Linksys WAP 54G wireless G access point is the old generation of wireless AP which delivers the speed up to 54Mbps ideally, normally the speeds is lower than the manufacturer’s spec due to many environmental factors.

Wireless Access point connects to the ethernet port of a network switch or connects direct to the modem (with router feature) to create a simple wireless G network. You cannot connect direct to the modem only device which doesn’t have a NAT /router feature such as Motorola SB5101 Surfboard Cable Modem for cable services or any types of DSL modems for DSL services. See also the different between the wireless router and the wireless access point.

Technology is evolving and the wireless G standard is now becoming the legacy wireless technology. Should you upgrade to new generation of the wireless N technology and which solution meets to your business need? You have many options to upgrade, however you should understand what’s your need is and select the appropriate devices to meet the needs.

Upgrade Solutions

For home users, you have two options:

1. Upgrade  to All-in-one device
2. Upgrade to new generations of wireless N access point

The first option is using a single device – the all-in-one wireless modem router, a wireless router with build-in modem. The second option is to upgrade to the new generation of wireless N access point. You have wide range of all-in-one wireless modem routers or wireless N access point devices.

All in One Solutions for Cable

If currently you subscribe the broadband internet from cable services, you can consider upgrading your Linksys WAP54G wireless access point with the Motorolla Surfboard SBG6580 cable modem wireless router. You can get rid of your cable modem and your Linksys wireless access point with this single device  that integrates the function of router, switch and the wireless N access point.

Pros:

1. It’s a DOCSIS / EuroDOCSIS 3.0 cable modem technology and is backward compatible with DOCSIS 2.0
2. Using the newest wireless N technology with dual band supports either 2.4GHz or 5GHz bands.
3. Includes four Gigabit ethernet ports for wired connection to your computers

Cons:

1. Selectable dual bands. You need to select modem to create either wireless N network that operate in 2.4GHz or 5GHz bands. It cannot cover both 2.4GHz-based and 5GHz-based wireless clients simultaneously

Click here for SBG6580 manufacturer’s description and spec details.

All-in-one Solution for DSL

If your existing broadband internet is DSL, you have wide range of wireless DSL modems which integrates   the functions of a router, a switch and a wireless N access point such as Asus DSL-N10 modem router. You can eliminate your existing WAP54G access point and modem with single device.

Pros:

1. Powered by the recent wireless N150 technology delivering the high speed up to 150Mbps 3 times faster than your current wireless G network
2. Includes one detachable antenna with 5dBi gain for longer distance coverage
3. Includes four fast ethernet ports for wired connection to your computers using UTP network cable
4. And the beauty of this device it supports up to four SSIDs to let you create up to four network segregations to meet your business needs

Cons:

1. It doesn’t support dual band technology to cover mix wireless clients
2. It doesn’t include USB port for shared storage or shared printer

Click here for Asus DSL-N10 modem router spec details.

The new ADSL wireless router introduced by Netgear is DGND3700 N600 wireless ADSL2 modem router with gigabit ports. The beuaty of this device is that it includes one gigabit WAN port for cable modem connection. Unfortunately you cannot use this router for load balancing between ADSL and Cable broadband internet or fail-over like any other dual WAN load balancing routers.

Upgrading to Wireless N AP

The last solution upgrading your current Linksys WAP54G wireless access point without eliminating your existing modem is upgrading to Wireless N technology AP such as TP-Link TL-WA901ND wireless N access point. This is an affordable wireless N300 access point with data rate transfer up to 300Mbps for fast wireless N connection ideal for streaming video and smooth gaming experiences.

Pros:

1. High speed wireless N300 technology
2. Can support multiple operation modes including the wireless N AP, wireless N client, Universal WDS and wireless N bridge
3. Suuports up to 30 meters Ppower over Ethernet for deployment in area where power outlet is not available.

Cons:

1. Doesn’t support dual band, can only cover 2.4GHz band-based wireless clients

Click here for TP-Link TL-WA901ND spec details.

Linksys WAP54G wireless access point is legacy AP device you can upgrade to new generations of wireless N technology devices including All-in-one devices or upgrading to new wireless N technology AP.

See also:

1. New Linksys E4200 Series Vs Asus RT-N56U
2. Which wireless N router is best for iPad
3. Apple Airport Extreme Vs Linksys E4200
4. Old Generation WRT160N Vs New Linksys E1500
5. Linksys E4200 Vs Netgear WNDR4000