Belkin N Wireless Router (F5D8233-4)

10 Review to this product

• 

  Kishore Hiranand
  August 5th, 2007 on 2:54 pm

  Rating

  I have used this product on 2 separate DSL setups (static IPs and dynamic IP ) from 2 different providers AND also with a cable modem setup. Flawless installation and automated process. Up and running in no time!! Awesome.
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  Ken
  August 10th, 2007 on 10:45 am

  Rating

  I bought this because my old wireless router was beginning to have problems. I specifically bought a Belkin because the product description specifies that it works on Macs as well as PCs. I have Macs in our home. It took about two minutes to set it up using my internet browser. Just click a few settings and we’re in business. Range and speed is great throughout the house now.
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  R. Aguilar
  September 15th, 2007 on 4:16 pm

  Rating

  I purchased this router on sale at a retailer, and I was surprised to discover that you won’t find many reviews on this product across the Internet, so here are my observations.

  With it’s black outer casing, this Belkin N Wireless Router is a sleeker-looking model of router. Not only does this product work for me, it looks nice enough for me to want to have on top of my work desk! It uses a simplistic system of lights that show you the status of any part of your network setup. It shines a nice blue hue when all is well, and flashes amber when there’s trouble amiss. Troubleshooting is almost a no-brainer.

  I got this installed into my network at home, and in less than 5 minutes I was up and running. I use a Macbook Pro, and the network cooperated with it nicely. One thing you want to do once you set it all up is to set a password for the router by going into the System Settings. Also, if you plan to use wireless (which is a basic purpose to have in the first place), then secure it by naming your wireless network and assigning it a password.

  Your mileage may vary, but as for me, no “intermittent disconnections” or “flaky coverage” here, and my Mac’s wireless can detect about an average of nine other wireless networks in my area… pretty high traffic, but the Belkin holds well against interference. Throughput is as good as the ground-up connection you’re getting. Users who have superfast access like Verizon’s FiOS will love the throughput as they go wireless on this router, combined with 802.11n. In fact, I still get four bars on my iPhone’s wi-fi from the router as I sit in my car in the driveway!

  Anyways, that’s my experience. I give it five stars because of its sleek design, no-hassle installation, and it works very well for the price you pay.
• 

  William T. Jones
  October 27th, 2007 on 12:11 pm

  Rating

  This was almost too simple to setup and get running. Further, it performs admirably. The best part was putting the encryption/protection in place. Click, click and WPA was installed. The whole process from start to finish – maybe 5-7 minutes.
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  Nancy Chorpenning
  November 25th, 2007 on 2:52 pm

  Rating

  If this router was any easier to set up, it would have unpacked itself and leapt out of its box! I practically had to pinch myself when it launched on a desktop PC before I thought it had been fully connected. That it works smoothly, securely (128 bit WEP) and effectively across Mac and PC desktops, Mac PowerBook, TiVo on wireless home network using DLink USB B adapters, Vonage VOIP router, and HP and Lexmark wireless printers speaks to its versatility. The user manual and browser-based set up provide helpful and interesting guidance to settings that allow getting the most out of the router if you are using VOIP (a chronic problem for me previously) and have lots of 802.11b traffic or interference in the area. This replaced a DI-624, and there is no comparison. I chose it over the competition based not only on Amazon users reviews but also on those on CNET and other tech-oriented web resources.
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  Christy L.
  January 22nd, 2008 on 7:12 pm

  Rating

  My Linksys WRT54G is a few years old, and suddenly last week it began dropping our connections constantly. Each drop required a complete recycle of the modem and router to get it working again, and then it would only work for another 5-30 minutes before dropping again. Obviously out of warranty, not to mention this is the second Linksys we’ve owned that ended up dying the exact same way, I decided to try a new company.

