Linksys WRT54G vs WRT54GL vs WRT54GS

Between those three routers, which one is the best? Does the GS' speed booster make a difference? What ARE the actual differences between these three?

 

Speedbooster does make a difference if you have speedbooster enabled hardware (your wireless card). Also, these set of routers can take 3rd party firmware that is VERY nice. you should look into DD-WRT firmware. www.ddwrt.org i believe. i just got the wrt54GL and its very fast. from what i have learned from the DDWRT wiki page, is that even the GL is capable of speedbooster dispite marketing that says GS model has it exclusively, u just need a card that supports it. i think the GL is a much better deal unless you are trying to run a small business access point...
check out the DD-WRT wiki, it will answer alot of questions. it also has a section on other routers that are good that also support this firmware.

edit;
to my knowledge, the difference between the G, GL and GS is mainly in the amount of flash memory(how big of a file you can upload for firmware) and RAM. the G has quite a bit of both, but it is from 2003, so look between GS and GL as they are newer technology. the GS has alot more of each, but honestly you wont need more than what the GL offers if you are using this for home use. the sweet thing about both of them is the support of DDWRT which gives u excellent configuration abilities and boosted performance and useability.

 

Current G/GS models from the store are stripped down versions of what the popular models were 1-2 years ago. The GL is the last in the line of linux/open source units.

 

If you can get a WRT54G that is pre-version 5 you will be okay. You can pick them up on eBay pretty cheap. Just make sure to verify the version. I got a older version 2 WRT54G for $25 to replace a BEFW11S4 and it works like a charm.

Also, the other posters are correct. The current G/GS models have less ROM and RAM and as such are not easily flashed and don't have the functionality of the GL or older G/GS models.

Rob

 

If you find a version of WRT54G with version 4 or lower then you can custom flash it to make it into a WRT54GS. I myself just went ahead and bought a WRT54GS, but still custom flashed it.

 

The difference between the WRT54G and the WRT54GL is in the flash size, but the GL runs Linux as it's firmware, and thus allows you to update it with aftermarket firmwares and hack on it if you so desire. That's the main benefit of it. I have a WRT54G, it works plenty fast with 4 or more WPA encrypted connections running simultaneously. The GS, those usually require a Linksys branded card to get the extra speed in it. Speedbooster isn't completely supported in all hardware, and rarely is in integrated chips to my knowledge.

 

I had the WRT54G for about a week then returned it. Once every 24 hours exactly, it would stop and need to be reset (wired and unwired) this was on the new firmware and everything. I returned it and got the Netgear WGR614. No problems so far, whatsoever. This was back in January, so new firmware for Linksys may fix this.

 

I had problems like that with my old Linksys logume. But I think static fried that one, I zapped it once pretty good after walking over wool carpet.

 

So the GL edition, is that meant for Linux systems? I'm also currently looking at the G, GL, GS. I bought the GS first, but I returned it because I noticed that in order to get the "Speedbooster" technology you need the card too. So I'm debating now from G and GL.

 

No, the GL edition is usable on any system. The firmware that operates the router is Linux based and easily flashable to any number of third-party firmwares that are available.

The current G routers (version 5 and up) use some other firmware (can't remember which one) and are not easily flashable to third-party software. They also don't have as much memory (ROM and RAM). For those interested in advanced features and the ability to tweak the router this is a problem.

G routers pre-version 5 also use the Linux based firmware and have more memory and can be purchased pretty cheap on eBay, etc. I bought a version 2 for $25 including S/H.

The GL routers sold by Linksys cost $15-$20 more than their G counterparts.

Rob

 

So you're suggesting that the GL router is better than the regular G. Thanks for the info. Helped a lot.

 

The GL version is a better choice even if you do not intend to hack it -- it is a much more stable system. Everyone I know that got the new v5 has had problems with it, they suck. The GL is basically what the G was before v5, back when they were good.

 

Agreed, unless you can find a pre v5 on eBay for cheap.

Rob

 

This page may help you out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WRT54G

 

Since you brought up second hand gear- the best WRT so far is WRT54GS v3- these have new CPU (the same as G/GL/GS nowadays, but newer than pervious versions had), 32MB RAM (as opposed to 16MB on GS v5/GL/G pre v5) and 8MB flash (opposed to 4MB on all other except for v5 and up with 2MB only).

Still I'd go for WRTSL54GS- also 32MB RAM/8 flash, but new CPU @266MHz (not 200MHz as in all others WRTs), USB 2.0 port and it stands vertically (easier too cool down). Unfortunately it has only one antenna (not detachable)

 

What is a good 3rd party firmware that I can flash into my WRT54G?

 

I would reccomend DD-WRT

 

Would an Atheros AR5006XS card work with Speedbooster?

 

No it wouldn't. It's BROADCOM technology that can be found in ACER notebooks, Linksys, ASUS, Bufallo and some DELL and quite a few HPs.

 

I was wondering...in the linksys router WRT54G, it allows you to pick different kinds of ghz. Is there a difference between them? Will some of them give me a better speed? The default I think was set on 6.

 

azntiger1000:

What you're talking about is the channel the router is set to. I'm pretty sure all Linksys routers come set on channel 6 by default. If you live in an area with a lot of networks around you (i.e. apartment building, condos, etc.) you should be able to improve performance by switching to a different channel (try 1 or 11) since most people don't change this setting. If your network is the only one around, you most likely won't see any difference on another channel, unless you've got interference from 2.4GHz cordless phones or some other source.

Rob

 

Thanks. Clear explanation.

 

Guys-Can the config file from my WRT54GS be used in a WRT54GL if I switch over? I had a little emergency and had to get the WRT54GS locally but I also ordered a WRT54GL from NewEgg, which should be here in a day or two. Of these two, which one should I keep, even if I have the WRT54GS already configured?

Thanks! Jeff

 

Do you use the dafault Firmware? The GS is more powerful and since it is configered already it would be easiest. But I imagen it cost more. I dont think it is a good idea to export the config from the GS and import it on the GL. It should work but you never know if the firmware is exactly the same or not.
I would keep the cheaper one and use DD-WRT as firmware.

 

Which of these routers would be best to play online games on? WoW, BF 2, et cetera.

 

I have 4 GL's, 3 of them running in client-bridge mode thanks to open source firmware (DD-WRT, Tomato). My kids play various games online (BF2, Warcraft3, CS2, HL2, etc.) while I simultaneously stream video on the LAN using a Slingbox PRO with no problems.

DD-WRT/Tomato also allows me to open more connections simultaneously and close these faster when no longer needed thereby eliminating one major problem users have using Linksys routers when running bittorrent clients... the need to reset the router after heavy torrent usage.

 

Both routers will be the same. Only thing the GS can do better is if you download torrents or other p2p programs and use many sources and connections. The GS has more memory and can keep more connections open. If you have less then 10 users and dont use p2p then the GL can manage everyting you throw at it.