Belkin Wireless Pre-N Router

Unable to sit on its side, Belkin's Pre-N router demands a fair amount of desk space, although it can be wall mounted. Three individual antennas sit proudly on the router, and each of these can be quickly folded down when in transit.

There's an intuitive setup wizard on CD and a large poster that guides you through the process of setting up your internet connection. Once connected, a good web interface lets you set up wireless connectivity and security, and each section has its own mini-guide on hand if you're unfamiliar with the concepts.

Belkin's Pre-N kit uses Airgo's True Mimo (Multiple Input Multiple Output) chipset which exploits the fact that radio signals are deflected by solid objects and provides both greater coverage and speed as a result.

After setting up a wireless network consisting of the Pre-N Router, a desktop PC and notebook housing a Belkin Pre-N PC Card, we were ready to try out Belkin's high-speed claims.

In short, the results were excellent. At a distance of 2m we experienced between 35 and 40Mbits/sec. More astounding was that at a range of roughly 100m we still achieved between 12 and 15Mbits/sec.

You can't hide from the fact that this is Pre-N, not 802.11n and, when ratified, there's no guarantee Pre-N will work with official 802.11n kit.

Prices:
Router: £119.99 (£102.12 ex VAT)
PC Card: £69.99 (£59.57 ex VAT)

Contact:
Belkin 00 800 223 55 460
www.belkin.co.uk