| Belkin F5D8233-4 N Wireless Router |
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Model: F5D8233-4
Brand: Belkin
Manufacturer: Belkin Components
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 47
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11n (draft), IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
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| Features: |
| Connect your notebook computer to a wireless network to: Stream Music, Share Photos, Enjoy online gaming, Surf the Web, Email and Chat Online |
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| Description: |
| Time to move up to the "N" degree. That's 802.11n wireless networking. It's an emerging extension of 802.11a/b/g. The router employs MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) spatial multiplexing techniques which greatly increases speed, coverage and the reliability of the wireless network and works with all 802.11n equipped devices. |
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| User Reviews (47 total): |
Page 1 2 3 of Total 3 Pages
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Good wireless router... but not perfect!, August 2, 2008
By A customer from GT (Central America)
The router works perfectly and it doesn't drop my connection, as happened with some other reviewers.
What I do like is that it brings the latest firmware, no need to update to get better working results.
Cons? Anyone who tries to access the router with the browser, will get directly from it the SSID, MAC Address, Subnet mask, etc... without typing any password!! You'll need the password just to change the configuration, but you can see how it is configured... 100%! It should require a user/password to improve security.
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Answer to my Linksys Nightmare!, July 28, 2008
By Kallie P (OC, CA)
This could be a little premature, I've only had this guy for about 4 hours, but when you came from what I did, 4 hours is more like 4 years.
I left my scathing review of my former router, a Linksys WRT54G, on its product page, so long story short, it was junk. After a ridiculous amount of frustration and HOURS spent on the phone with tech support in India, I decided to just quit while I still had a hair on my head to pull out and buy a new one.
I read a few reviews here and other places and decided that this one would be the way to go. I drove to my closest Best Buy and picked it up (6 miles roundtrip, about a half hour trip total) and it was out of the box and up and running in literally about 5-7 minutes. I cannot tell you how easy this was to set up. I think it even took me longer because I was trying to make it harder than it was because of the stress with the old one. I think my kitten could have set this up it was so simple. I was able to get the WPA security up and running in no time and also able to set up my roommates laptop with Vista no problem. I use XP. I can honestly say it's the best wireless router experience I've had (used a roommate's NetGear for a while, it cut out every so often...) and I'm VERY happy with this. If things change, I will come back and update this review, but I hope this won't be necessary. Thanks for a great looking and great working product!
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Pretty Good "N" Router That's Easy to Set Up, July 24, 2008
By Hacker Hubby (Baldwin, NY United States)
Pros: Easy out of the box to set up. No problems, absolutely flawless router that has not failed once since out of the box. Pretty lights that look cool. Easy software to set up and manage for most features. Better wireless range than my older Linksys WRT45G which it replaced.
Cons: Does not support the use of DD-WRT or any non-Belkin flashware to control it. Had to flash another linksys 'N' router to act as my wireless bridge for my xBox 360.
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Solid Product, Solid Function, Solid Company, Great Price, July 20, 2008
By Crit Nut (Woodbridge, CT USA)
Replaced my old Belkin Wireless b router today with this Belkin Wireless N. The old router worked flawlessly for years, but I wanted a bit more range, and this unit did the trick. Set up was a snap and all my PCs were up and running in minutes. I think all those MAC people reporting problems with this unit should purchase all their accessories from Apple, because that's how Apple wants it.
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Wonderful but beware, July 16, 2008
By minister (Buda, TX)
The product itself is GREAT! I am rolling at maximum hook-up speeds and my download/uploads are cruising! The downside is that none of my friends are on the N router yet. They are still using G band. My PS3 also is not able to connect because of the different band. That part is a big bummer. Aside from that though, I love the router! I had problems getting past all of the security features but once I called Belkin it was resolved in a matter of minutes. Belkin's customer support was awesome that day!
