I think this router might be getting a bad rep on the wireless end, because it comes with a proprietary setting enabled by default that I think does more harm than good. If you have this router and are getting intermittent or no wireless connectivity, and you've verified all your settings are right, try this.
This router (Belkin model F5D7230-4, and other models) has a (proprietary?) feature called "Protected Mode". The default setting on this model (at least the one I got), unlike other models, has that mode set to "Auto" under the Wireless settings, which I take to mean "on". So turn it off. It's wonky, because even tho it's a proprietary feature, there is NO documentation in the router's online "Help" section. However, it IS described in the user's manual:
"As part of the 802.11g specification, Protected mode ensures proper operation of 802.11g clients and access points when there is heavy 802.11b traffic in the operating environment. When protected mode is ON, 802.11g scans for other wireless network traffic before it transmits data. Therefore, using this mode in environments with HEAVY 802.11b traffic or interference achieves best performance results. If you are in an environment with very little--or no--other wireless network traffic, your best performance will be achieved with Protected mode OFF."
Okay, so if it works best off, why does it ship in "Auto" mode? Turn it off. On other models, by default it does ships with the feature "off".
Basically, I recommend setting this router up as simply as possible, but still having wireless encryption, of course.. So here are my further recommendations for setting this up. There's another (proprietary?) feature called "Turbo" mode. Again, no description of this on the interface itself, but it is described in the manual:
"Turbo mode is enabled by default. It allows the Router or Access Point to use frame bursting to deliver the maximum throughput, 2 times faster than any standard 802.11g equipment, to 802.11g clients. This measurement is based on aggregate throughput in a mixed 802.11b and 802.11g environment. Belkin 802.11g clients with the latest driver will support Turbo mode. Clients that do not support Turbo mode will operate normally with it enabled."
Again, I recommend turning it off. I also recommend deleting "Belkin Router" from the "domain" section under (I think) LAN settings, just keeping that field blank, and leaving wireless Channel as Auto (default choice, which normally goes to Channel 11 in the USA). And, as with any wireless rouer, you DEFINITELY want to put in a new wi-fi network name (SSID). Change the default SSID to something impersonal, but still unique. Further recommendations are keeping the thing well-ventilated, such as propping it up (securely) at an angle so air flows below it, above, and around the sides, and adjust the antenna of course then so it is vertical. Another thing I did was to turn Range Extension on, but I'm not sure that's necessary or if it just creates unnecessary heat, but since my friend was across the country, I was trying to pull out all the stops.
I chose this router for a friend (who purchased it on their own, and then I set it up). I chose it because it was the cheapest one in the store, and Belkin is a generally respected name when it comes to all their equipment (if often having the reputation of being a little expensive), and my past knowledge of their reputation with routers was good. Even though they don't make them themselves, but farm them out to others, their choices in the past have been good.
I initially set the router up at my home. I noticed that I had trouble connecting using Vista's wireless connection wizard, and I hate wizards and Vista's "wow" crap in general, so I got frustrated and found a "connect manually" choice, which was a whole lot easier for me, and after that, I was able to connect fine wirelessly for that time I was setting it up. However, my friend took it home and reported back that the laptop wasn't connecting, then it did, and then it stopped after a few minutes. Only then did I come to Amazon and read the reviews, where I saw so many others having similar issues. I suspected Protected and/or Turbo modes, so I did a little research, which confirmed my suspicions. I read a review of a similar Belkin router, the following excerpt summing it succinctly: "[Protected Mode] seems to make the network invisible to wireless devices you may be trying to set up for the first time".
With my friend having gone home (across the country), I was relieved to find this router has a remote admin mode (called Remote Management in the router). I learned this by downloading the User Manual. The manual doesn't have great screen shots, and my friend is not tech-savvy, but after only moderate pain, I had them successfully enable Remote Management, and tell me the WAN IP address (which, strangely enough, is nowhere to be found under WAN Settings--you have to go to the "Home" page of the interface, and it tells you there). I was then able to plug their WAN IP address into my browser, and wham--I'm signing in and configuring their router from across the country (we had set up an Admin Password together before leaving--very important).
So after disabling Protected and Turbo modes remotely, and doing my other recommendations above, my friend's laptop then connected immediately and automatically, with no action on their part (I had originally set up the laptop with the router when my friend was here). The connection now seems reliable and strong. My friend commented that it seemed fast.
I think this is a good router for a beginner or someone who wants to purchase & config it for a less-advanced user. First, it looks cool in person, which means a surprising amount to newbies (frustratingly), but more importantly, the interface is very easy to understand, and well laid-out and not intimidating or illogical, unlike some of D-Link's later interfaces. Part of that is the logical layout itself. Some part of that is the absence of a lot of advanced features most people will never use, such as being able to tweak the Beacon and Broadcast Interval settings on wireless. However, the truly important advanced features seem to be there, such as MAC address filtering (both wired and wireless, where some routers won't let you filter wired MAC addies), Remote Admin, and the standard fare. The only thing I noticed that i'd like to see would be an option to completely disable the radio from the interface (because apparently the antenna is non-removable/non-upgradeable), but then again, you CAN set the radio to not broadcast its SSID (network name).
