Hello all,
This being my first ever review on internet, please accept a few mistakes here and there. Not really sure how to post a review, quite confused on how to create pages and stuff. Anyhow, weeks later since i retardedly bricked my Buffalo WHR G125 router, bought a new one : It is the latest Wireless-G broadband router called Linksys WRT54G2 Broadband Wireless-G router
Please ignore the dates, it got reset when i swapped the memory card :ashamed:
This one is a bit wierd looking space-ship thats landed in the market recently.
Mind you that it does not have any external antennae and the biggest irony is that on the box its mentioned "Range-Plus - Ultra range". Its been embedded in our minds that an external antennae = better range. To my surprise, when compared to Buffalo G125, the range is indeed great. I will not be comparing this router with any router here, but will be sharing my experience with buffalo G125 and WRT54G2 in bits and pieces.
[BREAK=Specification and Packaging]
Specification:
The package :
Packaging was really very nice. Under the thin cardboard there was a white hardbox provided. The moment i opened i saw a cute envelope with minimum documentation (i personally hate to read thick manuals). Just three leaflets in that envelope and the installation disk in a black CD cover made it stand out!
Ok, Enough of the praises. Here are the snaps..
The CD & Documentation Envelope
Accessories:
1x Linksys WRT54G2 Broadband Wireless-G router
3x Leaflets of Documentation nicely packed in an envelope with an installation CD
1x Power Cord
1x 110V Power Cord
1x Ethernet Cable (Cat 5E)
[BREAK=The Router]
The Installation part took around 5-7 minutes after unpacking the stuff. To set-up the router, you can either use the supplied software on the CD-ROM – LELA (Linksys EasyLink Advisor) – or just log-in to it via your browser. Put in the CD and followed the instructions which then asked me to connect the wires. My setup is in such a way that I have connected my PC via ethernet and my laptop is connected on a wireless connection. The moment i connected everything all i had to do is press the only button on the router
to detect my network and provide me an ip address and voila!, I was able to surf the internet without any issues.
I will come to the admin console part later.
When comparing the transfer speeds on local network with the Buffalo G125, there was no visible difference between the transfer speed. The transfer speeds on Buffalo was around 2.2 Mbps on Excellent wireless signals, and 2.5-2.7 Mbps on the LinksysG2. Not much of a difference IMO.
Physically, the router is a serious turn off for me, when it comes to looks. some people may like it but most of us would be unhappy with the design. It looks more like an steam-iron instead of a router. Like any other router, this one comes equipped with 4 Ethernet ports thus qualifying as a router. The weight of this router should be around 600 Grams - light as a feather and it feels you are picking up only a peice of plastic. Instructions on stickets were stuck all around, even on all the ports. I had to peel off those stickets to put in the wires. This is a must buy if you are a newbie with routers and wireless technology.
Some more pics :
Backside Design and the Ports
Front view, I liked the concept of embedded green leds on the face.
Backside sticker with more information
Sideview. It has great, effective rubber feet for such a light equipment.
[BREAK=The Admin Console]
Ok, now the interesting part. Honestly, I am a noob when it comes to networking. But when applied common sense, i can understand some part of it when it comes to networking. The admin console or whatever you may want to call it is pretty intuitive. I've never seen the older versions of linksys router consoles, hence will compare it to DD-WRT and buffalo in some places.
The day i bricked my buffalo "router". I had a glimpse of DD-WRT generic mega firmware. There is absolutely no difference when it comes to comparing the router console of this linksys router and the DD-WRT firmware. It just like its twin brother with cosmetic differences. Every feature/option is placed exactly like DD-WRT.
Look alike DD-WRT!
admin status page
Port forwarding option.
Update:
Security Features:
Tested the security part of this router.
Got a lot of options when it comes to security. I first tried my hands on WPA2 and it was easier than i thought. First I disconnected my already connected router from the wireless network and then pressed and held the reset button for 5 seconds till the LAN1/Power lights blinked on the router and thats about it !. My network is now secured with WPA2 (default) security, turned on the wireless on my laptop and it configured it alongside. It was never so easy with Buffalo i guess. I did not try out other security options as the configuration part is almost the same mentioned above.
Next, I tried with MAC filter security option.
