I've owned this router for just over 12 months now.
Anyone who has read any of my reviews, would see that mostly I give glowing praise to most things.
This is definitely an exception to that rule.
As more households are getting more than one PC, it is obvious that the need for wireless internet technology is growing. Otherwise fights will occur and that's not healthy is it?
So the simple answer is, that you buy a wireless router. Yes? Not necessarily, but help is at hand!
STOP ! Before you go any further. Do you personally know anyone who successfully uses one of these things?If you do, ask them advice,before you buy.
So you are looking for a wireless router? You probably want one that you can afford, taking into consideration convience and ease of use at the same time.
It was these considerations that drew me to the Belkin F5D 7632-4. It was in my price range and offered four cable (ethernet
connections) and the wireless capability too. I would imagine that these qualities might draw you to the same conclusion.
So off you trot , cash in hand to buy one from the nearest store. You ask a few questions from the salesperson, who tells you something of which you have no comprehension, but sounds convincing!
Satisfied that you have listened to an expert. You toddle off home, eagerly anticipating your new internet adventure. This where your troubles begin!! Because when you set up your new machine, there is a host of information you need to know and understand. If you are technology minded, this is easy peasy ! However if you are not , it's about as practical as teaching nuclear physics to a window cleaner! ( no offence intended)
You set up your wireless router according to the setup instructions. You plug the leads in and switch the power on.
In the case of belkin, they provide a CD-Rom with a comprehensive set up and toubleshooting information guide.
I would prefer a decent handook personally, because you really need to print dozens of pages of information out, so at you can see the installation window on your computer and read the instructions at the same time. Otherwise you end up becoming confused.
Belkin refer you to a website. You open your internet explorer and type in the followng address:- 192.168.2.1. This will direct you to the Belkin website, from which you can can effectively configure your router.
Once accessing the site, you log in,where you are prompted to do so. You are guided to a SET UP WIZARD. This will help you configure your machine fairly easily. IMPORTANT The settings that you make here, are the DEFAULT settings for your router. You need to save these, where prompted to do so, as your router will come back to look for these if it loses power or it needs to reboot.
This part is fairly easy and is usually enough to get you up and running. The difficulty comes in configuring firewall settings. If you don't configure your machine's firewall, all sorts of nasty hackers and doom merchants, will come and get you. If you do configure your firewall, it's so damned effective, even you can't access the internet!
What's more the firewall set on your machine can conflict with your windows firewall. This can cause you countless hours of angst. believe me!
Sorry, I hope you havent lost the will to live? I hope you will understand that some practical help from a knowledgeable friend would pay dividends over the DIY approach.
I apologise for making such a big issue over this, but you need to bear these details in mind, before you simply go out a buy any wireless router.
Having bourne the above details in mind, how does this particular shape up?
SET UP
The Belkin is easily wired up to your PC. Tip use the ethernet connection ( Cable) to perform the initial set up, even if you only use the wireless facility later.
CONSTRUCTION
This machine is fairly sturdy, it has a good sold case with an antenna at each end. It's about 24cm ( 9 inches) wide, so it will sit on a shelf, or there are screw holes which allow it to be hanged on a wall.
PERFORMANCE
When configured correctly, performance of this machine is very good. Wireless speed is 54MBS on 802.11g format. The wired ( ethernet) speed is 100MBS. I don't use this machine for gaming, but for transferring files & pictures and web browsing,it is very good ineed!
RELIABILITY I can only speak from personal experience, but I m not very happy with reliability. It's not the router that causes problems, but the firewall that causes problems.
If someone is using the wireless facility, then either no-one else can obtain access wirelessly or user A gets kicked-off the system, when user B logs on.
Sometimes no-one can access the system wirelessly, wthout re-booting the router.This is extremely annoying, when you rely on the system to work.
There is an awful amount of inconsistency , when trying to access the internet, all the signs point back to the Belkin router Despite hours of tinkering, channel changing, firewall changing, it's almost as if the machine, fails to remember the settings and you can't log on, where you left off. This annoys me immensley and I am sure would annoy any prospecive buyer too. This really lets down, what is in many repects an excellent router.
I have seen similar comments written elsewhere in other reviews, be warned do your homework before you buy, or repent later!
SUPPORT
Belkin offer a comprehensive troubleshooting guide and other technical help, which is good
SUMMARY
When working properly, this machine is excellent and is a pleasure to use. The odd few times when it mucks around, I could cheerfully bin it !
There is a warranty policy offered by Belkin,which looks quite good. My dilemma is. Is it better the devil you know, than the devil you don't?
What annoys me is, that although the machine can appear to be working normally, it is difficult or sometimes impossible to access, without hours of tinkering and rebooting. I never seem to be able to pinpoint exactly what the problem is.
So whatever you buy, make sure you do some extensive research into what you purchase. If someone can give you a personal reccomendation, so much the better.
Regrettably, from my experience, I would not reccomend this Belkin product, because I would hate to see people waste hours of their time.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
We are getting one of these at work, great review! xx
liz1102 18.06.2006 12:05
We used one of these (at least I think it was this, looks like the picture lol) in our student house for the past 9months or so and have had many of the same problems you detailed. Being the only one using wireless I'd continually have to reset the thing, which annoyed those using wires as they lost internet for a minute. It was set up with all the right firewall settings and an encrytped wirless thingy... and a few weeks later decided to forget everything! .. not helpful..... Your review sums up nicely a lot of the same problems we found :-)
Advantages: Reliable, easy to setup and use, small footprint. Disadvantages: Gets very got through constant use, wireless adapter software can be annoying at times
Advantages: Reliable, easy to setup and use, small footprint. Disadvantages: Gets very got through constant use, wireless adapter software can be annoying at times
Jun 18th, 2006
very helpful by (100%):
