OMG OMG OMG .......... This kit is unbelievable.

It stomps all over the range of the 802.11g OMG We got a stable 50% signal going though 5 Office units which are running their own wireless networks (distance 70m). 54MB file transferred in 2mins 30

Test 2 - Line of Sight 80m - 54MB file transferred in 31 secs

Test 3 - Line of Sight 0.5Miles - Able to access Internet no problems (unable to perform transfer due to battery failing on laptop)

If anyone is looking for the ultimate wireless signal then this kit is the current king!! Only downside is that Belkin only have the Broadband router and Laptop card out yet. Hopefully the desktop card won't be to far behind.

Belkin F5D8230-4 Pre-N Router - Totally and utterly AWESOME!!!

Forgot to say I deal with wireless networks day in and day out so I'm not just a gob smacked newbie ;-)

 

so what standard is the wireless running at? 11a? 11n? 11x?

 

802.11n but that hasn't been ratified by the IEEE yet, so they're calling it "pre-n"

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/10/29/belkin_802_11n/

 

now that is impressive! I already piggy back someone elses wireless router in my street looks like when this is standard kit I'll have more routers to choose from

 

What is comes down to is a mixture of the latest technology. The kit runs on 2.4GHz using a proprietary standard which encompasses the cool MIMO (Multiple input multiple output) antenna technology. However the kit is compatible with .11b & .11g and the MIMO does improve the range (say 20%) on standard .11g kit too. Belkin have also implemented 802.11e Quality of Service which is another good step in the right direction for wirelessly streaming video/VoIP.

IIRC IEEE 802.11n is not expected to be certified until 14-18mths time however speaking to several manufactures, don't be too surprised if you start see draft 802.11n kit hitting the streets next year.

At the moment this kit from Belkin stomps all over the nearest competition (Super A/G) on true performance but most importantly range.

If anyone is considering Super G then I would advise to consider the Pre-N instead. You wouldn't regret it.

 

What's the quality of the product like? Decent firmware support?

 

Any B Grade stock going cheap?

 

We have some people at work who live in flats and have multiple access points available

 

Aylesbury


Amsterdam


Madrid


Berlin



Green is open.

 

Wow Jack, what software did you use for that.

Simon.

PS, off to amsterdam on friday, thanks for the info

 

You won't have a problem getting a free connection in Amsterdam, although it's not legal to do so. Softare used:- MS Mappoint, Netstumbler, Stumverter, I then use a fancy Perl script to convert the data to excel format including open/closed statistics and a - badly maintained - list of manufactuers by percentage. 60-70% open access seems to be the norm around Europe.

 

Build quality is good Its to early to tell about firmware support though because the product has just come out.

Router
Plus Points are Supports WPA-PSK AES, Produces rock solid connectivity, range and performance. Supports 802.11e (needs to test for benefits though). Can operate as just an Access Point only.

Negative Points are Firewall rule base is limited, Router is not features rich compared to similar priced models.

Laptop
Plus Points are very easy to Install, Informative Utility, Offers solid connectivity, excellent range and performance.

Negative Points are the drivers do not support WPA yet only WEP Power management for the card needs to be improved.

Performed another test last night in a victorian 2 storey townhouse w/cellar thats notorious for killing wireless networks. Previous 802.11g kit failed to even provide a decent connectivity within the front room when the router is located in the upstairs back room. Super G kit using extended range (XR) managed an unstable low speed connectivity in the front room. The Belkin kit gave a stable 36-48Mbps connection in the front room and even a stable 5.5 - 11Mbps in the cellar.

 

Not when the kit really won't be available everywhere until January. Lets just say we were very lucky to get it this early

 

belkin wireless stuff are not wifi certified (like their 11g adsl wireless router). does that really matter?

and what chipset is this 11n using?

 

Belkin are no different to any of the other manufactures when it comes to cross compatibility

Its not a .11n chipset. This explains better than I can http://www.airgonetworks.com/certifi...PR_102504.html