Comments on: Linksys WTR-54GS: Making Travel Better for Internet Junkies

By: Bricking my Linksys WTR-54GS | thingelstad.com

Bricking my Linksys WTR-54GS | thingelstad.com — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:49:37 +0000

[...] had a Linksys WTR-54GS for a while now. I’ve used it quiet a bit. It’s nice to get to a hotel that doesn’t have wireless and pop the WTR-54GS in and [...]

By: Jamie

Jamie — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 20:15:26 +0000

@Hadar,

I should have put that in the original write-up. I found that out right away when I was at home and thought I would bridge my WPA2 network here — no dice. I’m guessing it’s now about horsepower doing it but is instead just a limitation of the firmware.

Oddly, if you go to the Linksys website my unit actually had newer firmware preinstalled than what they claimed could be downloaded. Very odd.

By: Hadar Pedhazur

Hadar Pedhazur — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 19:53:53 +0000

OK, so I got mine about a week ago, and only today had a chance to set it up.

I like it, and I understand the one shortcoming that I’m about to report on, but still, it would have been nice…

While the device can indeed bridge two wireless networks, the source network has to be open. If the source has a WEP key, no dice.

For most hotels, no biggie, and I get that WEP requires horsepower, but still, it’s a tiny missing touch.

Thanks again for the recommendation!

By: Jamie

Jamie — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 01:47:46 +0000

@Hector: So, so true.

By: Jamie

Jamie — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 01:47:17 +0000

@Hadar: Your thinking of the Airport Express. I have two of the Airport Extreme units at home and like them a lot. I wouldn’t consider an Airport Express for this because it cannot route to another wireless network (as you mentioned) and secondly because the administration happens via a Mac OS application and not a web browser. I didn’t want to have to always have a Mac in order to use the travel router.

By: hector guatemala

hector guatemala — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 21:59:02 +0000

this is the reason why people stay up till 3am in the big NYC – too many gadgets, too many wifis, too much interneto. I’d suggest a few cookies, a glass of milk, and a nice pillow instead of a mini-I-router-connection-internet-router.

By: Hadar Pedhazur

Hadar Pedhazur — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 16:29:23 +0000

OK, you sold me! I just ordered one from Amazon for $37.99! Crazy price, includes free shipping!

Here’s what sold me. I have many (too many) WiFi Routers. They’re not this small, but who cares. None of them bridge wireless networks. I stay at a number of hotels that only offer wireless, and this device seems to handle that situation as well.

Thanks for letting us all know!

One surprise (for me) is that you’re not running around with the similarly sized Apple Airport thingy. Perhaps it’s not as versatile, I’m not sure…