The most popular and best-selling 802.11g device on the market today is the Linksys WRT54G 802.11b/g access point/router.The WRT54G gained popularity in 2003 as 802.11g devices became more common and affordable.The 802.11g devices operate on the 2.4GHz band, like 802.11b, but offer speeds up to 54 megabits per second (Mbps). Additionally, 802.11g devices are compatible with 802.11b cards. Because this is such a popular product for Linksys, the company has released a Compact Version (WRT54GC) and a version with speed-boosting features (WRT54GS).

Linksys has since released version 5 of its WRT54G device, with the current firmware version being 1.00.9. Still popular among Linksys devices for its ability to be reflashed with a small Linux distribution is version 4 of the WRT54G device. This section focuses on a WRT54G version 4 device, with firmware version 4.30.5.

This section details the minimum steps you should take to securely configure the WRT54G. All the steps outlined in this section should be done from a computer that is connected to your wired network. Configuration of the device from a wire-lessly connected workstation should be disabled. If by chance your wireless network becomes compromised, you will want to limit the intruder s ability to administer the device.