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Belkin F5D52304 Port Cable/DSL Gateway Router
Quick Index:
NETWORKING SETUP Note: This step is only necessary if you'd like to share files between your client PCs and you're not sure how to accompish it manually. If you want to network your PCs and not confident enough in what you're doing, now is the time to take out the Belkin CD which contains the software to accomplish this task easier. I'll describe the process below: Installing the Software Insert the CD into your CD-ROM on the computer that you have connected to Router Port number 1. Double-click on the “Install” icon and follow the simple directions on your screen. Default settings should work for most configurations; just keep clicking “Next”. The software will install.
Belkin NetSetup After the software is installed on each computer, go back to your first client PC (connected to port 1 on the router) and reboot it. After it reboots, click on “Start”, go to “Programs”, “Belkin SOHO Networking”, and then click on “Belkin NetSetup”. You can follow the simple instructions that will appear on each computers screen, such as naming each computer, your workgroup (what you call your networked computers) and if you want to allow file and printer sharing. Naming your computers is a way for you to distinguish 1 computer from the other. Some people simply use “Computer 1” for their main, “Computer 2” for their second, and so on. Some give their computers the manufactures name, such as Compaq or Hewlit-Packard, some use the name of the case enclosure. The point is to use names that will help you to remember which computer is which. After repeating the above on all your clients, your network setup should be complete ! :) You can easily tell if you have successfully networked your computers by clicking on the “Network Neighborhood” icon on your desktop, and then clicking on the name that you have given your workgroup, to see all of the computers in your network listed by the name that you gave them. This may take a few seconds for their names to appear, but when they do, you have successfully configured your network!
Setup for the Internet You are now ready to configure the router to customize your particular networks needs, such as Intrusion Detection (Firewall), Security Logs that can record attempts to gain access to your network, DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) which will allow you to put a computer exposed to the internet, outside of the firewall protection, as some internet games don’t work well behind a firewall, Virtual Server Settings, Special Application Settings, Client Filter Settings, NAT (Network Address Translation) making your network invisible to the internet, Set Time Zone, Change Password, Remote Management… This information is explained in the User Guide, although it has complete instructions and screen shots to tell you how to set up each function, it could have went into a bit more detail on each function, why you would need it and such… Still, it has the information needed for even a beginner to be able to follow. All of these options are accessible and explained by merely typing 192.168.2.1 into you browser, as we did earlier before we had our computers networked, type “Admin”, and follow the onscreen instructions.
User Reviews/Comments:
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davisre - 2006-06-05 20:07
I just bought this router as a trial run before installing in my wife's small business. We were most interested in the greater range and hopefully immunity to drop outs while walking from room to room with her X41 tablet. It does seem to meet that goal, since the signal is much stronger than my previously installed router, a Netgear WGT624, throughout the house. However, I ran into one problem that you should know about. It does not seem to implement VPN correctly. I need to use (and had been using) the AT&T Network Client to tunnel into my firewalled intranet at work. I wasn't able to get the Belkin to work.
Right now as a temp solution, I am playing around with daisy-chaining the two together, with the Netgear attached to the Cable Modem, and the Belkin connected to it. The default IP for the Belkin being 192.168.2.0/255.255.255.0 and the default for the Netgear, 192.168.0.0/255/255/255/0 made that a no-brainer! And it nominally works, I can surf from the farthest reaches of the house on the Belkin, and for work switch to the Netgear. However, my daughter , who spends long hours on the internet, complains that it periodically drops connection. She is hardwired to port one on the Netgear. Maybe the backdoor traffic from the Belkin is tying things up. I have notes in to Belkin support to see if they can resolve the VPN problem, and maybe I will just go with a single router connection. By the way, I do have the latest version hardware and firmware. V2.
While it does work and will transmit signal, it does frequently drop connection to the Cable modem very regularly. We have 3 computers hooked to it, all hard wired with nothing else between like switches or hubs etc... and it just can t hold a connection. We have tried all kinds of settings and talked to Belkin also tryin to fix the problem, but neither were succesful. Definetly do not buy this product!! It will drive you crazy!!! We actually ended up buying a Netgear which worked great for a couple years and one of the ports blew on it so we actually had to go back to this thing and use it as a switch...which it works fine for that purpose!!! lol... hope this helps the people on the fence out there. \m/
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