Belkin N+ Wireless Router

Pros: Easy to setup
Reasonable support

Cons: The product just doesn't deliver.
1. tcp hangs.
Using SSH to connect to systems at work would hang every so many minutes, reliably
2. udp/Internet Gaming hangs
sessions lag/hang and you die untimely deaths
3. USB - never got it to work

Summary: While Belkin Support was reasonble, and tried, the product is just a failure.

I tried using my Western Digital 750 GB MyBook via the usb port but it just never worked. I tried installing the disk manager s/w. I'm not sure what it was supposed to do. It never seemed to enable or allow me to do anything. Now to be fair, on the USB issue - I didn't really try that hard. I considered this a nice to have or bonus and as such didn't put much effort into resolving this problem.

The core issue is that the router is defective. I went to Belkins website and downloaded, installed, and re-installed the very latest firmware. A Beta release at that and it didn't help or solve any of the issues with the router. I'm greatly disappointed at the "First Look" Review Cnet performed. While it might have a nice long radio range and did well on some kind of raw speed test it is unusable due to, what appear to me, serious defects in the firmware or perhaps even the hardware. To get TCP timeouts on my SSH sessions on a gigabit wired or wireless connection fed through the relatively slow DSL connection demonstrates serious flaws in the testing of this product by both the vendor and Cnet. Shame.

I guess I made an assumption based on the specs that my network would be improved with this product. I thought hey my old wrt54g was 100 Mb/s vs 1000 Mb/s, G vs N wireless. This new belkin has got to be at least as fast as the LinkSys. Boy was I wrong. A hang, in my mind is a speed of zero (0). Fail.

If Cnet didn't or can't find these obivous problems with a product then they need to re-examine what constitutes their reviews. Giving such a positive review over a product so poorly executed destroys your crediability. Please fix it.