Linksys by Cisco WRT54G2, Open NAT for xbox 360!

Overall Rating4.334.334.334.334.33

Open NAT for xbox 360!

This was very easy to set up. It took about 5 minutes total to set up the router and have a wireless connection to my desktop. I have an excellent reception to my desktop that sits about 30 feet away in another room. Also, I have my desktop and laptop (both running vista), xbox 360, and ps3 connected to it wirelessly. the xbox 360 NAT is open and the ps3 NAT is type 2. I’m not sure what that stuff means technically, but in normal person terms it means that I can connect to others with no problems. The back of the router has 4 10/100 ethernet connections on it as well if you want a wired connection.

The design of this router is really excellent. The antennas are built into the router and the dimensions of it are really small and thin! This gives you more flexibility of where the router can be placed.

Streaming recorded TV, music, and pictures from my desktop to xbox (using media center) work well for both being connected wireless with no reduction in picture quality.

With the release of the new Xbox 360 dashboard I am able to stream HD video from Netflix wirelessly through my 360 with this router. The wait time for video to start is short and the picture quality of HD shows like Heroes and 30 Rock is great.

*Update* I have had the 20″ 2.66ghz iMac since May 08 and connecting it to my linksys was as simple as selecting the network and typing in my password. The router has been up and running several months now with no resets or connection issues. This is a very stable router that requires little to no maintenance. Now my connections to this router are a laptop with Vista every now and then, Mac with OS X 10.5, ps3, 360, and 2 iPhones. There are no problems when 2 or more devices are using the connection. I am connected to a 6mbps cable connection.

Recently I got the new unibody MacBook and an eyeTV hybrid 2009 model. I use it to record TV (mainly the HD shows sent via QAM from comcast) on my iMac. I want to stream a HD show like The Office from my iMac to my macbook that is connected my my 46″ samsung (lnt-4665), but I have found that “g” is not fast enough to stream a show recorded in HD. It is fast enough to stream a show recorded in SD, so I need an “N” router if I want to stream wirelessly.

Update (2/6/2012): This item is currently on sale here for the lowest price I’ve seen. I also found some auctions for this item here.

The featured review for this product, Linksys by Cisco WRT54G2 Wireless-G Broadband Router Electronics, was written by John Mccool.

The average rating for this item is 4.3 out of 5 stars, according to 3 reviews.

Related posts:

  1. Cisco-Linksys WRT54G, Versions 1 - 4 were great..
  2. Cisco-Linksys WET54G, Linksys/Cisco:”NOT FOR..
  3. Cisco-Linksys WET54G, Linksys/Cisco:”NOT FOR..
  4. Cisco-Linksys BEFSX41, Excellent router if you..
  5. M9470LL/A Apple AirPort, For Windows people in..

Reviews (3)

D. Hentze

February 18th, 2010 at 1:07 pm    


Overall Rating55555

Does what it’s supposed to.
I had an original WRT54G that I screw around with the firmware bricked. I needed a different router now, so I took the WRT54G2 in my local BB for $ 50. I wanted to spend more for an "N" router, but thought it not worth it for my modest DSL / home network. I had the WRT54G2 and running within 10 minutes. No problems. No drama. I was concerned about the internal antenna, but I still have a full signal in my basement. It seems to work very well, and looks much better in my office than the original WRT54G.


John Mccool

March 11th, 2010 at 12:18 am    


Overall Rating55555

Open NAT for xbox 360!
Rated 5 stars.


Filippo Scognamiglio Pasini

March 16th, 2010 at 7:28 am    


Overall Rating33333

Great product - if only the DHCP server didn’t have problems and it was hard to get support from the linksys forums
I have to say that I have come to like the WRT54G2 a lot.

Works very well with my PC, my fiancé’s Mac, a Playstation3, a wired multiuse printer/fax/copier and the standard cable modem RCN provided.

Configuration was quick and easy and I had no problems in that regard.

My only complain with this product is the fact that the DHCP server has problems after a while. If you leave a PC/device on for too much time, it will “lose” it’s IP address and there is no way around the issue other than rebooting / power cycling router and affected devices. It doesn’t happen too often so it’s not a major issue, but I would have appreciated the linksys forums to be more supportive of my post on this issue - as they really have not been.

So 5 stars for product design, features and ease of use
- 1 star for DHCP server flaw
- 1 star for poor product support
= 3 stars


Leave a reply

Overall Rating

Name *

Mail *

Website