Firstly I would like to thank Belkin for giving us these products to review and I would like to apologise for the time it took to get the review up, this was due to pc problems and a few personal problems. Anyway, on with the reviewing!
Belkin Wireless USB Adaptor
Lets take a look at the specifications...
Host Interface: USB 1.0 and 1.1
Wireless Standard: 802.11b
Network Standards: IEEE 802.3, 802.3u, USB 1.0 and 1.1
Data Rate: 11,5.5,2,1Mbps per channel (Auto-Rollback)
Typical Operating Range:
Maximum distance @ 11mbps: 180m
Maximum distance @ 5.5mbps: 300m
Maximum distance @ 2mbps: 450m
Maximum distance @ 1mbps: 550m
Frequency Band: ISM Band, 2400-2483.5MHz
Operating Channels: IEEE 802.11 compliant, 14 Channels (Europe)
Antenna Type: Dual Pipole Antenna.
Thats the specs over and done with lets have a look at this puppy!
USB Adaptor boxed
Yum!
Lets open up the box and see what there is..
and an inside view !
Included in the box is the USB adaptor, a USB cable, CD ROM with drivers and a nice manual which explains clearly how to get things up and running. The device comes with 24/7 technical support on setting up the drivers and also a lifetime warranty.
I installed adapter into my main desktop pc which is running Windows XP Pro. The device was detected immediately and I was prompted to insert the cd which then with a few clicks of my mouse installed the device effortly. By installing the utility on the included Belkin cd the device can be configured using a simple configuration program which sits in the taskbar.
Unpacked and in action
As you can see there is only one wire going to and from the device. This makes things easier with not needing yet another electricity plug! The one LED on the top indicates whether the device has power and flashes when activity is happening.
Performance wise the device provided a reasonably fast, stable connection. I tested it with a Belkin Wireless Access Point which provided good results. Wireless encryption could be easily setup for a secure(ish) connection aswell. Overall I would rate the Belkin Wireless USB Adaptor a good product, go out and get one now if you're considering getting a wireless lan :).
Pros:
Easy To Use
Support 128-bit WEP
Cons:
None?
Belkin Wireless Access Point
Specifications:
Wireless Standard: 802.11b
Radio Tehnology: Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS)
Data Rate: 11,5.5,2,1Mbps per channel (Auto-Rollback)
Typical Operating Range:
Maximum distance @ 11mbps: 180m
Maximum distance @ 5.5mbps: 300m
Maximum distance @ 2mbps: 450m
Maximum distance @ 1mbps: 550m
Frequency Band: ISM Band, 2400-2483.5MHz
Operating Channels: IEEE 802.11 compliant, 14 Channels (Europe)
Antenna Type: Dual Pipole Antenna.
Encryption: 64/128-bit WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy)
Now lets look at this beast :D.
Access Point boxed
The access point comes in the standard Belkin style box, now lets get it open!
... inside the box
As you can see another filled box, in this one is the access point, a cdrom to install the software for managing it, a powersupply ,a user guide and the usual lifetime warranty card. Out of the box comes the access point, lets see what it looks like once it's setup...
Unpacked and serving Wireless connectivity
The access point has the same layout as the USB Adapter, but it's bigger. The device has dual antennas a nice feature as I imagine it improves the range of the wireless signal. The three LED's on the top showpower, link, and network activity. On the bottom of the unit is rubber feet to stop it moving around on a desk and also a nice touch which is holes to mount it on a wall if you like. Security wise the device supports 64-bit and 128-bit WEP encryption. It also has optional MAC filtering so only hosts with a pre-defined MAC address can connect to the access point. Again like the USB adaptor this device comes with 24/7 tech support and a lifetime warranty.
Setting up the access point was easier than setting up the USB device. I just plugged it into my network hub and ran the installation program on the provided CD. Then it was just a case of going to the start menu on my system and running the installed utility which immediately found the access point on the LAN. This utility also lets you change the password ,update the firmware ,set the IP and many other settings.
The Belkin access point is yet another product from them that I would recommend you get if you're considering a wireless lan due to it's easy setup and superb performance.
Pros:
Easy setup
Good performance
Cons:
None!?
Please feel free to discuss in our forums !!
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