Linksys WTR54GS Wireless-G Travel Router

I am testing the best portable routers out there and I just bought this to compare. Setup was not a problem and the features on this thing are ok too. After I set this thing up, I looked at this blinking button on the front panel which took posession of my finger and before I knew it, I pressed it. I could not log into the router and when I did using the ethernet cable I could not believe my eyes. All of mysettings had changed the moment I pressed that stupid button. The instructions even said that this would happen. This is supposed to be a feature, but you must lock it up somewhere so others don't press that stupid button and erase all of your settings. My god those people at Linksys must be smokeing crack. The instructions also say that if you press this button, you must change all of the clients as well. (DUH, NO KIDDING), I'll be out of a job the second time someone presses that button. Oh my god!

I neatly place three almost rectangular holes at the back of the unit but it still ran very warm... so in order to give this router a little more life, I bore another hole on the front and placed a mini fan on the back and power it with an old cell phone charger and viola! She works like a charm now... no more issues and whenever I use this unit for like 5 - 6 hours and then unplug it, its slightly warm and is usually cool to the touch in about 5 minutes., this experienced thought me a lesson, now I have even installed a mini-fan on the router at home and for all future routers that I am yet to own, they will all get their own cooling system from me. Unfortunately, the fan on the WTR-54GS is on the outside at the back as there is no space for it inside but for my router, yep, I can tuck it away inside and solder the power wires to the adapter in-let (the 'female' power receptacle on the router). I have had both my travel router for nearly 3 years now and its still going strong. Almost everyone who has seen it in action wants to buy one like it but bad news as Linksys doesn't manufacture this little gem again. I think that I will have this unit for years to come. Thanks Linksys, you guys at Cisco can make me a offer to buy it back in other 20 years or so (ha, ha, ha)

This ultra portable router is very simple to setup and configure. The feature rich WTR54GS takes advantage of the WRT54GS' award winning technology and performance.

With WPA2 encryption, a powerful firewall, and the ability to turn the SSID broadcast off, this is a very safe device for surfing the web wirelessly anywhere. Once it's configured for the first time that's it! Just feed it any broadband source through the blue ethernet port and plug it into a power outlet...instant connectivity every time!

Personally, I have had very good success with Linksys 24/7 support via both phone and e-mail incidents. The only downfall of this router is probably a good thing...range. Although the range is not exactly spectacular, this router is designed primarily for small area support (i.e. hotels, small apartments, etc). Thus, it covers the area you need on the road without broadcasting too far enough for hackers to even attempt to hack.

One minor problem worth mentioning that I encountered, however, was while pairing this unit with the Linksys USB wireless G adapter (with SpeedBooster) via the "Secure Easy Setup" the router automatically disabled a security feature: it re-ENABLED the brodcast SSID! Be careful of this as you will want to keep the SSID off once you have connected all your devices. This method discourages hackers from seeing your wireless signal.

Overall, I have owned this unit for 6 months, Love it, and highly recommend it.

quick tips...
-create a strong WPA/WPA2 encryption password: use combination of numbers, upper case AND lower case letters (minimum 8 characters total). Change every 3-6 months.
-combine use of a hardware firewall (like this unit offers) with a really good software firewall. I highly recommend ZoneAlarm 7 or Kaspersky Internet Security suites.
-Channell 11 is the best signal to broadcast with a Wireless G router.

reviewed by:
Jim Baggott
A+ Certified