Linksys WIP320 Linksys Wireless-G Skype iPhone Review

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(More customer reviews)The prices of Skype-certified phones or other VoIP phones are expensive. This is one of the lower-priced phone you can get your hands on.
The convenient feature about this stand-alone wireless Skype phone is that you don't have to be tied to your computer to make calls. In fact I use it as my house phone for outgoing calls and it works just fine. The sound quality is more than okay as expected from internet calls.
Set up is straightforward. No need to read the manual as the screen will guide you sign in, if you already have a Skype account, or sign up, if you are new.
If you are an existing user, it just carries over all the contacts to the phone. Give it time to update from the internet and your contacts will appear. No need to type all over again.
However, if you are a new user I strongly suggest signing up and entering or importing your contact from your computer. That way you have your contacts from your address book or email account ready to be imported. If not, it's easier typing from a full keyboard. Once updated, this will also carry over to the phone.
Pros:
1. Free up your computer resources and electricity by using a stand-alone Skype phone.
2. Good design in a light-weight package loaded with user-friendly controls. Normal and advanced features are readily accessible on the phone menu. Just read thru the display and navigation will be straight-forward.
3. Relatively cheap compared to other Skype-certified wireless phones.
Cons:
1. Battery life is horrible. A few hours of use and it will need charging. If mobile phones can last more than a day of normal use, this should be able to as well. Linksys will need to investigate and release a firmware update on this issue.
2. NO SPEAKERPHONE! Despite the iPhone having a loud speaker that announces it's own boot up, this phone surprisingly does not have a speakerphone. This is definitely a design flaw and needs a software update.
3. The time and date resets itself to 01-01-2006 and 00:00am whenever the phone is shut off. While all other settings are saved. That's plain stupid. Furthermore, you have to manually set the correct time. While all internet devices are able to connect to the...umm...internet and sync with any server for correct date and time. This phone - that depends on the internet for functionality - is not able to sync with any time server at all. Mwahahaha! Seriously, Linksys has got to do something about this feature. In fact I have to set my own Daylight Saving Time whenever it is in effect. This has got to be updated.
4. Relatively slow response time. A few milliseconds of lag when won't hurt. But it is there and regular users will notice it. And I don't know if this is due to the nature of internet calls, Skype structure or the device itself having a slow processor.
All in all it serves its purpose of making wireless internet calls without the dependency for a computer. But it is an apparent version 1 product that seriously needs firmware and software updating if it wants to be known as THE iPhone rather than be trumped in name by Apple's iPhone.
By the way, my household is all Mac and this phone connects flawlessly to my Apple Airport Extreme Base Station (b/g device, not the latest n model) without any wireless disconnection at all or interference from other wireless base station in my apartment building. I have been on calls for as long as 30 minutes and I have not encountered intermittent audio quality or drop signals. I am using WPA authentication and this phone was able to detect and join to the router without any problems.
So despite it's shortcoming, it's still a respectable phone and enables me to make free and cheap calls.
UPDATE:
Feb 23, 2007 - The phone has twice been returned and I just asked for a refund. I haven't patronized a Linksys product in a long time and I was hedging on the fact that any kinks on the phone and further customer feature request would be quickly incorporated into the phone. As it stands, the phone hasn't received any software revision AT ALL. The phone is still at hardware version 1.0 despite numerous flaws mentioned here and especially at Linksys' own customer feedback forum.
I have spoken to their customer and technical support with great disappointment. I was on hold for most of the time for issues they are aware of, but have no solution. In fact when I complained about the lack of speakerphone function despite pointing out that this has been explicitly mentioned on their website the solution was the easy fix - REMOVE ALL MENTION OF SPEAKERPHONE FUNCTION FOR THE PRODUCT. Good thing I saved the web pages mentioned about it so I could show the Tech what I'm talking about. She did see it herself in her own documentation. Then a few days later Linksys' position is "what speakerphone?" This is what ultimately turned me off. They were releasing a first generation product, but providing no future support and cheap-shot fixes to customers. If this was how the company is monkeying with the patrons, I don't want to even be their customer. So product has been returned.
UPDATE 2: MAY 26, 2007
Linksys has FINALLY issued a firmware upgrade as of May 24, 2007 which is version 1.1.0.16 (from the only existing previous version of 1.0.0.0). Among the long list of new feature, bug fixes and enhancements - A SPEAKERPHONE. After months of silence they only decided to provide their first ever firmware upgrade. This may come a little too late as lots of customers have jumped ship by now to other brands. Damage to phone reputation has already been done. Evidence is the drop in price.
I'm surprised Linksys/Cisco has allowed this to happen to them. Hopefully they have learned their lesson and will focus their attention back to the customer.

