Cisco-Linksys WAP54G Wireless-G Access Point

Update October 10, 2010I've used this WAP now for an extended period of time with generally no insurmountable problems. This is a replacement unit as the first one was returned to Linksys as faulty. When I was setting up the replacement I had to call Linksys to help me set up the WAP. It appears that the setup process can be fraught with problems.Yesterday I lost wireless access again and had to reset the WAP. Recalling the problems I had the first time, with the replacement WAP, I checked the notes I kept and also checked on line and discovered a lot of people are having problems with the setup of the WAP54G. In spite of all this I still had several hours of frustration in trying to get the laptop back in wireless operation. The installation disc never did work and I noticed one writer said to not use the disc; the following steps are a condensed summary of what I used to get back in wireless operation.The following steps finally did the job and got the laptop back in wireless operation.1. Reset the WAP using a paperclip in the reset button on back, press the reset button down until the small green light on the front of the WAP goes out and then remove the power plug for at least 10 seconds. This should restore the WAP to the default factory settings.2. Make sure your WAP is attached to the router directly, not through a switch.3. Using a computer which is attached directly to the router, open a browser window and type in 192.168.1.245, this is the default IP for the WAP and should open the settings window.4. Once the settings window is open I recommend leaving the IP in the static, default position at the above IP that worked much better for me. One thing to keep in mind is the necessity of saving any change before you go to the next window; if you don't any changes are lost. Go to security and click on reset security and it should rotate to a higher security setting as the default is no security.5. Select a name for your wireless network so you can easily identify it when you use your laptop to search for a local signal. In my area I have around 7 wireless networks available so it really helps to be able to quickly recognize yours.6. When you are done, having saved all of your changes, just close the window and you should be back in business. When I was going through my setup process I saved the IP address to my favorite places and let my computer remember the password so I could just click and be back on.7. One very important thing before you close the window; record your passphrase as you will absolutely have to have it to access your secure wireless network. You are given the option of choosing a passphrase or letting one be automatically assigned. However you do it, record it in a safe place as you will have to have it to establish a connection to your network.8. When you open your laptop, right click on your wireless connection icon and search for available networks. You will recognize the name you have given yours and select and click connect. A window will come up requiring a password and that's where you type in the passphrase you have setup for security. Your laptop should than connect to your WAP and you're in business again.Original reviewI have an Ethernet home network which is working perfectly. I decided to get a laptop and at first connected it to the network by an Ethernet cable. I had been told that in no time at all I would want to go wireless and that turned out to be true.I researched connection options as I wanted to add the wireless capability to the existing Ethernet network and found that something called a wireless access point existed. This seemed to be the right answer as I did not need another router.All of my network equipment was Linksys so I decided the Linksys WAP54G would be the best way to go. As usual, Amazon had as good a value as anyone on the equipment so I ordered it from Amazon. Once the WAP54G came in it set up and installed without any problems.I had read a lot of information about wireless security so I followed the Linksys instructions very carefully in selecting the highest level of encryption available for home use. This was not difficult to do but did require that one read the installation alternatives and proceed carefully.It is now in operation and has not given any problems. It has been interesting to note that there are 6 wireless networks in my area; three of them have no encryption at all, two of them have the lowest level of encryption, and only mine has the highest level. All that says to me is that they were not careful in setting up their security level when they installed the software.I guess the moral of this story is to carefully read and select the highest level of encryption if you don't want your network to be public.

If you need wireless access and don't need routing, then the WAP54G is a great answer. It installs in a snap, is very easy to configure (even wirelessly!), and so-far is rock-solid reliable. It provides good security with WEP/WPA and SSID can be disabled. The antennas are replaceable so you can get a pair of high-gain antennas and get a little more signal for very little scratch. Only catch is that I can't seem to get my Droid phone to do DNS lookups with Dynamic IP; all works great with static IP. Linksys chat tech support is awesome.

I bought this to provide access from my 3rd floor to a WRT54G router that moved from our 2nd floor to 1st floor when we switched from DSL to Comcast cable. Installation took a little longer than I expected, but total was less than an hour to get it all set up.Once installed, there have been no problems at all. Like all Linksys products I've used, it just keeps working perfectly. The WAP54G provides a strong, excellent signal, very good on 3rd floor, and also good on 1st floor in our kitchen.One point to note: the download speed has been a little lower, like 6MB on the WAP54G repeater, instead of 12MB on the WRT54G router connection; upload speed seems the same on both. In other words, no visible difference (at 6MB download, our browsing life is pretty sweet!).Quick summary of steps to install; I followed what "my sources" said to do, instructions at these two links:[...][...]1. BEFORE hooking up the new WAP54G: Start with login to the WRT54G router ([...] is typical IP address) to get the wireless MAC address (use the one under Status/Wireless, NOT the under Status/Router). Also get the wireless channel number and SSID (name of your wireless router).After you have the MAC address, wireless channel number, and SSID:2. I disconnected my laptop from the wireless network.3. I reset the router (plug it in to power, hold down the reset button in back with pencil point, and watch until Act light on front flickers and then goes out), then unplug the power.4. Now from your favorite web browser on your PC/Laptop navigate to [...]5. On the PC/laptop, open network connections for LAN and config TCP/IP to a specific IP address: 192.168.1.240 / 255.255.255.0. No DNS or gateway settings need to be set at this time.6. Plug in cable between PC/laptop ethernet connection (RJ45 jack, the usual one for network connecting) and the port on the back of the WAP54G.7. Plug in power to the WAP54G.....wait until lights come on, Power, Act, Link.8. Navigate laptop browser to [...] and you'll get a linksys login screen...leave the User Name blank, and enter "admin" as password.9. At this point, you are configuring the WAP54G with the wireless MAC address, channel number, and SSID saved from the WRT54G router in step 1.10. On the main page of the Web interface, change the channel number to the same one the WRT54G uses (5 in our case). As with all chgs, click save and continue.11. Click "AP Mode", select the "Wireless Repeater" radio button, and enter the WRT54G's wireless MAC address (from step 1).12. Click "Password" and change the default password (I changed to same as used for WRT54G router). After save/continue, use the new password to get back to the admin interface in browser.13. Finally, click "Basic Setup" and change the SSID (I used a different name from WRT54G router, adding a "2" to end of name, so that we could decide manually which to connect to from various points in our home. You may want to use the same name as router--supposed to be seamless--but I preferred unambiguous knowledge of which one used).14. If you use only MAC filtering for security (which I do, enough for our little home network), you are finished as MAC filtering is automatically "inherited" from the WRT54G. If you use WAP/WEP security, follow the rest of the instructions from the links above.15. Finally, disconnect the cable between PC/laptop and WAP54G. And reset your network connection (step 5) for LAN, config TCP/IP, back to DHCP or whatever you were using.

WAP54G Version 3.0Pros:- Four configuration modes (Access Point, AP Client, Wireless Repeater, and Wireless Bridge)- WEP and WPA compatibleCons:- Difficult to set up- Single RJ-45 portOverall, the WAP54G is a decent product. I am considering purchasing another WAP54G.Quick Tips:- To reset the WAP54G, press and hold the reset button for one minute or so. Still holding the reset button, disconnect the power cord and wait a few seconds before reconnecting.- Consider temporarily disabling your current network's security settings while configuring a WAP54G mode- Use the LAN MAC address located on the "Status > Wireless" page of your WRT54G/S router when configuring a WAP54G mode