The Wireless-G Game Adapter gives any wired Ethernet-equipped game console wireless connection capabilities. The Game Adapter can be used in two different ways. If you have an existing home wireless network and a cable or DSL Internet connection, the Game Adapter lets your PlayStation2, Xbox or GameCube attach to the network so you can get into online games without running wires to the game room. Or, use a pair of Game Adapters to form a "cable-less cable" between two game consoles for head-t
1 WGA54 wireless gaming adaptor
Purchased this device, and installed as expected. No issues encountered during the setup, including WEP. HOWEVER...
XBOX would drop randomely (Linksys WAP54G 1 room below)which according to my son = HALO death. So... in an attempt to troubleshoot.. Plugged a PC into the Linksys WGA54G Wireless-G Gaming Adapter's 10/100 port. Ran ping test to the default router address(again 1 room below), every 4-7 pings would timeout, and ms was in the 4k ms count for some replys. Then turned on my wireless card on my PC, and ran the same ping test to the default router, NO dropped ping or delayed replies.
Don't know if anyone has had this issue or not, but this device does not work as expected in this case. I am going to return the device and try the MS wireless adaptor. Update to follow.
Frustrated Dad
2 Can not reccomend, please look at the WET11 & WET54 instead
I bought this item without reading any of the reviews here on amazon (one day I'll learn), and thought it was going to be an easy setup, well I was wrong. Just a few of the problems I encountered using this adapter:
1) Box does not state that the setup disc only works on a Windows compatible PC, and being a Mac user that was not acceptable, especially since the startup guide had nothing about connecting to the web-based control panel to make changes that would have saved a half hour of frustration.
2) I only got the unit to recognize my Linksys router once, and after that the light for wireless connections no longer worked so it was a crapshoot to tell if the unit was even connected. Finding a firmware update that was suppose to fix this, I updated my unit but nothing changed.
3) When I had a connection using it on my laptop I plugged it into my PS2 only to find that I received network error after network error. Frustrated I called Linksys tech support for help.
4) In the end Linksys support was not helpful and gave up telling me to try another one of their adapters (I was told the WET11 was the way to go with my 802.11b network)
After exchanging my WGA54G for a WET11 it took 2 minutes to setup and get online using my PS2, in fact the web-based setup for the WET11 is far more user friendly than the one for the NEW WGA54G. So, after my experience I can not recommend this product and instead would like to highly recommend the WET series adapters.
3 Great once you get past the setup
Here's what I did to get the WGA54G talking!
I first followed the instructions to a T in the manual and the setup disk...plugged into the XBOX and no go.
I then plugged the WGA54G back into my router (a linksys WRT54GS) and opened the Web Config utility. I located the network and noticed I had another WiFi on channel 6 (the default) - I then changed to channel 7, made sure the WEP was the same as my network, set the IP,DNS, Gateway to Automatic and hit apply. Then hit connect button on main screen until device showed Connected to wireless network and the Wireless-G light was lit on the WGA54G.
I unplugged the power cable and plugged it back in, brought up the config utility just to make sure the setting took.
Then unplugged the Ethernet cable and made sure the Wireless G light still flashed or illuminated a little (doesn't stay solid all the time)
Then unplugged unit and hooked RJ-45 into Xbox. Plugged it in, and then turned on XBOX.
Go into XBOX Network settings...advanced, and wireless setup...the device was found and showed a stong connection. Then (B) buttoned back a step or two to the Network Connect and tried to connect to XBOX LIve. Had to set IP and DNS to Auto and wait 30 secs or so...all settings autoprogrammed and device sidned into Live
Done.
This took me a couple tries because for some reason at first Xbox would not connect through my IP or DNS addresses, no matter if they were set auto or manually...When I finally changed the settings in the WGA54G web config utility to channel 7 and auto for the addresses...everything started working.
I place the trial and error problems on the user and can't blame the part because it works as advertised. Only problem, it doesn't work right out of the box as it says it most likely will. Too bad they couldn't get a step by step for Xbox or other game consoles included with the device. So for this I'm docking 1 star :(
After about 3 hours of frustration - I'm now a happy camper!
4 Whats up with all the bad reviews????
I got the wireless system about a day ago and ran the setup disk and had no trouble with it at all!! it connected quite nicely with my linksys WRT54G router. Ever since i plugged that baby into my xbox ive been playing lag free xbox!!!!
DONT BE DISCOURAGED BY ALL OF THE BAD REVIEWS!!!!
BUY THIS PRODUCT!!!!!
IT WILL WORK AND QUITE NICELY AT THAT!!!!!
5 Beware of this product!
My entire network at home is Linksys wireless, so I assumed this product had the quality of the rest of the components. After 5 hours of trying EVERYTHING, I called Linksys tech support. The person was polite, but spoke broken English. After 90 more minutes, we gave up. I am a Microsoft Certified guy with a pretty deep understanding of networking, but this wireless adapter just would not work.
As for me, I turned off WEP, SSID hiding, and every other option. Yes, I also upgraded the firmware to 1.10 as well, but to no avail. The documentation is poor and the Linksys website is technically weak. If you have a lot of time, take the risk with this product. If not, then look elsewhere.
6 Great Product Once It's Working...
I didn't read all of the reviews so some of this information is probably repeated. Although some people have not had any problems, I feel I should walk through a good method for setting up this device with most security features, i.e. WEP, disabled SSID broadcast, and MAC filtering. I also use DHCP, so I will talk about this as well.
1) Log in to the web utility and perform all of the following manually (don't use the setup disk). If you are unable to log in to the web utility, this may be due to an issue which Linksys has conveniently left out of it's technical documentation. On some computers, you must set your IP address and Default Gateway for your wired adapter. IP: 192.168.1.100 and Default Gateway: 192.168.1.250 Now log in to the utility as suggested by Linksys
2) As far as entering all of the necessary information, I recommend disabling the SSID and MAC filter (on your router) first. Go ahead and enter the WEP key and SSID into the WGA54G's web utility. Save the information and then proceed to the advanced tab. If your router uses DHCP, click on the appropriate button, then save the settings. (You probably won't be able to access the WGA54G after this using your PC). Follow the correct device startup sequuecne discussed below and you are almost good to go.
3) Now you can worry about the MAC filter and SSID broadcast. Changing either option does not require you to re-access the WGA54G. Change the appropriate settings on your router and you should be good to go.
Note: Don't worry if the Wireless-G LED isn't lit. This does not mean anything. The device could be working perfectly and you wouldn't even know it because the LED is rarely solid. Nice of Linksys to mention that, huh?
Note2: Make sure you follow the correct startup order of devices. Router on, WGA54G on, XBox on.
Note3: I found patience to be the most important thing. If you are like me, you require instant network gratification. I am using this device to play Halo with some friends on a LAN at home. When the XBox starts looking for a multiplayer game, give it time!!!!! Give it up to 30 seconds (the first time) to connect to the router and find the game. After the first time, it should find games right away.
Fianl Note: The router I used was the Linksys WRT54GS, although the use of a different router with the same capabilities should not affect (ideally) the above process.
7 Quick and Easy
So I opened up the package 15 minutes ago and I am up and running. Started up a game on my xbox and didn't see any lag at all. I wasn't able to config with cd setup wizard so I had to call tech support. This is my second time i have had to call them for config issues. If you get one that you can understand they seem to be very helpful. She walked me through every step very professionaly. I have a WRT54G wireless router on windows XP. Didn't give 5 stars cause i am waiting to see if it still works in the future. So far so good. Price was $20 ceaper then the xbox wireless adapter.
Bottom line- No config hassles at all!
8 Works great!
I took the adapter out of the box, hooked it up to my laptop, followed the instructions and had it setup in under 2 minutes. Surfed the internet for a while using the adapter, then took it to my xbox where I continued to follow the instructions, the xBox went online immediately, signed up for xBox live and started playing online, the whole process took under 10 minutes.
My router is a LinkSys with Speedbooster.
9 Worked immediately
Despite the presence of plenty of negative reviews about this product, it was the best suited for my needs. I have a Linksys WRT54G router all the way across the house from my PS2, and wanted to play games online. It worked right out of the box. The documentation that comes with all Linksys products is minimal, storing the full owner's manual on the included CD rather than printing a manual when you may not need one. I hooked up the gaming adapter to my router, ran the included CD, then hooked the adapter to my PS2 and was online in about 5 minutes. There was no lag time, even at extremely busy times of day. I understand that installation may not be this simple for everyone, but my installation process was what Linksys intended, and it worked just like it was supposed to. If you want to play online with a game console, I highly recommend this product.
10 Nice product
The Linksys Wireless-G gaming adapter does what it says for me. The setup cd didn't work, so I had to go in throught the ip address and configure some settings from there, but it only took about 15 minutes. It's now working from 3 stories up at 128-bit encryption. The only problem is that it is a little slow and sometimes drops the connection, but that is probably because it is three stories up from my router. Overall a nice product.
11 set it up in 15 mins
After reading many reviews I was scared to buy this as they said making it work was very hard. I got this last week for my xbox and I also got my wireless router that same week and I am clueless to wireless networking(I just learn about B and G wireless, I thought it was all the same I'am that new to this) so I was scared of this after seeing many review.
I got it up and running in no time hook it to my pc then ran the cd and it work, my only thing is sometimies it will drop me form a game and kick me offline not allot but it happen mostly when my AC is off it gets too hot maybe, as when it drops me I feel it and it is very hot but when AC is on it is fine.
