Before I write about the Belkin Router, I think it may be appropriate to describe my experiences that led up to the decision of setting up a network so that both our computers could share our newly installed NTL broadband connection.
There was something about networking that I had a "monster" ... Read review
Advantages: High speed sharing of internet connection. Free on-line and phone help Disadvantages: A bit tricky to set up for me at first..
Before I write about the Belkin Router, I think it may be appropriate to describe my experiences that led up to the decision of setting up a network so that both our computers could share our newly installed NTL broadband connection.
There was something about networking that I had a "monster" mental-block about and when asking advice, all I could get was "it's easy!" Well all I can say about that is everything ... ...
The Belkin G router, is what the helpful assistant in PC World advised us to get as we were connected to cable broadband with NTL. Questions I had were, "will the wireless connection connect through the thicker internal brick walls of our Victorian house?"
He assured me, there would be no problem at all, because this is how most students access NTL broadband in multi-occupation houses in Cardiff and he uses ... more
Before I write about the Belkin Router, I think it may be appropriate to describe my experiences that led up to the decision of setting up a network so that both our computers could share our newly installed NTL broadband connection.
There was something about networking that I had a "monster" mental-block about and when asking advice, all I could get was "it's easy!" Well all I can say about that is everything is easy to those who know how.
I'm not a technophobe, but when something is working OK, I am of the opinion not to try and fix it. But I was getting fed up of my slow dial-up internet connection and it was really about time that I contacted my ISP (NTL) and ordered broadband, especially after reading several reviews - it was just a coincidence that I had not long received an upgraded computer and broadband was not something that was planned, but my wife said, "why don't we get broadband?"
"Good idea," I answered.
Well both our spare bedrooms have been turned into offices, my wife's and mine. I love to write and communicate on the internet and she loves to do her family history research. "After the broadband is installed, why not get a router and network the both computers?" she says.
"Good idea," I answered again. It's not that I'm a man of few words, it's just that I was a little more than concerned about the potential problems involved in networking our machines together, having given up the effort in favour of a USB to USB cable on my laptop a couple of year ago.
To go back to the broadband for a moment, when the installation day came around, the engineers were not happy about installing the cable modem upstairs in my office, even though they kept saying, "it's up to you mate, but we can put it downstairs and you can use a wireless router."
That, I thought, would have meant opening my brand new computer and putting in a wireless PCI card. No way was I prepared to do that. I wanted my new machine to be wired and my wife's to connect wirelessly, so with a few sighs they set about installing the cable where I wanted it. After considerable furniture shifting in our bedroom so that the cable could be routed through it (no pun intended), we had our first connection and got it working.
The very next day - I'm a glutton for punishment - we went out to look at some routers.
The Belkin G router, is what the helpful assistant in PC World advised us to get as we were connected to cable broadband with NTL. Questions I had were, "will the wireless connection connect through the thicker internal brick walls of our Victorian house?"
He assured me, there would be no problem at all, because this is how most students access NTL broadband in multi-occupation houses in Cardiff and he uses the product in a similar house to ours himself on four computers.
"Ah, what about if there are metal radiators on the walls? I have heard that this can block signals." I asked again.
"It should be OK," he replied, "but if the worse comes to the worse, you can always come back and change the USB network adapter for a long networking cable."
So we went for it. The router and a USB adapter for my wife's computer of the same make to match at a total cost of £74.98 (£54.99 for the Router and £19.99 for the wireless adapter). So I didn't have to open any machines after all!
In the box, was the G Router. Quick installation guide - this was a chart that opens out with pictures and instructions of all the steps needed to get it up and running. The CD. Installation software. An RJ45 Ethernet networking cable to connect to the modem. The power supply (it needs to be plugged into the mains - something else to add the spaghetti junction under my desk!) The user manual - I should really read more carefully!
I set my computer up first on a wired connection from the Ethernet connector, into the router and then into the cable modem and was pleased that it worked OK after installing the software, which was simplicity itself - I just loaded the disk and followed the instructions to the T, which involved not connecting the cables until it said to do so on the on-screen installation wizard.
Next, my wife's machine that is at the back of the house about 40 feet away. I inserted the disk that came with the USB Network adapter and it all installed in the same way as my computer, no problems at all.