This is such a good option when it comes to a small number of clients connected to a wi-fi network, but when it comes to more clients it gets too time consuming and gets out of hand while maintaining so many MAC IDs!
Noted down the MAC ID of my desktop and my laptop. Entered both of them in the admin console MAC filter list, restarted the network by rebooting the router from the admin console and it was done!.
I tested the same with my Iphone. I turned on the Wi-Fi and searched for the Linksys connection, and as I expected the Iphone did not detect any wireless connection!.
This is not it, there were about 10 more options regarding security which I did not try out.
Security is the most significant part of any wireless router. Nobody would like to leech your bandwidth when you are paying a mammoth amount of money. Apologies for not emphasizing on it more as i dont have much knowledge on it. But when it comes to home usage, WPA2 serves its purpose nicely, and its been implemented really nicely by this router.
Port Forwarding:
I would like to give a bit more importance to this feature when compared to buffalo. I usually have to open a plethora of ports to play battlefield 2. In buffalo, the firmware had the option of port forwarding, but there were limitations to it.
Here is an excerpt from portforward.com website regarding Buffalo G125.
Speeds & Wireless range:
Again, comparing the speeds in Buffalo in downloading files from internet saw a massive improvement. When downloading a 20 MB file through Buffalo using DAP, the speeds were never stable always ranging from 25-40 kpbs and never went above that. Sometimes the speeds dipped tremendously slow till a darned 5 kbps for no reason!. I suffered frequent disconnections when downloading/transferring files locally.
When i tried to download the same file from the same server using DAP using LinksysG2, the speeds were miraculously touching 60-64 kbps and never dipped down. When it comes to local file transfers, its like any other router. 2.5-2.7 Mbps when transferring a 600 MB file is not bad as compared to 1.69 (avg)mbps in buffalo. I am not sure if you fellow members are experiencing similar issues with Buffalo G125. Maybe a bad piece or my bad luck. I know, that this kind of comparison can be done only by a noob, but no harm in trying ..right?
Talking about the Wireless signal range, I found it better that buffalo G125 in every way. I have the router in a small rectangle room (4wx25b feet) kep right on top of my cabinet. First, i went to the adjacent room which is separated by a small sliding window and a wooden sliding door which is open all the time : Signal strength > Excellent. Next, I went to my lobby which is seperated by a thick wall : Signal strength > Excellent!
Next i went 2 rooms away diagonally from the router> Signal strength > Good (4 bars out of 5)!!.. and finally went to the kitchen which is the farthest i can go in my house, (a bit more far would have rendered fractured limbs
) : Signal strength > Fair!. The same testing was done with the buffalo and it gave up when i reached 2 feet before the kitchen.
[BREAK=Conclusion]
Still a lot to talk about this router and its feature, a lot of things may be missed when compiling this review. But, till now I am satisfied if not happy with this router. There is no theoretical data shown. All i have mentioned are the true figures coming from normal usage of this router. I still have to explore the abundant features which this router has to give, It only a few hours since i got this router from lamington.
All in all, i would say this router is well worth the money if you want to try out something different. There are a few who are brand loyal. I am one of them, but you people know how our technically obsessed minds wander, longing to unpack new gadgets and getting to know new features et all.
Advantages : The whole review was pretty one-sided.. :lol:
Disadvantages :
None, really. Mostly the performance is what we look out for when it comes to buying a router, and this router gives its competitors a run for their money. I has its own set of flaws, where every other router shares the same.
No heating issues at all.
I personally found this router well worth the money.
Priced at Rs.2400/- at lamington road, Mumbai. Its a bit expensive as compared to other similar routers, but I have never seen linksys getting lower than Rs.2200 for any router.
If you ask me to rate this, its going to be :
Value : Êš Êš Êš Êš
Performance : Êš Êš Êš Êš Êš
Ease of Use : Êš Êš Êš Êš
Overall : Êš Êš Êš Êš
Ending this review here, i would welcome any sorts of comments that would help me correct this review and my knowledge :hap2:
Thanks for reading!
BTE a.k.a Anish
This being my first ever review on internet, please accept a few mistakes here and there. Not really sure how to post a review, quite confused on how to create pages and stuff. Anyhow, weeks later since i retardedly bricked my Buffalo WHR G125 router, bought a new one : It is the latest Wireless-G broadband router called Linksys WRT54G2 Broadband Wireless-G router
Please ignore the dates, it got reset when i swapped the memory card :ashamed:
This one is a bit wierd looking space-ship thats landed in the market recently.