Online play is fine when it works no lag and everyone on the mic is loud and clear some games play a lil less laggy now like NBA2k when I would host there would be lag it may also be that I have a new router also but now it plays fine.
12 3rd one failed to work
We've tried 3 so far and they all had the same problem - defective wireless transceiver. The setup was difficult and only possible with Linksys on the phone but does work. However as soon as we unplugged from the ethernet, no connection. Linksys has agreed that these units are defective and this probably explains why these reviews are either one star or 5. There seems to be a product manufacturing and support problem. This one will go back to the store too.
13 Works Fine but Setting up...
I have now had this device on my Xbox for a few months and let me tell you that once you have the setup right, it works flawlessly and lag free. I have the Linksys Wireless-G router and they work well together.
Now for the down side. Maybe a networking expert could get it going fine but not me. I am pretty familiar with computers and can get a wireless network setup. Getting this going on my Xbox was an absolute nightmare. I don't even remember everything that was done so I can't share anything helpful. Tech support is sent to India and they were absolutely useless and the wait was horrendous. Customer support is gonna kill Linksys if they're not careful. After 3 hours on the phone, we got the thing working and it has been working great ever since.
14 Worth the money
Like other reviews, I simply don't know why this adapter is getting a bad reputation on its installation. I've read many a negative review and I have to say that, yes, it's a little pricey. But it does what it's supposed to do and couldn't be easier. Others claimed that this adapter isn't compatible with routers featuring WPA security. In fact, this seemed to be the biggest problem people were running into. But my router features the same security and everything was a snap to put together. I'm not a networking pro, but if you're a gamer who knows the basics of wireless networking, you should be good to go. I was literally playing Halo 2 and Splinter Cell within 10 minutes of opening the box. I figure most people just plainly don't read or follow the instructions. Bottom line: Ignore the negative reviews and get the darn thing.
15 Chronicaly defective
I purchased the WGA54G twice. The first time I got it, plugged it into the outlet, hooked it up to my laptop, Nothing. It wasn't recognized by my laptop. Next, I connected it to my Xbox. Again, it said 'No Wireless Adapter detected'. So I called tech support, and after holding for about a half-hour, I got someone from India, gave them my name and number, and started to explain the problem. Well, wouldn't you know it. I got disconnected. After calling back and waiting for another half-hour I gave them my name and number and proceeded explaining the problem. After being guided to connect the adapter to my Linksys router and it still not being 'seen' by either computer, I decided to take it back for a refund.
The second time I bought it, I was misled by another website selling the Microsoft adapter and then sending me the Linksys adapter. Well, this one had the exact same problem. Including they also made a noise like a high-pitched hum or whistle.
16 Can't understand negative feedback
I opened the box for my Linksys Wireless-G Game Adapter and within 5 minutes I was playing Xbox live. No problems whatsoever with the software, none with the hardware. Just completely lag-free Halo 2. I am 100% satisfied with this product.
17 works fine...just a little work involved
Now ive read most of the reviews for this product and they all pretty much say the same thing. Took awhile to setup, dont pay attention to the LEDs. Now of course I thought I was a pro, and would have no trouble with it since I had only previously set up my network a week before. Try and follow these steps and hopefully your experience will be better than mine.
-plug in and attach to your computer via ethernet cable...(don't bother with the cd...if your computers ethernet adapter is in use hook it up to your router directly if it has mulitple access points)
-go to URL 192.168.1.250(takes awhile to load...you may have to refresh more than once)
-password for all new products is admin
-this page should show available networks and just select the correct one
-since WPA is not supported id recommend using 128bit WEP
-fill in the blanks and select connect...if it says its connected youre pretty much done
-this is where i screwed up...attach it to your TURNED OFF xbox...start it up and select xbox live...it should go ahead and let you know if youre connected or not.
i actually got this to work with my laptop...at first it wouldn't recognize it, but after struggling with it with my desktop i gave it one last hurrah and it finally worked...so remember don't bother with the CD installation...yes, I know, its so much more tempting to use once youre trying the installation. YOU HAVE TO FIGHT THIS TEMPTATION. good luck
18 Whats all the fuss about?
I was sort of reluctant to buy this product, based on all the poor reviews here at amazon.com. I bought it anyways, mostly because its my only option to be able to play online. When i got it, i was really wondering where everybody was having all the trouble. It was one of the easiest setups i have done to be completely honest with you, and it works like a charm. Take my word for it, and i am by no means a computer genious. It comes with a startup disc that walks you through every possible step. Simple as that! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, BUY THIS PRODUCT!!!
19 Great product...don't be scared by reviews
I was hesitant to buy this item because the reviews were so horrible on Amazon.com. I found this to be a very easy product to config. and it works great! I have it set up with encryption and a secure SSID, the set up was piece of cake. I recommend that you know what your network settings/ and passwords are before attempting to config. this item, I suspect that has been the cause of many people's problems.
20 Linksys WGA54G Wireless-G quit working after one week
The Linksys game adapter worked fine for about one week and then stopped working. I spent over 2 hours on the phone with Linksys support and they concluded that both the xbox and Linksys wireless game adapter were worked fine independently, but they would not communicate with each other despite changes to port settings, etc. I ended up returning the Linksys adapter and we intend to purchase the xbox wireless game adapter. I would not recommend purchasing Linksys and I base this not only on my experience, but on other reviews I have since read on this site.
21 Faulty and Linksys knows it now
After two phone calls to tech support for a total of about 4 hours and numerous upper level techs, I finally got Linksys Tech support to try to connect the game adapter to a Linksys WRT54G wireless router and to no avail, they couldn't unless you broadcast your SSID and disable Mac filtering. The whole reason I choose a Linksys router was becasue of the extra built in security features such as SSID disbale/enable and Mac filtering. Linksys is aware of the problem and has promised new firmware to fix this major security flaw. The only way to connect is thru WEP settings which are not mentioned clearly in the manual and is probably too advanced for your typical computer user or certainly more advanced than a father who tries to setup their childs X-Mas present. Keep checking their website. They promise new firmware soon. Lets keep our fingers crossed.
22 So, where's the problem? This is a great product!
After reading all the horror stories about this product left by other reviewers, I was hesitant to purchase it, even though it seemed on face to be the simplest way to get my ReplayTV on to my existing home network.
After taking a leap of faith based on past experience with Linksys products, I'm glad I did. Setup could not have been simpler. Using my laptop to configure it, I had the adapter running and connected to my Replay in less than 10 minutes. Though my updates run a tiny bit slower than they did when my Replay was hard-wired, they're still plenty fast, and of course (to my wife's relief), I was able to get rid of the cable running across my living room. I tested it this morning on my PS2, and results were great there, too.
And, as was the case when I set up my network last summer, calls to Linksys were handled quickly and professionally, without any rushing despite my picking the brains of the folks with whom I spoke. Do be aware that Linksys has shipped support overseas. Communication was strained at times, but much less so than what I've experienced with Dell's overseas support agents.
And if you call sales or customer service, you can ask for escalation on specific issues, at which point you'll receive a call from a domestic agent (as I did, and that agent was INCREDIBLY helpful, helping me troubleshoot numerous issues and plan the next phases of my network, even though that wasn't what I originally called about).
So, great product, reasonable price, easy setup (assuming you've got your network properly configured in the first place), top-notch support...what's not to like? For less than a hundred bucks, I absolutely love this device--just like all my other Linksys components.
23 What is the problem here?
I'm not quite sure what the problem is here with this adapter that people are having. If you have a router, you have an online gaming system, and you have a computer, this should be no problem. This literally took me ten minutes to set up my xbox to it. How much clearer could the directions be? They tell you step by step what to do, and if it doesn't work, then you have a faulty adapter, and take it back. Make sure your router is set up correctly first, because obviously if the router doesn't work, your adapter wont. Configure it with the computer after the router is set up, plug it in to your online system, and knock yourself out. I haven't had any problems with it, I'm 16 years old and it took me ten minutes to set up, and by no means am I a computer genius or techie. The adapter works perfectly (knock on wood) and I don't get dropped any more than if I plugged an ethernet cable directly into my xbox. If you can turn on a computer and put a cd into the drive in your computer, then you should have no problem with this. This is assuming you have correctly installed your router. And READ ALL OF THE DIRECTIONS-you should have no problem
24 difficult to setup, but works fine
i bought this about a week ago and finally got it hooked up and working and it's working great. my biggest complaint about this product is the instructions included or lack of. don't bother calling their off shore support because that will pretty much get you no where in two hours. the first thing to do if you decide to buy this is check to make sure the firmware is updated to 1.10. if you don't, your console will say that it cannot detect adaptor. to update your adaptor, you need to hook it up to your computer/laptop without any other ethernet lines or wireless adaptors hooked up to the computer/laptop and then type 192.168.1.250(default ip address) in the internet explorer address bar. if your computer/laptop detects it, then it should take you to the web utility page where you need to go to HELP or ADVANCED to go to the UPDATE FIRMWARE link (i forgot what tab, but it's either HELP or ADVANCED). once you've upgraded your firmware remain in the web utility and update the SSID and WEP info. MAKE SURE YOU CAN CONNECT AND SURF THE WEB. once you have done the aforementioned things all you need to do is hook it up to your xbox and make sure it works there. just go to the xbox settings/networking/connect and it should work.
25 I must have been very lucky..
Happy - techno- year to all of you !