  The Belkin set-up was so easy I found myself searching the box to make sure there weren’t more instructions I was missing. I was never able to get Linksys working without calls to tech support, which is always a real PITA. After 5 minutes with the Belkin simple one-page instruction and install disc, we were live and ready to go. 3 of our computers run XP, and one is running Vista and there have been no connection issues with any of them.

  I installed the router this morning, and have not experienced a single connection drop during the day today. If it starts pulling that crap, I’ll update the review with details.

  I also am extremely happy with the speed and range! The Linksys was unable to reach the back rooms of our home, but the Belkin gives us strong signal in every room of the house. It’s much faster, not to mention it was $20 cheaper than a Linksys Wireless N.
  
• 

  Julie
  February 7th, 2008 on 10:56 am

  Rating

  This router works!

  I had a dropped connection more than once a day with the Linksys WRT54G version 8. I took that back and bought this, it hasn’t dropped the connection once. The installation was easy enough. However, the wireless security was not part of the setup wizard. You had to know to go set it up.

  I am using it with Motorola Wireless PCI Adapter WPCI810G driver 6.1.1. The driver allowed WPA2, but it didn’t work using the windows network application. When using WPA and the windows network application, I would get a ‘Windows was unable to find a certificate to log you on to the network [SSID]‘ message, though it would then connect with no problems. I don’t get that message using WPA2 and the utility that came with the card.

  I am also using this router to connect to the Linksys Dual-Band Wireless-N Gaming Adapter as a bridge so I can connect devices in another room. It doesn’t seem to have any problems with the connection. I was unable to get the WPS to work between the router and the bridge for quick setup, but it works with manual setup. Not sure if it is the router or gaming adapter that didn’t work for WPS.

  The style is very contemporary and doesn’t look bulky and ugly like other routers. The lights are informative, but bright at night in the bedroom.
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  S. Lambson
  March 17th, 2008 on 3:40 am

  Rating

  This is my first Belkin purchase. I just couldn’t justify the extra 20.00 for Linksys. I’ve owned Linksys and D-Link. Surprisingly my D link worked extremely well. Belkin was a bit of a nightmare to get set up. The Technical support at Belkin didn’t know that my router had to be set up with a bridge modem. So it essentially skips over the login and password of my modem and communicates right with the server of my ISP. Luckily, my DSL company told me how I needed to set up my Belkin and so I called tech support back for the 3rd time and finally I got it set up. But once it was set up properly, it was awesome. Not impressed with Belkin technical suppport. One techie even hung up on me while I was on hold. I guess I shouldn’t be too harsh on these guys. After all what do you expect when you ship all your tech jobs off shore to India. These guys are trying to help you at 2:30 in the morning.
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  Joel B
  June 4th, 2008 on 8:54 pm

  Rating

  It is blazingly fast. Using the CNET Bandwidth Meter, I get 1500-2500 Kbps on the third floor, with the router in the basement, through 3 ceiling/floor walls. On the second floor, we get 3500 Kbps. Basically, this thing performs about as well as if you were wired directly to your cable modem- The bottleneck will probably be your ISP’s maximum permitted speed, not the router.

  I chose this model in part because PCWorld gave the F5D8233-4 much better reviews than the similarly-priced DLink in a comparable “through-multiple-walls” test.

  For tech-geeks out there, the spatial multiplexing technology used in 802.11N Draft is pretty amazing. Basically, the multiple antennas actually use signals that are reflected off walls and floors to enhance the transmission, whereas in 802.11G and earlier versions, these reflected signals were read as interference.

  Anyway, I def. recommend this router…
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  Michael J. Cresci
  July 7th, 2008 on 11:40 pm

  Rating

  I switched from SBC to Comcast internet and had issues making more than 1 Mac computer work at a time with the Comcast cable modem and a time capsule. I purchased one of these routers and within 15 minutes had two laptops, my imac and a network printer up and running perfectly. The router and install CD are Mac OS friendly and the wireless feature/security works very well. Using OS 10.5, Imac/intel, macbook pro and ibook. Excllent value for the price.