opinionated3's Full Review: Belkin F5D8236-4 Router
I recently found myself in the market for a new wireless router because our current one started to have connection issues with our cable modem. This was a different from our other two wireless routers we have had (Linksys and netgear),which both developed wireless signal issues with our laptops.
One day I was shopping at Walmart and I found that they had a wireless router on sale and it happened to be a brand I am familiar with and trust quite a bit; Belkin. I decided to pick one up since it was a really good prices, the model I bought was the N Wireless Router F5D8236-4.
This new router is going to be replacing our worn out, Belkin N Wireless Router F5D8233-4 which has worked well over the past 2 years.
Appearance
One of things that I liked about this new Belkin wireless router is that it fit in small area we had a available on the computer desk. The reason it fit so much better than the old one was because it smaller in size, but it stands vertical, instead of horizontal like the other Belkin router we had. The router is made of rugged plastic and completely black except for indigo blue LED indicators on the front face of the router. The router is 9" tall, including the two 4" antennas that are mounted on the top of the router and is 7.5" deep including the base plate.
To help the router stay standing up vertical, Belkin attached a base plate that is mounted on the bottom and extends out beyond the back end of the router.
The six LED indicators as I mentioned earlier display the condition of the router; blue is for proper working condition and amber indicates not working properly. These indicators include: Security, Wireless, Wired, Router, Modem and Internet.
One back you will find 5 RJ45 (network cable) connectors; 4 are designated for 4 wired network connected devices and 1 (marked in yellow) for the network patch cord from the cable modem.
Installation
The installation procedure was absolutely a snap, Belkin included a quick hardware setup sheet and the rest of the installation was handled by the CD that is included in the box. Be sure that you hook up all of the cables according to the setup sheet before you put the CD in to your computer.
The installation wizard stepped us through the entire process which included detecting the router and establish DNS information from our ISP (Cox Cable). Once that was completed we setup our security preferences and set the pass phrase and it was done.
All that was left was to connect our three laptops that are being used in our house and that took a couple of minutes each. Once they were connected we checked the connection speed and all three where connecting at 175Mbps, which is so much faster than the 56Mbps you will get from a typical 11g wireless router.
My final thoughts
We have been using this router for a couple of weeks now and it has been working flawlessly like our first Belkin N Wireless router. I really like the fact that it is so much more compact and that it stands vertical instead of flat on the desk.
Another great thing about this wireless router is that it was so easy to install and setup, instructions were very easy to follow, you don't need to be a technopile to hook it up.
The range of the N series routers is pretty amazing, I cannot say if the claim by belkin is accurate at up 1200ft, but I can tell you that our bedrooms are more than 40 feet away from the router and there are several walls in between and connections has never been an issue.
The link rate is the other major claim made by Belkin for this router and it claims connection rates of up to 300Mbps in 40MHz mode. We didn't setup the 40MHz mode on ours, but without it we are connecting at 170Mbps consistanly.
The Belkin N Wireless Router has several wireless security options built in and they include; 256-bit WPA/WPA2, 64-bit and 128-bit WEP encryption.
I would highly recommend this router if you are setting up a new wireless setup in your house or small business. If you are looking to replace an older existing 11a/b/g wireless router, you should look at this router. Note: To take advantage of the increased connection speed you will need to upgrade your wireless adapters in your laptops and desktop computers.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 60.00 Driver Availability: Other
Enjoy a high-speed Internet connection all around your house with this wireless router that also features 4 wired ports for expanded connectivity opti...More at Best Buy ®
Security: Wi-Fi Protected Setup; 256-bit WPA/WPA2 Personal; 64-bit 128-bit WEP encryptionWPA/WPA2: WPA2Ports: 4 x 10/100MWireless Data Rates: Up to 3...More at Newegg.com
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