Linksys WET54G
24-Jun-2007
The Linksys WET54G Wireless-G Ethernet Bridge
adds
wireless connectivity to a wired Ethernet device or network. I'm
using it to connect two groups of computers located in different
parts of the house. My old house is not pre-wired for networking and I
used to run a long CAT5e cable between the two rooms... an
inconvenient and unsightly setup to say the
least.
My main computers are in one room and connected to a gigabit
switch (TRENDnet TEG-S80TXE) that is in turn connected to a wireless
router (Linksys WRT54GS v1.0). In a second room is a second group of
computers connected to another gigabit switch (Netgear GS108) that
is in turn connected to the WET54G.
Setup was a snap except for one omission by Linksys. The first
step is to connect
the WET54G directly to a router via Ethernet to access its settings. I launched a web browser,
entered 192.168.1.226 into
the address bar and encountered the first (and thankfully only)
hiccup. The included documentation states you have to enter only a
password to access the WET54G, when in fact you must enter both
an username & password of admin to gain access. With that
resolved, I went into the WET54G's browser-based WEB Configuration
Utility (didn't bother
installing the setup utility available on the CD) and proceeded to set up the
bridge.
The first thing I did was flash the firmware with the latest
available at linksys.com. Then
I restored the factory defaults and changed the password. Next I
changed the Device Name and entered the necessary wireless security
settings to match that of my wireless router. The WET54G supports
WPA2 so it gets a thumbs up in terms of security.
I then unplugged the WET54G and set it up in the second room which
is separated by three walls (drywall & wood studs) from the
first room. I fired up one of the computers there and it was able to
surf the interweb. The speed felt fine as I ran Microsoft Update for the first time in a
year and found 40 updates available (as you can probably guess
this system has not been used much). The
connection didn't feel like it was lagging or slower in any way.
Furthermore the Status page of the WEB Configuration Utility states
the Link Quality is at 100%.
After reading some bad reviews I was apprehensive about buying
the WET54G, but my experience with the bridge has been very positive. It
may also be because I have the latest version (v3.1) and that most
of the complaints and problems were with older versions.
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