Belkin N+ Wireless Router Review

Belkin not only produces routers that are performance oriented but which look good on your desk too. Wireless N routers are the in-thing now with new devices supporting the latest standard. Belkin N+ wireless router has attractive looks and promises to be a deliver high performance. It is priced attractively and has all the basic features combined with great performance.

Belkin N+ Wireless Router specifications :

• Connectivity : Wired, wireless
• Integrated Switch : 4-port
• Data transfer rate : 300 mbps
• Frequency : 2.4 GHz
• Data Link Protocol :  Ethernet,   802.11b,   802.11g,
  Ethernet, 802.11n (draft 2.0)
• Switching protocol : Ethernet
• Remote management protocol : HTTP
• Antenna : External
• Encryption :  AES , 64-bit WEP , 128-bit WEP ,WPA , WPA2 ,
  WPA-PSK , WPA2-PSK , TKIP
• Warranty : 1-year
• Approx. price : $100

The router is bulky but that isn’t a matter of concern as it would be sitting pretty on your desk. It has a curvy design and stands vertically on the desk. It also has two external antennas which pop out from the top. We personally don’t like routers having external antennas but if it leads to great range as is the case with ths router, we are cool about it. The height of the router is also higher than most routers. The back is occupied by the various ports and in the front are the illuminated LEDs displaying status of various ports, functions etc. The ports have been labeled clearly to help out novices identify the ports on the router.

The router is extremely easy to set up and has detailed instructions in the manual if you get stuck somewhere. Also the CD has guided setup procedure you can follow. The CD is really helpful if you are configuring a router for the first time and are not familiar with the terms. You can get the router set up in a matter of minutes by using either method. The web-interface of the router is easy to navigate and intuitive too. The interface is similar to what we have been accustomed to since a long time on Belkin routers.

You can connect a external hard disk to the router but it does not offer full NAS functionality. You can access the files on the hard drive across the network but you need to have Belkin Storage Manager application installed on the network PCs. There are workarounds for this but novice users would certainly prefer the application. The drive is disconnected from the network if the application is closed on the host PC. FAT, FAT32 and NTFS are the supported partition formats. However, do not get surprised if your external USB drive does not work with the router as a few do not seem to work with it.

It also uses its array of lights to determine bandwidth usage based on maximum speed detected on network since router was added to the network. The lights represent the current bandwidth being used with respect to maximum speed it has ever encountered on any network if was connected to. If you move around with your router, this might not be accurate as different networks have different maximum speed. It would have been nice if Belkin has provided the option to set the reference speed for the lights. Overall, we like this feature as it helps keep a tab on network utilization even when we are at a distance from the PC.

Some of the other features include IP address reserving that can be used to assign a fixed IP address to a networked PC to be used a server or similar function. This can have multiple uses based on different situations. It also has Parental Control feature to block access to websites based on either time or content. The Parental Control feature is very useful if you want to restrict access to sites in an office or even at home.  The inbuilt firewall protects it from external attacks such as DoS or POD.

For security we have WEP, both 64-bit and 128-bit. WPA is also supported and you can easily set the encryption mode in the router settings. Other security features include MAC address filtering, really useful if you grant internet access to only a few computers on the network. WPS is also supported on the router that allows for quick addition of WPS-enabled clients to the network without the need to enter the encryption key.

Performance is the strong point of the router. The router has great range of over 400 feet, best in its class. The high range can also be utilized by using this router as an extender. The throughput is also best in class with 80mbps in long range tests. In mixed mode is notched 70mbps and the rate was pretty constant over the test. In short range, the throughput jumped close to 90mbps.  Hence it easily outscored a number of routers.

The price of the device is really attractive at under $100. This makes up for a couple of less features and other small drawbacks of the router. The Wireless-N connectivity along with NAS capability when coupled with great performance is the best you can expect from a router in this range. Performance is what concerns most of us and the router surely excels in that field.

Pros :

• Nice design
• Great range
• Excellent performer
• Ability to act as NAS

Cons :

• Bit bulky
• Limited NAS
• No dual band

Final Thoughts

The Belkin N+ wireless router is an excellent router in the sub-$100 category. The router has nice looks barring the external antennas and is a bit bulky too. It has all the basic features you would expect in a router along with the ability to act as NAS. Though the NAS is limited, it is quite usable after you have installed the application to access the external drive on networked PCs. Its excellent performance puts a stamp of authority on it that will attract a lot of buyers. Range of the router is excellent and it can also be used as an extender.If you need a wireless N router without high-end features, this should be at the top of the list.

Rating : 4.25/5