So, I started reading your reviews AFTER ordering mine - bad timing indeed - : I was completely devastated !
You give horrible reviews + I'm on a Mac + on a laptop !
Imagine my anguish waiting my adapter to be delivered.
When it arrived, I first tried to use the installer from the CD via VirtualPc : didn't work.
So I tried to reach the web set-up, on 192.168.1.250 (thanks for all you VERY HELPFUL reviews !!!)
First I didn't reach anything, when I had the idea to put to sleep my Powerbook, and on the wake-up - miracle - InternetExplorer found the set-up webpage.
(I would strongly advise my fellow mac-users to use their old IE instead of Safari or Firefox : works so much better for these admin things ...)
I clicked on the update button, it found my SSID - the name of my home network - and the page said it was "connected".
I tried to reach the Advanced page... didn't, so I decided to connect it to my XBox.
I powered it, powered the Xbox, and by the time I powered my TV the recognizable Live menu was on my screen.
I thought it wasn't possible, since I didn't enter ANYTHING on the XBox yet.
I put Halo2, tried to reach a battle, and there I was in the middle of a fight : on XBox Live I was indeed !!
I must have been very lucky !
-> granted : the settings that you have for the wired connection will work with the non wired ; I have a manual IP, and it found my router ;
-> on the XBox - Advanced set up, where you're supposed to enter a MAC address and the set up for you wifi adapter I had nothing to enter : the XBox doesn't recognize the adapter !
I have a message that says there's no adapter, wrongly connected, or not compatible : even though it works !!
Definitely WEIRD !
-> Obviously, and before connecting the adapter, I put both the Xbox MAC address and the Linksys MAC address on my closed network.
-> I don't know "where" is the adapter now : I can't find it, don't know its address. Is it still 192.168.1.250 ?
I tried to scan my network, I neither find the adapteer NOR the XBox (that I can't ping !)
Maybe it's because it's not possible on a mac ? Don't know ....
26 Please beware and set aside a Saturday if you buy it
I am sure that you could get someone to make this work for you. Judging the time and skill level (see other reviews) it would be more cost effective to hire an electrician to run ethernet cable through the walls of your home to your network hub. Think of it as spending the day with "Rubick's cube"
Very professional staff attempts to help you over the phone -- but mine eventually gave up and told me to take it back to "Best Buy".
27 Locks-up Frequently
I had no difficulty in configuring the Wireless-G Game adapter. I installed a Linksys Wireless-G Range Expander as well to ensure a strong signal to the Playstation 2. Now it locks up about every 30 minutes. It is very frustrating to get completely booted out of a game each time this happens. I do not recommend this product. I contacted linksys tech support multiple times. I was told to change the channel and reduce the MTU. I did both with no resolution. We will be returning this product. Do not buy this product unless you can tolerate frequent lock-ups.
28 Works, but the aggravation of poor documentation....
and poor design, it's just not worth buying.
An interesting paradox with this unit. You may as well shred the manual and any other documentation that comes with it, and start guessing.
It works well, but it's almost as if the folks writing the manual and the folks designing the unit never once interacted. The darn thing simply doesn't do what the documentation says it should.
I can't get the Wireless LED to stay lit, I can't access the browser based config without hardwiring the adapter to a PC (no config via wireless??), but with those complaints out of the way, I have to admit that the thing worked right out of the box and hasn't had one hiccup.
It connected right away, with minimal input on my part. Though the only way to determine that it had a connection was via the XBOX integrated menus. No LED feedback that meant anything, no status screen accessible from another PC on the network, nothing like that.
So, minor (major) frustrations with usability aside, the thing works ok...it just appears to have been designed by french guys and had manuals written for it by greek guys (I mean nothing against either culture, just that the manuals and the product don't match up even slightly).
29 Terrible product
The system claims it is a "Wireless G" device on the box, but when you actually read the documentation you find out that it is NOT 802.11g compliant, it is actually only "draft 802.11g compatible" which means it won't work with lots of devices. To make things worse, it doesn't support WPA, which is a required part of the 54g specifications, and is the only way to actually secure a wireless network. It supports WEP, but since that is hackable in seconds it is basically useless, and you can't have any WPA devices on your network if you have one of these. Even though Linksys has released updates for the firmware of the device, they still haven't rectified any of these problems, and there isn't any sign that they ever intend to. I wouldn't recommend this device to anyone at all.
30 Works great after a long battle with setup
First off, for those that had the blessing of getting this beast up and running in 15 min or less, congrats and glad that you didn't have to go through the misery of Linksys tech support. But this does not mean that those who couldn't get it working on first shot had failed to read and follow instructions that came with the box. In fact, the document contained false information (i.e. the wireless G light should stay on when working properly... garbage!).
I spent over 4 hours trying to setup the adaptor on my XBOX, and after 2 calls to the tech support (got dropped after an hour on the phone with the first guy whom I probably spent 30 minutes just trying to understand what he is saying and the second guy eventually shifted the blame to Microsoft... how convenient?). Thankfully, I was able to got it to work after piecing together all the information I had gathered.
Below is a brief descripttion of what I did to finally get it working. I have broadband through Comcast Cable so hopefully this will help most of you comcast folks out there. Remember, patience is the key.
First of all, you need to upgrade the adapter to firmware 1.10 and if you use a Linksys wireless router, upgrade to the latest firmware. Both can be downloaded from Linksys web site.
Don't bother with the CD. use the browser configuration program. But you can't do this with a laptop, so connect the adaptor to a desktop. It may take a minute or 2 for the desktop to recognize the adaptor, so give it about 1 minute or so before typing in the IP address(192.168.1.250 by default) of the adaptor in the "address" field of the browser window.
The adaptor WILL work with WEP, but there is a bug with the setup program. Note that if you enter a passphrase, you should get 4 different keys generated but it returns 4 identical keys. You can work around this by cutting and pasting from the router setup window.
Follow through with the setup, the setup page will keep refreshing itself and eventually the status should show "Connected". At this point you should be able to ping the adaptor (with the hardwire still attached to the desktop) and you should even be able to get Internet connection for your desktop through the gaming adaptor.
Now bring the adaptor to your XBOX, power up the adaptor and connect it to the XBOX with the XBOX powered off. Turn on XBOX and go to setting -> network.
Forget autodetecting the IP Address, it didn't work for me at all. Go into IP Address, and manually assign an IP address to your XBOX, I used 192.168.1.107, the subnet mask should be 255.255.255.0 and the gateway should be the ip address of your router (192.168.1.1 if you have Linksys router). Now go to the Advanced -> Wireless option and XBOX should at least be able to find your wireless game adaptor. Initially it may ask you for some additional information to further configure the wireless adaptor (i.e. if the wireless finds multipled network available, it will ask you which one to connect to). Go back to the Network Setup menu and select "Connect", you should be able to at least get through the first 3 items. Initially, it may drop you a few times, make sure you don't get in the way between the adaptor and your router.
If you can't get through the last item and the error says something about set the MTU value on your router to at least 1356, you need to make sure that your cable modem can do so. I had this problem when I was using the cable modem from Comcast, but it went away after I replaced it with my own cable modem from Linksys (which I had to mail back to them when the modem stopped working after one month of usage... grrr) You do want to make sure that the cable modem you are using is compatible with XBOX Live!, you can find this list (which in my opinion should be updated more frequently by Microsoft") on "www.xbox.com/connect".
So you can see, it was a long and painful process for me to finally get this monster to work, and when it does work... it's a keeper :) I have no doubt that Linksys makes quality products. But with my own experience, they have failed to pay adequate amount of attention to their support service, and this is a huge blow to the overall rating I would give them. I don't have a problem for them to outsource their entire support department to the moon, but the quality of their service should not be sloppy. Support rep should not be telling the customer that "you must submit a RMA request over our web site" when the defective item is a cable modem... or "comforting" a customer by saying that you can always get around by using a VERY long ethernet cable to connect your XBOX to the router!?
Ok, that last paragraph is just me venting. But my hope is that the tips I have provided here will help most of you to get this baby up and running as painless as possible. Happy gaming!
31 Works okay, but only with some sacrifices.
I've been using this product for over a year now so I think I am pretty qualified to review it.
Simply put, the Linksys-G adapter WILL work, but you have to configure your system around it. I had problems with the adapter when I switched from PS2 to Xbox and had to recycle the power every time. This was fixed by converting my whole network to fixed IPs. The LED's on the device do not work as you would expect and the web-based configuration utility would never report a "connected" status although it was. The unit does not support WPA. For some reason MAC filtering would never work right with the Linksys adapter even though I had the adapter and all of the devices it attached to on the "allow" list. I just turned it off since WEP was still working
Linksys finally released a firmware update to the product which supposedly addresses some of these issues and allows for Xbox-based configuration. I foolishly applied it immediately. Now things are worse than before. I cannot run my Wireless-G router in G-only mode anymore, I have to use B-compatible mode, which lessens performance for my other devices. The Linksys adapter will not see the router in G-only mode. I cannot enable WEP anymore because although the wireless connects and gets a good signal, the Xbox cannot see the gateway when it is enabled and therefore there's no Internet access. I know it is set up correctly.
Yes, the firmware fixed some of the issues but it broke far more. Now I have to run in B mode on an unprotected network. Linksys's official response is to "run in b mode and disable WEP". Thanks guys, real helpful. They won't even put up the old firmware so I can at least get back to WEP and G.
