Ross Cornett wrote:
We have used linksys and netgear and their broadband routers have not held up very well.
No matter what brand of router you're talking about, you'll find a
number of people who say "wow, that's junk" and an equal number of
people that say "wow, that's awesome."
With that disclaimer out of the way, I've actually been quite happy with
Linksys gear - as long as you buy the RIGHT Linksys gear. The
ever-popular WRT54G router went down the tubes about a year and a half
ago, for instance; we have some still in use after two or three years
(the older ones) but I've also got about a dozen of the newer ones in
the office that, frankly, I don't know what to do with. I won't give
them to customers because I /like/ my customers, and I couldn't return
them because they're not technically defective.
The Linksys WRT54GL, though, is pure concentrated awesome in a plastic
box. (Basically, after the massive public outcry, Linksys took the older
54G hardware, gave it a new part number, and added about five bucks to
the wholesale price.)
As a benefit, if you're inclined to tinker, there's lots of after-market
firmware for the WRT54GL (and older WRT54G units) that add lots of nifty
features. Heck, if you're so inclined, you can use one as an all-purpose
CPE; there are two different client modes, where you can have it operate
as a transparent bridge, or even as a wireless client/NATting router.
Obviously this disables the "access point" functionality, but that's not
necessarily a bad trade-off for a 802.11g client/router that can be had
for about sixty bucks.
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