| Belkin F5D7231-4P High-Speed Mode Wireless G Router with Built-In USB Print Server |
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Model: F5D7231-4P
Brand: Belkin
Manufacturer: Belkin Components
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 15
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
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| Features: |
Built-in 4-port 10/100 Ethernet Switch
Built-in NAT/SPI Firewall
Security - 64- and 128-bit WEP Data Encryption, and WPA with TKIP & AES
Using 802.11g, you can achieve up to 54Mbps
Backwards compatible with 802.11b equipment for a data transfer rate of up to 11Mbps |
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| Description: |
| The Belkin High-Speed Mode Wireless G Router with Built-In USB Print Server shares your broadband Internet access with your connected computers and enables them to print wirelessly to your USB printer. With a Belkin Router as the central connection point of your network, your computers can share fi les and resources as well as print and get online, all at the same time.By achieving networking speeds that are faster than standard 802.11g, Belkin High-Speed Mode (HSM) networking products provide increased real-world networking speeds. This means you will see overall speed improvements in mixed-mode networking environments where other 802.11g devices may be present. HSM offers even faster speeds in pure HSM environments. HSM technology is interoperable with all other wireless devices. |
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| User Reviews (15 total): |
Page 1 of Total 1 Pages
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buy something else, September 28, 2007
By Condi Rice (MO)
Limited number of compatible printers. Requires frequent resetting. I liked my netgear so much better. Useless as a print server. I can't wait to upgrade to something else.
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Quick and simple, January 29, 2006
By xyzzy (Arlington, Texas)
I have to admit that I am a tinkerer. I also used Cisco and other wireless routers previous so I did not bother with the directions. So I could get only one computer at a time to work. Then I gave up and just followed the simple instructions and now have three computers and a printer working off this router.
It is tied to a cable modem and I can not work fast enough to make it stutter. The distance is approximately 40 feet away. The only dead spot is placing the laptop on the floor in a specific area. I am too lazy to adjust the antenna.
However this deviser has lasted continuously for six months with the occasional power outage of which it self recovers.
I am using this in the 802.11G mode and have security on it as there are neighbors.
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Router & print server w orked just fine right away., December 1, 2005
By Peter B. (Los Angeles, CA)
I ordered this because my old Dell router fried during a firmware update. I unwrapped the Belkin, ran the installation software, and it detected my modem settings and worked right away, without any tinkering required--box to online in 5 minutes. I followed the directions for the print server, and it worked right away, too. Can't argue with that. Have had no other problems (and will grouse here if & when I do). Its range seems good, although I haven't tested it severely.
One caveat on the seamless print server: Thanks to J.A. Carey's review below, I did check that my HP 5550 was on the Belkin's list of supported printers before I bought. I'll repeat his link:
http://web.belkin.com/support/printserver/list.asp
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The Best Router I've Ever Had..., October 31, 2005
By vratner (Upstate NY)
This is my 4th router, and it's by far the best one. The previous one I had was a D-Link. The one before that - Linksys. And my first one was a Netgear. Netgear was just plain bad. Maybe it's because it was one of the first ones in its line. Maybe it was something else. I don't know... and I don't care. I got rid of it fast, and got myself a Linksys. For the most part, I was pretty happy with it. The setup was fairly easy and pretty straight forward. A few questions/problems that I've had over time that I owned it, were answered by Linksys support in professional and timely manner. It was a nice and reliable product. But the time came to upgrade it, and I decided to try something new. D-Link was my next choice. The router itself also wasn't bad, although the setup was a bit more challenging, and the product itself was not as user-friendly as Linksys. I would probably still keep it, despite a few minor inconveniences. What finally made me give it up and look for another one was D-Link's support, which is virtually non-existent and useless for the most part. I own several different D-Link's products, and they are all not bad products, but god forbid you have a problem - you'll have to jump through hoops to get help, and in the end will have to solve the problem yourself anyway... but that's another story. Let's get back to this Belkin router. I did a lot of research before going with Belkin. A few things that made me make a final decision were the fact that it comes with a built in USB Print Server, and that it also supports Windows Connect Now technology. Here is a little summary of what I like about Belkin and why I recommend it to other people:
Setup - Like a walk in a park... Fast and painless. Especially if you are upgrading from another router. Like I already mentioned, it supports Windows Connect Now technology through its' USB port. I saved my wireless settings (using Wireless Network Wizard on my Windows XP SP2 laptop) to a USB flash drive, and then just plugged it into the USB port on Belkin router. That's it. In a few seconds the settings were saved, and I was all set. If you don't have another router, it's not that bad either. Just follow the wizard from the included installation CD, and you'll be up and running in no time. Then, you can also take advantage of Windows Connect Now - plug USB flash drive into the router's USB port to save the settings on it, and then easily add any number of computers/others products to the network. Beautiful, isn't it?! Print Server installation was just as easy. I have a 5 in 1 printer/scanner/fax machine from Brother (model MFC 3100C), and it worked like a charm. Using the same installation CD, I followed the steps, and in 2 minutes I was sending jobs wirelessly to my printer. Totally awesome!
