Terrific installation help—both in the form of a quick-start guide with screenshot examples and an intuitive interface—make configuring the Linksys Wireless A WRT55AG simple. But the router lacks WPA security and showed comparatively poor performance.

Initial Configuration and Documentation

The setup wizard for the WRT55AG is extremely intuitive and easy to complete. An equally helpful wizard guides you through the installation of the PC Card for Windows 98, Me, and 2000. Linksys recommends that Windows XP users take advantage of Microsoft's integrated wireless configuration utility.

Management and Features

For those who need flexibility in setting up their networks, the router offers two operational modes—gateway and router—to accommodate most installation scenarios. Support for DMZ and virtual server, as well as configurable NAT, are also part of the package.

Security

Although the WRT55AG provides configurable URL filtering, it does not include WPA security features—a serious issue that Linksys should address soon. But to its credit, Linksys includes "allow" statements—rather than merely "block" statements—in the router's configurable access filter. This handy feature simplifies the process for parents to allow access only to certain Web sites, rather than trying to block every one of the slough of sites offering questionable content.

Performance