Computers / Networking / Linksys WAP54G Wireless Access Point

When we first purchased our house, I was hoping that I could find an easy way to run network cables from our router on the main floor, to the PCs that we have set up on the main floor and in the basement.  I figured that connecting via a physical cable should offer us the fastest, and the most reliable connection.  After checking things out, though, I found that there was not going to be an easy, or clean way to run the cable down into the basement, so I'd have to find some sort of wireless solution.  Because of that, I've been using a Linksys WAP54G Wireless Access Point as part of my home network for over a year now. 

Manually configuring the WAP54G to work with our wireless router was simple, and the process could have been even easier if I chose to take advantage of the "SecureEasySetup" feature which will automatically create a secure connection with any other similarly-capable wireless devices on the network. 

I found the web-based configuration utility to be fairly intuitive and easy to use, similar to the other Linksys products I've used.  The physical connections on the back of the access point are also simple to understand, having only one single ethernet port, and one connection for the power adapter.

During the year that I've owned it, the WAP54G has been powered on constantly.  The connection speeds that it offers are fast.  It's easily able to keep up with our cable internet connection, however it is noticeably slower than a directly wired connection when transferring large files over the network.  I have experienced some dropped connections on several occasions, but they were always easily remedied by powering off the access point for a few seconds, and then powering it back on again.

It's definitely not perfect, but I think the WAP54G has served me well during the time I've used it.  Until I find a reason to upgrade, it will continue to play a major part in my home network.