Belkin N1 Wireless Router Review

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(More customer reviews)I had this router for a while now (longer than I could return it for a refund). Very often I cannot connect to web sites that I frequently use. Eventually I did some research and found that this router has a fatal defect - its DNS cache will get corrupted over time. The latest firmware from Belkin does not fix it.
When I initially had problem accessing web sites, I naturally assumed that the web sites could be down or my ISP could have problems. One day when I tried to VPN into my office the VPN could not be connected. I tried to ping my office VPN server and the IP address returned was different from the actual IP. My VPN server was on xx.xx.xx.84 but the PING request indicated xx.xx.xx.4. I then used NSLOOKUP to check various DNS servers, and pin-pionted the error to the Belkin router's DNS cache.
The DHCP server in the Belkin router automatically sets the DNS server address to be those provided by my ISP plus the Belkin's own IP address 192.168.2.1. There is no way to get rid of it. If there is a way to only use my ISP's DNS server the problem could be worked around. Belkin does not provide this option.
The DNS cache corruption problem will cause a lot of mysterious connection problems. If you are not familar with TCP/IP networking technology there is no way to find out what goes wrong. Shame on Belkin to release a product with such a critical defect.

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Connecting the Belkin N1 Wireless Router to your cable or DSL modem lets you share your broadband Internet account with all your networked computers. Now you can exchange documents, share resources, and distribute large video and music files throughout your network within a greater range, at faster speeds. N1 offers the easiest setup ever, and our built-in Network Status Display lets you see your connections working.

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NETGEAR WNR834B-100NAS Wireless N Router Review

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(More customer reviews)I doubt I have ever had as much indecision in arriving at what I consider to be the most appropriate star rating for any item I've reviewed. I do not claim to be a networking savant however I do have enough of a background that I felt confident that I could create a security-enabled network with only a moderate degree of frustration. And, if I thought through the process, I could have, but that blurb on the box about easy setup lured me in. Step one to achieving that objective would have been to dispense with any attempt to find documentation and then setting aside the resource CD. Even if you are acquainted with networking, just call technical support from the outset, endure the requisite hold time and allow the support personnel to walk you through the installation. Yes, telephone support is outsourced to India however my impression is in this instance they are quite helpful, probably from plenty of practice.
The 834B employs 802.11n draft standards and is backwards compatible with 802.11b and 802.11g as well as Ethernet connectivity. My installation utilizes "g" and Ethernet. Marketing documents claims include transmission speeds of up to 270Mbps and accommodation of security protocols WEP, WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK. For some devices, security may be constrained to the base standard of WEP due to connectivity and wish I had known that before I started. In any event, with the protocol I finally ended up with, a passphrase of between 8-63 characters is required and clear definition of with security key to be used must be designated at Netgear's router configuration site. Obviously, one also has to select a network name, define a channel and hope for the best. And then do it all over again when that channel fails to be recognized and you are locked into local connectivity only. It's likely that you will have to go through search and seek scenario three times before success in realized, assuming the chosen security option is valid, the passphrase is correctly constructed and all of your devices are supported. The "Smart Wizard" interface from the CD will get you the site but from there you're pretty much on your own and the site itself is not very intuitive. So, as mentioned above, unless you are familiar with all of the nuances, sublimate the ego and just make the call. For me, the time I would have saved outweighs the satisfaction of completing the installation without assistance.

My ambiguity on the rating is predicated my experience in getting the network up and running. Thus far (3 months), I couldn't be more pleased with the hardware. I rate it 5 stars. I do not encounter any significant episodes of signal loss, line drops or disconnects. I have two PCs communicating via 3rd party wireless adapters and another linked by Ethernet to a Netgear access point/Bridge. For the same reason, I can't accurately estimate the broadcast range of the router exclusively, but for those who might be interested, the NETGEAR HD/Gaming 5 GHz Wireless-N Networking Kit (WNHDEB111) is impressive AND, easy to install on an existing network. The documentation and support material resident on the CD is near to worthless, I rate it "1" star because "0" is not an option. Customer Technical support rates "3" stars as the technicians seem to know their stuff but you will spend more than a few minutes on hold. So, I end up with an overall rating of "4" since in my view, the reliability of the hardware is the primary concern.


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The NETGEAR WNR834B RangeMax Next Wireless-N Router lets you easily set up a wireless network in your home so you can share a single internet connection with everyone in your household at speeds up to 270 Mbps. You can stream music and video, make internet phone calls, videoconference, and surf the web, all at the same time.
Easy Setup The WNR834B makes it easy for even a novice to set up a wireless network: just plug the included Ethernet cable from your LAN into the device and insert the included CD into any computer on the network, which will provide step-by-step instructions. The WNR834B includes a stand for vertical placement.
The WNR834B employs a web-based interface for configuration for compatibility with any computer with a web browser. The firmware is also upgradeable via the web interface so you can be sure your router will always be up-to-date.
New Technology Means Blazing Speeds and Backwards Compatibility The WNR834B complies with the latest 802.11n draft specification which allows for speeds up to 270 Mbps. By utilizing MIMO (multiple-input, multiple-output) technology, the WNR834B has speed and range far surpassing the older 802.11g standard. The preset internal antennas ensure that the device is always tuned for optimal performance, and NETGEAR's Wi-Fi Multimedia technology optimizes audio, video, and voice applications.
If you still have computers that use 802.11g or 802.11b, don't fret as the router is backwards compatible with the older wireless standards and can be set so all your computers can connect to the network. The WNR834B will automatically figure out the connection type and work accordingly.
The router also has four RJ-45 Ethernet ports in the back for connecting computers to the network via a wired connection.
Security Made Easy The WNR834B offers many security options to ensure your data is private. Double firewall protection keeps your network shielded from outside attacks. It also prevents Denial of Service (DoS) attacks.
NETGEAR's Touchless WiFi Security makes it quick and easy to set up network security on a WiFi network by asking for a passphrase from the user. The WNR834B supports WiFi Protected Access (WPA2-PSK, WPA-PSK), and 64-bit and 128-bit WEP encryption for 802.11b/g networks. Additionally, you can set security through MAC address authentication, allowing only authorized users onto the network.
Repeater Mode The router can be set in repeater mode which allows you to use it to extend the range of an existing wireless network.
The NETGEAR WNR834B RangeMax Next Wireless-N Router is backed by a 1-year warranty.
What's in the Box WNR834B RangeMax Next Wireless-N Router, power adapter, Ethernet cable, stand, setup CD, warranty/support information card.