Moral of the story is a)Linksys customer support is terrible and b)never update firmware unless something is completely broken. I am now in the position of having to purchase another solution since this one is unacceptable. I gave the product two stars since if you convert to Static IPs and don't update the firmware it works great.
32 Linksys Game Adapter Needs work
I went the Linksys route for the same reason other did - the name. Don't let that sway you too much. Like many others I had a difficult time getting the game adaptor to talk to the router. I tried several of the approaches suggested in these reviews. After several hours of attempts, I gave up and decided to try another vendor. I went with a D-Link wireless router, game adapter and USB wireless adaptor. The PC OS' are all XP SP2 as well as a PS2 console.
Total setup up time was 1 to 1 1/2 hours which included making sure all the connections worked without encryption and then going back and adding encryption. (To be fair, I didn't do this with the Linksys but I suspect it wouldn't have made any difference. The interface between the wireless router and the game adapter is very flaky.)
33 It Would Seem That People Here Have Bad Hardware...
When I bought this for my Xbox Live setup, it worked fine. I followed the setup on the PC (you have to configure it on your PC before connecting to console) and started to play. At first, the signal strength was very weak, and would drop out every five minutes. Then, I moved the console closer to the router and elevated it. It worked great!
My only complaint is that the range for this adapter is kind of short. Other than that, it works great. It will work for any of the three major consoles.
Yes, GameCube does have online games.
34 Not work as advertised
1. The wireless G LED will not light up, period.
2. Connection will drop intermittently.
3. Support is TERRIBLE, they outsource the support and will read the scripts when you called in.
4. The RMA is virtually none exist. You will have to pay for the shipping and insurance to ship back the unit. And if you don't ship the unit back within 7 days, your credit card will be charged and takes long long time to get it back, if you can, (still haven't get mine after 1 month or so)
Conclusion: avoid it!!! I use Linksys' products, but definitely will avoid this one. Since this is the first time use their support services, I will give it a second though in the future purchase of Linksys' product. Support is very important factor in these kind of devices and Linksys CERTAINLY DO NOT DILIVER!!!! :(
35 Got Tivo connected to 802.11g, but adapter setup is a pain
I mainly got this adapter to allow me to hook up my Tivo to my network without running cables between rooms and without having to put any 802.11b devices on my G-only network. Since Tivo does not directly support any 802.11g adapters, natively, I had to use this (rather pricy) workaround solution.
My Tivo is connected to a Linksys USB200M USB network adapter which is connected (via cable) to the Linksys WGA54G, which in turn connects to my Linksys WRT54G wireless-G router. I was debating between the Linksys WET54G and this one, and finally decided on this one because it was slightly less expensive. In this setup, the Tivo will think it's on a standard wired setup, but the adapter will bridge it to your wireless network.
Now, on to the adapter...
Setting up the WGA54G has to be one of my most miserable experiences with Linksys I've ever had and seriously made me reconsider the faith I have put in them in the past.
It took me nearly 2 hours of cursing until I finally got it working on my network properly. Most of the time was spent watching the blinking lights for an appropriate response to my network and wondering if I had a defective unit.
My biggest pieces of advice if you are performing the setup is:
1) WAIT BETWEEN SETUP CHANGES!!!
Every time you make a change and hit submit via the web interface, the unit POWER-CYCLES and takes almost half a minute to come back up. Before I figured this out, I would apply a change via the web interface and then wonder why the webpage would not come back up again.
2) Wireless-G indicator light will NOT be steadily lit!!!
As someone else here has pointed out, the user documentation claims the "Wireless-G" light (bottom indicator light) will be "steadily lit". THIS IS COMPLETELY FALSE! It only blinks when there is traffic going across the adapter but will remain UNLIT OTHERWISE. For a while, I thought my adapter was broken because this light wasn't lit.
However, aside from the power-cycles, I had numerous other problems during setup. Signal strength should not have been a factor for me during setup, because the router and the adapter were right next to each other. General issues I had during the setup process:
- PC could no longer detect the adapter
- Adapter would intermittently see my wireless network, but be unable to connect to it, even with all encryption turned off
- When attempting to enable WEP encryption, the adapter would suddenly no longer find my network
I've found that disabling WEP on the adapter and setting it to Mixed Mode would let me get onto the network quicker, although I wouldn't recommend it. The adapter WILL work with WEP and I eventually did get it to work, but the reason for it finally working is a random mystery to me. I wish I had some better steps for others, but I don't. Among my many resets and power-cycles while trying to configure, the adapter would intermittently manage to detect my network with WEP enabled. At this point, I would unplug the adapter, connect it to my Tivo, test it out, and it worked during one of these attempts. Why it worked some times and not others, I have on clue.
PROS:
1) Eventually worked as described and allowed me to bridge my Tivo onto a 802.11g network in G-mode using WEP encryption. Had no problems once it found my network.
CONS:
1) PAINFUL painful setup
Dig out some 4-leafed clovers and your lucky rabbit foot for some extra luck
2) no WPA
3) unit runs HOT!
This thing gets really hot after only a small period of use, so keep that in mind.
Overall, I'm content with the final outcome and haven't had any issues with it, once it started to work. However, I am extremely disappointed in the trouble I had to go through to get it working and the fact that I still don't know what caused all those problems during the setup process.
36 Discouraged but hopeful...
I have to reiterate all the reviews listed regarding the difficulty in configuring the WGA54G. I am a newbie to the wireless networking world, but not to networking in general. I decided to configure a wireless network in my house, rather than put holes in the walls running ethernet cable from the office to the consoles in the living room.
I picked up the WRT54GS router and a wireless-G PCI card for my fiance's PC, have my PC wired to the router, and bought the WGA54G for the consoles (XBox, PS2, and GC). I was able to get the router and PC on the wireless network without any severely time-consuming issues, DHCP, IP filtering, 128-bit WEP (even though it's apparently not secure), unbroadcast SSID, etc.
I was on a roll until I tried to set up the WGA54G. It starts out deceivingly simple...wire it to a PC, plug it in, run the setup disc...(I gave it a default IP within my IP range on the router). This is where the downward spiral began. The first evening I was configuring the thing I spent a frustrating 2 hours trying various combinations of settings, running downstairs to hook it up to the XBox, getting stuck again, taking it back up to the office, hooking it up...an endless cycle. I was trying to set it up in G-only mode, which I then read online is not supported (not sure if this is true or not). I found the firmware upgrade, supposedly making the adapter XBox live certified, so I gave that a try last night. The unit was teasing me. While in the Web-admin interface, the page would constantly refresh, clearing my SSID that was set. There were sporadic periods of time where the adapter would show a status of "Connected", but would then disconnect. Not to mention the fact that at one point I had to reset both the router and the game adapter because I couldn't reach either web interface.
At this point I threw my hands up, broke down, and called Linksys tech support. After over an hour of various tests (some of which I must admit I had not thought of trying, such as unplugging my router and trying to detect the adapter from the wireless PC) the tech concluded that the wireless interface of the adapter must be defective. One thing that did stand out was the fact that the tech spent about 15 minutes trying to get me to ping the adapter, even though this isn't possible - which he eventually realized.
All in all, this has been an extremely painful experience, but I am planning on exchanging the adapter for a new one tonight and giving it another go over the weekend based on the fact that many of the reviews are only negative because of setup problems. A buddy of mine has his set up and says it works great, so right now I'm going on faith...
37 I have to backup the negatives
I was trying to get this adapter to work for 2 hours. No thanks to linksys tech support. Then I stumbled on the review page from a google search and saw others having issues with WEP. I could connect to the access point with 128-bit wep but would not get an IP address. Low and behold, I turned off WEP as another user suggested and this thing picked up an IP address no problem. The funny thing is this thing will connect using WEP with MAC filtering off, but it still gets no IP. When I turn WEP off I can then use MAC filtering without an issue. I hate relying only on MAC filtering but until linksys fixes this puppy its my only option.
38 Very easy to set up, if you can R E A D
This product has received far too many negative reviews claiming that it's difficult to set up. In truth, you should only have a problem setting this up if you are A) Illiterate, or b) Incompetent. It comes with a handy setup guide (which fits onto a single 8x11 sheet of paper) and a setup CD. Just plug the adapter into your router, run the setup CD, and then plug the adapter into your console. 5 minutes later and my XBox is running at full speed, 128 bit security, strong signal, no drops, no headaches at all. I'm very glad I didn't listen to any of the naysayers!
39 Tough Configuration Works sans WEP
I have the Linksys WRT54GS router so I thought buying this gaming adapter made since.....I returned my first 2 because according to Linksys support the wireless G something or other wasn't working. 3rd one I configured myself (because I'm now an expert at trouble shooting the damn thing). Bottom line, the wireless G light is NOT supposed to remain lit, only when data is transferred (not matter what Linksys support claims), WEP isn't supported (yes you will connect to the router but not the internet), and it's easier to use a static IP address (DHCP may work but I'm not going to even try). To avoid the complete and total break down of security enable Mac address filtering on your router, that way only listed Mac addresses AKA computers and access points can access your network.
With all that said it works pretty well, strong signal from my basement to the computer room, no disconnects or dropped signals. There is a new firmware upgrade but I'm afraid to get it...if it ain't broke don't fix it.
40 Works but is a bit problematic
I purchased the WGA54G to work with my Linksys WRT54G after a hellish experience getting another competitor's router to work with my cable modem. The WRT54G worked great, so I contacted Linksys to see what I would need to bridge my network wirelessly to my ReplayTV and Playstation 2 on another floor of my home.
