Linksys Media Extender WMCE54AG

Welcome to the realm of the digital elite. At $299, the Linksys Media Extender WMCE54AG costs $100 more than competing wireless media players that stream music, pictures, and video from your PC to your living room. But that's about where the similarities end. The Linksys WMCE54AG takes wireless entertainment to the next level by streaming live and recorded TV using Microsoft's legendarily simple 10-foot user interface, plus offering online goodies galore. Only the Extender's lofty OS requirements keep it from being perfect.

As one of the first Windows Media Center Extenders, the Linksys WMCE54AG supports only the latest 2005 version of the Microsoft Media Center operating system. Media Center 2005 doesn't add that much to the cost of a PC, but it's not available as a standalone product, so you'll have to buy a new desktop or laptop to get it. Some vendors, however, like Dell, are offering upgrades to the latest version if you purchased a MCE 2004 system.

Once you install the Extender program on your PC and select a wireless network on the Linksys, the extender technology takes over and configures itself without much interaction. You won't have to select any network drives, install a server program, or even configure which ports the WMCE54AG uses. There's a switch on the back that you can use to select component or composite video, and both the RCA audio and digital optical ports work right out of the box.

In terms of usability, the Extender is one of the most intuitive media streaming products available. Part of the enjoyment is due to how the Linksys mirrors a Media Center 2005 computer, with the same choices for My Music, My Pictures, My TV, etc. There are only a few minor differences. For example, you can run a photo slideshow, minus the nifty animated transitions. You can tap into MSN messenger, but the Linksys WMCE54AG doesn't automatically use your saved MSN or Hotmail account information (according to Linksys, this was a Microsoft decision) so you have to key it in with the numeric buttons on the remote.

Speaking of the remote, only Creative's Wireless Music remote is more useful than the Linksys for finding media quickly. And while the Creative remote includes an LCD where you can select music tracks quickly, the Linksys WMCE54AG is still so easy to use, and the Media Center interface looks so elegant on your TV, that it almost doesn't matter.

The Extender supports most Media Center 2005 functions such as watching live television, recording shows, scheduling recordings, and playing music, photos, Internet radio, and premium online content such as MovieLink and CinemaNow. We're not trying to skip over those features, but they actually come from the Media Center 2005 PC itself, although the Linksys lets you select from a couple of simple color options and which wireless network to use. The Linksys WMCE54AG lives up to its name by extending a Media Center PC to any room you like.

In tests, movies and music files streamed flawlessly over an 802.11a/g connection. We used the Linksys Wireless A+G Dual Band Router WRT55AG ($99), which works quite well with the WMCE54AG-there were no communication problems whatsoever, even from 300 feet. In fact, Linksys updated a previous model of their dual-band router from 2 years ago specifically for error-free operation with the Media Extender. When we set the Linksys WMCE54AG to 802.11g, we noticed some (predictable) live television drop-outs from 200 feet. If you already own an 802.11g or 802.11b network, you'll need to upgrade to an 802.11a/g router to get the most out of the Extender.

We also tried using another dual-band router, the Netgear 108 Mbps Dual-Band Wireless Router with Extended Range (XR), and found that the Netgear dropped frames during playback video from about 200 feet. Although there's no way to benchmark actual throughput at various ranges, the 802.11a signal was obviously much cleaner and consistent. The device does not use "turbo mode" for either 802.11a or 802.11g, however, so transmissions were most likely around 12 Mbps.

Is the Linksys Media Center Extender a great choice for digital entertainment? The answer is, "It depends." If you already own a Media Center 2005 PC, or if you plan to buy one anyway, the Extender is an ideal companion product. But you'll need to upgrade to an 802.11a/g network to get the best results. Still, once the Linksys Extender is up and running and you start watching an episode of CSI in your bedroom that you've recorded on your PC in the den, you'll wonder why anyone would buy any other media streaming product.