| Belkin F5D8230-4 Wireless 802.11x Pre-N Router |
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Model: F5D8231-4
Brand: Belkin
Manufacturer: Belkin Components
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 221
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: |
LAN Ports - N/A
WAN Ports - N/A
Warranty - Lifetime Limited Warranty
LEDs - Yes |
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| Description: |
| Powered by Airgo Network's True MIMO technology, Belkin Pre-N products improve wireless reliability and performance, and enable users to work with high-bandwidth applications, such as audio and video streaming.Belkin utilizes True MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) from Airgo Networks in its Pre-N products. True MIMO is the first technology to address the issues of coverage, speed, and interference in larger homes and offices.True MIMO is a smart-antenna technique that uses multiple antennas to transmit and receive wireless signals. It reaches a step further than other smart-antenna technologies by transmitting multiple signals on each antenna. As a result, Belkin's Pre-N products with True MIMO technology create a robust wireless connection while providing a larger coverage area with the bandwidth and quality of service needed to run advanced applications, such as streaming video or Voice over IP (VoIP).True MIMO is one of the underlying technologies being considered for 802.11n, a standard in the works for the next generation of Wi-Fi technology. |
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| User Reviews (221 total): |
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Worst Customer Service and Some Product issue, July 25, 2008
By mamin (Denville, NJ United States)
This product has some known issue after firmware upgrade fix. Router hangs sometimes, Connection gets dropped and not able to forward port in their virtual server area. Also, I do not see any way to open or close port other than port forwarding in their firewall section.
HORRIBLE..HORRIBLE Customer service. I sent two email for their port forwarding issue and none of them were replied. I did get auto reply (off course it is automated reply so they do not have to spend money) but did not get any reply from thier customer service. I never had situation so far that some company did not reply at all. I am writing this review after waiting for 1 week for my reply since they auto reply says they will get back to us in 72 hours. Also, I saw so many bad review on belkin as a company customer service on net.
Bottom line is stay away from BELKIN products.
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PreN Router should be titled, "Constantly ReBooting Router", June 15, 2008
By Terry (Kentucky)
Unless you have lots of time on your hands do not purchase this router..
I never take the time to write these product reviews, good or bad. However, I feel an over whelming desire to warn the router purchasing consumer, I wish I had paid attention to the few reviews when I purchased my Pre-N Router 18 months ago. It requires constant rebooting. As time passes I reboot everytime I logon to the internet, then it started dropping while I was online. As I write this I am connected thru an unknown kind stranger in my neighborhood named Linksys, I am very grateful this person purchased a better router then I did.
FYI, have contacted Belkin support by e-mail (no response), the last time my cable/internet provider did a 3 way with Belkin support. We were disconnected when the questions got very tuff and they lacked a proper response. I believe in finding a positive on any given situation, so here is the positive, Technical support speaks english very well. Thats it, that all I have..Good luck.
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2 Years, No Problems, June 11, 2008
By CD Junkie (Dayton, MN United States)
I've had the Belkin Pre-N for over 2 years now with no problems. Let me say that I only use this for one other computer, not a big network, and I'm using the matching Belkin desktop card. Would have given this 5 stars except that the documentation and web based set up could be a LOT better, especially for setting up the security functions. I don't seem to be able to "back up" my current settings from the tool, which makes me a little nervous when changing a lot of settings. Otherwise, I haven't had any functional problems the entire time.
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Great Range cannot FTP, June 3, 2008
By C. Go
This router has excellent range! Setup is simple.
Sadly you can't upload on FTP using this router. I was wondering if anybody can advise a workaround for this FTP problem!!
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Stable, easy to configure, good range but weak signal, March 16, 2008
By zino (Tokyo, Japan)
I've been using the Pre-N since April of 2006 and have never had any of the issues reported here of crashes or dropped signals. Really... NEVER. The signal is received well by my G4 Powerbook, as well as two other networked Powerbooks 75-100 feet away in another building. Both the building the router is in, and the building where the remote users are located, have standing-seam metal roofs... it's even tough picking up local FM radio in this place.
We use the Belkin USB Wireless G adapters (RaLink software drivers download here: http://www.ralinktech.com/ralink/Home/Support/Macintosh.html) There aren't yet any N adapters with Mac drivers that I've found. I get clean signals, if a bit weak. Still, it's strong enough for file-transfers and Internet use.
I've only called Belkin support once, for help configuring the security setup, which is actually easy but I'd never done it before. The help was there when I needed it... your mileage may vary, as in all things.
In any case, the Pre-N router is more highly-rated on C-Net and other sites than many much-newer devices, including Belkin's own N router.