After numerous confused replies from Linksys support I ended up narrowing my choices down to the WGA54G or the more expensive WET54G. After some more stumbling through Linksys tech support (email and phone) I finally got someone to say that the WGA54G would do what I wanted, so I went ahead and ordered it.
When it arrived things seemed great. I plugged it into my laptop and used the included software to configure the unit's settings. Unfortunately this is where I ran into my first snag. The WPA54G didn't have a setting to enable WPA encryption, which I had enabled on the router and the laptop I was using. I searched online for updates or information on updating the unit or enabling the setting by entering the manual setup, but failed.
Finally I called Linksys Tech Support. It took 2 separate techs to confirm that there was no WPA encryption on the WPA54G, but that I should keep an eye open for a future firmware update to enable it. It has been more than 6 months since then and still no update. In the meantime I reset all my other hardware to WEP encryption, which seems to work fine.
The unit is functioning with the ReplayTV and the PS2 (at least the network setup disc, as I have not had the time to play any online games) going through another manufacturers network switch to the WGA54G. I have had some issues with it losing connectivity with the router that can usually be resolved with a reset of the Game Adapter and switch (unplugging power, waiting a minute and replugging).
Still I wish the WGA54G was more 802.11G standard compliant so I could up the encryption again and not have to worry about security intrusions to my network.
41 Poor support, poor instructions but it worked finally!!!!
I brought the Games Adapter last week and I had been experiencing problems trying to configure it. I went through most of the difficulties described by fellow reviewers but in summary this is how I got it to work. Basically you need to run the CD!!! It didn't work on my Toshiba laptop at all so I tried configuring it through the web browser to no avail. I connected my PS2 to my modem directly just to check the damn thing was working; used all the auto settings an dit worked!! I finally tried it on my desktop and it seemed to recognise the games adapter using the CD. After that I was able to whizz through Central Station. Its working fine now but I want to know why Linksys Support is so poor and documentation so unhelpful.
I hope you don't have to go through what I went through. Just make sure you run the CD successfully, even if that means going to your mates house!!!
42 The Truth about the WGA54G Linksys
Ok we(myself and my bro) have managed to get this device working after almost a week of heartache. I will summarise the problems and then give you the solutions
Problem
========
The Adapter was not detected on my brothers laptop by the seup cd. No matter how many times he tried it didnt work.
He managed to get to the adapter over the web browser to run the config, but this unfortately didn't work. He got to it by setting the IP address manually. (...)
Anyway I came home after a week and got it working when we tried running the setup disc ON MY PC. The adapter was detected immediately and I just followed on screen prompts. And everything worked! However I could not get 64bit or 128bit WEP to work. So basically my simple advise is...if your adapter does not get auto detected set it up on a computer that DOES, whether it means getting a mates pc round or whatever. Manually configuring without the setup CD is a nightmare to say the least.
Everything else works a treat.....range is good and all of that. Only problem is the setup.
BTW....You must hardwire Adapter to PC to setup it up....(it tells you this anyway)
Linksys need to sort out this product as its given people so much grief
43 Expensive paperweight
I really wouldn't bother with this, there has got to be a better product than this around. Seems to me that the thing either works out of the box (around 30% of the time looking at the reviews), or either works after endless messing about in the dark with appalling or non-existent documentation or never works to perform its intended function, at least, which is where I'm at.
The facts:
- bought the WGA54G to connect my new Hauppauge MediaMVP to my Vigor 2600G wireless (54G) router. The MVP works great wired, BTW
- I've come across virtually all the problems listed in these reviews: setup CD not working, being advised by Linksys to return the WGA as defective, same problem still, WEP not working with non-Linksys, MAC address of wireless port not as per the one on the WGA, device gets hot really fast, range is rubbish and the address of the web interface not being in the documentation at all
- I can ping the WGA now but my MVP still can't use it as a wireless gateway to my IP network which is the whole point of the thing
I work in IT and understand well the isues around IP network setup as well as being familiar with DHCP and so forth, but this is stumping me. It shouldn't be this difficult - maybe its a product brought to market too soon ?
44 Returned for Microsoft's Wireless
Purchased this because it was cheaper than the Microsoft version. Unfortunately, after 4 hours of setup, 1.5 hours with Linksys support which ended with "You must call Microsoft to get help with the X-Box", I was able to get it working, barely. However, next time I tried to log on, it no longer worked.
Returned it for the Microsoft version which recognized my Linksys and was up in running in less than 2 minutes. I highly recommend going with Microsoft's 802.11g wireless adapter from the start. You'll save some headaches and it's supported by MS, the Linksys is not.
45 Mediocre Solution at Best
The device *works*, but not to my expectations. I bought the WGA54g as a complement to my LinkSys WRT54g to add my XBOX to my home wireless network, along with my other 3 personal computers. This thing was a headache to setup and troubleshoot; my 4 main gripes are:
-documentation had incorrect information (definitely not an out-of-the-box, plug-and-play unit)
-LinkSys technical support was less than ZERO
-device has no way of displaying signal strength of received signal
-device has poor range
I found this device to be very temperamental; that is, it's very sensitive to received signal strength. I found that it needs to rest in the same room as my router to work as I would expect. I had been trying to get it to operate in the next room (only 25'-30' away from the router, separated by a wall) but that location was just too far out of range... even though I have near-perfect reception in the same location on my WPC54g wireless notebook adapter.
I would love to try Microsoft's solution to compare ease-of-use, range, and overall setup/config time. Bottom Line: there are other wireless gaming solutions out there; don't try this until all else fails.
46 Hardware works, software stinks
This took me about 2 hours to set up, after about 20 attempts. The hardware works fine, but both the setup utility and the operating manual are poor and only handle connecting to simple networks. I have a non-standard (read: I didn't let Microsoft set up my network automatically) network and a Linksys Wireless G router, with 128 bit WEP (encryption) as well as MAC filtering set on. (My neighbor across the street also has a wireless network, which I didn't know until I started fooling around with this one.)
In essence, if you use a router gateway to the net (which you absolutely should for its inherent hardware firewall capabilities) and you use wireless encryption (which you absolutely should to make it difficult for a techie neighbor from eavesdropping in on your network) you must set this device up manually. Not only that, but you have to set up your game machine network settings manually as well.
First, routers usually also act as DHCP servers (meaning that they'll automatically give an IP address to anything logging onto the network). That means that unless you give the device a static IP address you're never sure which address your game machine will have when it boots up. The same thing is true of the WGA54G. Unless you specify a proper static IP address and netmask, it won't connect. So you have to give both the game machine and the WGA54G (different) static addresses within the range of your local network and which don't conflict with any existing devices.
Secondly, if you do MAC filtering, you need to realize that the WGA54G has TWO ethernet adapters: the wired one (which you stick the cable plug into) and the wireless one (that connects to the antenna). The MAC address of the WIRELESS device must be included in the filter settings of your router, or it'll be blocked. Linksys doesn't make it clear how to find that address (it gives you the wired MAC address on the label), but the wireless MAC device is one of the two MACs you've got to include in your
router's filter list. (Hint: it's one digit higher than the wired MAC address -- just add 1 to the last two hex digits). The other MAC address needed is of the IP adapter contained in your game device (or attachment). That you have to obtain from your game network setup screens. I'm not completely sure why the WGA54G's wired adapter address isn't needed, my guess is that since it doesn't make any packet requests of the wireless router (interacts only with the game machine) it's not "seen" by the router.
You'll have to all of this by logging into the WGA54G's built in HTTP (web) server interface and your router's interface, not with the setup software on the disk.
Finally (on the Xbox, anyway), you've got to specify another static IP address for the game adaptor AND specify the router address as the DNS server (remember it allocates IP addresses for connected devices and stands between you and the internet, translating your network requests to the outside world.
If this sounds like Greek to you, well you're in good company. But this device is not inexpensive and is promoted as being easy to use.
It may be that Linksys can't tailor its software to every situation, but they can certainly write better documentation to help novices cope with the issues raised by slightly more complicated local networks. I also think that its odd that a wi-fi "G" device doesn't support the newer and more secure WPA encryption standards (which Linksys certainly includes in its wireless routers). That means that you will have to run your whole network on WEP encryption if you have this device set up, because WPA devices can't coexist with WEP encryption. WEP can be hacked, and WPA basically, cannot (unless you're a lot spookier than the average wardriver).
Yeah, it runs kind of hot, and yeah its LED lights are kind of strange, but who cares about that? The problem with this device is that it seems to have been shipped too early and because it's a game device is not being seriously supported or updated by Linksys in the same way that they'd support a "serious" device.
Like I said, the hardware seems to work fine (haven't experienced any of the dropped signals others report here), it's the software and documentation that's lacking.
Is there a better alternative? I don't know, I don't have the money and time to find out and I got this puppy running, so I'm movin' on to other things. I do know that Linksys is a decent manufacturer and can do better.
47 Does not provide a very reliable connection for gaming.
Just like the title says people. If you want uninterupted gaming, run a wire. I got this product very early on when it was first brought to market so I have alot of time logged with this thing. Performance is at best, spotty. Conection to the router is dropped fairly often.
I've used the CD and web utility to connect. Even called Linksys support on the other side of the world and on two occasions I was told that they recommend you use the product with WEP disabled. What? Why would I want to do that? I live in an apartment complex with a lot of wireless connections from what I can tell from the web based utility so WEP is a must. Maybe if I lived in the middle of nowhere this would be an option.
