WRT54GP2 - Lacking features / issues

Posts: 4 · New Forum Member Joined: Jun 29, 2005 Posts: 4

I've had my WRT54GP2 (Firmaware 1.28.00) a few months now and have some questions/concerns/feedback:

1) On my router, every config change results in a reboot of the router. More often than not, the router is not restarted before the refresh time of the interim page expires and issues a new request for the config page. Does this happen to anyone else?

2) I get frequent disconnects (at least once per hour) of my wireless connection when using WPA PSK. This occurs on three different computers (and NICs). Also, this behavior did not occur on my WRT54G, and it does not occur with WEP. Anyone using WPA successfully?

3) Why only 1 WEP key? I liked the feature of multiple WEP keys. I would configure my computers with one key, my work devices with a second, and any friends devices with a third. It eliminates so much headache to change a shared WEP key and not have to change it on all my devices as well.

4) Will there be a secure (SSL) remote administration feature like other LInksys routers have? I don't like to leave infrequently used ports open on my router, but rather connect to the router and open up the ports when I need them, and then close them again. But the HTTPS feature for Remote Administration was removed in the WRT54GP2. Am i just out of luck there?

I really like the setup I have and don't want to change it unnecessarily. But the lacking features of the WRT54GP2 leave me wanting.

Setup:

Cable Modem => WRT54GP2 => WRT54G => PCs/Devices and BEFSR41 => PCs

Thanks for any input,

Jonathan

Posts: 646 · Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2005 10:07 pm Post subject:

Your current setup looks slightly insane... 3 routers? If you're using the WRT54GP2 as your wireless router, then what is the purpose of the other 2?

Posts: 93 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: Jun 23, 2005 Posts: 93

i believe this setup is better

modem-->WRT54G-->WRT54GP2-->BEFSR41

it would be better turn off the wireless part of the wrt54gp2 or if you want to use it as an access point to extend your wireless radius, you can keep it on. By the way, how many wired computers do you have? Are the LAN ports of the wireless routers not enough to connect all your wired computers?

Posts: 4 · New Forum Member Joined: Jun 29, 2005 Posts: 4

It's not just computers, but network devices as well. And I regularly have a computer or two that I am working on for other people, so having a couple extra ports is convenient. All told, after connecting the routers, it's only a total of eight ports for PCs and devices.

Also, it's location. One wireless router doesn't provide enough signal through my house, nor are all the computers/devices in one location. I keep the two servers (wired) running in the basement (connected to the GP2) while the WRT54G has a network printer, a NAS device, and a laptop dock connected to it. The BEFSR41 then provides ports for my temporary work area and my work laptop when I need a wired connection - such as connecting to VPN to do support work - wireless just doesn't perform well enough for that.

Putting the WRT54G as the internet gateway would resolve the remote administration issue, but nothing else, since I need a second router as an access point. But moving the GP2 would require me to drop a phone line through a floor to connect to the phone wiring in my house (only 4 phone jacks in entire house - one being in the basement by the GP2).

The most important issues, though, are #1 (router reboots) and #4 (remote admin).

Because I use MAC filtering, whenever I add/remove a device to/from the filter list, my router reboots. The same goes for enabling/disabling port forwarding. If the reboot was faster, it may not be an issue, but waiting 10+ seconds for connectivity and having to reload the router web interface again (because the redirect fails) is annoying.

And the SSL remote config issue is a no-brainer for remotely managing the router.

The WEP/WPA is just a preference, and something I can deal with if I must. I'd prefer WPA since WEP is vulnerable, but I don't do top secret work on my network, and my wireless signal range isn't great (barely makes it past the exterior walls of my house), so I'm not that worried about compromise on that front.

-- Jonathan