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Kyocera KR1 Mobile Router - Wireless router - 4-port switch - 802.11b/g - desktop Review

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(More customer reviews)I am writing this review just to inform people with Verizon wireless service, using the Verizon USB720 (Novatel U720) modem to be aware of possibly compatibility problems. The situation is pretty simple. When my modem is plugged directly into my laptop, it works almost 100% of the time. When I plug it into the KR1 router, it freezes up every few minutes. When this happens, there is no connection or IP address listed on the "status" page. This freezing occurs until I unplug the router or sometimes after 5 to 10 minutes it fixes itself. It is just not usable this way. Kyocera replaced the router under warranty and the problem is exactly the same. I did upgrade the firmware on both routers. This matter was escalated to D-Link support and they were unable to fix the problem. They are now looking into getting me a different model of router to resolve this. The U720 modem is new, so hopefully they will work the bugs out, but I wanted to make sure this information was available to other buyers. Both Kyocera and Verizon assured me the two units were compatible before I purchased them. I am now locked into a contract with Verizon without a working router and I wouldn't have done that if I'd known of this situation.

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Cisco-Linksys WRT300N Wireless-N Broadband Router Review

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(More customer reviews)The WRT300N works flawlessly "out of the box" in wired configuration. It does not work at all "out of the box" in wireless mode.
Now, having made that harsh statement as if it would apply to every user in every case, some qualification is certainly in order.
I unpacked the router and took extreme care to follow the setup instructions PRECISELY.
I was connected to the internet the second I finished running the configuration utility from the installation CD - but the catch is that the setup utility has to be run with an ethernet cable connected.
Once I removed the cable and tried to connect to the internet in wireless mode - the end of the line had arrived. There was no connection. Period.
I could connect to the router via its built in config (HTTP) utility and I could ping the default gateway (in the router) but I could not get past that point.
After a couple of hours of fruitless trial and error, I gave up and called Linksys tech support. You know what that means - you get to talk to a person who knows next to nothing about computers or routers. But, they do have their scripts to follow and if you are patient with them and endure the mindless, mostly just plain useless instructions they give you and don't offend them, they will eventually let you talk to a Tier Two person who actually does know something about routers.
To end a very long story with a quick summation, after reaching the aforementioned Tier Two person, I learned that there are arcane, obscure settings buried deep within the router's config menus that you will never find without help (and even if you did find them by accident, there is no chance you would know what to do with them). After changing 5 of those settings, the wireless functionality magically worked and I was connected.
The router is fast. My cable provider only grants me 8 megabit service and the router handles that with ease - wireless or wired.
This would be a 4 or 5 star appliance if it arrived on your desktop with working settings. I doubt that anyone who is not a Linksys or Cisco Systems engineer will actually be able to get it to work in wireless mode without a call to Linksys tech support - unless those units manufactured more recently than mine (April 2006) are shipped with valid settings.
Normal users can stop reading here, but for those who are interested in the technical details, here is a summary of the settings I had to modify in order to get the thing to work:
Router web admin page - Applications & Gaming - QOS - Enable "WMM" and Enable "No Acknowledgement" (the factory default settings are "Not Enabled")
Router Admin Page - Wireless - Advanced Wireless Settings - "Fragmentation Threshold" was changed to 2304. "RTS Threshold" was also changed to 2304. The "Beacon Interval" was reduced to 50 from its factory default value of 100.
Here are a couple of sincere questions for you. Even if you are a "Power User" would it have occurred to you to check your Beacon, RTS and WMM settings, among others, when you realized that you did not have wireless connectivity? If you say "yes," would you really have known WHAT settings to replace the defaults with?
Other than that, it's a really nice router.
**Update 5/21/06**
After using the router for a few days now, I have some follow-up comments to make. Several times a day my laptop will "lose" its IP assignment from the router. Right-clicking the wireless connection in the systray and electing to "repair" the connection restores the IP address, but that is a real bother and it should not be necessary. This never happened with the wireless router I replaced with the WRT300N. I suspect Linksys will be releasing a series of firmware updates for this model until they finally get all the "quirks" (let's not call them bugs) worked out.

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The Wireless-N Broadband Router is really three devices in one box. First, theres the WirelessAccess Point, which lets you connect to the network without wires. Theres also a built-in 4-portfull-duplex 10/100 Switch to connect your wired-Ethernet devices together. Finally, the Routerfunction ties it all together and lets your whole network share a high-speed cable or DSL Internetconnection.With Wireless-N, the farther away you are, the more speed advantage you get. It works great withstandard Wireless-G and -B equipment, but when both ends of the wireless link are Wireless-N,the router can increase the throughput even more by using twice as much radio band, yieldingspeeds up to 12 times as fast as standard Wireless-G. But unlike other speed-enhancedtechnologies, Wireless-N can dynamically enable this double-speed mode for Wireless-N devices,while still connecting to other wireless devices at their respective fastest speeds.

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