Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)The Router Reviewed here has a PART number F7D7301 (Red Box) but in reality it is nothing but F7D3301 in disguise (Peeling off the F7D7301 Sticker will reveal that it is a Belkin F7D3301.
Why did I pick this? when there are so many frustrated users who has complained about this router!!!
The main reason is to use this router for a cheap NAS solution, The beauty of this device is that it can natively support NTFS (Read/Write) support using it's 2 USB slots! This opens up a whole world of possibilities, You can connect a USB hub and it can mount multiple HDDs connected (Up-to 2TB each) to the router and share those drives around the house wireless! at 802 11n! speeds!, you can attach a regular USB printer and make it a wireless printer and if you have media sharing devices that you can join the private N Wireless network so all other devices in the house can share media files the list goes on and on...
Agreed with others who commented here on Amazon on the intermittent issue one might encounter, But as I do not use it to connect to Internet, I did not experience any dropout issues. I just use this for Sharing files and media around in the house with a secured PRIVATE home wireless Network.
The Software CD that comes along with the device is useful for people who do not know anything about routers or networking and they have done an excellent job, But If you are networking Guru, you will discard the CD and start tinkering with the device and you can setup a very secure N wireless network in no time.
People complain about not being able to see their shares and need to use the BELKIN provided bloat-ware to map their shared drives? Why? it is so simple to map a network drive if you simply browse your network like for example \\192.168.2.1\ and you will see your shares!
The Belkin F7D7301 (Red Box) can also be DD-WRT'ed (Loading third party Firmware), I attempted that but did not find NTFS Read/Write auto-mount support so I flashed the Factory firmware back from CFE interface.
NAS solutions are not cheap to make, But when you find this router onsale at Big Box stores as well as Amazon it is well worth a try! as they do work!... you just have to have some patience and some Networking knowledge to achieve what you have in mind.
**** Update: FEB 28, 2011 ****
This router has an inherent software bug that causes frequent drop outs and hangs which was bugging me... and I am happy to report that I have finally managed to install DD-WRT open source firmware on this router and it now works like a champ with 100's of new features and is very stable for couple of weeks now!
It also supports 2x 2TB NTFS formatted drives with Read/Write via the NAS interface!! with DD-WRT open source FW very Cool!
Please see comments for details....
Good Luck!
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