Linksys launches updated WTR54GS travel router
By Marc Perton 
posted Jul 26th 2005 8:00AM
posted Jul 26th 2005 8:00AM
Here's yet
another travel router for you to toss into your
carry-on. This one, the Linksys WTR54GS actually looks pretty good. It's smaller (2.9 in x 1.2 in x 4.2 in) than most
other travel routers we've seen, has an integrated power supply, and uses Broadcom's Afterburner system to improve
throughput. The router is an upgrade to Linksys' earlier WRT54GC, which was somewhat larger and didn't have the
internal power supply. At about $100, it's definitely more expensive than a typical WiFi router, but could be worth it
if space is at a premium (and, of course, if you can expense it).
are these units like the others and runs linux? that would be pretty sweet.
broadcom afterburner chipsets use linux, so third party firmware should work on it, but probably not without modification of existing releases.
we have horizontal power outlets here in chicago.
i definitely won't be buying this for personal use or recommending it to people who visit me/here because of obvious design reasons.
well, that and because it's a linksys.
i'm looking at the info now and i don't see any reason why it couldn't run openwrt. i'd have to see more specs, but as long as it uses the standard broadcom wireless chips, a linux-compatible ethernet chipset (unlike it's predecessor, the wrt54gc), and has enough flash rom and ram, it should work.
there isn't a firmware listed in the linksys gpl page. i'll be emailing linksys in a few minutes requesting it.
i bought a wtr54gs 2 month ago. it died on me just about 1 week ago. in the past i was always impressed with the support linksys provided. but that has completely changed to the worst. after hours of talking to support people in india, which by the way couldn’t speak properly english, and i still have no working unit. linksys’s support is just awful. i'm on the point to throw it in the trash and buy a belkin or something similar.
"after hours of talking to support people in india, which by the way couldn’t speak properly english..."
sounds like you're having a few issues with it yourself, chief.
i jumped off the linksys boat when cisco bought them out. i now buy either smc or dlink products. it is a shame, linksys was the market leader in home networking for awhile.
for that price you might as well get an airport express for $130 and get airtunes (stream itunes wirelessly to the express's builtin toslink/line-level audio out) as well as better configuration tools (which let you do things like multiple configs, one for home, office, on-the-road, etc.). plus the optional connectivity kit gives you a power cord along with audio cables if you don't have enough power strip space.
i would buy this router, simply because i do travel a lot and sometimes you just need to share a single connection with other people. the integrated power plug is a bonus, means that the unit is all you need. throw it in your suitcase and your done.
i must admit though, linksys has taken a turn for the worse. i have a wrt54g router, which could not even handle wireless file tranfers between 2 pcs. imagine copying a 300mb avi file, only to have the thing lock up.
that was very disappointing. my office uses some cheap taiwanese router that can handle 100+ users on a single wireless connection.
but a simple router like this is good for a quick collaboration effort. no hassle with crosslink cables, static ip addresses and subnet voodoo.
i have used linksys for years, but their newer products have really been heading down hill. they look good, but i have had bad experiences and have had to return their newer router models...
i use an wrt54g and probably wouldn't move to anything newer until i knew for sure it was good.
i know this is a portable unit, so its not exactly the same as the wrt54g... but still.
i got a linksys wrt54g a few months ago. my opinion of linksys has gotten better. the router is a veritable swiss army knife of a nat/wireless box for your house, even with stock firmware. i used to have an smc, but they stopped supporting the wap i had. so far im pretty pleased.
mike,
how would you connect an airport express to a hotel lan? or configure it for pppoe? i don'think you can considering its a network bridge and not a router.
there isn't another product like this -that gives you a lan port, a wan port, and plugs in directly to a wall socket- and you can pick it up for about $80.
borg:
it comes out of the box as a router, though of course, you can configure it as a bridge, and yes, it does ppoe. it does pretty much everything a regular airport basestation does (including act as a print server), except do power-over-ethernet. it also only has one ethernet port, which is the wan port if you use it as a router or connects it to your existing lan if you use it as a bridge. in other words if you use it as a router, it's wireless only. that's the only real substantive difference over a regular airport router or, say, the linksys or other router. plus you get the airtunes. i love mine, it's great, i use it as one of three wireless basestations in my three story house, but if i travel i can just grab it and easily change its config to act as a bridge for some hotel ethernet port.
"at about $100, it’s definitely more expensive than a typical wifi router"
of course apple-slobbering engadget would never mention that it is faster and $40 cheaper than an airport express, which its actual competition class, not a standard wireless router....
airtunes? i thought itunes was only for synching your allofmp3 directory to your ipod ;)
"at about $100, it’s definitely more expensive than a typical wifi router"
of course apple-slobbering engadget would never mention that it is faster and $40 cheaper than an airport express, which its actual competition class, not a standard wireless router....
airtunes? i thought itunes was only for synching your allofmp3 directory to your ipod ;)
M, I live in Chicago too. I don't get how our outlets would make this product any less usable.
The Sveasoft folks have stated the WTR54GC will be supported fully in their Talisman 1.1 firmware.
Once these are widely available, I'll be picking up three of them to replace WRT54Gs (for space reasons; I'm tired of having to hide antennas out-of-sight).
i've been a regular customer of Linksys and I'll have to tell that they have really improved a lot on their products.They've got a new range of those with SRX and the speed boosters.People getting those please make sure they do have compatible speedbooster or SRX compatible devices with them since they do not work in that technology otherwise.
Talking about technical support, I realised that the support provided by people from India is really good and I don't find any problems in their way of communication.They really are a bunch of talented people with awesome troubleshooting skills and many a time my issues have been resolved when i relied on tech support from them ! these guys are great.I'd definitely say Linksys is still the No.1 in Networking products!