Now, with baited breath, could I connect to the internet? But the damned thing kept trying to dial up! Not something I wanted at all. Nothing would work at all. Angst!!! Then I realised, that I had to set up her computer to network, so I put the NTL disk I had been given to set up Broadband on my machine and put it in my wife's and that did the trick - we were networked and her machine was picking up the signal. Later on, I realised that I did not have to do that .
For problems in setting up your network through the router, Belkin has a free phone help line, which I did try to use at one time, but being a Saturday afternoon, it was busy. Not wanting to wait, I went on to their website at Belkin.com and soon found a useful animated set-up guide on how to get everything working correctly that a child could follow. This I downloaded to my computer.
Finally, if you don't want to tackle this job yourself, you can telephone Belkin and an engineer will come out an install it for you within 72 hours. At the time of writing, the estimate for a standard installation is £89.99 inclusive of VAT.
Performance & Operation.
I cannot discern any deterioration in internet speed at all even though both computers now share the same 1 GB broadband connection. But all we use the internet for is viewing webpages and entering data to sites such as this and would have no idea what it would be like to both try and download films/music.
The router itself is quite an attractive looking gadget and just sits on my desk with lights flashing on and off and data is sent and received to the worldwide web.
Other capabilities is has is that through the 10/100 4-port switch (I don't know what this means but we've got it!) we can share files, printer, music or anything either of us has on our hard drives. I can also plug the USB adapter into my laptop and carry it anywhere in the house and connect to the internet.
The router is also equipped with a firewall that will protect our network from hackers and such the like, although I still have Mcafee firewall/virus software installed and would not like to be on line without it.
Another available option is a parental control web content filter, so that parents can filter out undesired material when their children are on-line.
System requirement are… Broadband Internet connection (cable or DSL modem) with RJ45 Ethernet connection. At least computer with an installed network interface adapter. I believe this is the card at the back of the machine where you can plug in an Ethernet cable. TCP/IP networking installed on each computer. I think this is on most windows based computers. RJ45 cable. Internet browser.
Not being a techy sort of person, I have written this review to help other non-techy people get an idea of what is involved in purchasing a router and sharing a cable broadband connection and computer files if desired.
derek-j-a 25.09.2005 (25.09.2005)
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Review of Belkin Wireless Cable/DSL Gateway Router wireless router
Advantages: Lifetime warranty, free technical support (inc. freephone telephone number), easy to set up Disadvantages: Foreign call centre - not necessarily a disadvantage unless the person you speak to doesn't really understand you and you don't understand them!
...I opted for the Belkin Wireless Router for a few reasons. I'd never heard of Belkin before, but when I was making my earlier calls this is a name that had popped up, and additionally at £74.99 it was one of the cheapest in the shop. It looks like you can get them cheaper online - according to amazon.com you can get one for £38.10! However, other than amazon.com they seem to be priced more in the region of what I paid for mine everywhere else - perhaps ... ...brief details of other compatable Belkin products. There's also information about a Parental Control package that Belkin offer with this product free for 6 months (no interest to me with not being a parent, but I'm sure would be of use to some people).
The router itself is a slim, flat, rectangular box that can be mounted on its side to save space, or can be sat flat somewhere. Setting it up is simple enough - basically a case of putting the CD ...
angeelu 20.03.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Belkin Wireless Cable/DSL Gateway Router wireless router
Advantages: Saves the hassle of wires, once set up you don't even notice it Disadvantages: Could be a bit of a hassle to set up
...up by a receiver. This Belkin router also has an inbuilt broadband modem, so there is no need for a separate modem (unless you are some sort of obsessive freak who insists on having a spaare one in case one breaks down and you have to go a couple of days without one, God forbid of course!). This particular Belkin modem can network up to eight computers. It has the capability to network four by wires and four wirelessly. To network by wires, all that ... ...The CD provided with the Belkin router was superb. All you have to do is insert it into your computer (well, the CD drive to avoid electrocution or voiding a warranty) and Bobs your uncle. It will take you through installing the drivers etc.
Then (yes its not set up yet), you need to configure the router. The above took me ten minutes, the below took me two hours. The instructions said open up Internet Explorer, type in a certain few numbers (the ...
somebodyrandom 30.05.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Belkin Wireless Cable/DSL Gateway Router wireless router
Advantages: Easy to install - works superbly well Disadvantages: Difficult set up if you are like me and make a stupid mistake!
