Notes Class 06

Fascinating history: What one home router can do

What makes the Linksys WRT54GL famous?

It uses the 802.11g Wi-Fi standard, which has been surpassed by 802.11n and 802.11ac. It delivers data over the crowded 2.4GHz frequency band and is limited to speeds of 54Mbps. You can buy a new router for less money and get the benefit of modern standards, expansion into the 5GHz band, and data rates more than 20 times higher.

Given it’s age, why do people continue to buy the Linksys WRT54GL?

The product's reliability, name recognition, and its support of open source firmware to unlock more advanced capabilities

What does the “WRT54GL” stand for in the name?

"L" is for "Linux." WRT stands for “Wireless RouTer," while 54 indicates the speed in Mbps and G is for 802.11g.

What did Linksys sell before routers?

Before selling routers, Linksys offered a home networking kit with a 5-port switch and two LAN cards.

When did Linksys preview their first consumer router?

Launched the first WRT54G in December 2002.

Who suggested to name it a “router”?

Bill Gates in 1999

What happened when Cisco replaced the Linux-based firmware with the VxWorks platform?

Cisco replaced the Linux-based firmware with the VxWorks platform, making it very difficult to flash with open source firmware. Loud protests from customers. here was also a 2008 lawsuit filed against Cisco by the Free Software Foundation (FSF),

Why doesn’t the WRT54GL model need to be modified to abide by the new FCC rules?

New FCC rules affect only the 5GHz band

Does the WRT54GL model still get updates from Linksys?

Occasically