys WRTSL54GS Wireless-G Media Storage Link Router with Speedbooster

by Cisco

Product Details

• Item Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000E5E868
• Item model number: WRTSL54GS
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: December 19, 2005

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The Linksys WRTSL54GS Wireless-G Media Storage Link Router with Speedbooster is a versatile all-in-one Internet-sharing router, Wireless-G access point, and Network Storage Link that enables users to connect USB disk drives directly to their network. With the WRTSL54GS, you can give users on your network access to a hard drive or other portable storage device. This will allow you to share music files, video, photos, and much more seamlessly and securely.

Linksys's WRTSL54GS connects wireless notebooks and up to four wired PCs to the Internet with easy, one-touch setup. View larger.

The Linksys WRTSL54GS is really four devices in one box. First, there's the Wireless Access Point, which lets you connect Wireless-G, Wireless-B, and other performance-enhanced SpeedBooster devices to the network. SpeedBooster technology is a compatible add-on to standard Wireless-G, which increases "real-world" wireless network performance by up to 35 percent. There's also a built-in 4-port full-duplex 10/100 Switch to connect your wired-Ethernet devices together. The router function ties it together and lets your whole network share your high-speed cable or DSL Internet connection. And there's the Storage Link that lets you easily add gigabytes of storage space onto your network using readily available USB 2.0 hard drives or a USB flash disk for a convenient way of accessing your portable data files. And finally, there's a built-in Media Server, which streams music, video, and photos from the attached storage device to any UPnP compatible media adapter. You can also set it up so that your storage is accessible from the Internet--files can be easily downloaded via your Web browser. You can make your files available publicly over the Internet or create password-protected accounts for authorized users.

With Linksys's convenient SecureEasySetup functionality, creating a secure home network with networked-attached storage is a simple push-button procedure. Just push the button on the router and on your other SecureEasySetup-enabled wireless device to automatically create an encryption-secured wireless connection. Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) protects your data and privacy with up to 128-bit industrial-strength encryption. The router can serve as a DHCP Server, has a powerful SPI firewall to protect your PCs against intruders and most known Internet attacks, supports VPN pass-through, and can be configured to filter internal users' access to the Internet. Advanced configuration is a snap with the browser-based interface. The device offers the option of placing it vertically or horizontally on a flat surface, or mounting it to a wall. In short, the Linksys WRTSL54GS makes it easier and more convenient than ever to start a home network with a shared high-speed Internet connection and lots of storage space.

What's in the Box
WRTSL54GS Wireless-G router, network cable, power adapter, setup wizard CD-ROM, and user's guide on CD-ROM.

Product Description

Wireless-G Media Storage Link Rtr W/ Speedbooster

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Linux-powered router with USB storage, August 3, 2006

By 

Samat Jain (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cisco-Linksys WRTSL54GS Wireless-G Media Storage Link Router with Speedbooster (Personal Computers)

As soon as I received my Linksys WRTSL54GS, I flashed it with the OpenWRT firmware... and my device works great. It's been running for 3 wks now since I've bought it, with no problems. I did not attempt to use Linksys' OEM firmware, which other reviewers have noted is not very good.

I am irked that it is much more expensive than the Linksys WRT54GL, but the extra RAM, flash memory (useful for OpenWRT), and USB port were worth it for me. You're not going to break any speed records with the device's 266 MHz processor, but the ability to access disks over a network without the need of another full-blown computer is extremely convenient.

It has only one antenna, but most real-world tests show that two antennas are not necessarily better, The antenna is unfortunately non-removable, unlike the WRT54GL, so you cannot easily replace it with another.

All in all a great, more versatile WRT54GL alternative.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Works well (with some additional work), November 29, 2006

By 

Sarah E. Bartel "bartel115" (Kewaunee, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cisco-Linksys WRTSL54GS Wireless-G Media Storage Link Router with Speedbooster (Personal Computers)

I use this router with four computers, two air port expresses and a USB drive. By upgrading to the latest firmware and re-formatting the drive to NTFS I was able to get the USB harddrive working correctly. The documentation does leave something to be desired, but with some searching the Linksys knowledge base I was able to get things worked out.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars After 3rd firmware load and a beta release - it finally works, April 29, 2006

By 

JWC - Reader "JWC" (Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cisco-Linksys WRTSL54GS Wireless-G Media Storage Link Router with Speedbooster (Personal Computers)

I must generally agree with others who do not recommend this product. I have been using it for about 2 months and have had a great deal of trouble.

If you understand the concepts of Shared Drives, and how to configure them, you will have no trouble mapping the drives connected to the USB port. I have 3 250 GIG drives and one 2 GB thumb drive connected to the router via a USB hub and mapped. I do not know if this is a supported configuration but it works fine.

The problem has been that the clock on the router will not set. This means that any files written to the drives have a date of January 1, 1970. I have just been sent a beta copy of new firmware from Linksys (my 3rd revision in 2 months). v2.00.6 (Mar 29, 2006) this seems to correct the problem.

Other aspects of the router are working fine. Signal strength is very good with no hang-ups (this was the first firmware upgrade).

Overall, this product has, by no means, been worth the effort.

It is sad what has happened to Linksys. This used to be a great little company with great products and support. Since being purchased by Cisco it has all been down hill.