Belkin N1 Wireless Modem Router

I've had the Belkin N1 Modem / Router for a while now.

Firstly, and I get a lot of experience with this in my line of work, wireless networking is very hit and miss. There's no 'magic bullet' of the wireless world that'll solve all your range & speed issues in one hit, despite all the manufacturers marketing guff.

So how does the Belkin N1 work? Well ok, sort of. I've found that it's not very stable if left in it's default mode - 802n,g & b, automatic channel - it needs resetting frequently, and frustratingly after doing so can perform a factory reset on itself requiring a full setup again. This is not a frequent occurance luckily. These problems totally negate the point of it being an 'N' wireless router though, as using it in this mode just causes problems. Also don't forget every device that connects wirelessly needs to be 'N' spec or the speed of the network as a whole will drop down to 54 / 11, depending on the device. Again negating the N spec.

Wireless range is ok, although I get the best speed with it plugged in downstairs, not in the adjacent room of my house, it seems to be flumoxed by the brick wall and signal strength / speed drops right down, even though it's actually been moved closer.

Left in 54g and a fixed channel it seems ok, but quite expensive when you can buy a good 54g router much cheaper than this.

The Belkin N1 Wireless Modem Router works extremely well once it has been set up using the cables supplied. I've had this unit for almost two years and it stalled only twice. All you do is turn off power and restart it and bingo, all's back to normal. It is always connected and there are various security settings which you may need to have different gadgets connected. I have access to it with a notebook, WII, and 2 PSPs. Some knowledge of wireless networks and routers is recommended.

The range is excellent with the router positioned upstairs and conectivity all around the house and in the garden.

A few areas of concern though:

There are two types of Belkin N1; a router only and (the slightly more expensive) modem/router. Make sure you get the right one.

The firewall setting on your operating system (XP or Vista) AND your internet security package can play havoc with access to your wireless router/modem.

Don't forget your password to access the setup of your N1 software, cause you'll only need to access it once or twice!

Update the firmware as soon as you get it. It'll save a lot of hassle.

Don't bother getting the notebook card. If you think it will provide you with 54Mbps plus speeds you're mistaken. The best I got was 39Mbps downstairs, unless I was next to the router, it then went up to 220 Mbps.

So if you want an easy-to-set-up, easy to use modem router this might be for you, as long as you're happy with 54Mbps speeds.