... If this function is turned on and there's no VPN connection you won't be able to connect to the internet!
There has been reports on various Linksys support sites like http://www.linksysinfo.org and http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wrv54g of stability problems on wireless and LAN, but I didn't ... Read review
Advantages: Router and wireless in one package Disadvantages: VPN doesn't work as advertised!
...has been reports on various Linksys support sites like http://www.linksysinfo.org and http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wrv54g of stability problems on wireless and LAN, but I didn't experience any. Although this product has been released, Linksys has been producing various Beta releases of the firmware to cope with some of the problems, but it gives the impression that this product wasn't yet suitable for public release.
The packaging ... ...thus unusable.
Linksys has come out with a answer to the VPN NAT problem, which is their Quickvpn program. If you have a Windows 2000 or XP machine this will work very well, of course if you don't have Windows XP/2000 your up the creak with no paddle! Linksys never mentioned this on the packaging, and the website never stated it, although it does mention a PC with 200Mhz or faster Processor, it doesn't mention a requirement for XP/2000 ... more
I purchased this router hoping that I'd be able to connect my Hx4700 pocket pc to my local Lan via VPN but unfortunately it didn't work!
As a wireless router I can't say anything wrong about the WRV54G, once you managed to set it up it works a treat. The manual is slightly out of date, with a few extra settings appearing which if set wrong can prevent the router from working properely.
One new setting is the VPN gateway function, this is not listed in the current manual. This function is so that if you have a site where all your traffic must go via a central gateway, ie you use a internet proxy, the router can send all your traffic over a vpn tunnel to that site. The problem comes if you make the mistake of thinking that this function is setting the router up as a gateway to accept VPN connections. If this function is turned on and there's no VPN connection you won't be able to connect to the internet!
There has been reports on various Linksys support sites like http://www.linksysinfo.org and http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wrv54g of stability problems on wireless and LAN, but I didn't experience any. Although this product has been released, Linksys has been producing various Beta releases of the firmware to cope with some of the problems, but it gives the impression that this product wasn't yet suitable for public release.
The packaging does states that the router can be used to connect 50 remote or travelling users, this is where the problems come in. The problem is that this router doesn't provide NAT transversal support. When using remote broadband access sites like, Wifi Hotspots, GPRS and internet cafes it is highly likely you will be behind a NAT and thus unable to connect. If you are just using the router to connect between two fixed sites you shouldn't have any problems. I have managed to produce a VPN connection via a dial up connection but via a mobile phone this can be as slow as 9600 and thus unusable.
Linksys has come out with a answer to the VPN NAT problem, which is their Quickvpn program. If you have a Windows 2000 or XP machine this will work very well, of course if you don't have Windows XP/2000 your up the creak with no paddle! Linksys never mentioned this on the packaging, and the website never stated it, although it does mention a PC with 200Mhz or faster Processor, it doesn't mention a requirement for XP/2000 only.
Linksys also provide GPL code for this router which I have looked at in the hope of solving my VPN problem. Included in this is a L2TP server for the WRV54G which is never included in the offical release. Comparing the state of the GPL code to that of some of their other routers it doesn't look very neat, none of the code compiles completely and I doubt there will be third party alternate firmware available for this product, like there is for other Linksys routers. Looking at the code it gives me the sneaky suspicion that the release of this product has been rushed before it was ready.
In general if you aren't going to use the VPN function this product is very good, but otherwise I'd either look for another router or wait till a more stable firmware is released with extra functions that can be found as standard on similar routers from the likes of D-Link.
chris547 12.05.2005 (12.05.2005)
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Review of Linksys Wireless-G VPN Broadband Router WRV54G - wireless router
Product Information for "Linksys Wireless-G VPN Broadband Router WRV54G - wireless router" »
Manufacturer's product description
The Wireless-G VPN Broadband Router is the advanced, complete networking solution for your small business, incorporating four essential networking functions in one high-powered box. First, there's the Wireless Access Point, which lets you connect Wireless-G (802.11g) or Wireless-B (802.11b) devices to the network. There's also a built-in 4-port full-duplex 10/100 Switch to connect your wired-Ethernet devices. Connect four PCs directly, or daisy-chain out to more hubs and switches to create as big a network as you need. Third, the Router function ties it all together and lets your whole network share a high-speed cable or DSL Internet connection. And finally, the Virtual Private Network (VPN) function creates encrypted "tunnels" through the Internet so up to 50 remote or traveling users can securely connect to your office network from off-site, or users in your branch office can connect to a corporate network. To protect your data and privacy, the Wireless-G VPN Broadband Router can encrypt all wireless transmissions with 128-bit WEP encryption, and also supports the industrial-strength wireless security of 802.1x authentication and authorization. The Router can serve as a DHCP Server, and has a powerful SPI firewall to protect your PCs against intruders and most known Internet attacks. It can be configured to filter internal users' access to the Internet, and has MAC or IP address filtering so you can specify exactly who has access to your network. Configuration is a snap with the web browser-based configuration utility. As the center point of your office network, the Linksys Wireless-G VPN Broadband Router gives you the flexibility, speed, and security you need.
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