Linksys WRT54G wireless router works great

Thanks Tim, they do sound like one of the best from what I read almost everywhere! 🙂

I'll agree with your assessment. Last week I moved from my trusty old D-Link DI-524 wireless router to the WRT54G mainly because the Linksys supports WPA2 and the D-Link (early rev. A hardware) does not. It was a snap to set up with the built-in GUI. My son's new Mac Book connects with WPA2 security just fine and the performance is excellent.

I just wish Linksys would come out and officially support the OS X platform. I also wish Linksys and other router manufacturers would come out with combination DSL Modem/Router boxes. There are a number of Cable Modem/Router units out but no DSL/Routers that I know of in the U.S. Those seem to be in europe for some reason.



Dual 2.5GHz G5 Power Macintosh Mac OS X (10.4.8) 1.5GB RAM 20" Apple Cinema Display

I agree with everyone else. I have several WRT's deployed at various locations and they are excellent performers.

With the WRT hardware, support for Mac is irrelevant, since you use the browser interface. There may be USB devices without that interface that are not Mac compatible, but I would never buy one.

Ive never had a problem witht hem either. I did scrap the linksys firmware though in favor of OpenWRT. Now the BEFSR41 (the wired model) im not enjoying so much haha.

Linksys WRT54G version 6 routers flashed to version 1.01.0 of the firmware may stop connecting to Macs. The Macs are unable to us DCHP to get a proper IP address. It's the Linksys firmware! The new version 1.01.0 causes the problem with Macs (but not Windows PC's) To cure the problem, go to http://www.linksys.com choose downloads from the support pulldown menu. Choose WRT54G V5.0 -- Wireless-G Broadband router, click on Downloads for this product, click firmware and click download firmware. You will download a folder that will contain version 1.00.9 firmware (you must choose the version 5 model, not V6 to get this firmware version). Then connect by ethernet to the router and change the ethernet network settings to manual, 192.168.1.50, subnet 255.255.255.0, router 192.168.1.1 and apply. Then open a browser and enter http://192.168.1.1 to access the router. Go to the admin tab and choose subtab update and the update with the downloaded firmware. When it completes, reset the router, restart the computer, restart the modem, set your ethernet network to DCHP and apply. You may have to reset/restart everything again, but you should eventually get assigned a proper IP number and be able to connect. NOTE: THIS CURE WAS NOT SUGGESTED BY LINKSYS - use at your own risk. (But, I am posting this from the iMac that wouldn't connect an hour ago.) Note also that the release notes for the latest software (the version that doesn't properly set the IP using DHCP) say:
"Firmware 1.01.0
- Update Broadcom ethernet driver.
- Resolves DHCP server issue...."
Oops - maybe "Creates" would have been a better word than resolves.

"Linksys WRT54G version 6 routers flashed to version 1.01.0 of the firmware may stop connecting to Macs."

I have to disagree with your warning. I have been running v1.01.0 of the Linksys WRT54G v6.0 wireless router for some time now with absolutely no issues of any kind. In fact it resolved an issue from the original 1.00.07 firmware for me.

If I were you I wouldn't come into a public forum and issue such blanket warnings, even though you are well meaning in your post.

Again I am running the 1.01.0 firmware and connecting with a Dual 2.5 G5 Power Mac and a new Mac Book, using WPA2 wireless security and a wired connection. The firmware is fine, not defective.

There are several reports on this forum of exactly the same problem. This model and version of the Linksys router with this version of the firmware either stops working with Macs or does not work with Macs. In my case simultaneously with 3 Macs of varying age connected by both ethernet and wireless. I report one case where the problem is cured by flashing back to the previous firmware version after everything else suggested by ISP and Linksys failed to cure problem, including flashing current version of firmware. I did not say it would happen to eveyone, or even most people, but those with the problem out to try flashing back to 1.00.9. That's what public forums are for.
By the way, check ou the last two messages in this thread http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=3316565#3316565

I have to disagree with your assessment once again. You came in here with a post advising people not to flash their firmware to the latest version making it sound like it is a fact that all Mac users will have the issue.

The FACT is that with every software update, whether it's OS, firmware, or application, some people will always have problems, MOST will not. I am not arguing with your suggestions for helping someone out of their problem but I AM arguing with your blanket statement that the firmware is defective and that Mac users should not update to it. How do you know that? How do you know that it isn't OS X that has the problem for SOME people? How do you know that your own experience didn't occur because of some existing problem? How do you know that re-updating to the same firmware version will result in the same problem? How do you know that the firmware version you are recommending people load won't cause other problems?

If you want say "Here's what happened to me and here's how I got out of it" then fine. But don't be telling people that something is fact when you don't really know what happened or even why.

The FACT is that there is a problem with the 1.01 firmware and not just on the v6 router. I have a v5 and have the same problem, I had to downgrade to get any of the macs on our network to work again with DHCP. We have several Macs on the network, iMacs (G3), MacBooks, G5's, LCD iMacs, and more. None of them can get a DHCP address from the router after upgrading. I resolved the issue by downgrading to 1.00.9.

There are similar discussions on the Linksys forums too, it is a well known problem. A blanket warning about upgrading to this firmware is warranted for Mac users, and if you did some research before suggesting that it is just his configuration or OSX you would know that it is a bug in the firmware, possibly in relation to 10.4.8, but I have seen it with 10.3 users too.

Just because you don't see a problem doesn't mean there isn't one. Have you heard about the Random Shut Down issue on MacBooks. It is a FACT acknowledged by Apple. Most people don't have the issue, but it does exist.

Regards,

RacerX

I have to agree with Planet Earth on this one. I installed a new WRT54G yesterday afternoon, and the MacBook Pro worked great, both wired and wireless, as well as a variety of PCs. Before completing the installation, I checked Linksys.com and found the "must install" firmware update. I was working from a PC (where the Linksys admin pages work), and I didn't check the MacBook until this morning, when no connection could obtain an IP address.

After a couple hours trying to debug the configuration, I called Apple support, who worked with me for a couple more hours, up to suggesting a rebuild, which I declined. I then found this thread and similar postings on other sites, and contacted Linksys. They reported that this problem is known, and that their engineers are working with Apple's to address it. In the meantime, the recommended workaround is to configure OS/X machines with static addresses.

I subsequently received an email from Linksys support with the following link for users who need to back-level their routers to the prior firmware level: ftp://ftp.linksys.com/pub/network/wrt54gv5v6_fw_1.00.9_UScode.zip.

Posting with hope that other users don't waste an entire Sunday trying to straighten out their Mac/Router interfaces!

MacBook Pro Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Thank you Lawrence! You saved the day (or at least saved me taking the stupid thing back to the store). You were dead right.

Now if I could only figure out how to make itunes share...

I know you meant to thank Lawrence Kahan but replied to my erroneous post instead. Lawrence Kahan was on the money with his assessment.

FYI Linksys has just released a new firmware version for the version 5 and version 6 WRT54G (released 11/27/06) that seems to address the issue that affected Macs. The release notes say the following...

"Firmware 1.01.1
- Resolves issue with IP address assignment via DHCP on some particular devices."

By "particular devices" I'm assuming they possibly mean Macs. I plan to try this new firmware shortly to see if it works or not.

I'd certainly go with the 'ain't broke, don't fix' on this one. I'll never get back the three hours of my life that updating cost me!

"In other words, if it ain't broke, do I have to try and fix it?"

The thing about the 1.01.0 firmware is that it was supposedly a "mandatory" upgrade because it dealt with a security issue that could allow the router to be hacked from the wireless side. WRT54G owners will have to decide if we want to deal with this or not.