I tried it with WEP disabled, briefly, and performance did improve so do so at your own risk. Often times to get the thing to connect with my router, I would have to hold the adaptor at different angles and heights until it could establish a connection. The router is in the next room to it's not like I'm in the attic and the router is in the basement. I just purchased the high gain attenae for the router so hopefully performance will improve some. I also find it interesting that no firmware upgrades have come out for this since inception.
If you are reading this, you have probably read the other 30 plus reviews for this product. You have also probably gathered that people have had a wide range of experiences with this product. YMMV.
48 UNITS ARE DEFECTIVE & LINKSYS AVOIDS THE PROBLEM
I have two of these units and NEITHER WORK. They both drop their connection when under any kind of load. I have spent HOURS troubleshooting my wireless problems and have definitively concluded both these units are DEFECTIVE.
49 Easy Setup for me...
Well, I bought this item for my Xbox prior to reading all of the troubles most seem to have. My brother, who builds computers, as a side job, recommended the Linksys to me b/c he said they are the leader in wireless internet blah blah.
(I am no computer whiz by any means)
Anyhow, after I ordered it (from another company online), I then decided to check out the reviews on Amazon (I know, I worked backwards on this)...but I definately got worried after reading all the difficulty most have.
But too late, item was shipped.
Upon recieving, I hooked it up to my ROUTER (not computer as the instruction sheet said to) (my router is a Linksys G (not sure model #), then plugged it in the outlet, and ran the setup disk. That took about 2 or 3 minutes.
Then I unhooked it and took it to my Xbox which is in the next room, about 25' from the computer, seperated by a wall.
I hooked it up to my Xbox and plugged it in and was up and running.
Total time it took me to finally play someone online was about 15 to 20 minutes, b/c all of the inputing you have to do to set up online with the Xbox.
So, for me, it works great, no problems.
Only gripe is, this unit runs HOT. Hope that doesn't cause any longevity issues.
50 A good buy, but...
I purchased this product for my Playstation 2 after careful speculation, despite certain poor reviews given by some Amazon.com members. I tried for a while to get my computer to "see" the game adapter. Eventually, I just hooked it up to my PS2. Using Madden 2004, I tested the connection. The first time, it did not work. I tried again, this time replugging in the adapter of my router. This seemed to do the trick, at least for madden. However, when I inserted my Tony Hawks Pro Skater 4 disk, it said that the Game Adapter was not connected. My advice: Do not buy this adapter if you want to play THPS4 (It worked fine with my Madden 2004 and Socom games, though)
51 Nonfunctional product, nonfunctional customer support
If only Linksys put as much effort into improving the quality of their products as they do trying to cut costs with their support department!
This product SHOULD be plug-and-play, but it's not. Setup is done through a PC, but don't even think about unplugging the power cable before you try to use it; otherwise, it will never connect. And when it does connect, its DHCP doesn't do its job.
It's very difficult getting that green "connect" LED to light up, and Linksys support is no help there. The web-based setup says "disconnected" when the light is lit, and "connected" when the light is dark. Make sense? Of course not. Linksys' only advice is to make sure all your network settings are as they should be; that's it. Guess what: even with the correct settings, this thing still doesn't connect. Think all you need is a firmware update? Wrong again - no fixes available for this paperweight as of June, 2004, and it's been on the market for a year.
In short, don't let the sub-$100 price tag lure you in; this is a hunk of junk. I'm returning mine!
52 works on PS2 fine but Xbox problems no ip
I found that connecting it to the PS2 and playing online is extremly fast with no lag time. When I connected it to my Xbox and tried connecting it to XBCONNECT it won't allow me to host or join. The reason being is because when I check the IP Settings on the Xbox it says 0.0.0.0 a broadcast. When I use a cat 5 cable I get the locally assigned 192.168.1.104 from my linksys wireless-g router. It assigns it fine with PS2 though which is the strange part. Well, since I can't get an IP it is useless trying to use any FTP program for the "changed" xbox hint hint. I need an IP to FTP. I am not sure what the problem is at this point.
53 Terrible Product, Worse Support
Wow! What can I say about this product?
History:
I've been using Linksys products since 1998, and have had nothing but great experiences. I've referred many folks to spend the extra money on a Linksys, as it was the "Cadallic of home networking gear." To my shock and surprise, I can unfortunately say this no longer.
I purchased the WGA54G adapter, along side with a Linksys wireless broadband router. From the start, this piece of junk looked like trouble. The packaging and instructions were poor. I plugged it in, and after 5 minutes, the unit becomes uncomfortably warm. Plus, there's this faint "hissing" noise it makes when fully powered on. After an hour of repeat attempts, I eventually get the unit to "see" my broadband router, which is only 20 feet away. It connects fine, transmits data, and then at a COMPLETELY random period of time, the unit disconnects from the basestation, and is unable to transmit data, connect to the Internet, grab an IP address, nothing.
(Non)Resolution:
After much frustration, I call Linksys 24x7 "technical support." It reaches an outsourced call center in a foreign country. After two hours, here are my new impressions of Linksys new customer support:
* They speak very poor English
* They have very basic/poor product knowledge.
* When I asked for technical help from a level 2 technician, I experienced hostility
* I told them that I needed WEP privacy. They advised against this, as there are "problems" with WEP on the unit. Not acceptable-I'm not opening up my home network to the rest of the world.
* They insisted that my router was working, when I told them five various times it was still not working.
Conclusion: Junk
In conclusion, Linksys poorly designed a cheap product, and they only back it up with terrible customer support. I left this with an absolute customer experience. Until the folks at Cisco (who own Linksys) catch up with these problems, BE CAREFUL!!
So what to do?
Some say try another vendor. What do I do? Funny enough, someone gave me a second Linksys WRT54G router. I added the Sveasoft firmware hack to boost output to 84mW, and then threw it into "client" mode, and WEP encryption works (no WAP yet). It's worked flawlessly. If you'd have to pay for this, you'd end up saving money over the WGA54G purchase, and see dependable results.
54 works just fine
We connected 4 xboxes using these wireless devices and they worked great. We played 2 different games using only one network segment even though the wga45g supports 11 segments. My only con, it's a little expensive.
55 Works, but it can be glitchy...
I read all of the reviews posted here before I purchased the Wireless-G Game Adapter, and like someone wrote earlier, it's much easier to config if you DON'T plug it directly into your PC's NET card; if you do so, chances are your computer won't even see it. Instead, plug it into your hub/router; from there, it's a snap. Just put in the CD, and follow the wizard's instructions. When I connected the device into the net adapter of my PS2, it set up easily - just remember the IP address you're given. However, lagtime and disconnections are frequent. It CAN be frustrating...I don't know if it's the distance (my PC is in my 2nd floor back BR, and the PS2 is in the front of my basement), or what, but this is a common occurance. If anyone knows a solution, I'm open to suggestion...
56 Bewildered
I plugged this unit into my PC as in the directions and tried several times, but it couldn't find it. I also tried plugging it into my router and it still couldn't find it as one other person had success with. While plugged into the back of the router is the only time the 'g' light shines. I also tried the online utility and I tried entering "admin" as instructed several times and it went nowhere?
So I thought what the heck, I'll just plug it into the Xbox and see if it works. The 'g' light won't light even though it's only about 7 feet away, however, it seems to work on some level. I played Project Gothem racing and Mechassault with no problems. According to the "ScreenSavers", you don't need 'G' speed anyway to run this stuff. My complaint is these directions and utilities seem to be useless and I followed the directions to a tee!
57 Skipping and dragging
Set my adapter up with no problems. The problems come in when your playing online. I have NCAA 2004 and it is a terrible connection. By the way, I have a high speed cable connection so there is no excuse. Every 4 to 5 seconds it locks up and freezes. That is no good when your in the middle of a timing pattern over the middle. Not worth the money to me. I will just buy a router and run wires again.
58 PEOPLE!! READ THE INSTRUCTIONS!!
If you don't read the setup instructions you lose all right to complain that it doesn't work. Start at step 1, read and perform each step, and if once you complete the process it still doesn't work, then you can kick and scream.
It took me about 2 minutes to set up this adapter. It works great.
59 Avoid this product if you use WEP on your network!
I had to return this product, after spending a frustrating week trying to get it to work with my wireless network's WEP security turned on. (If it supports it, the documentation / support / website sure don't mention it.) Tech support also took forever to answer, FYI. Since I was trying to get my Xbox online, I picked up the Xbox adapter (ACIN:B0000C5FMJ) which (following a bit of a struggle getting the firmware updated) works with WEP just fine.
I am sure this is a high quality product, and you should get it if you are not running WEP.
60 NO PROBLEMS
I don't know why others had so many problems. I just got my adapter, skipped the entire installation process, and plugged it in. It Worked! No problems whatsoever. The thing kicks. Do not get distracted by the other posts. This thing is worth the money.
61 Great product!
I have read many reviews discussing the difficulty in setting this adapter up. I had to try about 10 times before I got it working, but I did something different than the quick start guide, it said plug it into your pc first to configure it (I could never get my network to recognize the game adapter). Well, thats the part I tried 10 times. Then I plugged the adapter directly into my Belkin Wireless router, it detected the adapter, configured it and I was good to go. I have had no problem while playing several PS2 games online (madden2004 and nba live2004)
62 LINK IS THE BEST
i was skeptical about the wireless game adapter but it turned about to be a GOD SENT! it does what it says! PERIOD! IF YOU HAVE KIDS AND HAVE 2 PLAYSTATION AND ON DSL?CABLE CONNECTION THIS WILL FIX THE PROBLEM! NO MORE FIGHTS NO MORE CRYING ABOUT WHO IS GOING ON LINE TO NIGHT! IF ANYONE NEEDS HEL SETTING IT UP EMAIL ME!
