Cisco-Linksys Wireless-G Range Expander WRE54G

10 Review to this product

• 

  S. Hing
  December 23rd, 2010 on 7:25 pm

  Rating

  This was very easy to setup, however I based it on using these instructions and ignored everything else that came in the box.

  1-Disable WEP on your Router or AP
  
  2-Plug in range expander and hold the auto-configuration button for 30 seconds(if everything goes well both lights on the expander will turn blue) I did not have to do the unplug but I have left it in for reference.
  
  3-open your Internet explorer browser and type 192.168.1.240 (default ip of expander), a window will pop up. leave the user name blank and put admin as a password (this is default password). Also open up a second window for your router config settings as well.
  
  4-make sure that the default gateway and subnet mask settings are identical with your Router or AP,change password on the expander if desired & save settings. (all settings should be correct due to auto configuration).
  
  5-Enable WEP on the expander, once again remember use same settings as in your Router or AP, save settings again. Here is the only hitch – make sure you edit the security settings so that the WEP settings match your router WEP settings. You may need to jot these down prior to disabling WEP on the router in step 1. Save your WEP settings on the range expander. You may not get a confirmation box back until you have enabled WEP on your router.
  
  6-Go to your Router or Ap settings and enable WEP. Bang you’re DONE. Enjoy
• 

  Anonymous
  December 24th, 2010 on 7:17 pm

  Rating

  I don’t normally write reviews, but I felt compelled to do so after dealing with Linksys’ incompetent customer service representatives. I purchased this wireless range extender to complement a Linksys WRT54G router. After following the auto configuration instructions as well as the manual setup instructions, the extender still would not work. On top of that, it disrupted the connection my wireless computers already had! I decided to contact customer service. The first representative, who barely spoke coherent English, made me perform for 20 minutes the same steps I already had done (as if I couldn’t read the instructions), put me on hold, then hung up on me. The second rep. either had no idea what I was asking or had no clue what to do. The first thing the third rep. asked me was the version of my router’s firmware. It turns out that it was outdated and I needed an updated version. After updating that, the extender configured itself and my network range increased dramatically. This item is definitely worth the price. So please, if you purchase this product, update your router’s firmware from the Linksys website.
• 

  Ishmael
  December 25th, 2010 on 8:54 pm

  Rating

  I purchased this product against the advice of several computer geeks who warned me not to waste my money. My home wireless network had some areas where the signal was either “very weak” or nonexistent, severely limiting the usefulness of my laptop. Some of the “experts” I spoke with suggested fixes which would cost in the range of $400.00, so I thought I’d have little to loose in trying the WRE54G range expander. The set-up is a breeze, just plug it in and push a button (I didn’t need the enclosed CD setup wizard). It’s that simple. The signal which had been “very weak” or nonexistent is now “excellent” or “very good”. I’m extremely satisfied with this product. I’ve never taken the time to write a review before, but the range expander is so good that I wanted to share my experience.
• 

  M. Banti
  December 27th, 2010 on 2:36 am

  Rating

  I have a WRT54G wireless router in my home but unfortunately it was not covering all the rooms where my family members needed wireless access. I tried the Linksys high-gain antennas (don’t waste your $$$ or money) and the Hawkings Technology antennas (worked ok but doesn’t improve signal that much). With these options exausted I turned to the Linksys Range Expander (WRE54G) and it seems to have done the trick.

  I was worried about the setup since many peoples’ reviews stated difficulty in setting up the expander. I honestly had no problem setting up the device. I plugged the range expander into the router then pressed auto-configuration and it was all set. Setup time is a max of 15 min.

  Summary: The expander works well and does improve signal strength to areas that were otherwise unreachable. The setup is simple and max time to be up and running is 15 min.
• 

  James Dellinger
  December 28th, 2010 on 10:27 am

  Rating

  this product performs flawlessly and exceeded my expectations. After trying an antenna switch the wireless expander did the trick
• 

  R. Yurkovic
  December 29th, 2010 on 5:26 am

  Rating

  I just purchased and installed the WRE54G V2 unit. I waited for the version 2 (just out a month ago) because it is an easy setup for wireless access points using WPA security. Linksys customer service (NOT the OUTSOURCED TECH SUPPORT) advised me that since I was running WPA security, I needed version 2 and then told me how to identify the Version 2 box in the store. The customer service guys know the unit much better than the tech support people and that made the sale.