Mind you that it does not have any external antennae and the biggest irony is that on the box its mentioned "Range-Plus - Ultra range". Its been embedded in our minds that an external antennae = better range. To my surprise, when compared to Buffalo G125, the range is indeed great. I will not be comparing this router with any router here, but will be sharing my experience with buffalo G125 and WRT54G2 in bits and pieces.
[BREAK=Specification and Packaging]
Specification:
The package :
Packaging was really very nice. Under the thin cardboard there was a white hardbox provided. The moment i opened i saw a cute envelope with minimum documentation (i personally hate to read thick manuals). Just three leaflets in that envelope and the installation disk in a black CD cover made it stand out!
Ok, Enough of the praises. Here are the snaps..
The CD & Documentation Envelope
Accessories:
1x Linksys WRT54G2 Broadband Wireless-G router
3x Leaflets of Documentation nicely packed in an envelope with an installation CD
1x Power Cord
1x 110V Power Cord
1x Ethernet Cable (Cat 5E)
[BREAK=The Router]
The Installation part took around 5-7 minutes after unpacking the stuff. To set-up the router, you can either use the supplied software on the CD-ROM – LELA (Linksys EasyLink Advisor) – or just log-in to it via your browser. Put in the CD and followed the instructions which then asked me to connect the wires. My setup is in such a way that I have connected my PC via ethernet and my laptop is connected on a wireless connection. The moment i connected everything all i had to do is press the only button on the router
to detect my network and provide me an ip address and voila!, I was able to surf the internet without any issues.
I will come to the admin console part later.
When comparing the transfer speeds on local network with the Buffalo G125, there was no visible difference between the transfer speed. The transfer speeds on Buffalo was around 2.2 Mbps on Excellent wireless signals, and 2.5-2.7 Mbps on the LinksysG2. Not much of a difference IMO.
Physically, the router is a serious turn off for me, when it comes to looks. some people may like it but most of us would be unhappy with the design. It looks more like an steam-iron instead of a router. Like any other router, this one comes equipped with 4 Ethernet ports thus qualifying as a router. The weight of this router should be around 600 Grams - light as a feather and it feels you are picking up only a peice of plastic. Instructions on stickets were stuck all around, even on all the ports. I had to peel off those stickets to put in the wires. This is a must buy if you are a newbie with routers and wireless technology.
Some more pics :
Backside Design and the Ports
Front view, I liked the concept of embedded green leds on the face.
Backside sticker with more information
Sideview. It has great, effective rubber feet for such a light equipment.
[BREAK=The Admin Console]
Ok, now the interesting part. Honestly, I am a noob when it comes to networking. But when applied common sense, i can understand some part of it when it comes to networking. The admin console or whatever you may want to call it is pretty intuitive. I've never seen the older versions of linksys router consoles, hence will compare it to DD-WRT and buffalo in some places.
The day i bricked my buffalo "router". I had a glimpse of DD-WRT generic mega firmware. There is absolutely no difference when it comes to comparing the router console of this linksys router and the DD-WRT firmware. It just like its twin brother with cosmetic differences. Every feature/option is placed exactly like DD-WRT.
Look alike DD-WRT!
admin status page
Port forwarding option.
Update:
Security Features:
Tested the security part of this router.
Got a lot of options when it comes to security. I first tried my hands on WPA2 and it was easier than i thought. First I disconnected my already connected router from the wireless network and then pressed and held the reset button for 5 seconds till the LAN1/Power lights blinked on the router and thats about it !. My network is now secured with WPA2 (default) security, turned on the wireless on my laptop and it configured it alongside. It was never so easy with Buffalo i guess. I did not try out other security options as the configuration part is almost the same mentioned above.
Next, I tried with MAC filter security option.
This is such a good option when it comes to a small number of clients connected to a wi-fi network, but when it comes to more clients it gets too time consuming and gets out of hand while maintaining so many MAC IDs!
Noted down the MAC ID of my desktop and my laptop. Entered both of them in the admin console MAC filter list, restarted the network by rebooting the router from the admin console and it was done!.
