Customer Reviews

Linksys WRT150N Wireless N Home Router with 4-Port Switch Mimo

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(26)

 

 

This linksys N router is wonderful. It was easy to get up and running on the standard linksys firmware, which I later upgraded to DD-WRT [...]. I used the mini generic v24 beta version first, and then upgraded to the non-mini version, and now I have a FULL featured wireless N router.

One thing to note, DD-WRT reports this router as a WRT300N, so keep that in mind when you make your purchase :)

Other than this, the features are great, the price is right, and it's simply a solid router. Combine this with a gigabit switch and you'll have the best, most affordable home network.

I bought this for $109 (not on amazon). Got it up and running in 10 minutes but Nintendo DS and PSP wouldn't recognize it. Spend 2 hours with 4 Linksys support guys (poor English and they just disconnect from you if they don't know the answer or if their algorithm fails). All 4 tech guys said it was both Nintendo and Sony's fault that the network wouldn't recognize them. Finally I gave up on Linksys tech... applied the latest firmware update to software and rebooted and it worked (NOT suggested by tech support). This is my 3rd wireless network. So if you think you'll need tech support, DO NOT buy this until Linksys gets a clue that tech support is important.

Many of you have probably seen references to DD-WRT in other reviews and wonder what it is. It is a firmware upgrade to your router that was created by an opensource group called, as you may have guessed, DD-WRT. This upgrade is available only through their website, not through Linksys.


>> Motivation

Now first, why do you need DD-WRT? Because it transforms this router from a piece of junk into a high-performance wireless machine capable of almost seamlessly streaming high-definition video and high-speed Internet games.

We had this router for about 2 months and were terribly frustrated with it. It constantly disconnected us and was just a lot slower than we had expected a Wireless-N router to be. Our daughter's Powerbook constantly got dropped from it, causing her to have restart her wireless connection several times a day.

Frustrated, I looked up these Amazon reviews to see if there was something I missed. Then I found a review referencing DD-WRT. After some hesitation, I tried it and it worked. I checked our daughter's laptop and it worked fine for the first time since we got the router. However, then I went to Hulu to test the download speed and was blown away. The DD-WRT had turned our once-modest router into a freaking hulk. It now ran as fast wirelessly as it once did only when directly connected by ethernet.


>> How to Install DD-WRT

Now in my story above, I abbreviated the installation process. In reality, learning how to install this firmware took quite a bit more time than I felt it should have. And I am a Computer Science graduate student finished with my PhD coursework. I can't imagine how intimidating the installation procedure must look to the average computer user.

So I wanted to lay out the steps for this specific router so that people can reference it here on Amazon without having to waste their time browsing through documentation.

First, you need to download the firmware file for the WRT150N (this router). It is a little harder to find than your average download:
1. Go to the DD-WRT main site (google "DD-WRT")
2. Click Downloads
3. Click v24
4. Click Broadcom
5. Click Linksys
6. Click WRT150N_v1.1 (you should check the bottom of your router to make sure you have 1.1; you probably do)
7. Click dd-wrt.v24_mini_generic.bin (you want the "mini" and "generic" v24)
8. Save it

Next, you need to reset the router to factory settings. This will erase all your settings so take screen shots of them if you need them. Otherwise, just reset them manually like you did when you first set up the router.
1. Hold down the RED reset button on the back of the router using a pencil or pen for 10 seconds. The power light should start blinking then stop after a while.
2. Unplug the router
3. Plug it back in and wait until it is fully powered on

Next, you need to install the firmware. You can only do it with Internet Explorer because for some reason all other browsers are unstable. Also, you should only do it through an ethernet connection because you could ruin your router if you use the unstable wireless connection:
1. Connect to your router directly with an ethernet cable and turn off your wireless connection on your computer.
2. Using INTERTNET EXPLORER, go to 192.168.1.1. The username is blank and the password is 'admin'.
3. Go to Administration > Firmware Upgrade
4. Browse and open the firmware file you downloaded earlier
5. Wait

You will probably be taken to the DD-WRT screen. You should reset to factory settings again using the method above. But now you should have your brand new smokin' router. The interface for DD-WRT is very similar to the one used by Linksys with almost all the same menu names. An important difference though is that now the USERNAME is 'root' (the password is still 'admin').

Just reset all your old settings and you are done. You can now access and administrate the router wirelessly (it will be called 'dd-wrt' by default instead of 'linksys'). One note: I had to change the router name through the wired connection. But after that, I was able to administrate wirelessly.

If you run into any issues go to the WRT main site, click on Community, then Wiki. However I don't think most people should have issues.

Team,

My WRT54G died on me and I ran out and bought a 150N without reading the reviews. I have version 1.1 and with the latest firmware 1.0.1.9 from Linksys, this thing drops internet connection on both wired and wireless connections. I decided to investigate to see if it's a hardware or software issue. It turns out to be software as I am using DD-WRT v24 RC-6 (01/02/08) mini - build 8743 and all my connections issues are gone. My router is now stable and I can say that this is a nice device. If you are having issues, give DD-WRT a shot, you'll thank me later.

I will send information on this to Linksys so hopefully they can get decent firmware out soon.

Installed this router on a home network comprised of Windows XP as well as Windows Vista computers. It works great! In addition to the wireless "N" capabilities, this router also has 4 ports for wired connections. The wireless side is backwards compatible to the "g" and "b" standards as well. I've got a good mix of computers using this router, some are wired, some are wireless "n", some are wireless "g", some are XP and some are Vista -- this router just works seamlessly with all of them.

