2Wire - Wireless-G 802.11g ADSL Gateway

As a combination unit, does the job well, no dropouts, and no restarts needed. Very simple to set-up, and offers versatile configuration for those needing to control access and traffic for streaming or gaming. Secure firewall, encryption to WPA2-PSK. Out of the box, it was easy to activate, the most difficult part of the install was adding a filter to our security system to prevent degrading throughput. The case stays cool, and can stand up or lie horizontally. This unit was the second, as the first failed after a lightning surge, and each has had over a years use without issue. The con for me is that the G radio limits signal strength. Moving more than 50ft away from the modem, or outside can reduce signal by half.

For the AT&T DSL user, this 2Wire wireless gateway, i.e. a DSL modem combined with a wireless router in one box, is an excellent choice. It is easy to install, the configuration is straightforward using the web setup tool, and the overall performance is good. Besides the wireless network, the router includes 4 wired ethernet ports. In my home network, I use a variety of wireless and wired devices and this unit handles them all efficiently. The reason for the less-than-5-star rating is because of the marginal power supply that comes with this unit. After 18 months of problem-free service, my 2Wire wireless gateway spontaneously started resetting itself repeatedly. I thought I needed to replace it and found myself here, reading this review thread before going through with the purchase. It's a good thing, too, because I found my exact problem was described in detail by multiple posters, as well as the suggestion to check the power supply. At it turned out, a bad power supply was my problem (thank you to all those who noted that these power supplies are failure-prone). Replacing the power supply saved me the expense of purchasing a new wireless gateway (sorry, Best Buy). I didn't, however, use a 2Wire power supply for the replacement, and I am describing my experience here, in case it helps others with the same problem. While it is definitely worth checking the power supply before tossing a malfunctioning 2Wire unit (or any other router, for that matter), one caution is that directly testing the power supply, i.e. the “wall wart”, may be inconclusive. The power supply from my unit, with no load, measured 5.1 V output. This is the nominal DC output of this power supply, but I knew that the actual output voltage under load could be much less. Lacking an easy way to test the power supply under load, and already with a strong suspicion that the power supply was problematic, I simply cut off the wall wart and used the remaining DC cable to hook the wireless gateway up to a bench power supply delivering a solid 5 V. The result was that the 2Wire unit worked perfectly. Conclusion: the original power supply had gone bad but the router was OK. I left the unit on the bench supply for 24 hr to be sure the unit worked reliably – it did – and then I purchased a generic switching, 5V, 4A wall wart from a local computer/electronics vendor, cut off the cable and connector it came with (it didn't match the socket on the 2Wire unit), and soldered on the original, 2Wire cable (double-checking with a voltmeter that the polarity was correct: the center contact is the 5V positive lead). When I connected it and plugged it into the wall AC outlet, the wireless gateway powered up immediately and has been working fine since (it's been about 1 week since I did the power supply transplant). Lessons learned: (1) check power supply integrity first for all electronic problems. (2) Replace the original power supply with a more robust unit. It appears that, for whatever reasons (cost-cutting, space saving, etc.), manufacturers are supplying seriously overrated power supplies with their electronic gadgets. For example, the 2Wire gateway pulled a solid 1 amp on the bench power supply. The original, 2Wire-supplied, wall wart was rated at 5V @ 2.2A, but I think that was an optimistic rating. Drawing 1 A, the original wall wart always ran hot, which probably contributed to its failure. That is why I selected a 4 A unit for the replacement. It's a little heavier than the original wall wart, but runs much cooler – just a little warm to the touch. The only downside to using a different replacement power supply is that it may require rewiring the connecting cable, but, if you have a soldering iron and a voltmeter, it is not difficult to do, and you will likely end up with a more reliable power supply. Thanks, everybody, for this informative 2Wire thread – I hope my contribution is useful.

I'm only writing this review to try and help other people out. I had this gateway for a little over 2 years when the power light started flashing red. Just like some of the other reviews on here, I called AT&T, they told me that its dead and they can sell me a new one for $100. I saw a couple of the reviews on here that talked about a faulty power adapter and that replacing it can help. Well it does! Thanks to you guys for posting, I'm just trying to help spread the word so that AT&T doesn't try to keep screwing people over and taking their money. I'm positive they know about the power adapter issue and are just not telling their customers about it.