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Skype Ruined By Firmware Bug, February 3, 2008
By Orinoco (Cyberspace)
I used this router for over a year, then when I found out that it was responsible for my inability to use Skype, dumped it for the Belkin N-1
Cons:
1. Chops up, garbles and waffles Skype IP telephone service. This is an bug in the firmware that is not acknowledged by Belkin. It does not go away with the suggested firmware upgrades and it cannot be configured away. The problem went away immediately when I used the same computer and setup with a different router (including the Belkin N-1 router) but it ruined my international calls for a year by making it impossible to conduct a conversation and that cost me plenty.
2. Technical support is slow, does not answer questions correctly. Seems like the typical sad story of high-priced, slick US-brand product with penny-a-day Third World outsourced script-reading tech support.
Pros:
1. Very powerful. Wireless will cover all floors of a small house.
2. For a router, relatively complete documentation and setup only moderately complex.
3. Largely decorative LED lights are not overly bright, unlike more recent models that light up entire room at night.
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dont waste your time, December 10, 2007
By Wanna be Critic (Boston, MA)
I gave this thing 2 years to work, and it failed miserably. Firstly, if it gets hot, it crashes, and requires you to reboot it. This happened more or less every 3 to 4 days. Secondly, when I tryed to configure it in access mode only, it would crash, and become completely non-responsive requiring a hard reset of the router. Thirdly, it had this "handy" feature to automatically download and apply firmware updates - attempting to apply this feature also caused the router to crash, and required a hard reset of the router.
I think it is accurate to say that I have spent hundreds of hours over the course of the last two years attempting to make this piece of junk work. It doesnt!
In any case I threw this thing out yesterday, and I couldnt be happier. I replaced it with a Bountiful wifi router, and so far so good. Couldnt be happier.
Hope this helps!
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not happy, November 11, 2007
By Steven M. Rhodes
item worked great for a week, then it didn't work. asked for a refund, they said i'd have to ship the item back first then they would send a new one. considering it took about a week and a half to get the item in the first place, i did not feel like going 3 weeks without internet. very unhappy. would not do business with again. but when it did work it was pretty fast
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Not worth a much, November 9, 2007
By Landmark Thief (With Carmen San Diego)
I bought this item about a year ago to replace the old wireless G router I had (slow slow slow!). There weren't too many N routers out yet but I wanted something that wouldn't be totally obsolete and would provide a better signal. The Belkin's range is decent, but the quality is only okay.
Most importantly is the frequency of WIRELESS CRASHES. This think would drop out a couple times a week and I would need to power cycle it to get wireless back up, but the last few months saw an escalation. First it was every night, then twice a day, recently I couldn't use the damn thing for more than a half hour without it taking a dump.
This is an unreliable POS. As many have noted before me about crashes, they are a serious flaw. Skip this product.
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Great Router, Better than Linksys, September 27, 2007
By Pictures (Irvine, CA)
I previously owned a Linksys router (I beliver it was a WMP54G). I had nothing but problems with that router. It kept disconnecting me from the internet, I would have to reset it or troubleshoot it. The Linksys finally gave out after two years of use. I purchased this router to replace the Linksys and have never looked back. I will always buy Belkin from now on. Not only has it lasted over two years but I have never been disconnected from the internet. The signal is also stronger than the linksys. I believe that this router even has lifetime warranty so no regrets.
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Works OK, but Parental Control was axed without warning..., September 4, 2007
By RickVB (Novi, MI USA)
I guess I'm one of only two people who actually used the parental support feature of this router, since this is only the second review to cite this problem.
I bought this router about 2 1/2 years ago, and immediately found the router-based parental control feature one of the best features offered. This worked great for over a year, but then suddenly by mistyping a URL I find that the parental control is gone! After calls to Belkin, a web search and a call to Blue Coat (former supplier of the web-based portion of the Belkin parental control), I find that it was indeed discontinued several months before, with absolutely no warning (the HAD my email address for the account registration).
As was mentioned in the other review, their replacement for it is Zone Alarm, which is PC based, and not nearly as useful or flexible as the original product. Nowhere on the Belkin website is there a mention of the discontinuance of the original feature, nor an apology for the inconvenience.
I find this lack of regard for the customer completely unacceptable, and will NEVER buy a Belkin product again. I feel this corporate malfeasance overrides any other positive features it may have, which were not much in any case given the price.
