Attractive price but compatibility varies

Summary: Works well for unsecured wireless network, but results vary when used on encrypted networks.


Description: This product repeats the signal from your wireless router, effectively increasing the range of your wireless connection. Wireless range is a typical problem found in residential and small business applications. Range is affected by other wireless signals in your area (neighbor's wireless networks, microwave oven, 2.4Ghz cordless phones, Bluetooth) as well as building materials used in walls/floors/ceilings. The Belkin product promises a quick and easy solution to extend the range of your home wireless network.

Although other products also offer wireless repeating functionality, the Belkin unit is a special purpose device whose only purpose is to extend wireless range.

The feature list of this product make it more attractive than other similar products commonly available from Linksys or Dlink. In particular:
- Support for up-to-date encryption technologies: WPA and WPA2
- Support for up-to-date data encryption technologies: AES
- Option to not broadcast the SSID - a basic security precaution


Setup for an unencrypted network:

In almost all cases, an open network is a bad idea for the typical user of this product. An open network allows anyone and everyone within range to use your network. For the typical home user, you are exposing your home computers as well as your Internet connection to the general public. There are a few cases where an open network is desired, such as small businesses who want to offer a free WiFi hotspot to their customers.

Setup for an unencrypted network is generally very easy. The Belkin unit has a special button on the back of the unit to facilitate this connection. You take the Belkin unit and place it near to your home router so that the strongest wireless signal of any in your area is coming from your home router. Then, you push the button and setup completes automatically. You then move the unit to the area to a location which still has sufficient signal strength from your home router but is nearer to the area where you need a boosted signal.

Possible problem: You may find that when you unplug the unit to move it to the new destination, that it loses the automatic configuration that it just set up. In other words, the unit may not hold its configuration when power is lost. I had this happen a couple of times while experimenting.


Setup for an encrypted network:

This is the option most people will need to use, and unfortunately it is not a "push-the-button" procedure. Although Belkin provides a setup program on a CD, I don't recommend using it. Access is most easily accomplished by directly connecting your computer to the Belkin via the supplied Ethernet cable. The IP address of the computer needs to be manually set to be in the same subnet as the Belkin repeater, and then you may connect directly via a web browser interface. The wireless settings need to match those in your wireless router. In my case, I required the combination of WPA AES encryption, and the unit would not connect to my wireless router.

Setup for the encrypted case may be beyond what the typical user of this product is expecting. This is especially true since the marketing literature advertises the "one-button setup" which is applicable only in the unencrypted case. If the user is not comfortable with the terminology and implementation of wireless networking already, then finding a friend with the appropriate skills may be worthwhile. The documentation will not in general be enough for a novice to program this product.

Bottom line:

Due to its very attractive price, you may want to try this product. Be prepared to return it if it does not work with your particular wireless router. If you're not skilled in networking, consider asking a skilled friend to assist you with initial setup.