Do Linksys routers work with Macs?

K gotcha, thanks! *Tip of the hat*

D3v1L80Y said:

Neither do I. :black:
Most "router" issues have nothing to do with the router at all. Nor do these problems have anything to do with hardware period.

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Speaking only for myself, I'm quite confident the problem I experienced with my Linksys was hardware failure. At just over a year after purchase it regularly dropped signals. One moment all of the computers were online, the next they weren't. Back and forth at random every five or ten minutes.

Hours on the phone with Linksys resulted in no help. And because my router was a few days past its one year warranty, I was told to go buy another router. So I did. A Belkin, which has a lifetime warranty.

I've since had two other people try to use that Linksys in separate locations, and it had the same problem for all of them.

In your case, Todd, it is probably a faulty hardware issue. It happens sometimes. Still for most people, a simple power-cycle would probably save the day.
I have been using the same Linksys router for over 4 years now. It is an 802.11b one (I can't recall the exact model number) that I bought because it was the least expensive one at the time. Back then, everyone was pushing and moving up to the 802.11g standard and the "b" routers were dirt cheap. I have never had any major issues with it, and I have used it with several platforms (OS X, OS 9, Windows ME, XP, 98, Linux). I have never once updated or touched the firmware in the entire time I have had it. It has simply worked flawlessly. :black:

yeah i also have a linksys routor and it isn't seeming to work for me.
does anyone no why?

D3v1L80Y said:

In your case, Todd, it is probably a faulty hardware issue. It happens sometimes. Still for most people, a simple power-cycle would probably save the day.

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I don't doubt you're right. Perhaps the number of people complaining about Linksys/Mac issues simply reflects Linksys's huge market share. More units = more chances for problems.

If not for their abominable support I'm sure we'd still be using Linksys here. Our next move will probably be to Airport Extreme on the off chance that it will do a better job recognizing my (intended-to-be-) network printers. Neither the Belkin nor D-Link print servers I have will sync up properly with the Mac.

yes that could be ture. my sister's boyfriend has a mac
and a linksys router and he saids that he doesn't have a
problem...

I've had my Linksys WRT54GS for 3 years without a problem - any issues I've had have been with the machines, usually the PC that used to be connected and my friends older Quicksilver, and that was the crappy USB Belkin adapter and software he had for it. It worked but didn't like any encryption.

Why not just use DHCP Refrew/Renew instead of power cycling?

I have an Airport Extreme and was able to connect (when i had a PC) with one of the USB adapters from Linksys with no problems at all. The only "difficult" part is converting the wep key password from airport into a hex wep code

TheChemist said:

Why not just use DHCP Refrew/Renew instead of power cycling?

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That doesn't always work, especially in the case of a self-assigned IP address (a common cause of connection issues). The best way IMO to get it is to just power-cycle.

:black:

Ok.

Eitherway, I prefer static IP

Del said:

Linksys get my vote too.

I have a Linksys WAG54G router which works great with my MacBook and also my PCs

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I agree, my Linksys system works just fine even with my iBook G4.

Been using the BEFW11S4 for a few years now and at first, it worked okay, but when I had to move my office downstairs, connectivity is spotty with laptop upstairs. Also have a huge fireplace and brick planter upstairs that may have something to do with this up and down signal.

I'm getting my iMac this week and still am trying to figure out the new configuration (use Mac as Main, PC's as sub or vice-versa), but am considering a new router as well for my cable internet.

Any suggestions?

Try the online or e-mail support at linksys. They were able to help me get my wired router set up even though their website didn't have any mac specific instructions.

I have comcast cable and have had a linksys a/g router for years now that has worked pretty well, including when I got the macbook. However, the linksys was a PITA to get setup (I had a linksys wireless card to setup also and they were both a pain).

I actually have a linksys WRT54G coming in the mail because the WRT55AG won't let the airport express extend the network. I'll let you know how the second router works too.

the linksys routers suck for me. i have had nothing but problems with it since day one !

Dwayner said:

the linksys routers suck for me. i have had nothing but problems with it since day one !

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what problems are you having?

well i had it all set up when i first got it. and it worked for about a month. and now it just left and doesn't work any more. my friend tryed setting it up
worked for about a hour. and just stoped bothering with it. i just go of my neighbor's internet. any sudjestions.

I figured I'd chime in, because my experience with the WRT54G is similar to others. I've had this router running without a cold reset for about 8 months... and then I got my MacBook Pro.

In the house, everything seems OK - but if I step out on my back deck, the signal drops instantly on the MBP down to one bar. Usually after a few minutes, it drops completely. And since I don't broadcast my SSID, the MBP doesn't pick up the connection when I move back into the house. I have to manually recreate the connection and then all is well.

I have never had a problem with any of my Dell notebooks (and I've owned quite a few, some running Windows, some running Linux) in any part of my house (inside or out). But the MBP just doesn't seem to have the same range. Not a biggie, but annoying nonetheless.

Just so you know, my house is about 2300 sq. ft and two stories. The router is located on the second floor in my office. My house is fully wired for ethernet (cat 5e) and everything terminates in a patch panel in my basement. Almost every room is wired for ethernet. My cable modem is mounted on the wall in my basement and connects to a Linksys gigabit 6-port switch. The WRT54G is patched to the gigabit switch.

This setup worked flawlessly up until now. So far, I've ensured that I'm up to date on firmware, experimented with different channels, repositioned the antennas in several different ways and used Netstumbler to try to determine what other signals might be intruding. I've made sure that my router is set on a distinct channel from the other routers in the area. I'm in a fairly rural development, so there's not a lot of neighbors around and I can only sniff a faint signal from 3 other routers - all of them Linksys (believe it or not).

I like Linksys because they're owned by Cisco and I administer a network professionally that is comprised of all Cisco devices. I like their products and have always held them in high esteem.. up until now.

Linksys support for Mac is non-existent. I've never had to call their tech support line and I don't intend to since I probably know networking better than most of their tech support staff (I know, that's not saying much).

My next course of action is to move the Linksys to a different, more centrally located room that is not on the extreme side of the house, but I'm starting to think that maybe I should consider a different model. Since the house is wired and I'm a tech-head, I do intend to take advantage of the network to its fullest. When 802.11n becomes a true standard, I'm thinking I may upgrade everything anyway. I'm seriously considering a D-Link DIR-635 (I don't care for the antenna-less design of the AirPort Extreme). Anyone have any thoughts on this?

EDIT: Oddly enough, after writing this thread, I decided to adjust my antennas a bit and adjust the channel - and sure enough, I'm seeing better signal outside, on my deck. Maybe I will hold off on that router upgrade for a bit. I've been considering the optional high-gain antennas, maybe that will be my next step.

Broadcast your SSID - go on you know you want to.