Belkin networking offers this one-box solution that lets you share your ADSL Internet connection, files, and peripherals, without cables. It combines two essential networking... more
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connection, files, and peripherals, without cables. It combines two essential networking functions in one innovative product-an ADSL Modem with a 4-port Wireless Rou...
connection, fi les, and peripherals, without cables. It combines two essential networking functions in one innovative product-an ADSL Modem with a 4-port Wireless
connection, fi les, and peripherals, without cables. It combines two essential networking functions in one innovative product-an ADSL Modem with a 4-port Wireless
A review by sbarwell on Belkin ADSL2+ Modem with High-Speed Mode Wireless-G Router - wireless router October 20th, 2006
Author's product rating:
Speed
Fast
Reliability
Excellent
Ease of Installation
Good - quick to install
Ease of use
Easy
Value For Money
Excellent
Advantages:
Very stable, good speed
Disadvantages:
Not a pretty boy, yet to get remote admin working
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Wireless routers have recently become the bane of my professional life. Having had major issues with 2 (relatively new models) wireless routers from an allegedly top manufacturer that I have been installing and configuring equipment from professionally for over 9 years.
5 replacements under warranty with exact and similar models failed to cure constant lockups and wireless connection drop outs being experienced by my client, often within hours of replacement!
Nearing the end of my client's patience, there being little hair on my scalp left to forcibly extract and with my Valium prescription running low, I decided to try the router I have been using without major issue at home for the last 18 months.
Mindful of the fact that in my clients environment the router's workload/ feature set usage would be totally different from mine, I undertook this with some trepidation. Losing a client wouldn't exactly qualify me for suicide watch and I could always get a repeat prescription…
Asthetics Think carefully before reeling off the feature set and boasting how quick it is compared to your last piece of kit to you mates at work or down the pub.
If you wet their appetite too much their going to want to see this router in the flesh. It has a good size case that appears robust in construction and looks to be well ventilated. The twin aerials look purposeful, the display is functional and the colour scheme gives it an industrial look that reminds me of NAD Hi-Fi equipment.
Maybe it did fall from the top of the ugly tree and hit all the branches on the way down. Personally, I do not care too much. Admittedly due in part to the fact that I have no friends.
But more importantly because I would rather have a piece of kit, however uneasy on the eye, that works straight from the box and continues to work when my back is turned.
Ultimately more preferable in my opinion than something that shouts Hollywood but develops a drug habit and multiple personality disorder when the lights go on and the cameras start to role...
Setup
The HTML interface is perhaps not as pretty as some, but it is functional and easy to navigate. Hopefully the programmers have focused their efforts into creating robust firmware rather than a pretty user interface.
The on-line help is adequate for all, bar the most novice of users. Setup options are listed under logical headings and the supporting documentation (provided on the accompanying CD-ROM in PDF format) is clear and fairly concise.
There are a few admissions here and there and some of the routers more exotic features are, in my opinion, worthy of more detailed explanations. At least it has not been written in chinglish.
Features
I have not used the complete set of features this router provides, so I will comment on the ones I have.
Firewall with SPI
This should take care of intrusions from the internet, from which I ran a check to see if the most common ports on the router were "stealthed" (I.E. did not respond when contacted) and they were.
On some other routers I have found ports (like the ones used by Telnet and Finger) to be open by default. Not exactly what you want considering there are over 65,000 of them!!
Port forwarding (called Virtual Servers by Belkin)
Appears to work well without issue. I have successfully configured FTP, pcAnywhere, SMTP, VPN and Webserver forwarding from the routers pre-configured drop-down list. You can also specify your own mappings if required, although I have not tested this.
Wireless Security
This router supports 64 and 128 WEP, WPA-PSK and WPA (Radius Server) encryption. Only the former 3 levels will be of interest to most people. I shall comment on these as I have no experience of how the router performs with a Radius Server.
64 and 128 WEP and WPA-PSK all work without issue on the 3 Belkin wireless cards, 1 Pro Link and 2 un-branded cards I currently have in use with this router.
I have not noticed any drastic fluctuations in performance in using either 64 and 128 WEP and WPA-PSK.
Personally I always use the highest level of encryption available and drop back if there are compatibility/performance issues in a mixed environment.