63 0 to wireless gaming in two minutes!!!
In contrast to many of the reviews submitted here, I did not have one problem with this product. One thing I do notice between my situation and many others is the fact that I am using my WGA54G for the XBox, not the PS2 (at this time). For those of you using this product for the XBox, I predict that you won't encounter the problems associated with the PS2. I followed the setup instructions, and, problem-free installation happened as fast as I could read. I literally was gaming wirelessly in two minutes, and in a different room than my wireless router (Linksys WRT54G). When Gran Turismo 4 debuts for the PS2, I will be back with a review for using the WGA54G with a Playstation 2.
64 PLEASE READ CAREFULLY............................
Hi, I bought the WRT54G (linksys wireless - g router) and the WGA54G (this game adapter), together. The router was straight forward to setup, no matter what they say you always have to set something up, it won't just plug in and work. For the Router I had to HTTP into it's settings and change connection type to PPOE and type in my user id and password so my router can log me in automatically. Now the GAME ADAPTER I ALMOST SENT BACK. You must also set this up on your pc first. plug into your nic card in pc. then use cd to go into setup, that's not the problem. The problem that I had was when I plugged it into my PS2 it would not connect. The reason was since I was using a wired connection to my network adapter on my ps2, my network settings on the ps2 were set to type in user id and password. What happens is since I already had that set in my router (as I explained above) I was trying to actually log in twice by having the same setting in my ps2. So I had to go in and remove the user name and pass, save it to my memory card and it worked. It took me 3 hours altogether to get it going. But it is well worth it, it works great! Just remember to take your username and password in your ps2, if your connecting to a router like myself that already has that info in it's setting.
65 WGA11B much!!!!!! easier in my case.
You would think that using the same exact setup, the same application, and all the same name brand equiptment(linksys)in your home network it would be easy to replace one piece,the WGA11B with the WGA54G and it would work fine. It wasn't quite that easy.
After seeing how easy it was to set up the WGA11B both on the CPU and the PS2 I deceided to make the jump to an all "G" network because I heard that the mixed setting can really slow down your network. I literaly had the WGA11B hooked up in five minutes without wep. Just set it to In mode plug it in and your off. Then I decided it's better to be safe then sorry so I used the P1 setting to add wep. That was another hard 2 minutes. Up and playing PS2 online in under 15 minutes including boot up time and setting up my EA account.
The WGA11B works flawlessly. I play at my brothers house who has a wired connection and there is absolutly no difference!
The WGA54G on the other hand seems impossible to set up. I still don't know if anyone is able to do it. I have a base knowledge of computers and tried for about 1 1/2 hrs. I then called Tech support. Very nice guy that tried anything possible other that saying just whack it once real good on the side. After about an hr he said it must be defective so I drove the hr one way to return it for another. Got it home fired it up seemed to loading much faster than the other one. Wasn't locking up all the time like the other one. I spoke to soon. It must start messing up when it gets warm and it does get warm.
Called tech support again this time got a woman who was also very nice was transferred once, everyone very polite. But other than when it would freeze up the wireless light would not come on. 0-2 and not attempting #3. I will stick with the much more reliable WGA11B and hope that the come out with updates that allow "B" products to work with out slowing down the network. It doesn't slow the internet only the speed between you wireless CPU's. I still have a Linksys router WRT54G and the game adapter that work perfect. I learned my lesson and it cost me about two days.... If it's not broken, don't fix it!
66 Buy it for playing online games, not for the ease of setup
I should first point out that I recommend Linksys products to other people.
I bought the WRT54G and WGA54G at the same time, in order to use them together. Setting up and configuring the router was easy, as I had a BEFSX41, until getting the wireless router. According to Linksys, the only difference between the two (other than the obvious wireless LAN) is that you cannot turn off the firewall in the WRT54G. (There seems to be a firewall enable/disable on the web based utility, so I'm not sure what they were trying to tell me.)
Back to the game adapter. This thing cost me at least 1.5 days of heartache. True, if you follow the quick start directions by connecting the game adapter (GA) directly to the computer, and using the setup CD, you won't have many problems (although I found that I had to assign an IP address to my PC manually, instead of using DHCP for this to work reliably). The real problem comes into play when you want to use the web based utility.
If your first thought was that you could use the web based utility wirelessly, think again. Linksys says it should work. It doesn't. After spending 65 minutes talking to a support person, he finally got so upset with me (even though I was doing my best to keep cool about it, and do everything he asked), that he had me connect it to my PS2 and connect wirelessly to an online game, he said problem solved, even though I couldn't use the web based utility wirelessly. He was unwilling to go any further.
What I did learn was what someone else already said. If you want to use the web based utility, you have to be connected with a wired connection. My best luck was connecting directly to the PC, as before, and then typing the IP address of the GA into your browser. You can then set everything up you wish. I was even connected to the internet wirelessly after everything was set up correctly, through the GA (after I switched my PC back to DHCP). Once that is done, disconnect it, and connect up your gaming console, and you should be ready to go. I would hope that Linksys will come out with a firmware upgrade that will make the interface more reliable.
The problem with connecting it wired to the router is as stated below, that you will have an IP conflict, because you have the same IP address registered as a wired IP and a wireless IP (Windoze XP kept pointing this out to me, and I finally realized why). Unless the GA disconnects from the router wirelessly, it will be a pain to set up this way.
I would still recommend this product, as it works perfectly, once set up, however, here are a few tips to remember.
1. Don't use online chat with Linksys while trying to set up this game adapter if you are using the computer you are using to chat, as the computer you are trying to set the game adapter up with. Reason: You will most likely get disconnected because you are fooling with IP addresses, and you can't reconnect to the same person.
2. Set up your router and game adapter to be "Wireless-G only" if you don't have any Wireless-B devices, because your W-G connection will be faster.
67 I don't get why everyones having trouble with this.....
This is a very good product...but it's all a matter if you follow directions right. The thing that's so weird about this adapter is that you originally have to plug this is DIRECTLY to your ethernet jack on your computer so that your computer can configure the channels and the network addresses to the product. That I sort of found odd, because the other Wireless-B version of this you don't have to set with your computer...you plug it in and you can select the channel right on the product.
Another thing is, even after I configured this with my playstation...I was able to connect everything...it worked great, but the wirless G light on the bottom wasnt doing anything...only the ethernet light was blinking. I looked closer to it and just found out it was a dim light because the light was Wireless G like WAS blinking very dimly at different times. All I'm going to say is remember to put this on infastructure mode, and plug this in DIRECTLY to your computer with NO CONNECTION present to your computer and the drivers should do the rest. All you have to do is reset you computer after you configure it so you can get your internet connection back again. Also, originally I thought the wireless G light not working was the cause of lagging on my PS2...but it turns out it all matters who you play and what connection they have.
68 An additional tip for those having trouble
I wrote a review earlier. I have noticed some people still having trouble. Some of this trouble may occur when people trying using the web-based utility.
Basically, you can set up everything correctly and the main page of the web-based utility will still say that the wireless adapter is "not connected".
What's happening? While the web-based utility is running the ethernet port of the wga54g is connected to the ethernet port of your pc. If, as suggested by Linksys, you manually select an ip address for the wga54g on the network (as opposed to allowing the router to assign an address using DHCP), the wireless address for you wga54g will share its internet address with the ethernet port of the wga54g, resulting in a conflict. Because of this conflict,the web-based utility will report that the wireless adapter is not attached to the network. If you disconnect the wga54g's ethernet port, however, the web-based utility will not function, as it seems to require a wired link to the network.
My advice. Follow Linksys's advice about manually assigning an ip address. Don't worry about the "Not connected" status reported by the web-based utility. If, according to the web-based utility, the wga54g sees the network, you are probably in decent shape. Disconnect the wga54g's ethernet port from the pc, connect the wga54g to the network port of your gaming system, configure the gaming system, and test to see if all works. Hint: To eliminate range concerns, it's handy to move the gaming system into the same room as the pc while you are configuring everything
69 Horrific Linksys product support!
I am a desktop/network support analyst for a large company, I recently and very easily configured a 802.11G wireless home network using Linksys and Cisco products.
This game adapter however cost me an entire Sunday afternoon, which to me is rediculous. I ended up purchasing two of these adapters, exchanging one after I worked for 2 hours on configuring it using a wireless notebook. It never once was able to connect to the wireless network and yes before I attempted to add this I turned on SSID broadcasting, disabled MAC filtering, switched the SSID channel to the default of 6. After waiting for approx. 50 minutes on hold for Linksys support, the call lasted 2 minutes instructing me to return it, as it was defective.
I returned with another adapter and called Linksys immediately, waiting for over 60 minutes this time and spent another 60 minutes on the phone with a support rep that was not very technical or experienced with the other Linksys 802.11G products I had (WAP54G, WPC54G, WMP54G) he concluded that I was too far from the WAP to receive any signal, although I remind you that I was using a notebook with a wireless adapter in the same room that had access/signal without problem. Even from within the same room as the WAP I couldn't get signal, I could only get signal when it was physically attached to my router.
