Adding Wireless G Capability to your Laptop or Desktop gets a bit easier
Written: Jul 14 '04 (Updated Jul 14 '04)
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Pros: Desktop stand option, ease of installation and use, stable and intuitive software
Cons: More expensive than conventional PCI cards
The Bottom Line: Ease of installation and use makes this a good choice for anyone.
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| nc10's Full Review: Belkin Wireless G USB (F5D7050) Network Adapter |
The Belkin Wireless G USB Network Adapter is a 802.11g wireless network adapter for USB equipped PC desktop and laptops, backward compatible with 802.11b networks. The Belking Wireless G adapter is one of many options for PC owners wanting to add wireless networking capability to a desktop or laptop.
I recently resurrected an older 750mhz athlon cpu and motherboard which had been replaced during a previous upgrade, and put together a PC for a piano teaching studio in our home. To tie the PC into our home network, I purchased this USB wireless G network adapter since it was (1)on sale ($30 after 2 rebates) (2) easy to install, (3) could be used in a desktop or laptop, (4) was 802.11g compatible, although my access point only supported 802.11b , and (5) came with an optional usb cable and "cool" desktop stand, which seemed like it would allow the wireless adapter to get stronger signal than a wireless network card installed in the back of the PC and then located under a desk and against a wall. The adapter itself was small, about 1" wide, 3/8" thick, 4" long, a bit larger but similar in size and appearance to a usb flash memory drive.
"In the box" was the wireless network adapter, a driver cd, usb cable, desktop stand, quickstart guide, 38 page manual, and a bright yellow sheet providing a list of Belkin support options, including a telephone number staffed 24 hours per day. I'd purchased Belkin products in the past and and was underwhelmed, but in this case the "open the box" experience was promising, the manual was well done and easy to read, the quickstart guide really allowed me to install the adapter quickly, and the installation software worked as described.
Installation and Setup
I installed the Belkin Wireless G USB Network Adapter on a computer system with an Asus motherboard, Athlon 750mhz cpu, and a SIG add on card which provided three USB 2.0 ports, which is where I connected my adapter, rather than the usb 1.0 ports on the mother board. Key steps of the installation were:
1. Install the sofware.
2. Plug the adapter base into the usb port, and plug the wireless G adapter into the base. Alternatively the adapter could be plugged directly into the usb port.
3. Configure the adapter. The Belkin Wireless network monitoring and configuration software runs in the system tray, and in my case, automatically detected the adapter and my wireless network. All I had to do was choose the type of encryption I wished to use (both WEP and WPA were options, I chose WEP, which is what my older Wireless Access Point uses, rather than the more secure wpa encryption), and enter the encryption key. Once that was done, I was able to access my network and router, and browse the internet wirelessly.
Performance
One of the components of the network in my home is a Linksys WAP11 wireless access point, which is (only) 802.11b, so I wasn't able to take full advantage of the Belkin's wireless G speeds. I have the WAP 11 installed in a room in one corner of my house, about 6' off the floor near a door. The Belkin Wireless G adapter was communicating with this access point, and it is located about 30' away, and separated by 2 walls. The Belkin software typically reports a signal strength of 70-75%, and reports a connection speed of 11mbps, the maximum capable with my WAP11 access point, though well under the Belkin adapter's wireless G capabilities.
File transfer speeds between the computer with the wireless adapter and the rest of my network run just under 25mb per minute, either copying to or from the wireless adapter equipped PC. (I was able to achieve these speeds even if the wireless adapter was plugged into a USB 1 port.) I also tested transfer speeds with and without encryption and found virtually no difference. 25mb per minute is well under 11mbps, but consistent with or slightly better than transfer rates I've seen reported in other reviews for networks with wireless b adapters, or a mix of wireless b and the faster wireless g adapters. If this adapter were to be used with a wireless G access point, I'd expect transfer speeds 2-3 times faster. I also tested using the adapter in a far corner of my home, about 50' away and through 3 or 4 walls. The connection was 40-50%, and still worked consistently well, enough to make web browsing via my cable connection as fast as it is on computers attached to the network via ethernet cables. The only time I really notice the difference between wireless networked pc's and ethernet cable networked pc's is when copying very large (>500mb) video files from one PC to another.
The Belkin wireless monitoring utility is very intuitive. When you first boot your computer it shows red, but after a few seconds it turns blue, indicating it found the wireless network. Launching the utility brings up an intuitive wizard driven interface where you can change network settings (such as the encryption code and scheme) or choose which network to connect to. In total, the Belkin software uses about 10mb of memory when its running in the background, and puts very little load on my cpu.
Support and other Comments
Belkin support and help seems to improved since the last time I looked at Belkin hardware. The manual, quickstart guide and software are all solid. Belkin offers a free 24 hr help line, though I've not tried it. New drivers, manuals, FAQ's, a knowledgebase, and other info is available online. The website is easy to use.
Conclusion
The Belkin Wireless G network adapter is easy to set up and works well. I was pleased with the ease of installation, setup and performance of this adapter with my networking hardware. Based on my experience with this adapter, I've moved Belkin a bit further up my list of respected computer hardware manufacturers.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 30 a/rebate
Driver Availability: Windows only
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