Linksys WRT54GL: Best Router for Home Networks

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic by 4 people | Log in to rate

Ranked #335 in Tech & Geek, #7,087 overall

Creating a Home Network

 Whether you want to share your internet connection with someone, block or restrict p2p downloads, use wireless internet anywhere from your home, or filter unwanted content for several PCs, you will need a good router solution. I have been using WRT54GL from Linksys for a while, and I highly recommend it to anyone who needs a cheap and powerful router for their network. It's capable of doing all the things I mentioned, and more.

The Top Five Reasons WRT54GL is the Best Router 

  • It has both Wireless Access Point (802.11g at 54Mbps and 802.11b at 11Mbps) and a 4 port Ethernet full-duplex 10/100 switch for your wired devices.
  • Since WRT54GL's firmware is open source (Linux based), there are a lot of third party firmware projects, which can turn your cheap home router into something as powerful as commercial devices.
  • Linksys WRT54GL is relatively cheap - you won't go broke trying to build your home network, and it packs a lot of features for that price.
  • It is very stable, and it's 200 MHz processor is powerful enough for most home networks - as many happy users can testify.
  • WRT54GL's neat design and low power consumption is a huge improvement over using a regular PC for routing.

Buy a WRT54GL from Amazon 

If you don't believe me when I say it's the best router, just read the reviews!

Linksys-Cisco WRT54GL Wireless-G Broadband Router (Compatible with Linux)

Amazon Price: Too low to display (as of 07/04/2009)Buy Now

There are several reasons why this router is so well rated. It's stable and powerful, you can greatly enhance it using third party firmware, and it's pretty cheap, too.

Avg. Customer Rating: Amazon Rating

Comments 

poddys wrote...

Chadrew, Yes it's possible to network multiple computers through the router, you just need to right click on the folders (My Documents?) that you want to share, activate the sharing opton and then you should see the other computer on your network.
It's not quite that easy, you need to go into the network options and set up sharing first, but it's really very simple.
There are plenty of places to find a lot of detailed info if you go into Google and search.
Hope you get it set up ok.

John, nice lens. This is a great router and available at a good price too.

ReplyPosted March 19, 2008

Chadrew wrote...

Hello John,
Yes, it's definitely possible (although I haven't tried it with a wireless connection personally) and no additional hardware is needed. Just make sure you enable File Sharing on both computers. If you run into any trouble, linksysinfo.org forums are quite helpful.

ReplyPosted March 09, 2008

Lensmaster

John wrote

I've gotten a 'G' wireless router myself, with four ports for ethernet and a wifi. My desktop's ethernetted in one of the ports, and my laptop's using the WiFi, both no problem on the internet.

Is it possible to network the desktop and laptop through this hardware to access each other, or is more equipment necessary?

Reply Posted March 09, 2008

What does the web say about WRT54GL 

Linksys WRT54GL 802.11b/g WiFi Router $50 Shipped at Newegg - Dealhack
Dealhack Specials: Linksys WRT54GL 802.11b/g WiFi Router $50 Shipped at Newegg. Also links to related deals.
DSL to WRT54GL Router
Greetings! I have a DSL connection to my home, using a common RJ11 cable (or whatever the common household telephone line is) I have recently come across a Linksys Broadband Router (Model WRT54GL); Is it possible to use this router with ...
Linksys WRT54GL Wireless Router - $50 Shipped | GadgetReview
Linksys WRT54GL Wireless Router - $50 Shipped. June 15th, 2009 3:49 PM | by Christen da Costa | No Comments. THIS DEAL ENDS 6/30. Newegg has a solid deal for the Linksys WRT54GL Wireless Router. Features include a WiFi b/g, ...
Newegg Promo Code for Linksys WRT54GL | Gear Live
Linksys WRT54GL Newegg's got a deal on the Linksys WRT54GL 802.11b/g router for $49.95, selling it for $30 less than retail from now through June 15. This is a router that is a dream for DIYers, as it works great with a lot of different ...