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The iPhone WIP320 is part of the iPhone family of handheld devices which harness the power of the Internet to deliver more than talk, uniting the familiarity of the telephone with compelling Internet services, access to personal content, and integration with the home to create complete communications solutions. iPhone - More than Talk

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Belkin F5U301 CableFree 4-Port USB 2.0 Hub with Dongle Review

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(More customer reviews)A wireless USB hub is very appealing. The implementation of this one makes it useless.
The software only runs on Windows XP. There are no Vista drivers. The hub does not work until you've logged in and even then, it takes a few seconds. Since you have to have log in before the hub will work, your mouse and keyboard can't be plugged in to the wireless hub. This also means that USB audio devices that must be plugged in at boot will not work. I don't understand why Windows requires USB audio devices to be plugged in at boot, but that's Microsoft's fault, not Belkins.
It gets better. Yesterday, we rebooted the machine and my brother logged in with his account. The wireless hub didn't work at all because the software wasn't installed for him. Why would the installer even bother installing this software for only one user? No problem, we installed the software on his account. Reboot. Everything seemed to work. Fast user switch to my account and the software freaks out because the software running on his account is using the device. The USB devices attached to that hub go offline.
To Summarize:
- No Vista support
- Can't use it for keyboard/mouse
- No support for multiple user accounts
- Fast user switching messes it up
However tempted you may be, don't buy this product until they address these issues. This product is not ready for prime time. On the plus side, it seems like all of these problems are just related to software. If Belkin decides to, they could probably fix all of these problems in software.

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Belkin Cable-Free USB Hub

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Belkin Wireless N 4-Port Router Review

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(More customer reviews)To begin, I purchased this router less than a few weeks before Christmas. This is actually my first wireless router (I had always used wired routers before), but I was able to plug it in, and connect perfectly fine. In less than 30 minutes, I was able to set it up, and my wired connections worked perfectly fine. Only problem was that the wireless didn't work at all.
I've struggled with the wireless for a week after I got this router. The problem was that upon first setting up the router, it would work fine, but as soon as you implement new settings (port forwarding or wireless security, for example), it would suddenly stop working. I found that hard resetting was the only way to get the wireless to work, but of course, leaving it as thus was unacceptable because I wanted to at least set up wireless security to prevent outside access. Unfortunately, after a few hours of struggling with this, it resulted in the wireless not working at all. Hard resetting, powercycling, reinstalling the firmware; nothing worked.
As a computer hobbyist, I usually pride myself on being able to fix things like this myself, but even I wasn't able to do anything. Needless to say, I had to call tech support. I may as well say here that tech support is absolutely worthless. I was routed to, where else, India, and got on with a tech support representative. I was led through the basic steps (and had to ask the rep. to repeat multiple times because I couldn't understand) and, at the end, the wireless still wouldn't work. The rep kept insisting that wireless isn't working for me simply because I either didn't have 'the drivers' or the 'proper wireless adapter'. Finally, I just had enough, and I was on my own getting the wireless to work again.
Just as I was having serious thoughts about making a return, however, I somehow managed to get the wireless to work. I must have had help from God because, at that point, it had seemed hopeless. Nonetheless, I did manage to get it working fine. I could port forward, set up wireless security, and basically do anything just fine. Unfortunately, it's not completely problems free. Like others, I have and am experiencing random connection drops (it seems as if the router randomly resets), but fortunately, it did not stop the wireless from working anymore. Furthermore, the Belkin Wireless N resets extremely quickly, so it's not as big of a deal as the previous problem to me.
Now that I am able to get the router working fine, let me review the actual router itself. Here is how the Belkin Wireless N ranks in the important areas of range, speed, security, stability, and features.
1) Range - I, like many others, purchased the Belkin Wireless N for the purpose of using the wireless feature. As such, one of the most important features to me is the range. After all, I didn't purchase a wireless router just to be confined to a single room because the range wouldn't extent past the walls. So then, how does the router rank in range? I would say it is fairly good.
I live in a three story house and the router is set up on the third floor. On the third floor and the second floor, the connection power is fully strong. However, on the first floor, the range just drops tremendously. On the first floor at the best location, the number of connection bars is usually one or two, which is a big drop. I suspect that there may be electronic interference.
For what it's worth, the range does seem to be pretty excellent, which is a commendable point on the Belkin Wireless N's part.
2) Speed - Of course, what worth is the range if there is no speed? I have tested the speed using the wired connections and the wireless connections and this is another commendable part of the router. The speed is just as fast wireless as it is with wired connections and both compares favorably with my previous router (all three matches the speed advertised by my ISP).
Truthfully, I had expected some loss of speed when using wireless, so this was impressive. It should be noted, however, that I was in the optimal position for speed testing (i.e. I was sitting right next to the router), so more likely than not, there would not some loss of speed if I had performed the test, say, on another floor in my house.
Regardless, the speed factor is definitely a category the router does well in.
3) Security - The Belkin Wireless N offers ample security to protect against outside invaders jumping on your network. From the simple WEP to the much more powerful WPA2 (I chose that one, of course), it really is nice security. Furthermore, if you chose one of the more simple security, the router actually offers an extra step of further encrypting the password for you.
Personally, I did not like the second encryption, but it is a nice thought nonetheless. I rank the router well in the category of security.
4) Stability - Well, as noted by the first four paragraphs of this review, stability is the one category the Belkin Wireless N fails miserably in (that and tech support anyway). Aside from the trouble of setting up the wireless to work correctly, however, there is also the problem of random dropped connections, which is fortunately mitigated by the router's ability to reset quickly, but it is still a problem nonetheless.
Aside from these problems, however, which can be solved through a router update (if Belkin ever decides to make another update, that is), the router really does not lose much else in the area of stability.
5) Features - Another category in which the Belkin router does well. The router comes with ample features which can all be found on the router's homepage. All the basic features and many more advanced features are here for the users' desire.
Personally, I have no use for many of the extra features (aside from port forwarding), so it's not a big deal for me, but the gesture is still appreciated nonetheless.Alright then, so out of five categories, the Belkin Wireless N does smashingly in four of them. One would think this speaks favorably of them, but lets look at the realistic side: For the vast majority of consumers, only three of those categories truly matters. Those three categories are the range, speed, and stability. The Belkin router does well in two of them, but it fails in the last one spectacularly.
Furthermore, unfortunately for Belkin, many other routers offers excellent speed and range too, so doing well in just those two categories is not necessarily enough to make it pass with flying colors. It really was crucial that Belkin made its router stable and it is unfortunate that it was unable to do this well enough.
Overall, what would be my recommendation for the Belkin Wireless N? My recommendation is this: If you're knowledgeable about computers and is willing to work at getting a slick and powerful router to work, then the Belkin Wireless N is not completely bad. However, if you're just looking for a simple wireless solution, I would recommend a better router.