When planning a network from scratch I prefer to use kit from the same manufacturer, as not only is it easier to maintain with regard to driver updates and the like, but should also help to rule out compatibility issues.
Performance
The wireless range and performance at both sites through stud partitioned walls is very good. Wireless machines with a reasonable line of sight to the router (with no metallic objects in the way) connect at good signal strength and speed (around 80-100MB/s) dependant on distance up to 6 metres away.
Clients within 2 - 3 metres with good line of sight repeatedly connected at 125MBs. On my home network this includes a client connecting from 3.5 metres through a stud partition.
Stability
Please note: These routers when sold by PC World (and Argos I have been told) come with a firmware version of 1.00.017. However, the latest version offered by Belkin's website at the time of writing this review (20/10/2006) is 1.00.011.
My personal router has working solidly for 18 months without issue. It has 1 wired (that is in constant use) and an occasional wireless client. It has never locked up or dropped a connection during this time.
This model router is also running 6 wireless plus 2 wired clients in a business environment, 8 hours a day 5 days per week for the last month.
Each client machine regularly has multiple server based applications open at any one time and also has print, internet and email services. It is also configured for remote FTP, pcAnywhere, VPN and Exchange Server (OWA) access.
Unlike other routers in this class from other manufactures (which have often failed or required re-booting within a few days when used in exactly the same environment), it has yet to lockup, overheat or drop a connection.
Issues I've Identified
MAC Address Filtering
Did not work correctly with firmware versions less than current version (1.00.011) offered by Belkin's website. Enter the MAC Addresses, save and the router would lock up. A few months down the line I upgraded to the latest firmware (1.00.011) which cured the issue.
MS Exchange Server 2003 with Outlook 2003 email clients not connecting with server with MAC Address Filtering enabled (firmware version 1.00.017)
The message "Unable to open your default e-mail folders. The information store could not be opened. Would you like to open your default File System folder instead?" is displayed upon connection. Disabling MAC Address Filtering appears to cure this issue.
Remote Administration (firmware version 1.00.017) Unable to establish connection.
Router Positioning
This is often completely overlooked, but I cannot stress enough how important it is to site the router correctly. Think carefully before positioning your router!
Ideally, you want it to be (as much is practical) an equal distance away from each wireless client machine. However, this rule is not hard and fast as thick walls will tend to absorb the signal whereas thinner walls will more easily let the signal pass through. Unless they happen to be made of metal or some other radio frequency reflecting material…
Also, if you want a less stressed existence, do yourself a favour and do not place the router in close proximity to any of the following devices:
Amplifiers Fax machines Mains transformers Microwave ovens Large metallic objects, I.E. Stainless steel countertops, water tanks in the loft PC's Printers Wireless phones operating in the 2.4GHz spectrum
Conclusion
For most home user applications you could do a lot worse than the Belkin. It is stable, fairly fast, easy to configure and the majority of its features work from the box.
In the small business environment I currently have one running in it remains to be seen if it will continue to behave sanely or whether it will have to be sectioned like its predecessors.
UPDATE
After 6 months of use in a small business environment (6 wireless clients, 2 wired) the router finally expired.
Having used different wireless routers from a variety of manufactures I have since persuaded my client (who was adamant that he wanted a wireless network) to go for a wired network using Gigabit Ethernet, which now has become relatively cheap.
He is blown away by the speed of his newly wired network; 50MB PDF files now open instantly on his Core 2 Duo machine and searching for information in his database application (with many thousands of entries) is spontaneous. I managed to stop short at saying "I told you so..."
I must stress at this point that I never recommend that anyone use soley wireless technology in a busy LAN environement that supports multiple clients with heavy network traffic requirements.
If you have enjoyed reading this review, please rate it!
Advantages: high speed and large coverage! Disadvantages: you will never have any more poor or slow connections, oh wait thats an advantage
...Net Gear, BT Voyager and Belkin which seemed to be the best options.
Having decided that i wanted to go for Belkin not only as i had been informed that their products are generally highly reliable, and should anything go wrong they offer great support, but also as i had discovered that they had this high speed modem on sale which is much faster compared to the competition on the market.
