Review on 🔗 Cisco-Linksys WRT54GX4: Next-Generation Wireless-G Broadband Router with Enhanced SRX400 Technology by Shawn Jimenez

I reviewed the following Linksys products: WRT300N Wireless-N Broadband Router paired with WUSB300N Wireless-N USB Network Adapter; and a WRT54GX4 Wireless-G Broadband Router with SRX400 paired with a USB Wireless-G Network Adapter with SRX400 (WUSB54GX4). A review of the available customer/owner comments on Revain, as well as elsewhere, revealed a fairly consistent story: unless you have big 11n needs, don't worry about the WRT300N or worry about replacing your SRX400 11g router upgrade . When comparing the SRX400 11g router to the WRT300N 11n router, there were some disappointments in terms of signal strength. The SRX400 is winning, at least for now. According to several independent sources, the signal strength of the 11n router is much lower than that of the SRX400 11g. I have to agree In addition, the SRX400 11g is a very stable, mature product that is well researched and has an extensive experience base that can be a useful resource. Although the SRX400 signaling mode is a proprietary protocol, the Linksys 11g SRX400 also supports open standards such as plain vanilla 11g and 11b. Since SRX400 is a proprietary protocol, I also bought a Linksys WUSB54GX4 SRX400 wireless client so I don't have to spend a lot of time on integration and testing, ie the hassle of connecting. I also wanted to use the Linksys SRX400 signaling protocol as it offers excellent range and uses an adaptive transmit/receive algorithm to achieve optimal signal strength. For simple applications such as SOHO and consumer requirements, the 11g SRX400 is recommended. My previous WAP was a Microsoft 11g (discontinued) MN-700 module. The main issues with the replacement were: (1) poor signal strength, (2) lack of WPA2 support, and (3) lack of firmware updates (important for security and stability). The Linksys 11g SRX400 meets these requirements. Using the MN-700, the nominal speed between this PC and the MN-700 Access Point was 15 to 20 Mbit/s with a typical signal strength of 40 to 50 percent, but there have been deviations of up to 20 percent or less based on recent ones Experiences with broken connections. With the Linksys 11g SRX400, the speed is 240 Mbit/s and the signal strength is constantly over 100%. Given the Linksys 11g SRX400's market presence, it would be fairly easy to add a range extender or upgraded antennas to get a better signal. However, in my situation where the wireless signal goes through multiple interior walls with no problem, I don't need to do this. I have to say that the Linksys 11g SRX400 is very reliable. A very high throughput was achieved when using WPA2-AES encryption. A full-length WPA2-PSK is also allowed, which some WAPs don't allow. In my opinion, it's good to take care to use full-length WPA2, AES, and PSK when transferring your personal data wirelessly. Admittedly, my external internet connection isn't 240Mbps (I wish I was), but the Linksys 11g SRX400 answered all of my questions. Also, it was very easy to set up. I'm very careful (and admittedly picky) about reviewing and tweaking the settings of such devices, especially in terms of stability, performance, security, and reliability. I was pleasantly surprised that all the settings and adjustments were made very quickly. If I was in a hurry and didn't take the time to study it closely, I was able to set up a Linksys SRX400 router and have it up and running in 5-10 minutes max including breaks with no problems. Of course, I know pretty well what I'm doing in detail, but even a beginner with some technical knowledge can easily follow the guide and go through the whole process without frustration and get good results. I'll probably continue the 11g signal to the end of the block, or maybe even further. A few feature notes: I rate the SRX400 11g's logging options as excellent. There's plenty of visibility if that's what you want. It would be nice if the WAP/firewall emailed these logs somewhere for inspection. I would like to see the ability to tweak and closely monitor the internal firewall, for example to be able to define policy rules per service and make exceptions for specific external static IP addresses. However, it supports DMZ setting or even opening ports if needed for gaming etc. but I wouldn't recommend it in my case as it causes security and integrity issues. I checked the security of the WAP/firewall from an external location and it passed these tests with flying colors (although regular rescans are recommended to ensure nothing has changed). I haven't tested it to see if an enterprise-style VPN will work with it; For example, use IPSec VPN even though the firewall settings allow IPSec pass-through as well as other VPN modes. So I assume this works. Another indicator is that I've noticed that it's pretty fast in terms of throughput in router mode from a system with a direct (wired) internet connection. While I can't provide specific test results, my estimate is that it's at least 25 percent faster than the MN-700. Setting up the web interface was very easy. You can easily configure your SRX400 11g WAP/Router/Firewall in a DHCP or Static IP configuration. I updated the firmware from the Linksys website with no problems (important for troubleshooting). Finally, the SRX400 11g WAP/Router/Firewall made my most demanding customer happy, the one on my 1 minute answer list, my wife. She just wants to use her system to do what she's trying to do (what a thought) to understand how it all works from a technical standpoint. All in all, the SRX400 11g router along with the WUSB54GX4 SRX400 wireless client is a very solid combination that will not frustrate the discerning customer who has very little tolerance for computer nonsense. Conclusion: The Linksys 11g SRX400 router and WUSB54GX4 SRX400 wireless client met my expectations, and they are not low. They work great in "set it and forget it" mode.