Easy Network Kit for Wired Desktop and Wireless Laptop

The Belkin Wireless Home Network Kit may not be the latest, top of the line system available, but it a great solution for the average computer user. This particular system contains everything you need to connect a stationary desktop and a mobile laptop to your broadband connection.

The package includes one wireless access point/router with 4 ports for connections wired by standard ethernet cables, one wireless network card for your laptop, one Cat5e ethernet cable, and an installation guide and user manual. This allows you to set up the router near your desktop and cable or dsl modem so that you can connect the modem to your router, run the ethernet cable to the desktop, and use the wireless card to connect the laptop to your network from just about anywhere in the house. You can also connect several other computers in your home to the same network provided they have a wireless adapter installed. They say you can have up to 232 other computers connected, but in my experience the system works best with no more than 5 computers connected at once.

I was no network guru, in fact the whole concept of networking computers gave me a headache, but this system was completely set up and running within 20 minutes of unpacking it. That is honestly the only reason I took the time to review this product. After you plug it in, connect 2 cables, and slip the card in your laptop you are ready to configure your computers. You simply access the control panel via your web browser with the ip address they include in the instructions, pick a password, run a quick firmware update when it prompts you to, and in most cases you are ready to go online with the default settings that are pre-configured. I have read where some users needed to change a few settings that were required by their ISP, however that was not necessary for me (I have Knology Cable Internet in Georgia.) Once you have done this the router will take over and automatically assign the IP addresses to each computer as they access the network, allowing them to browse the internet as if they were connected directly to your cable modem. If you wish to share files between your computers you will simply need to make sure that you enter the same name in the Workgroup field of your system settings.

A neat little feature that you may benefit from is the MAC Address Cloning. I won't go into details here, but basically it allows you to fool your cable modem and ISP into thinking there is only one device connected to your modem. Some ISP's charge you an extra fee to add multiple computers to your internet package. They have your account set so that your modem will only recognize and provide service to one MAC address, which is specific to your computer's network card. If this is the case you just type your MAC address into the router's control panel, and the router will emulate it so that your modem will provide internet access to all computers connected to your network. In my case, this saved me $10 per month as I have 3 computers connected and my ISP charges $4.95 per month for each addition MAC address.

The range of the wireless is not phenomenal, but I get my connections maximum speed over wireless with as many as 2 rooms in between my router and my laptop. I tested it by taking my laptop in the back yard, which has a full room and a hall separating it from the router, and carried it about 30 feet into my backyard. At 30 feet from the house I started to lose connection every few minutes and speeds were about dial up. When I moved closer and tried browsing from my back porch I had no connection problems and very nice speeds.

The only problem I have had with the router is that occasionally the network would lock up and I would have to unplug the router for 3 seconds or so and plug it back in. After doing so the network would come back up immediately. This was occurring about once every other day for a while, but I fount out that it was being caused because I had stacked my cable modem underneath my router and they weren't able to vent off heat properly. Since I moved the router and placed it next to the modem instead of on top of it I have not had the problem again. One other feature that this system lacks, though I personally have no use for it, is a parental controls system. You can block a computer from going on the internet completely, but there is no way to block specific content (ie: games or adult sites) from the network.

If you have a huge house or require super long range wireless, you may want to invest in a higher end router, as this one will probably not meet your expectations. If you have an average sized house and are looking for an inexpensive way to set up a complete network then this system is a great deal. I only paid $59.99 for the whole kit and I even got a $20 mail in rebate from the store where I purchased it. I have been using it now for 7 months with absolutely no problems aside from the one I mentioned, which was my own fault.