Specifications

I
magine if you will, a vendor shipping a product that uses technology
from a wireless standard that doesn’t exist, and won’t for another year
or two. Belkin has done exactly that with its Pre-N router, and while the
results are mesmerizing, they’re also worrisome.
The Pre-N router uses one of the front-runner technologies for the
eventual 802.11n spec, which we expect to see finalized in late 2005 or
2006. The MIMO (Multiple Input, Multiple Output) technology uses multiple
antennas to maximize bandwidth, but there’s a catch. The working group
developing 802.11n is considering an alternative technology that’s incom-
patible with a MIMO approach, so there’s a strong possibility this router
will not be firmware upgradable to the final 802.11n spec. In fact, not even
Belkin is promising future compatibility.
During testing, the Pre-N adapter card performed about 10Mb/s faster
than any pure 802.11g hardware we’ve tested. That’s pretty good, but
there’s a downside: In pure 802.11g mode, the router tested significantly
slower than the Buffalo router reviewed on the facing page.
On the plus side, Belkin’s router features a unique fix for a problem that
plagues other routers. Usually when you connect a legacy Wi-Fi card to
a high-speed router—for example an 802.11b card to an 802.11g router—
everything connected to the access point drops to the lowest common
speed. The Pre-N has multiple receivers and transmitters, so every device
connected can run at full speed all the time. In the ideal world, we’d see
this sort of functionality from everyone’s access points.
The bottom line on the Belkin Pre-N is that it’s a frustrating mix of
good and bad features. If you shell out for Pre-N adapters for all of your
wireless machines, you’ll
have the fastest wireless
connection you can buy—at
least until the real 802.11n
hardware ships. But if you
don’t use Pre-N clients, you’ll
probably be better off with a
faster, pure 802.11g router.
—WILL SMITH
It’s fast, and doesn’t drop everyone to a slower
speed when old Wi-Fi hardware connects.
WIRELESS NETWORKING
WIRELESS BUNGIE JUMPING
Uncertain future and 802.11g performance isn’t
as good as with dedicated 802.11g routers.
$160, www.belkin.com
7
MAXIMUMPC
VERDICT
Belkin Wireless Pre-N Router
Advanced functionality and high speeds,
but will it work in 12 months?
Our test file is a 724MB MPEG4 encoded video file.
BENCHMARKS
802.11g pre-N mode
Wired to wireless (min:sec) 6:47 3:05
Wireless to wired (min:sec)
4:38 2:59
The three antennas on the Belkin
Pre-N Wireless Router aren’t just
for show; they’re part of the MIMO
scheme that allows the router to
reach the highest transfer speeds
the Lab has ever seen.