| Belkin F5D7132 Wireless-G Universal Range Extender |
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Model: F5D7132
Brand: Belkin
Manufacturer: Belkin Components
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 173
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
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| Features: |
Offers one-touch setup for wireless repeater mode
Adds wireless-enabled PCs to your wired network in access-point mode
Works seamlessly with the majority of routers and access points available
Ensures data and network security
Works with PCs and Macintosh computers |
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| Description: |
| The 802.11g Wireless Universal Range Extender/ access point (WURE) connects to your network switch and lets you join your wireless-equipped PCs to your wired network in Access Point Mode, or lets increase the coverage of your existing wireless network in Range Extender Mode. Once you've done the simple setup, you can share data and peripherals, as well as a single Internet account among all your computers. It is based on standard 802.11g technology for fast wireless file transfers and downloads. |
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| User Reviews (173 total): |
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Works Well, June 20, 2008
By user
This product does what it says and is a very good price. After reviewing other boosters - they sounded complicated to set up with no guarantee that they would work. Other boosters are also expensive. My main router is in basement and I bought this so my laptop would have a better signal strength upstairs in my bedroom. My laptop used read a "low" signal strength. I put this booster in my bedroom after initial setup and now my laptop reads "excellent" signal strength. I am able to surf internet faster and I am now able to watch movies instantly on Netflix, however this only works if no one is using the other computers in the house. I think Netflix needs to improve there "watch instantly" signal for households. I did have to press the reset button on this booster a couple times to get it working correctly, so don't give up easily after initial setup. I did not have to install the CD that came with the booster.
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Works Perfect......after a little work....!, June 15, 2008
By user (Reisterstown, MD USA)
Forget the instructions that came with the product.....useless, and does not automaticaly find your existing network. However if you use the detailed instructions listed on the site from the previous reviews, works like a charm. I use to get 2 bars in my basement, and now with the repeater located in the basement, I get a full 5 bars and my wireless laptop has never been faster. And can't beat the price too.
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Great Value!, June 12, 2008
By user (MIA)
My sister lives in a community with free wi-fi and wanted to place her desktop in another room where it didn't reach. By placing this device where we knew the signal was present, we were able to get her back online. Half the price of a similar unit at Best Buy.
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Terrible instructions, June 9, 2008
By user (Boston, MA)
i could not get this to work after considerable effort - much more effort than this should require.
the instructions for configuring this product are abysmal. the worst ever. if you are not extremely proficient with computers, routers, and wireless networks, then don't buy this product.
i am reasonably good at this stuff and even with the assistance of helpful reviews here, could not figure this thing out, even on our unsecured wireless network.
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addendum: okay, i got the thing working after speaking with 2 customer service reps. first one did all the same things i did myself. 2nd one was more senior and actually knew what to do and he had it working in 5 mins.
note that he did none of the stuff outlined in chovy's well written and well read review (which didn't work for me anyway). no disrespect intended.
and now that it is working, it works pretty darn good, i have to say. but still i'm leaving my rating the same cause no product should require so much work. belkin has just really flubbed the instructions on this.
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Unsupported by Belkin, June 7, 2008
By user (Langlois, OR USA)
Do not, I repeat, DO NOT buy this product! Unlike others who reviewed this product, I had very little trouble getting it to work properly. What I DID have trouble with was keeping it working properly. One or more computers on my network will routinely either lose contact with the unit, or the unit itself will lock up hard, necessitating me going across the room and cycling its power. Doing this every day gets old really fast. What's even more disturbing is trying to check for that necessary firmware update that will make everything OK, only to be greeted by a 404 error in the device's web interface. Belkin's tech support is also useless. They just parrot back the exact same useless information that's in the manual. If you're looking to buy a wireless range extender, keep shopping.
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Range Extender works like a charm, May 16, 2008
By user (California)
Plugged it in & it was able to send a really strong & constant signal to my Mac. It should be noted that Belkin is the system that the PC, from which my mac was drawing an internet signal, was using as well. Belkin range extender worked much better that the previous one that I tried.