After 2 yrs and 3 months of use, the lights on my 2Wire were going out or I was getting a red "power" light. Either way I wasn't getting an internet connection. I called my internet provider and they informed me that a red power light indicated that the gateway was failing. Of course they were willing to ship and charge me for a new one because after 2yrs, the one I had was no longer under warranty. I declined their offer and decided to see if I could find something on my own. I became discouraged and decided to just go ahead and buy a new identical one from my provider. Luckily, when I called the 2nd time I got a technician who actually tried to help me and not just sell me something. He said that with the 2Wire Gateway there is a resistor in the power cord/adapter that is known to go bad after about 2 yrs. He suggested I take the gateway and the power cord to any place that sells computers and have the store plug in the gateway with a new comparable power cord/adapter. So that's what I did. Tthe salesperson plugged up the gateway in the store and we saw all green lights! I went home with the new power cord and reconnected everything and my wireless internet is up and running again. It was just the power cord! So if you have this model and are having a similar problem, before you invest in a new one, try a new power cord first.

This is a decent gateway for simple applications, but it doesn't provide enough flexibility for widely separated computers, like one on the second floor and one in the basement, where the signal level at one of the machines is likely to be weak. The gateway is incompatible with wireless range extenders from any manufacturer. AT&T, who have made the 2Wire their officially supported gateway, recommends a system that operates over a building's electrical wiring, but it is expensive, and performance is dependent on the wiring. If you are about to get DSL from AT&T, I recommend you get the Siemens modem that they also offer, and a Linksys or D-link router. Both of those companies produce wireless range extenders that are cross-compatible. I have had good success building wireless and wired networks with the Linksys WRT54G router, which is frequently on sale.

I have gone through three power supplies for this modem now. Apparently there is a resistor that goes bad in the power supply after about a year and a half of continual usage. The power supply by itself is $10 from the AT&T online store, or you can opt to buy the resistor from Radio Shack for about $1.50 and replace the bad one in the power supply. Do an online search for 2 wire power supply to find the right resistor and how to replace. Signs of a bad power supply are red power light on modem. Then when unplugged and plugged back in no power to modem. Usually the power supply checks ok on a multimeter at about 5.1V, but when under load from the modem does not work. I think after I buy my new power supply I will save the old one and turn it in for warranty replacement when a year is about up since these things fail on such a consistent basis.

I had the exact same experience as Tamrock (see review of 2/03/2010). Thank you Tamrock for your advice. I have had my 2wire for nearly 2 years when I got the red power light. ATT help line said just to get a new modem. I read Tamrock's review and ordered a power cord from ATT Store online for $10. Totally fixed the problem. Try it!!! I wish Best Buy would stock these power cords as they seem to burn out for everyone.

I had no trouble getting this out of the box and setting it up. It was pretty much all automatic. There is an installation CD included, but you don't need to use it unless instructed to do so during the setup (this will only happen if something is wrong). It took about ten minutes total before I was up and running again. I used an have on old 2Wire gateway from around 2001, it started dropping my signal constantly recently so I knew it was time to let it go. I had good luck with it for 7 years so I chose to go ahead and go with 2Wire again, that and I do have AT&T/SBC Yahoo DSL. The price is also decent since it's a modem/router all in one. Since I've had it hooked up and running it has not once lost it's connection, nor has it reset itself or disconnected the wireless, etc. It's fast, slim, doesn't get too warm. You can either have it lay flat or stand on it's side. I leave mine flat, it doesn't take up too much room. The white color is also a nice change from the usual blue or black routers/modems. There is only one thing that bugs me about this entire product and that is the green lights. They are REALLY bright and they constantly blink when data is being transferred (as in when anyone is using any computer doing any sort of thing). It wouldn't be so bad but there are separate lights for Ethernet connections and wireless connections. If you have people in your household using both, both lights will be blinking non-stop. It is rather distracting, but probably normal. My old 2Wire gateway had solid green lights when everything was working fine and only blinked orange if the connection was being lost, or turned red when it was completely out. It's just something I have to get used to I suppose, or find a way to cover up.