  In a store, if you look on the box packaging, check out the back and look for an ethernet connection on the front of WRE54G (in the photo) with a ethernet cable protruding from it. That is version 2 – version 1 does not have ethernet connectivity and does not show a cable coming out of the front. The back of the expander unit itself will say WRE54G Version 2 as the model number, but you have to open the box to see that. Some stores have them in stock and some do not yet. Ordering online is obviously tricky so I went to the store (something I usually do not do). It would be nice if online vendors would show the version number … that would have been a sale.

  Very EASY installation with WPA security engaged on the WAP54G V2 access point while installing the expander. I advise using the CD installation method on your PC as opposed to using the auto-setup button to ensure a flawless and easy installation. Just follow the steps, done in several minutes. Works as described … secure 802.11g/b reaches to far corners and multiple floors.
• 

  Otis
  December 29th, 2010 on 10:52 am

  Rating

  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 would order more of these to hopefully cover my entire place but it appears to have a fixed (default) IP so more than one of them would cause an IP conflict. I need to check this issue out…

  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.
  
• 

  Michael
  December 29th, 2010 on 4:26 pm

  Rating

  Very easy to set up. Plug it in, hold down the automatic setup button, and it’s good to go. Extended the range of the network significantly.
• 

  AR
  December 30th, 2010 on 8:46 am

  Rating

  With help from tips here, I was able to get up and running in less than 1/2 hour. What I have found missing from many reviews is the router (and version number if Linksys) that they are using as well as the firmware version. This may explain setup nightmares that many have had.

  This set of instructions (found below) was used to get my setup running in 1/2 hour. I have a Linksys WRT54GS 801.b/g router with Speedbooster version 1.1 (found on the bottom of the router). This is basically the same as the WRT54G router. I am using Firmware v4.70.6, May. 26, 2005 (found in the Status area of the setup page URL 192.168.1.1 using password, “admin” to access).

  This is exactly what I did to get up and running with the WRE54G ver 2 range expander:

  1. Download the latest Linksys firmware for your router and WRE54G (for later use). You will need to know the version number of your router and WRE54G (found on bottom of both devices). You can get the updates at http://www.Linksys.com/downloads. Once you download the router file, you need to go to the online Router Settings page to select the file and update the router. The default URL is http://192.168.1.1/ with “admin” as the password. Go to the ADMINISTRATION tab at the top and then FIRMWARE UPGRADE. Then browse to find the file you just downloaded and hit UPGRADE.

  2. While you are still in the settings, disable the wireless security that you (should have) had on your network router. This is TEMPORARY.

  3. Open box and plug range extender into an AC outlet near/next to your existing router (not at the edge of your wireless network).

  4. Hit the autoconfig button. I did NOT have to hold the button in for 30 seconds as others did. I just hit it once for about 1-2 seconds. I also did not unplug the WRE54G from the A/C wall outlet. Wait for both lights to turn blue.

  5. Using the wired computer with the router, connect to the range extender settings page at http://192.168.1.240 using “admin” as password. You can change the password and save it. Your SSID on the expander should be the same as your router network.

  6. Update the firmware of the WRE54G by going to the Help TAB at the top of the settings screen. Not the HELP link on the left of the page. This takes a long time. Be patient.

  7. Turn on WEP on the range extender and save the WEP key somewhere because you need to use the same one on the router.

  8. Turn on WEP on the existing router using the aforementioned URL and unplug your WRE54G from the A/C outlet and go put at the edge of your network. Both lights should turn blue when you plug it in. Everthing worked fine for me but I did have trouble accessing the settings page from the wired computer once I moved the WRE54G. However, both lights are blue and I now have an extended network for wireless use upstairs.
• 

  mrcisco
  December 30th, 2010 on 10:29 am

  Rating

  1) download BOTH the latest firmware for your WRT54G broadband router AND the WRE54G expander from Linksys’s website.

  2) use the web based setup on the router and make sure WEP and mac filtering is off at this time.

  3) upgrade the firmware first with the router, then the expander.

  4) hit the autoconfig on the expander and the red light will turn to blue, meaning it’s working.

  5) reenable WEP and mac filtering on the router thru the web based setup. That’s it!

  If any of this terminology seems foreign to you, have someone do it for you because it is not difficult and I was up and running within 10 minutes.