Faded Boxers

We did it! After a few hours of blood, sweat, and tears; my dad and I finally managed to transform the house into our very own private Wi-Fi hotspot.

Even before we got our DSL connection, I already knew that I had to install a wireless router at home to keep my sisters and my father at bay. Sharing a dial-up connection with three other people was hard enough, getting a broadband connection would spell disaster. While I enjoy never being able to masturbate peacefully because of people always barging into my room to use the computer (I bought it, so I get to keep it), I knew that there would have to be some changes when we finally kiss our dial-up modem goodbye.

Being no expert in the field of networking, I decided not to take chances and went with the most trusted brand in the field: Linksys. Though I really had my heart set on the Linksys WRT54G, the store I went to had already stopped selling it in favor of the newer and more compact WRT54GC. While I was initially put off by the steeper price tag, I eventually left the store with the compact model because it is just so damn sexeh!

Lemme channel Jodee for a bit, and talk about some of the key features:

The look and feel:

Weighing in at a measely 0.31 lbs (0.14 kg), with dimensions at 3.86″ X 3.86″ X 0.98″; this is quite possibly the smallest and lightest router currently in the market. The compact size is perfect for people always on the go as it easily fits in any laptop carrying case.

The built-in stand enables it to sit unobtrusively in even the most limited of spaces. The unit’s weight also comes in handy for people who need to mount it on the wall. I mounted the unit with a small strip of double sided tape, which is more than enough to hold it securely.

Also, did I mention that it is damn sexeh?

Setup & Configuration:

The only glitch I had in setting up the router was when I made the mistake of relying heavily on the included startup disk. I kept getting error messages that the setup facility can’t detect my router which deluded me into thinking that there was something wrong with it.

After a couple of failed attempts, I decided to chuck the startup disk and refer to the user’s guide which told me that the startup disk was only optional. Riiiight. This is another reason why you should always RTFM.

Reading further, I learned about the web-based UI, and how to access it. Armed with this information, I brought up the configuration screen, and it was smooth sailing from there.

The design of the interface was practically idiot proof as somebody like me only needed 2 minutes to get it up and running.

Range:

The range was the only specification that I was concerned about while shopping around for a router; and it was the only specification that wasn’t listed in the box or anywhere else.

If I were to guess, it would probably because the range depends heavily on the layout of the location, and varies accordingly.

Because I want my router to cover a 300 square foot area, I was naturally anxious about the performance of the router.

To maximize the accessibility of the signal, I placed the router in the middle of our house and hoped for the best. To my surprise, I found that the signal reached every room in the house that needed an internet connection; and that includes the rooms on the second floor. This baby has just gotten a little bit sexier.

Performance:

I’ve laid to rest all doubts about the performance, as I have never needed to restart the router due to overheating. If anything, it’s my DSL modem that needed restarting on numerous occasions.

While I’m typing this boring, but hopefully informative review; I’m downloading with an acceptable average transfer rate of 50 kb/s while my dad is using the laptop upstairs to chat with his old classmates at no noticeable speed loss.

The only gripe I have is the lack of speed in transfering files between computers connected to the network. But since the need to use the router to transfer files are few and far between, I’ve decided to live with this little flaw.

Conclusion:

Small, sexy and powerful. The Linksys Compact Wireless-G Broadband Router WRT54GC may be a bit more expensive than other players in the market, but it certainly makes it obvious where all that extra money went. I’m quite satisfied with my purchase, and I’m currently getting more sleep as an added benefit.