The Belkin High Speed Mode Wireless G Router has a 125 high ... ...As i also mentioned before Belkin give great support, so if you do encounter any problems whilst starting up you have the choice of either being able to contact their support team via telephone, fax or via their website, all which contact details are provided in the instruction manual. Belkin also offer you a manufacturer's lifetime warranty with this product so you really have nothing to worry about.
The actual modem itself is quite compact so ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Speed
Reliability
Ease of Installation
Ease of use
Value For Money
very helpful
28.06.2006
What a Beltin' Belkin Router!! Review ofBelkin ADSL2+ Modem with High-Speed Mode Wireless-G Router - wireless routerby
mattyprice4004
Advantages: Great wireless range, Futureproof, Nice looking, Fast! Disadvantages: Some may say it looks a little chunky
The Belkin first struck me as a bit odd, really. Alongside it in the local PC shop were simpleton designs from companies such as 3COM and DLink for £80-£90, then there was the lovely-looking and future-proof Belkin for £69. Confused? So was I.
Anyway, as you would expect, I took the Belkin to it's new home on a dusty shelf in my room. It was a simple case of Plug and Play really (Not Plug and Pray as with so many other routers). Within 5 minutes ... ...home-based Web server, and the Belkin makes light work of forwarding all the correct ports and making sure all aspects of the setup are working.
The Wireless range of the Belkin surprised me - I was 3 houses down the road from mine with my laptop at a friend's house, and as soon as Windows booted up the laptop got a 'Good' strength signal from the router! This is quite worrying, mainly due to the fact my old DLink router would freak out if you went ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Easy setup, wired and wireless connection, very fast and reliable transfers Disadvantages: No usb connection for those without ethernet/LAN ports
...was no object, then the Belkin ADSL Modem with Wireless Pre-N router would probably be what to buy rather than this model. However, don't get me wrong: this modem router is fast, reliable, easy to setup, compatible with a lot of other hardware, and has a powerful signal.
# Setup can be done via an easy-looking wizard, or, as I did, configured manually, with the help of a useful guide on the CD. Setup can be tuned to your requirements: different ... ...all routers or a no internet network for filesharing etc, or if you plan to get internet in the future. This can be done via PC or Mac, and is explained well in the guide: also good for those of us without much disk space - there's no need to install software on your computer - the router is configured in a website-style page via your internet browser. A password can be set so nobody in the family or business changes the settings on the router. Network ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Easy to Setup up, strong wireless signal Disadvantages: No Power Switch
...more expensive) opted for the Belkin 125g model (the g indicating the latest and quickest certified wireless standard - although the better n standard is due to be certified in the near future). I paid £79.99 which is a little expensive as it can be bought for about £70 online.
In the box you get everything you need to get up and running - a micro filter ( a device which is attached to the phone socket so that an ADSL device and a phone can work ... ...to the modem router, a power lead, a network cable for a wired connection between the modem router, a quick setup quide and a computer and a CD which is not required for the setup of the modem but contains the user manual and such like. The unit itself is very compact and compared to others on the market is quite aesthetically pleasing, being dark grey in colour with an aerial at the back of each side. There are several lights on the top, one which ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Fast, With ADSL2+ ready for the future Internet. Disadvantages: A bit big.
...delivered.
I bought the Belkin because I wanted to go wireless at some point, and the fact its also ADSL2+ swayed me. When I took it out the box I was a bit surprised at the size of the thing, small it isn't. For non techies this piece of kit would really easy to set up. Even if you struggle Belkin do offer a free helpline to help you set the router up, personally I did not need to call so cannot comment on their helpfulness.
In the box you get ... ...set the modem up), cables to connect it to your computer and the phone. Five minutes after unwrapping it, plugging it in I had it all up and working. Amazingly easy and I would say anybody could do it.
The router itself also has 4 ports that are 10/100 auto sensing, so up to 4 wired computers/peripherals can be connected.
All you need to do to get it to connect to your service provider is boot up Internet Explorer and enter the IP address of the ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Belkin networking offers this one-box solution that lets you share your ADSL Internet connection, files, and peripherals, without cables. It combines two essential networking functions in one innovative product - an ADSL Modem with a 4-port Wireless Router. Operating at wireless speeds up to 54Mbps, the ADSL Modem with Wireless-G Router operates on the 802.11g wireless Ethernet standard.