Performance - Beats any other router that I've had/tried. I would highly recommend though to use it in conjunction with Belkin card (I got Belkin Wireless G Card F5D7011) to get the most out of the router's capabilities. It's probably 25% faster than the D-Link that I had before.
Features - I'm going to repeat myself here, but where else are you going to find a router that has a built-in print server, supports Windows Connect Now, and has the speed of up to 125Mbps, not to mention VPN support and Mac compatibility. Belkin is the one.
Web Interface - Like I said before, this is my 4th router. Prior to this one, I would probably say that Linksys had the best and most user-friendly web browser interface. Belkin's is just as good. It's very self-explanatory and easy to use. Great Help is available too.
Support - I have not had any problems so far, so I have yet to contact Belkin support and can't really say if they are good or bad. I have heard from other people though that they are excellent.
To summarize everything that's already been said, I think it's a great router. In fact, for the price, you get two products in one - a router, and a print server. Nice deal, indeed.
Tips - Here is a few pointers for a smooth installation:
1. If you are installing a network card adapter (which I highly recommend you do, check out Belkin F5D7011 card) together with a router, make sure you install and configure the router first. Trust me on this one.
2. When installing/configuring Print Server, make sure you have your printer drivers already installed.
That's it. Enjoy!
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Everything as promised, October 3, 2005
By Bart Willems (Elmwood Park, New Jersey United States)
The router works fine and I have excellent reception everywhere in the house with my laptop. The printer server didn't work, but that's the fault of my printer (dell 720), not of the server.
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Belkin Router over Linksys Any Day!, September 11, 2005
By Michael A. Dottino
Product exactly as advertised, works great! Easy installation. In general, have had a lot of success with Belkin products.
Previous router was Linksys, which I spent 2 days trying to install, with no luck. Tech support was awful, long delays, service rep was rude and unhelpful. Finally returned it and bought Belkin instead, which I had up and running in 15 minutes.
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love this router, August 25, 2005
By Running Man (Michigan)
This router has been very reliable. I have not had to reboot or touch it since setting up a few weeks ago. The web user interface is easy to use. The print server works great. We print from a Win2K desktop and two WinXP notebooks. I have connected an old HP 855CSe using a USB-to-parallel adapter cable. When setting up a wireless notebook for printer, don't bother with the wizard. Just install the Belkin driver then manually add a new local printer and specify the Belkin driver for the printer port.
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Great! Print server works with MacOSX Tiger and WinXP!, August 9, 2005
By A macosx lover (New York Suburbs)
Although the manual said that the print server does not work with Macs...guess what? It does. I have an old iBook running Tiger and a Dell Laptop with XP my printer is a cheap HP LaserJet 1200. The wizzard took care of the XP installation, but I had to do a bit more for the OSX as follows:
1. Set up a new network printer with LPD/LPR protocol (standard in this server) This is what makes the print server work with Tiger!
2. Give the IP number of the router as the Print server/router default IP.
3. When it asks for the printing queue do NOT LEAVE it blank, this is the standard way of setting-up the "default" printer. The name of the printer in my case was "printer1" since that is the default name in the router, but you can change that and you must provide that name to your machine.
4. Select "Generic PostScript" printer.
You must be ready to go. The print quality is fantastic. Unfortunatelly the transmition is not biderectional, but I do not care about knowing when my toner is low anyway...
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Excellent Router with Great Features and Range, August 3, 2005
By The Photo Guy (Pearl River, NY)
I purchased this router to replace my Linksys wireless G router because it has a built-in USB print server. I was perfectly happy with Linksys until I got the Belkin router. The set-up was easy compared to the Linksys. The set-up CD walks you through most of the necessary settings; however, you will need to use the web based router utility to set-up the network security. The manual that came with the router was excellent, and explained every feature in detail. The range and signal strength is at least double that of the Linksys router. My only caveat is that the USB print server will only support the print function on my HP PSC 2410 all-in-one, thus if I need to scan something I have the unplug the printer from the router and plug it directly into the computer. I don't scan often so that is a small inconvenience. Be sure to check Belkin's website for a list of compatible printers before you buy.
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Very few printers supported, August 2, 2005
By J. A. Carey
Don't get me wrong... this router works great, as a router. But not as a print server. Very few printers are supported, and Belkin doesn't tell you that until after you buy it. So bottom line, make sure you check and see if your printer is supported before you buy this for a print server. Mine didn't make the list.
http://web.belkin.com/support/printserver/list.asp
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printer compatibility, June 12, 2005
By Still Learning
Does anyone know whether this router can be made compatible with the HP 8150 photosmart USB printer?
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Excellent Combo, March 4, 2005
By HouMan (Houston, TX United States)
I purchased is Belkin when my DLink 713P died (twice). I wanted to go with a brand that was a little more reliable. The Belkin is great! I connect at 54ish mbps and also can connect to my work's VPN; a telecommuters dream - no more dial up. Those who are in to convenience, it is not as user friendly as the Linksys systems, but wait, Linksys does not offer a unit with 802.11g speed, 4 ports, and a print server. This is the one.
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