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Extended WRT54G Router from neigbor to me! Vista works!, May 14, 2008
By user (pasadena, ca)
I've been trying to extend my neighbor's Linksys router (which I setup for them and which we both agreed to) for 2 weeks now. We're only 20 feet away but since they are older buildings the walls are thick. I got full bars in the bathroom but 0-20% connection in the kitchen, 20-40% in the bedroom, and 0-10% in the living room. Now I have 100% all around! I set the extender in the restoom and it broadcasts all around. Awesome, and at only $40!
I follwed reviewer Chovy's advice and I was all set. The only confusing part for me was step 11 because he just said in general fill in all the fields of your router. All you need to fill in is on the "basic" settings on the left hand corner. The only thing I did was click on "site survey" and connect to the router. Just make sure you turn all wireless security (WEP or WPA) off! You can turn WPA or WEP back on after you got the extender working. I am using WPA-TKIP with no issues.
As for Vista, just set the thing up using an XP machine. But once it's all set, you can connect wirelessly with a Vista device. I have an XP desktop wirelessly connected as well as a Lenovo X61s Vista connected. Works great!
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Not as easy to setup but works great after., May 12, 2008
By user (San Jose, CA)
I use this device as an extender to my existing Belkins access point. The instructions say that all you need to do is put it close to your access point and push the easy setup button and it will gather all the settings from the access point. I tried about six times doing this with no success. I finally had to hook it up wired to my laptop to access its configuration utility. From there, it got pretty simple. I installed the software, clicked on the site survey. It found my access point and I just needed to enter the info matching it. Then I disconnected and located in the living room, 3 rooms away from the access point. The signal in the living went from 10% strength before to 89% after. With this setup, I was able to hook up a wireless IP camera outside my house with constant 85% signal strength.
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Belkin F5D7132 Wireless-G Universal Range Extender, May 9, 2008
By user (Stockton, CA)
it looses sync with wireless router, even when in the same room. For what it does it is overpriced. I bought it link my satellite receiver to the Internet for on demand purposes. It does not do a very good job.
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Works great with Linksys Wireless N router, May 4, 2008
By user (Champaign, IL USA)
First of all, thanks for all the reviewers here who provide more information than the manufacturer. The setup was very easy because of the instructions here. I really appreciate it. FYI, I use the 128 bit WEP encryption and had no problem to set it up.
Before I bought this product, I was afraid that this range extender might not work well with the Wireless N router that we are using, Linksys WRT160N. Fortunately, Belkin extender works great with WRT160N. And I was surprised by its coverage. We installed it to expand the coverage of the internet connection of our church, which is huge. Now we get at least 3 or 4 bars out of 5 anywhere in our main building. We used to get 0 bar (no connection) since the router was installed in the office located in the different building connected to the main church building. I am really amazed what this small device can do. I am very happy.
I recommend you to read good reviews here before you buy it.
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Not THAT hard to set up, April 28, 2008
By user (My back yard, Seattle, WA USA)
From reading some of the reviews here I expected to spend the better part of an afternoon getting this hooked up, but it took me only about a 1/2 hour, even with WEP wireless security. It would have been faster but I spent 10 minutes double-checking everything because I thought it should have been harder. Yes, there are several steps but if you are at all familar with what goes on in the Win XP control panel, it's not too hard.
As others have noted, the quick-start guide is just about useless but the pdf manual is comprehensive and walks you through all the steps. Reading some of the reviews may get you to the same place faster, so I still recommend reading them. And the unit works great.
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good product, April 21, 2008
By user (Spain)
The product is fine but it was difficult to install it on a Wifi with a WEP password.
It took me some 2 hours to realize that I had to introduce the passwd as an hexadecimal one...
"...Designed for easy setup operation, it works seamlessly with most routers and access points, with the push of a button...":
This is only true on NON password protected nets.
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Works as Advertised, April 21, 2008
By user
I recieved this, unpacked it, pluged it in, pressed the auto connect button, and it was up and working. Seems to work great as a range extender.
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Didn't work, April 17, 2008
By user (Florida)
When I take my Laptop to the location of the range extender I get good reception, but this the range extender dosn't work.
