Belkin F5D8233 Wireless N Router user reviews

Pros Fast easy setup, decent range

Cons loses connectivity after a year, can't be fixed

Summary We purchased this in 2008 only so my hubby could use his PS3 downstairs. The reception was good enough that it worked fine. Then we got a new laptop with XP at first it connected fine. Then all of a sudden it would have no connection. The PS3 went offline as well. So we reset the router to factory defaults. That worked for as long as the computers were on but if you shut down we had to reset again. Belkin was no help.We upgraded to most current firmware. I will be sending this back to them and hopefully they hold up their end of the warranty bargain. So do more research before you purchase and think of the long run.

Pros - excellent speeds and no issues with my various PC's( 1 XP and 1 Vista )sharing the same network with my Xbox360.
- maxed out near 280mbps consistently at admittedly short ranges of 20-30 feet.
- nice sleek black-gloss modern design, shiny LED's

Cons - disconnects 2-3 times daily over the course of last year of ownership.
- no reason for disconnects
- Belkin Tech support unable to fix
- 'Lifetime Warranty' only good in USA, as Canadian customers likely to incurr Customs charges Belkin won't cover

Summary When I purchased this router in Nov 2007, I was excited to be upgrading to N speeds, as I was replacing my venerable NetGear WGR614 802.11g router which had finally failed after years of solid service.

Yet my experience with it was so abysmal that I am posting it at various sites around the net as a warning, in the hopes that other savvy consumers who do their research before buying will STAY AWAY from this utterly worthless junk that Belkin is selling. I speak from experience; please read on.

This review will focus simply on the long-term ownership experience of 12+ months of using the F5D8233-4, as other reviewers elsewhere have covered the basics such as installation, general features and initial impressions.

At first blush, my experience was good: excellent speeds and no issues with my various PC's( 1 XP and 1 Vista )sharing the same network with my Xbox360. I was pleased with the wireless performance, though I did not try to max out the speeds in initial tests as I did not replace my older laptop until Sept 2008, with which I still reached 150mbps speeds on a regular basis. The newer laptop, with its built-in N adaptor, maxed out near 280mbps consistently at admittedly short ranges of 20-30 feet.

Problems began around July 2008, when I would come home to find the 'internet' light flashing amber on the router. At first I thought this was due to a cable service interruption or hiccup, so I took no notice. Until I began happening more and more often, sometimes 2-3 times daily over the course of the next six months. NOT HAVING A RESET / POWER BUTTON only aggravated this issue, for the router's plug is not the easiest to find in the dark to unplug, wait, and plug in again.

I was perplexed; the router had been protected by a UPS throughout, wasn't overheating and wasn't being used for anything close to heavy loads for a consumer-grade router. I contacted my ISP, Shaw cable, who ran tests on different days to confirm my connection was indeed, solid. I installed( and un-installed )OpenDNS to see if that- would cure the router's random ills; no effect. I tried disabling the wireless, using only 1 PC at a time, disconnecting the Xbox, and every other combination /cure I could think of week to week, to no avail. The flashing internet light still appeared at random, despite it all, even with NO hardware other than the cable modem connected!

I made the rounds of various support forums, as well as firing off emails to Belkin, whose end replies were summarized as 'it is working fine.' Similar to the response from Microsoft concerning an Xbox360 HDMI flaw, but that's a different story. I considered sending it in for replacement, as it carries a lifetime warranty, but unfortunately Belkin is located in the USA and their website proclaims that 'Canadian customers are responsible for custom charges including, but not limited to, brokerage, taxes, duties and other fees.' Thanks, but I've already paid enough, especially in wasted time and didn't want to add more financial insult to injury if Customs decided to get aboard and charge me for the privilege of returning this for service.

Obviously the router wasn't fine, but by that point I'd had enough - constant lockups while downloading, surfing or playing online games had given me a bad taste for this particular bit of Belkin gear. So, this month I gave up and purchased a D-link... after many careful reviews first, again.

The F5D8233 had its chance, and is now boxed, awaiting some non-critical use I may come up with in the future... as I already have enough doorstops to go around.

Bad Belkin... very bad. My business has now gone elsewhere, and I hope my review will help others avoid wasting their money on this flaky, dies-way-too-soon brick masquerading as a router.

Pros FAST

MIMO 802.11n speed and range are excellent

Cons Style/Design is aged, should indicate all modes that wireless are connected.
More adjustments and options

Summary Search the internet for the best price... you can't go wrong

Pros It looks nice with the blue lights on front

Cons Range is poor, Frequently drops connections , locks up.

Summary I was sent this as a replacement for my Belkin Pre N wireles router which I loved. (never thought I'd say that about a router) The new router fails to measure up to the range or thru put of the 4 year old router I placed the new router in the exact same spot I had the old one at and eded up loosing coverage of half the house. The other haf was challenged to retain a connection.(note this is with all belkin hardware) Turns out that the pre n cards in the other computers have dropped back to 54 kbs (from 108kbs) it seems belkin doesn't support their legacy products going forward. When I called belkin they said this is normal for the pre n cards when working in conjunction with their newer equipment. Less the a month of owning my new n router it locks up for good and mst be replaced again. Belkin if you are reading this go back to your pre N tech it had better range and stability. I would not recommend anyone gettin this product.