Home > Consumer Reviews > Linksys Wireless-G Ethernet Bridge with 5-port Switch WET54GS5

Put away those silly game adaptors you're trying to get to work as a bridge for multiple ethernet devices. This is the genuine article. I first attached it to my laptop with an ethernet cable. Ran the CD configurator. I set the IP address to one that I wanted. Uploaded the latest firmware that I had already had downloded from the net. Entered the web interface and finished seting up a few minor things including the site survey.
Then I put the bridge in place to serve a ethernet enabled Tivo and ReplayTV. I was able to immediately able to access both the Tivo and ReplayTV. I setup WPA-PSK and it has been operating 5x5 ever since. One of the thngs I like about this bridge is that it supports QoS which is important for streaming media and VoIP. The bridge seems to be fairly simple to get setup and running, but has multiple menus which control things which are way over my head. One tip is that the default user name and password is admin and not just the password as implied in the manual. Now I just gotta figure out what I'm gonna stick in the other 3 ports.

Update 7/13/05 WPA gave up the ghost after 3 days. I had to reboot it a few times to get it to work after disabling WPA.

I got the Linksys wireless bridge working very quickly and with no real issues was able to establish a link with WPA-level encryption.
A day later, the unit started dropping connections left and right. I spent a few phone calls and chat sessions talking to Linksys tech support and then happened upon the solution all by myself.
AMBIENT HEAT FROM OTHER DEVICES KILLS THESE THINGS! If you're experiencing issues with this device, first make sure you've got the latest firmware. Then, check the temperature of the case. I found that setting it on top of my TiVo was enough to cause it to go haywire in a little over an hour. I took it off and placed it on the entertainment center shelf and, voila! no problems. Steady connection.

There was a glaring problem with this unit and WPA security until they released firmware version 4.9.1 recently. It has been running stable in my home network for 2 months now. The AP its connected to is a D-Link DGL4300 with an antenna booster (they are separated by a floor and 30 feet). I have our email and web server connected to the bridge and it works great. Until the 200mbit HomePlug devices come out, this is the best solution this side of CAT-5 cable runs.

I use this compact Wireless G bridge to connect my ReplayTV and two laptops in my home office to a Linksys Wireless G router (WRT54GS) in the living room. Installation was easy and it works beautifully, even when streaming video between my two ReplayTV units.

The Bridge itself is quite small: about 5" wide, 4" deep, and 1" tall--about half the size of my wireless router. The case is metal, not plastic, and seems built to last.

If you just need to add wireless connectivity to a single component, a wireless G adapter would be cheaper. But to network several co-located components (and leave USB and PC-card slots free), this Ethernet bridge offers a great alternative.

I have purchased additional products from Linksys, WGA54G Game Adapter, and dLink, DGL-3420 Game Adapter, in order to connect my PS2 to the internet. I was unable to get either adapter to work and had almost totally given up trying to when I found this product on Amazon's website, so I figured I would give it one more try. Well, after two hours of setting up this product I was finally able to have my PS2 access the internet. The reason for the length of time in the set-up is partly because of previous bad experiences and Linksys's lack of good documentation related to the Infrastructure setting vs. Ad-Hoc setting. On all my previous Linksys products I have had to choose my channel setting as well as whether I was running a B, G, or mixed network, however you are unable to choose these settings within Infrastructure mode. Nowhere is this mentioned in the documentation or on the their website. Basically, you need to ignore how your home wireless network is set up and just choose Infrastructure mode for access to your router. The lack of a chosen channel doesn't seem to affect connectivity, which after initially updating the firmware (based on other customers reviews) and updating the bridge settings, should only take a max of an hour as the web utility is very easy to use. Overall I am extremely happy with this product. I have not had any issues with a dropped connection as previous users have mentioned and I also have four remaining ethernet ports for future network expansion. For anyone wanting to connect a device with an ethernet port to their wireless network, I would highly recommend this product.