I liked this router enough that I only half-jokingly offered to my friend to trade my current router for this one--an offer which was promptly declined! :)
The router has 4 or 5 wired network ports in the back. It feels very lightweight. I didn't see any holes for airflow or heat management and it does not stand on its side, which is why I recommended leaning it against something on an angle (airflow is an issue on most home routers). The LED light array on the front seemed less obnoxious than D-Link's. For wi-fi encryption, I chose WPA-PSK. The password field is less confusing than some other brands, and it lets you choose either a hexadecimal or plain-text password, and it doesn't make you fill up all 64 or 128 characters, unlike some other brands I've seen IIRC, which can ironically make for a more complex password in some cases, because people can pick a long phrase they can actually remember. The passphrase we chose was long and plain-text, but did not use all the characters allowed, and it worked just fine with the Vista laptop.
Further recommendation: if you're not a newbie, you'll know you don't have to run that silly "installation CD" that comes with the router. They REALLY encourage you to run the CD before you do ANYTHING, even before plugging in the router. It is obviously aimed at trying to cut down on the amount of tech support calls, which in spirit is a good idea. However, this gives new users the impression that routers need some kind of "driver" to work properly on a computer, which isn't true. Although the CD is probably nothing more than a glorified Computer-Based Training session, I wish they'd just provide a real manual instead (they do provide a paper Quick Start Guide). However, newbies will probably appreciate the interactive guidance and it does sound like a good idea for them. I don't know how many other companies are doing this now (nothing similar came with the 2 other routers I've bought, although the second one did have a "Wizard" built into the interface), but this could be a value-added feature for beginners who don't have a generous computer-savvy friend.
The default gateway address for this router is 192.168.2.1, not the traditional ~.0.1. This is good, because most DSL and cable modems are now selfishly commandeering ~.0.1. Another good thing is that I was able to do either all or almost all interface functions in Mozilla (Firefox of Seamonkey) browsers. I think there may have been one screen where I needed to switch to IE, though; I can't remember. I know that tonight when I did remote admin for my friend, I didn't have any problem. I made a bookmark for 192.168.2.1 in my friend's Mozilla browser before leaving, and named it "Router". This way, I could just tell them to drop down Bookmarks, and choose "Router" when the inevitable tech support call came.
I didn't bother updating the firmware, because I usually don't mess with firmware unless something's not working right--and I almost did so tonight in attemt to solve the wireless problem. Since updating firmware usually resets all previous settings (and often, backed-up settings [which this router allows you to do] won't work in newer firmware versions [somewhat defeating the purpose of backup settings, I think]), and we got it working right, I left it on the original firmware. The firmware version it shipped with was 9.01.05, and the latest version is 9.01.07--not too far off, and from August 8, 2007--pretty recent as of this writing, so as of this writing, the firmware is still being actively developed.
That's about it, as far as commenting on things I haven't seen in other reviews. One last comment could be that DSL modems now commonly act more like cable modems, from the perspective that you don't have to input all that PPoE information directly into the routers anymore, and you can leave the router's WAN configuration in "Dynamic" (i.e. standard cable modem). The DSL modems I've seen recently give you the option of letting the router handle the PPoE info, or the modem, and I strongly recommend letting the modem handle it--it's just easier in multiple ways. So what I mean is don't necessarily set this router's WAN setting up as "PPoE" just because you have DSL. "Dynamic", the default setting, is much easier if you can let the DSL modem handle that. For most cable users, this and most other routers will pick up the cable modem automatically.
Final thoughts: cable modems and DSL modems need to be power cycled (unplug, wait 10-15 seconds, plug back in) to change network devices (i.e. changing from a computer directly plugged into the cable modem, to attaching your router). I'm sure this is covered in the guidance CD, but it's worth mentioning. Also, with reviews on any router, you're going to see a lot of people having reliability problems, and it's usually going to focus around wireless. So if horrified by the reviews, make sure to check out other routers' reviews as a reality check. Also, different routers will tend to have people of different skill levels using them, which I think can affect review ratings. In this router's case, it draws many new and less-skilled users, who have more difficulty, as configuring a router is going to probably be the most complex thing an average user ever does with a computer. What routers do, even (especially?) home routers, is actually incredibly complex, and it's a minor miracle they are available at such low prices, as they are like mini computers in their own right. That is the other reason for so many bad reliability reviews with routers in general, far worse than with other products.
Conclusion: a nice router with a good, understandable interface, for a good price, which has most of the advanced features most people will need, and therefore very good for the beginner or average-needs advanced user. Sad that one or two simple but badly-chosen default settings are apparently causing a lot of trouble and making the router seem less reliable than it is. Armed with the knowledge in this review as a proviso, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this router. BTW, tier 1 tech support, though free and on a toll-free number, is apparently Asian Indian from what I've read, and not very helpful. This product gets 4 stars, not 5, because of that, and the obvious problem-causing default setting.
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