I have actually set up two of these routers in the last few weeks, one for a wireless network and another for my own network (for which I run wired). I had been looking at some of the more expensive Linksys routers, but honestly for most users, the WRT150N pretty much covers all the bases, and I really didn't see the need of complicating matters by going with a router that had heavier security features (not that this router doesn't have good security) as it tends to overtake the plumbing too much sometimes if one doesn't set up security features correctly.

Setup is fairly easy - I have found that this particular router is more useful WITH the EasyLink Advisor software than without. I personally didn't need it but I installed it anyway. For one thing it gives you an at a glance (and useful) report of your network status and devices connected to it, and makes it much easier to assign network keys, wireless channels, spacing and so forth when first setting it up. It's also unobtrusive and only speaks when spoken to, which means it sits in the tray and behaves itself. Makes it much easier to see how everything is configured without having to go thru pages and pages of the browser interface (which unless you really need to do a lot of tweaking doesn't need to be accessed).

Wireless performance is pretty darn good considering the WRT150N gives a pretty vanilla first impression - don't be fooled by some reseller's advertisements of this unit. Often they leave out little facts about this unit, especially in regard to its actual wireless security features - but the truth of the matter is the WRT150N pretty much features every type of security protocol out there including WEP 64/128, WPA, WPA2, enterprise and radius (both TKIP and AES included). Its signal output is very decent - the house I set it up in is two levels 2800 sqft, and I put it in on the bottom floor. Very good to excellent signal throughout the house, and it worked the first time, even with Vista.

Wired it runs just fine too and thankfully one can turn off the wireless features if they're just running wired devices. I can also report that it cascades very easily with another linksys router, as my WRT150N replaced a BEFSR41 (which only has NAT filtering and no SPI firewall) as the gateway. This router actually improved my internet performance on the downlink by about 10-15% as I was getting 8mbit down before and now averaging about 9.3mbit.

A quick rundown of the good and the bad:

What's cool:

Easy setup made even easier with the setup disk - it actually does what it's supposed to do.
SPI firewall and NAT filtering.
Virtually all wireless protocols supported.
Useful indicator lights - including a wireless on indicator and security enabled indicator.
Small footprint.
Wireless B/G/N supported and does take all in mixed mode.
20 and 40Hz spacing or auto select; primary and secondary channels separately configurable.
Easily cascaded with another router.
Good signal coverage.

What's Lame:

Indicator lights - I prefer a more detailed display like on my old BEFSR41 which actually shows whether a connection is at 10-BaseT or 100-BaseTX.
No gigabit capabilities. But having said that, the day copper can achieve 1 gigabit speed is the day the laws of physics change.
No USB/Uplink port.
No way to adjust transmitter's power output.

The bottom line:

Overall this is a very reasonably priced router with the latest security protocols and wireless-N capabilities that's also ridiculously easy to install. The fact I've installed two of them with no quibbles indicates to me that this is a also a reliable router. It may not look that sophisticated at first glance but this device has a lot of features under its hood, and pretty much has everything most users will ever need in current router/gateway technology (unless you also need a modem built in with it). Definitely recommended if you want a good router without spending an arm and a leg on one.

Ran and hooked up right out of the box with minimal fussing. The install CD assumes you are clueless about what a router does, so it avoids requiring you to manually log-in to its browser interface to configure it (Unless you're doing anything other than hooking this router directly between your computer and a cable or DSL modem). I got the "N" version instead of a "G" wireless router because I will someday upgrade my laptop's "G" WIFI card to an "N" when prices drop. With my brand-name laptop's built-in "G" access card, I have very good access downstairs with this router located on the 2nd floor of my wood/stucco/drywall house. It's very hard to guage wireless data rates due to so many different factors. Nevertheless, with my wireless "G" laptop about 60 feet away downstairs I get an Internet speed of 500kbps upload and a 1Mbps-2Mbps download - as measured using a web-site for measuring internet speeds (with the WRT150N connected to a cable modem through another router).

I have had several wireless routers over the past years and linksys has improved consistently. Linksys has reduced the physical size of the unit and its power is improved. I still use the older g type of speed because I havn't seen the need to upgrade my adapters, and this unit allows even those "older" units increased connectivity and speed. The setup was fast and predictible. I just needed to add wireless capability in my home and didn't want to eliminate the high end router that I already had. The price of wireless access points are, in my opinion, stupid. So, I took this router, attached it to my expensive 'wired' netgrear router, plugged it into the wan port, enabled dhcp, and I now have a second layer of firewall protection plus wireless capability. It works for me. The price of this router is cheaper than any wireless access point.

At first everything was fine. But after a few weeks, I could not keep a connection. I have 2 computers and one uses a VPN - I was booted off a couple of times per day. Then I read on the Linksys website that unless you have updated to an N adapter, you do not have the advantage of the increased distance or speed of the new N standard (both my computers are more than 2 years old no updates). I then set my router to operate at the G standard (easy to do with their software) and everything seems to work perfectly. No more dropped signals. And, the range is better than my old G router that was 2 1/2 years old. So finally after hours of IP address checks - I'm happy. I'm glad I bought the N for my next computer purchases. However, maybe it's best to buy them all at the same time.
[...]

I had the Belkin Pre-N router for over a year. I always had problems with it. It would not stay connected and needed to be rebooted all the time. Belkin said it was my ISP, then they said it was interference, etc., etc.

Finally after a year of this, I decided to try this router. Figuring if it was my ISP or interference, I could always send it back.

The installation took 5 minutes and I have not had a problem since. The Belkin now sits in the corner waiting for me to trash it.

BTW - If you get a Linksys pre-N adapter too, you will get some great speeds. I get up to 170 Mbps with the notebook one.