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If you are at all copmuter savy, then a 5 star item, April 8, 2008
By user (Akron, OH)
This thing works awesome, the only reason its not a five star item is that the setup "CAN" be difficult. The device has an auto setup but, if you want to ensure its your network that its connected to or if you need to set the repeater up to connect to your secure network then you need to connect to it manually. I love the feature of being able to rename the SSID when you repeat it if so desired. It can be named the same as your original network with the same key for seem less point hopping or you can change the name for different areas of the house so you know which point your connected too. I'm going to quote the guy before me Chovy and list the directions that he wrote out. They worked PERFECTLY, and took me less than 10 min to set up the extender.
>>>>>
"A version of the above for those that are network-saavy:
1. Disconnect all wireless from your computer, then connect your computer directly to the Extender as if it were a router. Power up the Extender.
2. Manually specify your computer's IP address to be 192.168.2.xxx with subnet mask 255.255.255.0. Yes, I know this step is weird. I'll explain the reason for it in step#4.
3. Install the Belkin Network utility. Its a simple executable. Start it up. It's purpose is to scan for the Extender, provided that your Extender is directly wired to your computer (which we did in step 1).
4. You should see your Extender show up in the utility. If the Extender does not show up or the "Web Management" button is greyed out, this is because your computer and the Belkin Extender are on different subnets. The Belkin Extender is usually shipped from the warehouse hardwired to the IP Address 192.168.2.254. What??? When you plug your computer into the Extender, you need to hardwire your computer to be on the same subnet so the stupid utility will work. Hence, since the factory setting for the Extender is 192.168.2.254, hardwiring your computer's IP to 192.168.2.100 will get the utility to connect to the Extender. However, if for some awful reason your Extender is hardwired to some other IP Address (which is configurable once you get to step#5), you need to change your computer's IP Address to have a value that matches the Extender's new subnet. In other words, if the Extender IP somehow changes to 192.168.5.254, you should change your computer IP address to 192.168.5.100
5. Once you click "Web Management" you can configure the Extender via a browser window. Replicate your router's settings here (they all need to match the original router's, with the exception of the Extender's SSID).
6. Hit Save, then unplug the Extender's power cord and ethernet, and then move it to wherever you would like. Power it up again.
7. Remove your computer's manual IP address. You're now officially done."
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Difficult setup, if you can even get it to work, and not Vista compatible!!, April 6, 2008
By user (Chattanooga, TN United States)
After several hours of trying to get this thing working, I just returned it. Upon opening the box, there is a slip of paper stating that it is not compatible with Vista and that there *might* be drivers later. There is a quick start guide that looks extremely easy, and if it worked, it would be.
Step 1. Throw away the quick start guide
Step 2. Insert the included cd and read the 57 page user's guide that shows you how to really set it up.
Step 3. Give it a shot.
If you don't have encryption on your router (not a good idea) it would probably work ok. But if you do, then you must turn off the encryption, reset some settings on your pc, get the range extender to connect to your network, reset everything you just turned off and see if it works.
I never got anything working, got tired of messing with it and just got a refund. It would probably be a good product if you are able to get it to work.
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Belkin F5D7132 Wireless, March 30, 2008
By user (Fountain Valley, CA)
It works, but had one heck of a time getting it located in the proper location. It was easy to install but still can't get a very strong signal.
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Good Buy, March 30, 2008
By user
Good buy for the price. A little hard to setup but was helped out with the instuctions from prior reviews. Single good be stronger but all and all worth the money as a range extender.
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Relatively Good Product, March 24, 2008
By user (Brandon, MS USA)
I bought this device when a similar Linksys device for twice the price died without warning for no known reason. Overall, it works. One nitpick, it does not automatically resync with the base station. I have to press the autosetup button again to have it find the base. This is not the end of the world but the Linksys did not require this. Works, what more can be said.
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Belkin Range Extender, March 20, 2008
By user
This Product works Great!+!+! I would recomend it to any one looking to expand there wireless network. I really Love It !+!+!+!
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