...I decided on the Belkin after several recommendations from Family and friends. Even the nice man at PC World said it was good… well he would wouldn't he?
But having just decided on a new laptop I just had to have it. The sales guy at PC World was very good actually and talked me through the set-up and it seemed so straightforward. More about that later.
The cost was just under £70. Comparable to everything else I had seen in store. Obviously if ... ...out of my self-inflected mire!
My Compaq laptop did not need a wireless card, as it is wireless enabled. To conclude the Belkin Wireless Route does everything I wanted and expected. It works in the bathroom, kitchen, loft and garden. For me - it's perfect! ...
rickardo 19.09.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Belkin Wireless Cable/DSL Gateway Router wireless router
Advantages: Easy to use, LAN ports, reliable Disadvantages: Ugly, does not replace cable modem unit
I have had this product for just over a year now. I bought it for around £50 from Staples to share a broadband internet connection amongst my housemates. I did worry that it might be difficult to set up the network initially, having never done it before.
After reading all the instructions a few times, more because of nerves than because they were difficult to understand, I began making my first network. I hooked up the NTL modem to my laptop, installed ... ...set up the wireless router was my next task. I plugged the NTL modem cable to the router, stuck the plug in the wall and turned it on. My laptop chimed at me - a new wireless network had been found and was now connected. I checked to see if the internet worked, it did, I was amazed.
I spent about ten minutes booting up my housemates machines and they all found the network straight away. I then went to the settings page, which is like an internal ...
StedicUK 20.08.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Belkin Wireless Cable/DSL Gateway Router wireless router
Advantages: Features, Security, It still runs Disadvantages: Unreliable, very poor WLAN coverage, Tedious to configure
...just tried to get the Belkin Wireless ADSL modem to speak to a Belkin Print Server but to no success whatsoever.
I've been running this Belkin Modem for soon to be a year and I hate it. Its unreliable- it disconnects from the internet unpredicitivly, and takes a while to get back on- does this way too often. It's WAN coverage is poor- I'm in a three story house (attic converted) and it barely gets reception to the lower floor (its on the top floor). ... ...garden.
Configuring this router/modem has been hell- it runs well unsecurely but configuring security for the wireless machines it must speaks to requires numerous restarts and long tedious key entries- wish it could have been quicker. And after all of that it for some reason keeps an insecure Wireless access point available (from the other Antenna- there are two antennas) So the speed of the network is slower- resets, wipes don't fix it.
This ...
Fume 04.08.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Belkin Wireless Cable/DSL Gateway Router wireless router
Product Information for "Belkin Wireless Cable/DSL Gateway Router wireless router" »
Manufacturer's product description
The Belkin Wireless Cable/DSL Gateway Router lets you share files and a broadband Internet connection among all your computers - without using cables. It's never been easier to access files and networked peripherals such as hard drives, printers, CD-ROMs, and DVDs. An integrated, 3-port 10/100Base-Tx Ethernet switch also allows you to connect wired computers to the network. The Router uses the 802.11b wireless Ethernet standard to let you share broadband Internet connection and is interoperable with any 802.11b-compliant wireless device. It also offers NAT firewall to protect your network from outside intrusions by hackers, and an IP Sec pass-through for remote access through Virtual Private Networking (VPN). DMZ hosting lets you play accelerated games over the Internet. A simple, browser-based setup, guided by Belkin software configures your wireless network and broadband modem in minutes. PRODUCT FEATURES: Offers 802.11b Compliance - interoperable with any 802.11b-compliant wireless device; Configures your network quickly and easily using Belkin SOHO Networking Software; Enabled sharing of your broadband Internet connection; Quick data exchange between connected PCs and notebooks; printer and other peripheral sharing, and communication via e-mail; Wireless roaming with a networked laptop around the home or office; Simple installation that enables networking in buildings with solid or finished walls, or in open areas where wiring would be difficult or problematic; Auto-sensing for future scalability of 10Base-T networks into 100Base-T Networks; Dedicated bandwidth for each port to let you enjoy an efficient and error-free network; Compliance with Ethernet IEEE 802.3 and 802.3u standards; LED indicators for monitoring network traffic; Plug-and-Play compatibility; Compatible with Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows Me, Windows XP, Mac OS up to Mac OS X and AppleTalk.
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