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Quick and easy install with Comcast modem, July 7, 2008
By Mikeylikesit (Petaluma, CA)
I switched from SBC to Comcast internet and had issues making more than 1 Mac computer work at a time with the Comcast cable modem and a time capsule. I purchased one of these routers and within 15 minutes had two laptops, my imac and a network printer up and running perfectly. The router and install CD are Mac OS friendly and the wireless feature/security works very well. Using OS 10.5, Imac/intel, macbook pro and ibook. Excllent value for the price.
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Poor performance and poor compatibility, June 22, 2008
By T. Yoder (Kentucky)
I replaced a faulty linksys router with this one thinking it would be an upgrade.
With the original firmware that came with the device, I could not get any form of encryption to work. The connection was flakey at best and the performance of the router was laggy. The automatic firmware update function in the router's web software is broken so updating the device takes a basic knowlege of the device.
After having general difficulty with this router for several months, the latest version of the firmware was released at the beginning of this year, and it solved alot of problems. I could finally use WEP/WPA encryption, and the lag that this device was creating is greatly reduced. The "check for updates" feature did not work however, and I had to flash the device manually.
This device refuses to be recognised by my linksys xbox gaming adaptor or my Nokia N800. Both devices simply cannot see the SSID and refuse to connect to it, even when manually specified. They work perfectly with any other router however.
I have gotten so irritated with the thing I have replaced it. I cannot recommend this router to anyone for any purpose. I have to wonder if Belkin did ANY testing of the device before selling it, as its firmware is so poorly written.
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Its worth it!, June 7, 2008
By Dwight Hine (Indiana,Usa)
It might not be the best router money can buy but it works fine for me! I can even go outside within a certain distance and still keep a signal. I also love the fact that you can create your own wep code and set time limits on it.
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Fantastic Router, June 4, 2008
By Joel B
It is blazingly fast. Using the CNET Bandwidth Meter, I get 1500-2500 Kbps on the third floor, with the router in the basement, through 3 ceiling/floor walls. On the second floor, we get 3500 Kbps. Basically, this thing performs about as well as if you were wired directly to your cable modem- The bottleneck will probably be your ISP's maximum permitted speed, not the router.
I chose this model in part because PCWorld gave the F5D8233-4 much better reviews than the similarly-priced DLink in a comparable "through-multiple-walls" test.
For tech-geeks out there, the spatial multiplexing technology used in 802.11N Draft is pretty amazing. Basically, the multiple antennas actually use signals that are reflected off walls and floors to enhance the transmission, whereas in 802.11G and earlier versions, these reflected signals were read as interference.
Anyway, I def. recommend this router...
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Woe is Macbook Pro, May 31, 2008
By digifoo.com (Newport News, VA USA)
My other router died so I went and got this one. I wanted another but they didn't have it and I needed a router ASAP. The CD makes setting up the router pretty easy. The lights in the front make it very easy to know what's what instead of these lights mean this and those lights mean that. I saw all the problems people have with Macbook but thought if I did the firmware update then that'd solve the problems. I clicked "check for updates" and it said there were none. It lied! I had to go to the Belkin site manually and download the update to install from that. I also have tried another idea about the random drops by Mac's Airport by deleting a file that, maybe, got corrupted somehow. It seemed to work for over 4 hours then poof. Very annoying to lose connection during class. I also made sure the Mac's OS was up-to-date. It's still on 10.4. Not sure if 10.5 will fix it. Guess that's next. I wanted to upgrade anyway. If *that* doesn't do it, then I'll be looking for another router that doesn't have Airport woes.
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Belkin "N" router, May 27, 2008
By blooeyes4u2 (NH)
This works GREAT!! I am so glad I purchased it. My laptop works any place on my property!!
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decent/reliable for me, May 20, 2008
By jmsaenz@bellsouth.net (MS, USA)
Worked nice as a replacement for a linksys-b router. Signal has to cross two outside walls and up one floor and get a "fair signal" using Belkin's usb N receiver on that PC. I download TONS of podcasts and have never had a dropped connection with this, so can say I am pleased with this relatively cheapo router....been a good value for me. Also connect with a Dell notebook-G without probs, and have had guests in our guest house with Mac notebooks(not sure which except they had osX) and seemed to connnect and maintain fine. Right now only WEP, I need to change this. Nintendo Wii too. Got mine at Walmart, better price here I see.
