8.0

Belkin N+ Wireless Storage Router
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This clever piece of technology is perfect for sharing data across networks, thanks to the ability of connecting an external USB hard drive to the router. Boasting wireless and wired connections, the N+ Wireless Storage Router also features two N networks for better performance and high-speed gigabit ports.

Although the unit features that traditional Belkin look, it's appearance is quite inconspicuous, ensuring that would not look out of place in a variety of environments from homes to offices. The unit boasts some great icons to assist with monitoring your connection such as a download bar, security, wireless, wired, storage, router, modem and internet. All in cool blue! The highlight for us and probably most users is the download speedometer bar that displays how much internet bandwidth is being used through a bars as an indicator. A very cool features for monitoring your bandwidth and if anyone such as family or house mates are throttling the link.

Features

• Dual-Band technology, operates simultaneously on 2.4Ghz & 5Ghz Frequency
• BitTorrent Manager, download even when your PC is turned off.
• Built in UPNP Media Server, Manage and stream your media files
• USB Storage Port for easily connecting USB Hard drives to your network
• Gigabit Ethernet ports for reliable high speed wired connections
• 802.11n increases your network's wireless range and speed than 802.11g
• Download Speedometer bar that measures the download speed of your network
• Push Button Security (Wi-Fi Protected Security)
• Free 24/7 technical Support
• Green Ethernet Ports to reduce energy usage compared to standard Ethernet Ports
• Automatically detects connectivity status and cable length, and then adjusts power accordingly
• Wi-Fi scheduling that allows users to easily program when the Wi-Fi radio signals are turned on and off to increase security and save energy consumption

The most difficult aspect of the Belkin N+ Wireless Storage Router was the installation but surprisingly, it proved a rather flawless installation process and in around 10 minutes, we had connected it to the internet via an ADSL2+ modem and two wireless laptops. Personally, it would have been nice if an ADSL modem was built into the device, however it does target a slightly different user group with the ability of accessing shared storage among network users.

Of course the star of the Belkin N+ Wireless Storage Router is the ability to connect a USB hard drive to the router which allows all users or certain users to access it. In this world of entertainment and productivity, it's perfectly for sharing music, data files and anything else that needs to be accessed by other users. Connected our external 1TG hard drive was a breeze and we just connected it to the router which then shared this device to other users. I must admit that I was amused that it supports an aspect of BitTorrent!

For networking, it supports 802.11b/g/n connectivity plus a variety of security settings to ensure that your network is not breached by neighbours or acquaintances. In terms of range, walls, doors and buildings do impede but Belkin boast up to 365metres. We successfully tested the device up to 150metres which retained a relatively strong connection. As mentioned, the device supports Wi-Fi Protected Setup, 256-bit WPA/WPA2 and 64/128-bit WEP encryption which is relatively impossible to hack.
 
Installing a hard drive was also quite easy and once the Belkin Storage Manager was installed which is a little fiddle some to navigate, the external hard drive was detected on our network. We even managed to connect this device to our PS3 to access movies from our shared hard drive. Even copying huge files proved no problem for this device with three users simultaneously accessing the internet.

At the end of the day, The Belkin N+ Wireless Storage Router is ideal for people wishing to share data without the need for computers to be powered 24x7. Whether home, sharing a house or in an office, it's a great way to share information and is of course green-friendly in this regard. Add in the great Belkin warranty and phone support and any issues should be easily rectified. We've used Belkin support before and we have no complaints!

Definitely a recommended device!