Belkin currently lead the market in network devices, both wired and wireless and when I came to introducing a wireless network in to my home, I turned straight to Belkin as I was sure they'd offer me the best performance - I haven't been disappointed.
**Features** The Belkin 802.11g Access Point can be configured as a Wireless Range Extender. This allows you to use your existing network featuring a Belkin Wireless Access Point and extend the range of your network. This is ideal for large buildings or areas where coverage breaks up. Alone, the Belkin 802.11g Access Point boasts a range of up to 300 feet radius indoors, and 1,500 feet radius outdoors. This is obviously with good conditions, so when buying you should take in to account walls and any interference such as cordless telephones and similar devices. WPA (Wireless Protected Access) Security can be enabled on the device. WPA is a lot more secure than WEP which is standard on most wireless devices. It uses dynamic keys to ensure data is secure. 128-Bit Encryption is available on the device, allowing the data to be encrypted or scrambled to ensure that the data is secure. It is optional, and you get the option to use 64-Bits or 128-Bits and a personalized key. Belkin use a technology called Frame Bursting that is designed to increase the wireless speeds of the Belkin 802.11g Wireless Access Point. It boasts up to a 50% increase over standard 802.11g speeds. As you would expect on most decent wireless devices, MAC Address Filtering comes as standard. Each network device has a MAC Address which can be discovered via the Control Panel and Network Properties or on a sticker either on the device box or on the base of the unit. This technology allows you to filter out devices that can or cannot access the Wireless Network. As MAC Addresses cannot be changed, only by the attacker replacing his network device can he/she access your wireless network. The Belkin 802.11g Wireless Access Point works with both PCs and Macs. Supported operating systems are: OS 8.x, 9.x, X v10.x, AppleTalk, Linux, Windows 95, 98, 98SE, Me, NT, 2000, XP and the newest Windows operating systems, Vista and Longhorn. Lighted LEDs on the front of the unit cut out the need for advanced software or monitoring packages to diagnose network problems. They indicate activity and connection. The system is managed via the included Web-Based Advanced User Interface. It's as simple as opening your browser - you do not need to install any separate software and it is of cause password protected for security.
**The Package** There are a few variations of this package; you can get it with or without the network cards. You should get a power supply - because it is not a router, you do not need to position the unit near a telephone line, only a CAT5 network cable into your existing network. If you are using it as a Wireless Range Extender, you don't need to connect it to the network. To get you setup, a Quick Installation Guide is included. If that fails, it comes with an extensive user manual with all major European languages. It includes a step-by-step setup guide to get you up and running within minutes! If you chose to register your device, you should get a registration card. This covers the warrantee as well. And obviously, the Belkin 802.11g Wireless Access Point is in there too!
**Will It Work On My Computer?** Belkin's official system requirements are: At least one computer with an installed 802.11g or 802.11b-compliant wireless Ethernet adapter (if you get the package with the included wireless network cards this is not needed. TCP/IP networking protocol installed on each computer (you shouldn't need to worry about this, most modern operating systems (Windows 95+) have this protocol installed by default. CAT5 networking cable or better - This is to connect the device to your pre-existing network. Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or later, or Netscape 4.0 or later (Firefox, Safari and others work well too. This is just to access the Advanced Web-Based User Interface)
**Why Should I Even Get One?** It's a bother trailing wires around the floor isn't it? With the Belkin 802.11g Wireless Access Point, the need for this is eliminated. You shouldn't worry about speed, you should get the 54 mbps in most places around your house or office and that's more than adequate for most things considering in the UK, the average broadband connection speed is 1 mbps. The device is ideal for a small office, as it allows for 32 devices per unit to simultaneously connect. This is great for visitors, if you want to setup a small hotspot, or for office workers to avoid hiring someone to install the network for you.
**What Else Can It Do?** You can select from a number of channels to avoid collisions with wireless devices already implemented. If you find that a channel is being problematic and you are not getting the quality you think you should, try changing channels with the option on the Advanced Web-Based User Interface. For 802.11g, the standard channels are 11 for North America, 14 for Japan and 13 for Europe. If you want to allow for advanced authorization, you can enable WPA with a radius server - though for most people you shouldn't worry about that.
**Setup** There are 2 ports at the back; 1 x RJ45 Port (LAN) and 1 x Power Jack. You simply connect an Ethernet Cable from your router or switch into the LAN port, and the supplied power cable into the Power Jack. The unit will light immediately. The Quick Installation Guide provides the settings you need to allow you to connect, though if your router or computer has a DHCP server, you can let windows automatically detect settings. When done, if you browse to the IP address: http://192.168.2.1, which is the default IP for the Advanced Web-Based User Interface. You can setup your protection and encryption here and fine tune your device.
**My Personal Opinion** With the Quick Installation Guide, the device is as simple as it gets to setup - you require next to no prior experience. The unit sells for around £40 in most high street stores, which is very competitive for such a device and I have found that when used with a Belkin Network Card (although others work well), the device matches the quality that you'd expect from a high-end Wireless Access Point. Even If you've got a wired network already, buying this unit would let you see the many benefits of switching to a wireless network. I'm very happy with my Access Point, and am yet to have any problems with it! It's been working 24/7 for around 4 months now!
Ports - 1 10Base-T/100Base-Tx RJ45 port (LAN), 1 power jack, and 1 reset button
LEDs - Power, LAN Activity, WLAN activity.
A SMALL NOTE__ (Thanks to LegendaryMrDude) Because of the variations in the package, I believe that with some models you cannot use encryption when using the Wireless Extender Mode. I've tested this and can succesfully get it to work with my particular model, though that seems not to be the case with certain others. Watch out for that one.
More details
Stability
Very stable
Instruction manual
Very useful
Manufacturer Support
Good
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