After seeing the other reviews, I may try the 802.11B adapter and see how that fairs. I just want to express if you have difficulty, don't waste your time calling, just try to use the included and web materials or return the item. Cmon Linksys, please address this problem!
70 Does not work out of the box
To Ben Appell: I'm sure most if not all of us that experienced problems were able to follow the "simple" 3-step instructions which tell you to use the setup on the CD. There's no mention of the more advanced setup program in the documentation that came with the Linksys bridge. In theory it should be simple but not everyone has the same hardware and some newer wireless routers may need a firmware upgrade in order to get it to work. Why did Linksys tech support tell me to set a static IP address on the PS2 when the instructions don't mention that? Hopefully most will be able to use "simple" 3-step instructions, if not, good luck!
Update: I got it working, don't know for sure which of the many things I tried finally did it. I won't go into detail since I did a lot of steps and may only pertain to my Netgear WGT624v2 router. What a struggle, I raised my rating to 2 Stars since the performance is great. Note: make sure if using WEP, go to "Advanced" setup page and select Shared Key if not already set, mine wasn't (be sure to APPLY), then go back to first setup page, select your SSID from list (may have to Refresh) and click CONNECT, then APPLY.
I'm having the same issues as "an electonics fan", I even returned first adapter thinking it's defective. More like the Linksys tech support is defective (over hour on hold, online chat failed). She says I need to set static IP in PS2...Linksys intructions doesn't say anything about that in their 3 step instructions. She never asked what wireless router or firmware I'm using (Netgear WGT624). Going thru setp seems fine, sees SSID, enable 64bit WEP (she said it's not tested to use 128bit WEP)...but plugged into PS2 and no worky. She says they've done their part, now rest is up to Sony! Baloney! Buy at own risk.
71 Great... when it works. Here's the fix!
Ok, after going through 2 of these adapters with the Amazon return department (Linksys informed me the first one was defective) and hours on the phone with Linksys customer support, I finally got it working. I have the Linksys WRT54G wireless G router and this game adapter DID NOT work right out of the box. After troubleshooting just about everything and anything what finally did the trick was found in the game adapters web based utility program found by going to 192.168.1.250 while the adapter is connected to your computer by ethernet cable. Leave the username blank and enter "admin" in password. Click on the advanced tab and make sure that static IP is selected. The Ip address should be 192.168.1.250 and the Gateway should be 192.168.1.1 (which comes blank by default) That one change got me up and running... GOOD LUCK!
72 Not effective as a wireless bridge
I originally got this device because it looked like it performed the same function as a wireless bridge. I have a Tivo and Xbox that I wanted to connect to my existing wireless network (MS MN-700 Wireless router). I did the initialization of the WGA54G and then hooked it up to a hub and then hooked up the Tivo and a laptop to the hub. Worked great - Tivo could get his program info and the laptop could surf the web. I then hooked up the Xbox to the hub and it would not connect. Nothing I could do (static IP, etc.) would make the Xbox connect. I even tried a switch instead of the hub but it made no difference.
I then hooked the Xbox directly to the WGA54G and, after cycling power on it, the Xbox was able to connect. Online searches found posts indicating that I could hook multiple ip address-based devices to the adaptor but only one mac address-based device to it. Now, I know what IP address and MAC address are but the whole thing doesn't make sense to me. Ultimatley everything is MAC address-based so I don't know what that distinction really means.
At any rate, this thing works for me as a game adaptor but does not appear to work as a true wireless bridge. Currently, I have to move cables from Xbox to Tivo when either needs to connect.
Hope this helps someone
73 If you enjoy frustration, go right ahead and get this one
We purchased this adapter and tried to use it with our existing Microsoft wireless home network. We set up our Microsoft network in less than 15 minutes, so we thought this would be easy. After an hour of trying to follow the "simple" installation directions, we could not get the computer to detect the adapter and vice-versa. We spent another hour waiting for an available support technician to answer our call. Then, the clueless support tech spent over 90 minutes talking us around in useless circles. He had no idea how to fix the problem. He put us on hold (presumably to go ask somebody who could speak English) and after an additional 30 minutes of waiting for him to come back to the phone, we hung up. Total time trying to connect this simple device: 4 fruitless hours. Also, the Linksys support website featured a host of broken & totally useless links, including the online support link. This should have been a clue as to what type of terrible experience we were going to have. I wish we had checked this out before purchasing. Futhermore, Linksys USA needs to hire support personnel who speak English clearly and concisely without heavy foreign accents. Most Americans DO NOT want to talk to a foreigner who can barely speak English when they are in the middle of having technical problems. I certainly don't. It might not be "PC" to says this, but I don't really care. After all, I couldn't move to France and presume to offer sound technical support using "broken" French. All of these issues add up to a miserable experience. I reccomend not buying from Linksys until these issues are resolved.
74 Works Great!
I purchased two of these adapters, and both have worked exactly as advertised. Both detected the wireless network on the first try and configured very easily. After using them for a while, I checked the log in my wireless access point and did not see any lost or dropped packets. Very satisfied.
75 Finally got it working
I wrote the paragraph after this one (my initial review of this product) before I tried an experiment. The experiment: On a hunch, I downgraded my firmware on the wrt54g router to 1.42.2. from 1.42.3. It worked. The wireless connection works and I now have online, wireless ps2 gaming. Apparently, nobody at Linksys tested the wga54g with a Linksys wrt54g version 1.1 router having the latest (version 1.42.3) firmware. Shame on Linksys if that's the case. 5 stars for the performance, but I'm taking away 2 stars because of the difficult time I had getting it to work. Now, for the old paragraph from my initial review
I just went through my second unit. Both times, everything's fine with a direct connection to the router. Unfortunately, the Wireless-G light does not go on, and there's not internet connection, w/out a direct connection to the router, which makes the device useless. Tech support could not help. My router and wga54g settings are correct. Lot's of similar complaints here, but I'm not sure if there are this many defective units out there. It's possible that a fix exists, but Linksys technical support is clueless. So, it's either the problem is either an abundance of defective units, or a shortage of good tech support.
76 Works great on my PS2
I took it out of the box and hooked it to my PS2 and I haven't had a problem yet. This is alot better than running cables from your computer to the game room.
77 Not working out of the Box
This contraption gave me a headache after 5 hours of trying to get it to work. Like some of the other reviewers, I connected it to my network via hardline and it took the setup no problem. Although my network performane took a serious dive while it was connected, but that's another issue. Once the settings were complete it would never connect to my network. Even tried changing the static IP to something else and revamped my whole scheme.... didn't work. I work in Tech Support for my company and I'm usually the one taking calls from angry customers and this product pissed me off. I'm about to make the ugly assumption that there are plenty of defective devices out there since my issue mirrors that of the other posters.
78 Worked like a charm!
I popped this baby out of the box and plugged it into the xbox. Zero configuration through PC interface and up and running with no hiccups. Using Linksys wireless router-G. Have no clue why everybody is having such a hardtime. My only answer is operator error as seen many times before being in the IT field.
79 DOA
I plugged it into my PC, the supplied setup software wouldn't even see the device (the indicator lights on the adapter showed that it was connected).
Contacted Linksys technical support. They were very quick to have me return the item as defective.
Not a very postive introduction to Linksys' products.
80 perfect
it worked just like it said. I connected it to my computer so it could get all the settings then I connected it to my xbox and it worked without a problem.
81 Don't even bother with this adapter
This was supposed to be my upgrade for the WET11 in which it has been dropping the connection once in awhile and also the downloads should be faster with gameplay on PS2/Xbox and is supposed to be a cheaper solution to the wireless G bridge. I just returned this as this product nuked my linksys wireless g and b router settings. As soon as I took the WGA54G out of the box, I plugged it directly to my desktop and it took the settings. Then I went ahead and plugged it to my PS2, my network would not detect the device. I went back to troubleshoot the adapter by plugging into the router directly and typing in 192.168.1.250 and it gave me the web interface. Everything was set correctly, so I changed it to DHCP and everything stopped working including my linksys wireless routers b and g and my laptop could not even talk to my routers when it was plugged into the network when all I wanted to do was change the settings on the network. I had to totally redo my networking scheme and when I tried resetting the adapter by the push of the button, it will not detect via the CD. I tried the 192.168.1.250 static address it will not detect it either. I tried looking at my DHCP settinga snd there weren't any entries to this adapter. Linksys support told me the same steps to resolve my problems and did not have a clue on what to do. I don't think this is a one time problem as the WET11 has it's own problem of dropping the connection. Bottom line is I spent the whole weekend messing around with this thing and I wouldn't even care to upgrade as of yet until their problems are resolved.
82 WGA54G is useful for X-BOX
WGA54G is easy to connect to your wireless AP or router. Just switch your button to INFRASTRUCTURE mode, and it will connect to your AP automatically. Also you can use setupwizard from PC to setup your WGA54G.
If you want to play peer-to-peer between your X-BOXs. Just switch your button to AD-HOC mode. And then everything is ok.
Even you can use WGA54G like ethernet bridge. It's more cheap instead of WET54G. For your information.
83 Worked out of the box, as promised
Originally I was using a Wet 11 connected to my Xbox on a Linksys 802.11b network. The configuration of the Wet 11 was difficult but eventually I got everything working. After upgrading my wireless network to 802.11g, even after a great deal of effort I was never able to get my Wet 11 / Xbox connected again.
I bought this WGA54G game adapter, and as promised, it worked right out of the box (well, you still have to configure it from a PC initially). Most pleasing.