I tested the same with my Iphone. I turned on the Wi-Fi and searched for the Linksys connection, and as I expected the Iphone did not detect any wireless connection!.
This is not it, there were about 10 more options regarding security which I did not try out.
Security is the most significant part of any wireless router. Nobody would like to leech your bandwidth when you are paying a mammoth amount of money. Apologies for not emphasizing on it more as i dont have much knowledge on it. But when it comes to home usage, WPA2 serves its purpose nicely, and its been implemented really nicely by this router.
Port Forwarding:
I would like to give a bit more importance to this feature when compared to buffalo. I usually have to open a plethora of ports to play battlefield 2. In buffalo, the firmware had the option of port forwarding, but there were limitations to it.
Here is an excerpt from portforward.com website regarding Buffalo G125.
DMZ did not help me much as the most important port (16567-9 TCP/UDP) as not getting forwarded by buffalo G125. But when I tried the same in Linksys G2. I immediately saw a difference of pings from 270-310 to a much playable 230-260 pings, just when i opened 16567 (TCP/UCP). My purpose is well met at this point.
Speeds & Wireless range:
Again, comparing the speeds in Buffalo in downloading files from internet saw a massive improvement. When downloading a 20 MB file through Buffalo using DAP, the speeds were never stable always ranging from 25-40 kpbs and never went above that. Sometimes the speeds dipped tremendously slow till a darned 5 kbps for no reason!. I suffered frequent disconnections when downloading/transferring files locally.
When i tried to download the same file from the same server using DAP using LinksysG2, the speeds were miraculously touching 60-64 kbps and never dipped down. When it comes to local file transfers, its like any other router. 2.5-2.7 Mbps when transferring a 600 MB file is not bad as compared to 1.69 (avg)mbps in buffalo. I am not sure if you fellow members are experiencing similar issues with Buffalo G125. Maybe a bad piece or my bad luck. I know, that this kind of comparison can be done only by a noob, but no harm in trying ..right?
Talking about the Wireless signal range, I found it better that buffalo G125 in every way. I have the router in a small rectangle room (4wx25b feet) kep right on top of my cabinet. First, i went to the adjacent room which is separated by a small sliding window and a wooden sliding door which is open all the time : Signal strength > Excellent. Next, I went to my lobby which is seperated by a thick wall : Signal strength > Excellent!
Next i went 2 rooms away diagonally from the router> Signal strength > Good (4 bars out of 5)!!.. and finally went to the kitchen which is the farthest i can go in my house, (a bit more far would have rendered fractured limbs
) : Signal strength > Fair!. The same testing was done with the buffalo and it gave up when i reached 2 feet before the kitchen. [BREAK=Conclusion]
Still a lot to talk about this router and its feature, a lot of things may be missed when compiling this review. But, till now I am satisfied if not happy with this router. There is no theoretical data shown. All i have mentioned are the true figures coming from normal usage of this router. I still have to explore the abundant features which this router has to give, It only a few hours since i got this router from lamington.
All in all, i would say this router is well worth the money if you want to try out something different. There are a few who are brand loyal. I am one of them, but you people know how our technically obsessed minds wander, longing to unpack new gadgets and getting to know new features et all.
Advantages : The whole review was pretty one-sided.. :lol:
Disadvantages :
None, really. Mostly the performance is what we look out for when it comes to buying a router, and this router gives its competitors a run for their money. I has its own set of flaws, where every other router shares the same.
No heating issues at all.
I personally found this router well worth the money.
Priced at Rs.2400/- at lamington road, Mumbai. Its a bit expensive as compared to other similar routers, but I have never seen linksys getting lower than Rs.2200 for any router.
If you ask me to rate this, its going to be :
Value : Êš Êš Êš Êš
Performance : Êš Êš Êš Êš Êš
Ease of Use : Êš Êš Êš Êš
Overall : Êš Êš Êš Êš
Ending this review here, i would welcome any sorts of comments that would help me correct this review and my knowledge :hap2:
Thanks for reading!
BTE a.k.a Anish
!! ... as for the performance regarding its elder brother WRT54G.. is almost similar. The range is way better than the older version(the one with 2 antennae). The console is a great improvement when compared to the older version and also Buffalo 125. This ones the winner.
. I will create a new thread regarding the same. It will be worth the experiment 
