Belkin N1 Vision user reviews

Pros Zero connection drops with heavy usage.

Cons I've seen faster, but not enough to complain.

Summary This router is the FIRST one I've used that has not bumped me off-line while putting a strain on my network. My house network is heavily used; ie. gaming, torrents, uploading, 5 different computers, wired and wireless simultaneously. I have tried all the major brands, super g, super a, and even Linksys business edition N. The N1 Vision steals the show in all areas. All of the other ones (except the Linksys business) would bump me offline and needed some sort of attention during heavy usage. The problem with the linksys was it was SSSSLLLLOOOOOWWWW! The N1 is very easy to set up, and when paired with a wireless n Atheros 5008 in my notebook, the coverage is incredible! I can pick up my network down the street from my house in my car. The only negative thing I have found with the router is a slight speed drop with wireless downloads during speedtests. With Super G (108mbps advertised), I could reach 22mbps download speed on speedtest.net. With N (300mbps), I average about 18-20mbps. I'll take the slight performance drop (I'll never notice the difference during usage) to get the stability this router offers. Hopefully, the new firmware update will help the throughput, and maybe there is a setting I haven't found yet that will increase the wireless speeds. This is the only reason it doesn't get a perfect score of 10.
The bottom line is, I have not dropped connectivity once since I've owned it. Wireless gaming is great!!!! Not a single hiccup. My pings are always 10-20ms using wireless. (BF2, BF2142, Unreal, Oblivion, etc.)
I love this router! It has solved all of my problems.

Pros Easy to use, setup, an intuitive interface and a lifetime no questions asked warrenty

Cons Disconnects every 2 hours on the dot due to a firmware issue that belkin refuses to hot fix

Summary Google "belkin n1 disconnects" or "belkin n1 problem" will save you a lot of money. good looks and a lcd screen arent enough if the product doesnt work.

Pros Handles mixed OS's (Windows, Mac iPhone) well. Local clients always connected.

Cons poor chassis design, major overheating issues, poor performance which will slide enexorably until it dies (and it will)

Summary Major over heating issue eventually renders it useless, internet connection is unstable and drops constantly. Had sent my original one back, now the replacement has done pretty much the same (the second one I opened the vents on the back to allow more air in, thus invalidating the warranty, but to no avail ) - I don't even live in a warm climate, and the router is well ventilated - I'm in Ireland for God's sake!! Even my old cable adsl router performs better than this, and remains connected without anny disconnections, where the Belkin got to the stage it would disconnect from the ISP at any given moment .

A triumph of style over substance - dont be fooled by the fancy display, its inaccurate, both on speed and clients displayed - most dont even show up.

Initially performs well, but slowly and inexorably becomes a lemon due to the overheating and inherent design flaws - whoever designed a BLACK GLOSS face with no air vents on the front of a router prone to heat issues is a plain idiot.

Have had a few Belkin products, but this'll be the very last one I buy. A real shame as there is real potential here, but my version at least feels like a so-so wireless router with a 50c ADSL modem added as an afterthought. BOO!!!

Pros Looks cool. I guess. For those days when I'm laying on the floor under my desk.

Cons No ability to assign an IP to a given MAC addresses, making virtual servers worthless.

Summary It is nearly impossible to set up a virtual server (like, you know, a Slingbox) with this router because of its inability to assign a specific IP to a given MAC. While you can open holes in the firewall to do the routing, you cannot guarantee the IP to the device will be constant. I have tried to get around this by bypassing the DHCP, having it start higher in assigning addresses, then manually setting the Slingbox to a lower IP (using the Slingbox setup). Give it a week and it stops working, AGAIN, because the router re-assigns the address anyway.

Really, I don't need a sexy-looking router with a useless LCD display. What I need is a router that, you know, ROUTES. But if your needs are different--say, a prop for a sci-fi movie you're shooting in your basement--well, then the Belkin Vision N is your router.