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Wireless router, August 14, 2007
By Roger D. Goff (Louisville KY)
Works really well, I don't know if the actual N router would be any faster because I have yet to try it, but this pre N works great
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Nice, July 31, 2007
By M. Miller (VA)
Easy setup,and has been working flawlessly since I bought it. Am very pleased with this purchase
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An oldie but goodie!, July 30, 2007
By Old Schooler (Bridgeport, CT)
This is an excellent product and the second one I've purchased. A technician friend of mine recommended it and said it is better than the newer routers whose technology has not been perfected. He was right! It has excellent range and signal strength. So far it has been maintenence free!
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Great product but do not rely on them for tech support, July 29, 2007
By dan323 (St. Catharines, Ontario Canada)
This is my second Belkin Pre-n router. Product was fantastic on the first one and support was too. So I bought a another one and I couldn't get it working. I called them and they blamed it on the ISP (same ISP that the first Router was set up on fine). I spent hours on the phone with no resolve. I finally came to the conclusion that there must be something wrong with the router and I pushed really hard to request to have it replaced. They agreed. I was told Belkin would call me back in 24 hours to set up a replacement router. I called back after 72hrs because they didn't call me and they told me that they will call me back in 12hrs. Now its already a week since that first 24hrs and they have not called me back.
I will never buy a Belkin product again. The switch to Pakistan for Tech Support definitely short changed their customers. They've impatient, don't speak English well, rude and have not followed up with the promise to replace the router. Its been a nightmare.
Belkin F5D8230-4 Wireless 802.11x Pre-N RouterBelkin F5D8230-4 Wireless 802.11x Pre-N Router2.4 GHz Wireless Pre-N Router + 4-Port Switch for PC and Mac /- 1 Each
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Great router!!!, July 25, 2007
By nd96 (Princeton, TX United States)
I have owned this router for about 2 years now. I have never had a single problem with it. It has great range - more than 1000ft line of sight - all the way down to my front gate. I leave it plugged in upside down my home attic, with the 3 antennas exposed on the back porch. It gets well above 130 degrees in the attic during the summer months. I have never had to reboot or mess with the settings on the unit since I first installed it. I would highly recommend it!
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hopeless, July 22, 2007
By Jonah (Washington, DC)
First off, there is no cards slot for the iMac. My bad for not checking, but the product was touted as compatable with Apples.
But for my PC, this and the Belkin Pre-N notebook cards I got, would not set up, ever. I'm not a computer guy, but I'm no dummy and I could not set this thing up. Technical support was worse than unhelpful. They knew less than I did and deflected reponsibility at every turn.
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I liked it until . . ., July 21, 2007
By pcjohnd (San Rafael, CA)
This router performed well, pushing our wireless reach to corners of the house our Internet signal could not otherwise reach. However, after about a year of good service, things began to go awry. First the wired side of the router became erratic, then failed completely, a tragedy for the wired connections that included our network attached storage backup device and a laser printer. Then the wireless side started behaving erratically.
We've ordered the "final" Belkin N product, and are living on an ancient D-Link G wireless access pointand an even older Netgear wired router. Ah well, the vicissituedes of solid state technology when it goes less than solid . . .
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Spotty connection, July 9, 2007
By dawitt (new york, ny)
This router refuses to work regularly. Works great when it does but then, for no reason at all, my wireless will conk out and refuse to reconnect. It's not a range problem because I'll have a full signal when it does work. I thought it was just my computer (a Powerbook G4) but my roommates have the same problem. It happens abruptly, even when we're two fee away from the router.
My computer tech friend couldn't figure it out, neither could the guys at Apple.
It was hard to say what was really wrong with it because it works fine about 60 percent of the time. And then (this seems to happen on days when we really need the internet) we can't connect to our network.
I can't rely on this product so I'm looking elsewhere.
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What a piece of junk!, June 27, 2007
By Howard W. (Santa Clarita, CA)
I had this router for almost a year. I would have to reboot it every day (or two) as it would stop connecting to the laptops we have. Belkin Tech support said there was nothing wrong and I should just reset to factory specs and try again. The other common thing they said was to change channels. Throughout the past year, I did these many times but still lost connectivity many times.
Then in the past two weeks, the router would barely connect. It would connect for 10 minutes, and then it would drop all connections including the LAN connections. Sometimes it would go up and down every few seconds, making any internet work impossible. Belkin said it was my ISP. My ISP said it was my router. It got worse and we barely stayed connected.
BTW - did you know that there is a class action suit against Belkin for this router and some of their other products?
Finally, after two weeks for this I ordered the Linksys WRT150N and connected it. We have had not a problem since then.
Update: Now that I have had the Linksys WRT150N for a while, there is something else I noticed. The Linksys router connects with all my laptops instantly. The Belkin, even when it worked, always took 10-20 seconds to connect. This to me is more proof that the Belkin router is a piece of junk.
Don't buy this router, you will be sorry.
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