"Enough with the bogus statements of "I cant get them anymore".

Point taken.

Here is the problem:

The hardware document says version 5.0 and above of the WRT54GS devices do not work... yet if I'm trying to order anything online, I can't tell what version it is.  It is *very* true that Version 3 of this router is no longer made, though some can be found online.  Newest versions are version 8 I believe, which clearly is not going to work, but can't be determined online.

Even for WRT54GL I can't get a serial number prefix from any online retailer.

Bottom line:  to the new folks out here.. it is not clear, other than going to a store and yanking the device out of the packaging what is ok to buy, and what is not.

If all known and purchased brand new WRT54GL devices have worked fine up to a given date of today, maybe it would be worthwhile to add that to the hardware selection document.  Those of us who have never purchased one would not know what version we would be getting if we purchased one today.

Ken

Even for WRT54GL I can't get a serial number prefix from any online retailer.

Linksys only made two versions of the WRT54GL's: v1 and v1.1. Both currently work with the firmware. You only need to inquire about serial numbers with the WRT54G and WRT54GS routers. Both of the latter two can be found on Ebay, and a quick contact to the seller might be in order to compare the first 4 characters with this document (quick google search for "WRT54G Serial Number List"): http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Linksys_Serial_numbers

If all known and purchased brand new WRT54GL devices have worked fine up to a given date of today, maybe it would be worthwhile to add that to the hardware selection document.

It's already there on page 1: http://www.broadband-hamnet.org/images/hsmm_docs/WRT54Shop.pdf

KA0PIZ, no problem. I just wanted to make sure everything was clarified. Welcome to the forum, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask. Happy meshing! :)