Digital Trends

If you're looking for a multi-purpose wireless device, the Compex WPE54G has a feature list that is unmatched by its competitors. However, at over $100, it is quite pricy compared to the other 802.11b/g solutions on the market today. If you are just looking to add wireless clients to an existing network, create a wireless gateway, or add another access point to an existing wireless network, there are less expensive alternatives, albeit few, if any, that offer such a small footprint.

Considering that you have no option of adding wired clients to the WPE54G, those that may be interested in it as a gateway may be a highly specialized group. Business or advanced users might get more out of the advanced features offered by the WPE54G, such as the ability to bridge networks or act as a wireless Ethernet adapter.

Because of the excessively long boot time and several inconsistencies between the manual and real-world performance, we only suggest the WPE54G for those that have experience with 802.11x already. Once you get it set up properly, the Compex WPE54G works fairly well, but it may take you a while to get to that point.