With its superior performance, myriad features, superb documentation, and very intuitive installation wizards, the Linksys Wireless-G WRT54GS bested all the other routers in the 802.11g roundup. Speedbooster, Linksys's name for Afterburner (Broadcom's specification-compliant enhancement technology), accounts for the product's top performance.

Initial Configuration and Documentation

Clear, step-by-step instructions with screenshots and a well-designed wizard make initial configuration for both the router and PC Card a breeze.

Management and Features

Many years of interface development have led to a clean, simple, and consistent interface. The PC Card utility is equally good, presenting a useful alternative to the Windows wireless client. The device also provides a rich feature set, including a DHCP server, DMZ and UPnP support, and support for applications requiring multiple TCP/UDP connections.

Security

Linksys offers all the latest security protocols, though we wish it had a slightly more assertive approach in establishing a secure wireless network without requiring much user input or knowledge. The Parental Control Service is unmatched (30-day free trial, then $39.95 for one year). You can configure user profiles with time-of-day access restrictions and 16 content categories tailored to users' needs. In addition, e-mail and content filtering make this a truly versatile system for parental supervision.

Performance