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| Linksys Wireless-G Range Expander WRE54G | 
 enlarge | Brand: Linksys
Category: CE
List Price: $119.24
Buy New: $78.99
You Save: $40.25 (34%)
New (31) Used (5) Refurbished (1)
Avg. Customer Rating:  475 reviews
Format: Cd
Platform: No Operating System
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Modem: N/A
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4
Dimensions (in): 4 x 2 x 9
Warranty: 3 years warranty
MPN: WRE54G
Model: WRE54G
UPC: 745883559046
EAN: 0745883559046
ASIN: B00021XIJW
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Factory Sealed Retail Box UPC INTACT!!!!!! Same day Shipping (if placed before 4:00 PST)
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| Features:
| • | Dimensions - 1.1 x 7.4 x 6.9 in (H x W x D) | | • | Wireless Standard - IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g | | • | Security WEP - 64/128 bit WEP |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
The WRE54G Wireless-G Range Expander increases the effective coverage of your wireless network. Unlike other access points, this wireless expander doesn't require connection by a data cable. Just place it within range of your wireless router and bounce the signals off remote wireless devices. It's perfect for any wireless home or business network that requires wider coverage: Multi-story homes, warehouses, outdoor spaces and more.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 470 more reviews...
 weak link August 17, 2008
Bought with a linksys router to replace a USR maxg system.A weak substitute, sent back.
 Roll the Dice--it's a Crap Shoot August 8, 2008
I bought this two weeks ago, and after trying to set it up and almost bricking my WRT54G router in the process, I packed it up and planned to return it. But I gave it one last chance last night, and after struggling with it some more, it appears that it is now working as intended.
Here are some tips:
- READ AND TRY TO FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS! I read all over the place about how the instructions were a mess, so I ignored them and went straight to some of the advice given here. After doing that, TO THE LETTER, my router almost bricked. PLEASE AT LEAST TRY TO FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS! They aren't perfect, but just try, at least.
- OK, so you have the little instruction sheet in front of you. Some people say to disable your router security and use auto-config. THAT DIDN'T WORK FOR ME! I actually had to completely reset to Factory Defaults on my router because I kept getting an IP conflict when I plugged in the extender.
- So I set up my router with WEP and performed the instructions, as written, regarding setting up with security. BOOM, that worked. I don't know how, but it did. The CD setup routine is kind of clunky, but it got the job done.
So, now that is is currently working, what are my impressions?
I guess I'm happy, but BE WARNED, the extender can fool you into thinking everything is fine, but it may not be...
I put the extender RIGHT NEXT to my PS3. The PS3, by itself, could only get about 70-75% signal strength from my router. Putting the extender next to the PS3 gave it 100%, BUT IT WOULD STILL GIVE ME TROUBLE. The extender seems to TRY to boost weak signals, but garbage in is essentially garbage out, despite it saying 100%. So I moved the extender a bit closer to the router, and the PS3 still gets 100%, and things are vastly improved.
OVERALL: I need something like this, so it was either fidget with this until I could get it to work, or I was going to have crappy wireless in that part of the house. So my desire for better wireless gave me the patience needed to put up with this. Any other product with crap quality like this would have been returned ASAP.
Without avail August 7, 2008
Linksys has terrible quality control on this product or an inherent engineering flaw. I have spent more than eight hours with technical support and after two units, I still need a working expander. The product is not for for the amateur for use with security, but I am(as well as their tech support are) confident their product is faulty. Extremely frustrating so far.
 Newest WRE54G Expander plugs into router for setup! August 6, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I purchased the latest model WRE54G expander in July 2008. The BIG difference in the newer model is that you can plug it into your router for setup - eliminating most of the headaches mentioned in the older reviews. I think that most of these reviews were of a unit that could not plug into a router and had to be setup via the "automatic" setup. The automatic setup is still not so nice if you have security turned on but there are ways to resolve that problem too.
Being able to connect to your existing router by cable makes setup a snap! Also, the instructions appear to be rewritten by a human being because they are reasonably easy to understand.
On my first setup, I basically walked my way through the setup wizard in about 5 minutes with the expander plugged into an outlet near my router and then plugged into my router with the included Ethernet cable. I unplugged the WRE54G, walked across the house and up a few flights of stairs to the far reaches of my wireless signal and plugged the expander into the wall. My laptop normally gets 0-1 bar of signal in this room. Tada! 5 bars with the WRE54G in place with security in place. I looked at the expander configuration via http://168.1.1.240 - default expander IP - and it (of course) had all the right security information in place.
Since I am a big proponent of wasting my time, I decided to reset the unit (with a pen in the small hole) and see how the automatic setup worked. I took a cue from Mr. Anthony Taylor's review and turned wireless security off on my existing router. I plugged in the WRE54G to a power outlet close to the router and pushed the auto configuration button for 5+ seconds and then watched the red light go to blue after about 30 seconds. I unplugged the expander and took it back to the other side of the house again - same result - full signal on my laptop.
That was all great except that my wireless security was still turned off. I pretty much followed Mr. Taylor's instructions for turning security on: I opened a browser window and went to http://168.1.1.240 and had the expander configuration screen. I entered the default password (admin) and went to "edit security settings" and entered my WPA key and saved that. I opened another browser window, opened my router config and turned wireless security back on (and reset my wireless connection from the laptop with security on). I unplugged the WRE54G and plugged it back (you must do this for it to re-initialize) and less than 1 minute later I was secure with 5 bars.
Overall, this piece of hardware does an excellent job of expanding the signal in my large rambling house that is hard to cover with wireless. I will order at least one more of these to hopefully cover my entire place.
Linksys has obviously made some significant improvements in the setup but I would not have purchased this unit except for some of the excellent reviews, particularly Mr. Anthony Taylor's review. I would like to think that the many negative comments by users prompted Linksys to look at how this piece of equipment was made and that our opinions resulted in improvements. Yay us!
Also - don't forget your firmware upgrade. This unit I bought in July 2008 shipped with ver 3.01.1 dated something like 2004. The latest firmware is 3.04.1 dated June 2006. You would think that Linksys could put the latest firmware in seeing that it is 2 years old. Unless my router has been on a shelf since before that! Could that be possible? Regardless, this is a product I recommend to anyone needing to boost their wireless signal around the house or office.
Linksys August 3, 2008
Product works as stated and functions quite well - will purchase additional unit to complete need - they are wonderful and easy to use.
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