Linksys WRT54G and 54GS versions 5 and versions 6

Greetings,

Has anyone had any problems with the new Linksys WRT54G or the WRT54GS version 6 or version 5? I read some comments on the Linksys forums and people are complaining about these new versions.

One of the complaints is the DHCP capability is not working. I use DHCP to connect to the internet with my Road Runner Time Warner cable modem.

Several comments relate to the new software Linksys put in versions 5 and 6. Here is an example of one of the comments:

Since v5.0, linksys switched to a different operating system -- VxWorks. There are bugs with the switch to this new OS including dropped connections, inability to connect through vpn, etc. My recommendation would be to switch WRT54G V4.0 which is now sold as WRT54GL. L in the suffix stands for linux.

Has anyone had any problems with the new LinksysWRT54G or WRT54GS for sale in the stores at this time?

Thanks in advance for your help and comments.

Leigh

Reply to
Leigh
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You may want to consider being a CAB like me (Cheap A** B******).. They have the older G models at some walmarts (v2 thru v4) for $48..... At many other stores they have the new/improved ones :( V5/6 for like $90....

Reply to
Peter Pan

"Leigh" hath wroth:

Yes, I've had problems. I've posted rants on the subject before: |

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the firmware with DD_WRT did not help with the hangs and weirdness. I returned the routers for credit and bought something else.

Reference? Google to the rescue: |

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's using old firmware. Not much else in the way of DHCP problems that cannot be blamed on something else. Reference?

The V5 and V6 router are also somewhat different hardware. There's a comparison of the various WRT54G/GS mutations on:

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but the site appears to be down at the moment.

The real question is whether the v5 and v6 routers can be fixed or tolerated. Methinks not. My guess(tm) is that most of the feature related problems are in the firmware and can be solved by switching to DD-WRT or OpenWRT firmware. However, I also suspect that the basic reliability problems (hangs, crashes, dropouts, etc) are in the hardware and cannot be easily fixed. I haven't wasted the time trying to make the distinction.

At this time, my neighbor is running a WRT54G v5 using the Linksys firmware. He doesn't want me playing with his wireless for fear that I might do something evil or send him a bill for my time. So, he's running the classic "Linksys zero configuration" setup, which means absolutely no security, no setting changes, Channel 6, no firmware updates, and no encryption. My laptops frequently connect to his WRT54G instead of mine. When he's not home, I like to use his router for testing. I can't do any streaming video for more than a few minutes without hanging his router. Quite often, I get a connection and IP address, but no traffic. IPSec VPN through his router doesn't work for some odd reason, although PPTP VPN does.

Search Google for "WRT54G v5 problem". 47,000 hits. For hardship cases, try searching for "WRT54G v5 sucks". 947 hits.

Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

Jeff,

Thanks for your comments, help and references. I will read those.

What brand of wireless router would you recommend.

I would like to configure a wireless router with encryption and security protection. I have two desktops that are not wireless capable that I need to connect to the router. Also, I have two notebook computers that are wireless capable that I would like to use their wireless capability.

Thanks in advance for your comments and recommendations.

Leigh

Reply to
Leigh

Hi, WRT54G v.5 worked couple hours out of box and quit cold. Bought it from Office Depot on sale with mail-in 20.00 rebate. I returned it and got an older WRT54GS v.4, loaded 3rd party firmware which works rock solid. Still I got rebate check in the mail the other day.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

Because of all the complaints about the WRT54G v5 & 6, I decided to test one for myself. I am currently using version 5 and have been using it for about a month and a half. So far so good. I have 2 wireless laptops and 1 wired desktop connected to it. With WPA-PSK (AES) encryption enabled, both laptops connect to it quickly. My passphrase is a nonsense and 62 characters in length. I can walk all over my two story house and even outside and still stay connected at a decent rate. The wired desktop that the kids use works great also. Now, my only gripe is that every now and then, it hangs. Don't get me wrong. All device connected to it retrieves the correct IP address, for some reason, it prevents the devices from accessing the internet for about 30 seconds or so. I've updated the firmware to the latest version. As Jeff pointed out, it could be firmware and Hardware related. For me, it's not an issue. If it becomes a problem, I could always swap it out with one of the many spare wireless routers I have in my closet. Anyway, other than that, the device works very well.

Reply to
Doug Jamal

"Leigh" hath wroth:

If you've read any of my previous postings, you'll find that I usually only recommend hardware that I've tried and tested, and certainly not by vendor. Each manufactory has winners and losers that are made by various vendors. All the vendors have given me problems and have sold garbage in the past. They only vary by degree. Linksys in particular likes to recycle or slightly tweak model numbers in order to sneak in the latest change in supplier or design without the customer noticing. The WRT54G v5/v6 change is like this. Netgear has 6 different hardware mutations of the WGR614. I also don't make recommendations without having a clue what the customer is trying to do with the equipment. Wireless routers for bridges, hot spots, coffee shops, business, and home use are quite different. Sorry, no general recommendations.

Fine. You're new router will require WPA or WPA2. That's your security and encryption. Make sure your wireless client radios also support WPA or WPA2. WEP is NOT a suitable alternative.

Use CAT5 cable for the desktops and forget about wireless. The laptops of course will be wireless.

Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

Hi, I played with v.5 I had after making a JTAG cable. I could revive dead one after couple hours use. Main thing is, it's inability to handle more robust 3rd party firmware such as dd-wrt.(I like this one). Just did not feel right with newer v.5. Just me I guess. Back down to v.4 GS with my favoured latest dd-wrt.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

"Doug Jamal" hath wroth:

Retch. That's also why I gave up on my BEFW11S4 v4. It hung all the time. Also, I have a pair of WAP54G v3.1 boxes setup as a bridge that hang quite often. Some hang, some don't. I prefer the ones that don't.

See:

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first is my office WRT54G v3.0. The 2nd is a WRT54G v1.1. As of today, 24 days uptime in the office. The last reboot was to update the DD-WRT firmware to v23 sp2 or move some wires around (I forgot which). Prior to that, I think it was about 45 days uptime. No hangs. I have the home router set to reboot every evening so the uptimes are short. I guess I should disable that.

That might be a DNS lookup delay. If you've got Windoze shares running, and your windoze is setup to use DNS for NETBIOS local name service, you'll get such a delay while it waits for the ISP's nameserver to respond with a failed lookup.

I was about to say something clever about having spare routers. Then, I look at the pile I've accumulated at home and suspect I should try to be so clever. Most of those in the pile have some deficiency or other.

Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

Tony Hwang hath wroth:

DD-WRT has a version for V5 and v6.

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course, due to lack of working flash memory, there are some limitations.

Also see:

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Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

Hi, I believe that is reduced full version?

Reply to
Tony Hwang

(laugh) Same here. :)

Reply to
Doug Jamal

Tony Hwang hath wroth:

The v5 and v6 mutations have very little flash or working RAM. WRT54G v4 has 4MB flash and 16MB RAM. WRT54G v5 has 2MB flash and 8MB RAM. It's amazing Linux even works with so little RAM.

Inside the WRT54G/GS. See table near bottom for memory sizes: |

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Feature comparison list: |
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Side by side photo comparison of V4 and V4. |
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Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

Greetings,

Thank you to all who have answered my questions. I appreciate your help and support.

Leigh

Reply to
Leigh

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