English 421Y: Technical Writing Online

My first research blog summarizes information from the website http://www.linksysbycisco.com/US/en/products/WRT54G2, which is provided by the manufacturer of the Linksys WRT54G2. In my opinion, this website is the most reliable source of information for finding the features included with this product.

The product spec page lists several of the product’s attributes. The tech specs include the supported wireless standards (i.e. IEEE 802.11b/g), available ports, buttons, antennas, and security features. The environmental details list the dimensions of the router (i.e. L x W x H), its weight, its certifications, and the operating temperatures/conditions. The website also lists the key features, the package contents, and the minimum requirements for use. It’s clear that Linksys is providing as much relevant information as they can. If something can’t be found on the main page, they also include a data sheet and a user guide in .pdf format. I actually had to use the user guide to find information on the product warranty, as it is not listed on the product’s main page.

This website is actually the backbone of my research. It tells me what the product includes and how well it’s supposed to perform. From here I will be further researching the features that I don’t entirely understand (like the SPI firewall), and I will also be looking for reviews to verify whether it performs as it’s supposed to (is the installation as easy as they say?). Linksys provides several images of the router, which we’ll be using in our paper to give the reader a good understanding of the product’s physical characteristics.