Cheap Belkin WIRELESS ACCESS POINT ( F5D7130 ) (Electronics) Price

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Customer Reviews of Belkin WIRELESS ACCESS POINT ( F5D7130 )

Setup for range mode to expand your wireless connection
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>Belkin know of this problem but will not post fix on web they want you to spent and hour on hold with a customer service agent reading the updated manual to you. The product is great but there instructions are the worst. Then again Linksys range has similar issue when setting them up. Another issue on there site they brag about WPA secuity it contain but don't tell you that wep is only support in range expander and not WPA. <
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>Follow the documentation but just add these simple changes. <
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>Setting wireless Range to access router <
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>Open both web interface: <
>Belkin Router Web page router 192.168.2.1 <
>Belkin Range expander Web page range 192.168.2.254 <
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>Reset to default <
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>Connect range to router via Ethernet cable <
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>Where it ask for the mac address: <
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>Add both mac addresses from range to router yes both not one <
>Add both mac addresses from router to range yes both not one <
>Enable security on range first then on router WEP only does not support WPA in range mode. <
>Reset both. <
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>Intenet now working..... <
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>Note if you have ver 1000 add both mac address to each range and router <
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>note if you have ver 2000 just add wlan range to each range and router. <
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>It took me one hour on hold to find this out. Belkin knows this is an issue and they will not document it on there website. <
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>Once it set it works 99% I will leave the one percent off just because nothing is perfect in this world. <
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>Good luck. <
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Works As Advertised
Let me preface this by saying that this review will be based on its relative performance in our office environment and its weight is based on workload and price. Ease of install is important and so is user connectivity/configuration. <
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>I'm using this with a Juniper Netscreen-5GT that connects to a D Link DSS-24 (24 port 10/100 Fast Ethernet Switch). We are using it mostly for guests who come into our office wanting to check emails while they are conducting business meetings with us. We use a wired network for our work, but we want the conveniece of wireless for those people that don't want to hunt for an ethernet cable and a wall jack. I have done my testing mostly on Dell laptops with Intel Centrino processors. That said, I configured the AP at my desk before placing it in our wiring closet. I bought this access point last night, read a few reviews beforehand, and read the manual briefly before starting my work. <
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>I rate the ease of install as a 5, only because it wasn't complex and it didn't magically change IP addresses on me, even after I installed the firmware update. <
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>I rate it a 5 on use/reliability because we get very good to excellent strength anywhere in our office. 16 yards away in one direction is excellent and 24 yards in the other is very good. Note the latter travels through 3-4 walls. I was able to set the AP on top of our switch in the wiring closet close to the ceiling. <
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>Ease of Install was pretty high. That is, I performed the following to set it up: <
>1. Unplugged my ethernet cable from my laptop and connected to the AP. <
>2. Configured my laptop IP address similar to the owner manual's example (192.168.2.200). <
>3. I can now log into the AP Setup and configure it. <
>I noted the firmware = 3.00.10 and I had downloaded 4.03.03 (dated 10/2/2004 F5D7130_4.0.03.bin), so I ran the firmware update before configuring anything. <
>4. After the AP's reboot, I changed the Setup's password, named the SSID, and enabled Security. That's it. In my case, the IP address never deviated from the user manual. This works for me. <
>5. I restored my laptop's TCP/IP properties back to the way it was and plugged back into the network. I placed the AP into the closet and plugged it into the 24 port switch. That's it. <
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>Now, to get my laptop to use the wireless connection involved the following: <
>1. Open my Intel wireless connection setup <
>2. Scan for nearby wireless SSIDs <
>3. Select my SSID and go through a wizard that asks for the type of security and my password. <
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>It was that simple. Now, I can't speak of others that are using Apples or are trying to use Belkin Pre-N to bridge to another system. I am not commenting/reviewing its bridging or extention features. I am only commenting on setting up and using . Since this is being used in a one-story medium-sized office and is primarly used for our visitors to check email or surf the net, we wanted something this would be reliable and inexpensive to implement. I found this for $39.99 at a local computer store, not a big chain. No rebates. very nice. <
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>The only "confusing" thing that occurred and is a low priority is that after the firmware update, the Hardware now says F5D7230, instead of F5D6130 in the Setup. Perhaps, that's a bug they introduced in this version of the firmware? I'm not worried. It seems to work fine. <
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From a Mac user: It works...but a configuration nightmare
Had to solve a wireless networking problem caused by an old house. In sum, two distinct wireless zones separated by a concrete wall. I purchased this router for access point (versus range extender) purposes. <
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>First things first: this router is designed to work with Belkin routers, and Belkin ones alone. (Goodbye to my Linksys Wireless router, hello Belkin F5D7230. Ouch.) Related, access point mode is only compatible with Wireless G (or N) networks. Wireless B = range extender mode alone. (You're better served with a less expensive omni-directional antenna for this purpose.) <
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>Second, be prepared for multiple calls to a surprisingly good -- albeit a tad difficult to understand at times -- Belkin tech support crew. The included instructions are uselesss, hardware menu confusing. Setting up the bridge between router and access point took 4 phone calls and 1.5 hours+ of tech support. I'm extremely tech saavy...but was humbled by this product. Frustration levels reached enormous proportions. UPDATE YOUR FIRMWARE. <
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>Third and related, the menu -- and its configuration -- are extremely picky. Be prepared for a lot of doublechecking and problemsolving to get the router and access point talking. Ditto on excessive reboots of both items. Let's just say I memorized the IP addresses for both items like it was going out of style. <
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>Fourth, note that this is not so much an extender as it is a separate access point on a network. If you're a networking neophyte, this equates to having to jump back/forth off "networks" as you move across wireless zones. <
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>With this being said, the F5D7130 works as advertised. Network signal strength on the access point node was at 90% signal strength, exceeding even the original router's potency. Switching between access points is fairly seamless once the network is firmly established. <
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>In sum, if you're willing to invest a full day of time/energy to get this up and running, worth every penny. Definitely the case for PC users. <
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>For Mac users, however, it might behoove you (should you have the $) to purchase the much more configurable Airport Extreme Base station + Airport Express (for range extender/access point purposes).