Belkin F5D8235-4 Wireless N+ Router

Comments about Belkin F5D8235-4 Wireless N+ Router:

It took some tinkering to get the router to work with my system. Belink Customer Services is knowledgeable and after a few tries, it works like a charm.

The ability to attach a dedicated hard drive to the network is an added plus in my estimation.

Comments about Belkin F5D8235-4 Wireless N+ Router:

I purchased this router to replace an older Belkin router that gave me many years of trouble free service. I was only replacing it because I moved into a larger home and the new router promised more range. After set up, with the help of a Belkin Tech rep, the router was unable to stay connected. The signal strength was at most two bars. After repeated calls to Belkin Tech and after hours of them having me re-config the router many times over- still only two bars. I was getting a better signal from my neighbors wireless network, two houses away...Belkin tech reps did try to help, but at the end they said it was either my wireless phone, mouse or keypad blocking the signal...well I need at least two of those devices by my computer. They then told me- after 4 hours on the phone- to pack up the router, drive back to the store (ordered it online so I wouldn't have to go to the store) and exchange it for another one. I am going to bring it back, but I'm not getting another Belkin- I'm going to try the Cisco. Stay tuned for that reveiw...

Comments about Belkin F5D8235-4 Wireless N+ Router:

This device works as advertised. I did not know that Belkin actually made routers until I saw them on the shelf at Staples. I was initially looking at either a Cisco/Linksys or Netgear. Given a 14 day return policy, I took a chance with Belkin, plus its price had been reduced, so it seemed worth my while. It had similar features to the E3000, but for less $$$. After I got home I read some of the online reviews, mostly at Amazon, and felt like I had made a bad purchase. In any event, unless the Sun, Moon and stars are lined up, this is not necessarily a plug-n-play device if you are using it as a replacement router in an existing network that doesn't use default settings for everything. The same could be said for any other router. So, it was fairly easy to setup, but you need to know a little info about your existing network ahead of time and make sure the default router address and subnet are the same; otherwise, you won't be able to get to the router's setup page. Also, using the Storage Manager to hang some networked storage off of the router's USB port was flaky - especially the instructions as they are very vague. Best bet is to not use the Storage Manager and simply map a network drive - be sure to know what the volume name of the USB drive is ahead of time. Also, operating system and firewall applications and settings will cause you grief (Thanks to Microsoft, I have XP, Vista and W7). I still can't get XP to see the USB storage, Vista allows me to map a drive and W7 allows the Storage Manager AND drive mapping to work. I'm sure most of these issues are on my end, but Belkin instructions and web support are lacking in this area. Still, once I did get the drives mapped, network access to the 4GB thumb drive I attached to the router worked well. Overall, despite the reviews about connection drops, speed, performance, etc., this is still a good buy. I work from home and I am online all day plus I stream music. Security-wise, it looks like it has all of the basic requirements, but I do not use all of them, however, I do not use DHCP and I filter based on MAC addresses plus, I do not broadcast the SSID and I encrypt. I've found the device to be very stable (no drops) and easy to setup once you get it connected. Would I rely on it for critical business use? Probably not, but I do not have the means or desire to stress test this any further - it definitely meets my needs...for now.

Comments about Belkin F5D8235-4 Wireless N+ Router:

The thing that got me was the easy wizard to install. Ten minutes and instant network. Additional 5 minutes, security complete, 5 minutes more and access to 1TB of network storage.Awesome product. Price [$] from staples

Comments about Belkin F5D8235-4 Wireless N+ Router:

I use this product in a small home network. It is very fast and has the best broadcast range :). It has WPS (fore wireless) which is a "one touch" secure connection. Just make your password (not your login but your security password) on the router. Then with the included software for your wireless adapter. Just click "WPS connection" in the program, then walk over to your router and press and hold the "WPS" button. That's it! You on a secure network!

Comments about Belkin F5D8235-4 Wireless N+ Router:

My intended purpose for purchasing this router was to expand the range of my wireless network. I wanted to upgrade from and older model Belkin 802.11g. While there is no doubt this would have succeeded, the prospect of losing the ability to stream music wirelessly to my stereo is not something I want to give up. Or spend more money to restore.

I use a MacBook running Snow Leopard and a Dell desktop running Vista. It was easy to set up on both computers. I also stream music from iTunes to my home stereo receiver using Airport Express Base Station (AEBS) 802.11g (2005 version) as an access point (AirTunes). Additionally, I have a HP All-in-One Printer attached through the USB port on the AEBS that allows wireless printing. Using the Belkin F5D8235-4 Wireless N+ Router, I could not get Airport Utility to find the AEBS. I tried to find work-arounds but was successful.

I reinstalled my old Belkin router (802.11g) and the AEBS was recognizable as it had been before. I will have to search for a better solution to expand my wireless range.

I would recommend the product with reservations. This one issue makes it unusable for my situation.