Since I'm an unapologetic cheap bastard, I tend to squeeze the maximum value out of my dollar. I needed a wireless router for two reasons -- to connect my Nintendo Wii to the Internet and to use my laptop computer from work at home. After looking at a few routers, I ran across this Belkin Wireless G product for a mere $40. The low price kind of alarmed me, but I decided to take a chance on it (besides, I kept my receipt and could always return it if it didn't work).

Fortunately, this Belkin router suits my needs perfectly. Upon removing it from the box, I was surprised at how small it was -- it's a tiny box with some LEDs on a front panel and one dinky antenna. I worried about signal strength, but went ahead and set everything up and hoped for the best. Setting this up involved the simple process of plugging in the router with the provided AC adapter, running the Ethernet cable from my DSL modem to the modem, connecting a provided Ethernet cable to one of the four slots reserved for "wired" computers and then attaching the other end of that cable to my computer.

Get the thing talking to my computer was easy enough thanks to the provided CD that steps novices like me through the process. Getting the router setup for my Internet service and establishing a secured network was fairly simple, too, thanks to a combination of the helpful CD and the Belkin user manual (I hate that it was a PDF that was on the installation disc, but I'm not complaining because the price was so low). At any rate, everything was up and running pretty quickly.

By the way, the setup disc doesn't appear to install a bunch of specialized drivers that hog up system resources. It seems to work very well with the drivers that are already built into Windows XP, and Belkin claims it plays nice with Windows Vista, Windows 2000 and Mac OS, too. It's Wi-Fi compatible, to boot.

The true test, of course, involved both signal strength throughout my house and how fast the router communicated with wireless devices. The signal strength ranges from "good" to "excellent" throughout my home -- a bit of a surprise considering how small this unit is. And, it communicates at a reliable 54 Mbps -- more than fast enough for my needs (yes, more money gets you a faster router, but the Belkin will work out fine for the foreseeable future).

The only thing I do with this thing is share my Internet connection with my Wii and my laptop. The router allows me to share my connection with both the Wii and the laptop with ease and I particularly appreciate the fact I can use my laptop anywhere in my home. The router is located in roughly the center of my house with my computer in the utility room. Belkin claims this little gem provides up to 400 feet of wireless coverage and I'm inclined to believe it -- the signal weakens in the areas of my home located far from the house, but that's no problem for me.

Connecting both the Wii and the laptop was easy -- both devices have wireless communications built into them, so communicating with the router simply involved choosing my network from those in range and typing in my "network key" (a password that I chose).

The most impressive "test" I've put the router through involves streaming music to my Wii through the Winamp Remote application running on my "wired" computer. Yes, the Belkin performs well in that I get no signal loss and the music streams continuously, quickly and accurately (a lot of infuriating buffering would have sent me back to the store looking for a new router in a hurry). It's great to get those MP3s out of the utility room and running through my surround sound system by way of the Wii -- an ability that makes this system worth the money I paid for it.

Meanwhile, having the ability to hook my laptop from work up to this system is great as it means I can check my office e-mail, work on projects (the laptop is docked in my office and serves as my primary computer) and etc. Considering the reliability, speed and signal strength of the Belkin, I'd wager this little unit would come in very handy for small businesses.

On the back of the box this router came in, Belkin claims that up to 32 computers can get in the wireless network supported by the router and share music, files, printers, hard drives and a broadband internet connection. I can't say whether any of that works or not as I just use it to share an Internet connection and it works very well for that purpose.

Considering my limited requirements for a wireless router, I'd say the Belkin is simply ideal for me. An extra $10 to $20 will get you a faster router, certainly, but I'm very pleased with this simple, idiot-proof Belkin.


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 40
Driver Availability: Windows, Linux, and Mac

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