Timothy C. Hain, MD

Professor of Neurology, Otolaryngology, and Physical Therapy/Human Movement Science, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago IL, USA.

EMAIL ADDRESS: t-hain@northwestern.edu

This space holds helpful information about software and hardware and vendors that Dr. Hain has discovered by trial and error. There are also a number of rants about various things that Dr. Hain has found upsetting. Perhaps if enough of us do this, searches on these devices or companies will bring up more relevant information.

Linksys WRE54G --

This is an amazingly awful device, called a "range expander", I bought at Office Depot with the naive idea that it would do what it said on the box (extend my wireless network). It just doesn't work at all. It has pretty little red/blue lights on it that blink - -and thats it.

On going online, I find that others have had the same problem. Bad design, awful software, no manual in the box, and a worthless manual online. There is no update to the awful setup program (which doesn't work), and also the real interface to the device is simply not provided. From comments online of others, it appears that this device only works with other Linksys products (which of course is not noted on the box). My device even had a hidden panel on the top with a network plug -- of course, totally undocumented -- who knows what it is for.

If this is what Linksys/Cisco collaborations look like, for heavens sake, buy Netgear, Buffalo, or anything but the Linksys on it. Also it appears that Office Depot is selling worthless products, which doesn't say much for them either.