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Not reliable for large downloads, May 9, 2008
By Dave A.
Easy to set up, worked fine generally, but dropped the internet connection in the middle of any file transfer of more than 5MB -- even when the PC was directly connected to the router. I called Belkin support and spent 30 minutes with their technician before they gave up and sent me a new one... which had the exact same problem!! I ended up purchasing a Linksys 160N and have had no problems with it.
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Outstanding router, May 7, 2008
By Marin guy (San Rafael, CA United States)
I purchased this router along with the Belkin Wireless N Notebook Card (F5D8013). The installation could not have been easier. The indicator lights on the front of the router make it easy to monitor the network and diagnose problems. My network is operating wonderfully. I'm getting speeds of 72 Mbps at close range, and 55 Mbps at the other end of the house.
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Not compatible with Mac with security enabled, May 2, 2008
By Lori (Oklahoma City, OK)
I am an advanced user in setting up networks, and was determined to get this device to work in my home. After securing the network with a non-broadcasting SSID, turning on WPA (and WEP also, in another attempt), the device would not keep a wireless connection with Apple computers on our network. (The connection was great while plugged into the port directly.) The router would connect to the computers, but not lease an appropriate IP address and therefore wouldn't connect to the Internet. After a couple hours of trouble shooting and reviewing the Belkin support web site, I resorted to calling tech support about the issue and they could not offer a working solution. This device may work (I haven't tested this) on PC networks, but did not work for our Macinotosh systems. I have switched to a Netgear device with no trouble.
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Just what I expected, April 30, 2008
By Matt (CO USA)
Belkin F5D8233-4 N Wireless Router
I bought this at Wal Mart for $70 to replace my terrible D-link router. It hooked up easily and has worked flawlessly for about 1 month now. I would buy this again.
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Weekly Problems, April 20, 2008
By askCRM (Charlotte, NC)
I purchased this router about a year ago because it was the first to have the Wireless-N specification.
Right away there were a few problems. The router was not compatible with one of the older wireless-b/g cards in a laptop we had and also did not work with our wireless camera. I also noticed that our Xbox complains that I need to change a setting for optimal performance - the setting was available in our old Linksys, but it is not in this Belkin.
I made a few inquiries to their support group. They responded fairly quickly - but it was always a copy/paste directly from the knowledgebase on their website.
Within the last few months, the router has now started to shut down the wireless capability and requires a restart in order to restore our wireless network.
Looks like I'll be going back to a LinkSys or possibly another non-Belkin brand to get reliability and flexibility again.
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Does not play nicely with Macs, April 14, 2008
By S. Ehring (Boston, MA United States)
I used this router for a few months with an older Powerbook G4 Mac, and had no problems. Then I bought a new Macbook Pro and started seeing the same problem everyone else did, basically that I would have to restart the Airport on my Mac or power cycle my laptop to get the connection back. Very annoying if you are in the middle of down/up loading large files.
Firmware update did NOT help. Tech support at Belkin blamed the laptop and were unable to help.
Ended up selling it and just buying an Airport Express from Apple for the same price. This was the last Belkin product I will buy ever.
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works great, April 1, 2008
By coffee lady (midwest flatlands)
i have not had any trouble, which tell me it works great. quick shipping too!!!!!!!!!
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Not good with Linux, March 24, 2008
By Q. Pease (Beresford, SD USA)
I have a mixed network with both Windows and Linux machines. I bought this after my Linksys WRT54G router somehow quit working. The signal is good, but then there were problems: First, the network printer had another address assigned to it again and again. Secondly, the Linux machines don't work well with it.
I had no problem with my Linksys router, but this one is not good for the Linux machine so it will be going back. I am going with another Linksys the next time around.
Any good points? Yes, two: Easy setup, but most routers are nowadays. Range is good. That's all. I would recommend it you are sticking to Windows only.
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