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The Belkin N Wireless Router uses the Wireless N protocol to provide an ultra-fast and reliable wireless network for your apartment or office. Offering outstanding performance, this router can handle the most demanding tasks, letting you stream HD video at the same time your kids are playing online games and sharing photos with their friends.
Smart Design with Wired and Wireless Connections The Wireless N Router has a striking, vertical enclosure that is both handsome and space efficient. The two built-in external antennas provide a wireless range of up to 1,200 feet and easily covers an apartment or small office. Six LEDs for Security, Wireless, Wired, Router, Modem, and Internet let you know the status of your network at a glance, making it easy to troubleshoot any problems.
Wireless N uses the latest 802.11n Draft 2.0 technology, offering better range and throughput than 802.11g and 802.11b networks. By using smart MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output) antenna technology, the range of a Wireless N network is extended and can blanket a large home.
With wireless speeds of up to 300Mbps, you won't be waiting for videos to buffer or music to download because your children are playing online games. Wireless N provides more than enough bandwidth to make crystal-clear Internet phone calls, transfer a large amount of photos, and stream movies to your computer without any lag or hiccups.
You can also share networked peripherals such as a Wi-Fi printer, hard drives, and DVDs. If you have some computers that use the older wireless standards, they'll still work because the Wireless N router is backwards compatible with 802.11g and 802.11b devices (though they won't connect at the same blistering speed). For maximum speed and range, Belkin's N Wireless USB Adapter, Notebook Card, and ExpressCard adapter are recommended.
In addition to Wireless N, the router also has four 10/100 Ethernet ports at the back, giving you the option to plug in for a steady and secure, fast connection running at up to 100Mbps.
Thanks to the strong built-in security, including support for WPA, WPA2, Wi-Fi Protected Setup, and 64-and 128-bit WEP encryption, you will be protected from hackers and intruders trying to gain access to your sensitive files. Setting up security is simple, too: just push the Wi-Fi Protected Setup button located on the front of the router. The router also supports VPN for making secure connections between home and office.
Easy to Set Up Belkin designed the Wireless N Router to be as simple to use as possible. Simply connect your wireless router to your cable or DSL modem, plug the router in, and connect your computer to the router. That's it. To help monitor your network performance and usage, the router includes Personal Network Assistant software, which runs on Windows XP/Vista and Mac OS X 10.4/10.5.
The Belkin N Wireless router is backed by a 1-year warranty and includes free 24/7 technical support.
What's in the Box N Wireless Router, quick installation guide, Personal Network Assistant CD, user manual on CD, power supply, RJ45 Ethernet networking cable.

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Belkin Wireless 150N Router (F6D4230-4) Review

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(More customer reviews)I needed to replace my d-link wireless router after 7 years of admirable service and I noticed this Belkin router was on the cheap. Cheap doesn't necessarily mean good in this case though. This Belkin router drops the Internet connection every 10-20 minutes even though the cable modem is always working properly. After 4 support calls with Belkin and 2 with my cable provider, I rebooted the modem/router (multiple times), reinstalled the firmware, disabled all security, cloned MAC addresses, performed an exorcism (j/k) and I still couldn't resolve the problem. Both Belkin and my cable provider mentioned there's nothing else we could do, so time to shop for another router...

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4 Ethernet Ports for Wired Connections Supports Wi-Fi Protected Setup Push button for simple wireless security setup. Easy setup Assistant and troubleshooting with Network Status Display.The Network Status Display shows the status of your network. The icons represent each. Free 24/7 technical Support (Local Rates Apply)

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