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11Mbps wireless cable/dsl router
from Belkin
Score: 3 out of 3
Review Type: Hands On
Reviewer: Chris Kaminski
Date: Jan 16, 2002
Firmware: 1.0
 Belkin brings
us a well rounded cable/dsl router called the F5D6230-3 with 802.11b, good application
support and a fantastic street price (check for yourself!). Although only on version
1.0 of their firmware, Belkin seems to have gotten it right with solid network application
support, a good firewall and flexible 802.11b encryption keys. A lifetime warranty
and 24 hr free technical support round out this package to make it a hit.
The F5D6230-3 router is Belkin’s second cable/dsl router. It does not feature
the bold progressive styling of its wired brother, instead opting for a more conservative
classic look. It is however much smaller than its wired counterpart.
Basic Specs:
NAT based cable/dsl router
3 RJ-45 10/100 Ethernet ports
802.11b 11Mbps wireless Ethernet
VPN Passthrough
SPI firewall
Setup and Administration
Administration is done through a web based interface. The user interface is clear
and uncluttered and type of setup wizard guides you through the initial configuration
of the router. Remote administration can be enabled and even restricted to a single
remote IP address.
Wireless
Belkin made wireless encryption a snap to set up by allowing HEX or ASCII (passcode)
based security. Since some vendors force the use of hex based codes and others only
use passcodes, encryption setup between different manufacturers devices becomes
easy. The addition of MAC address restrictions can further enhance wireless security.
Two omni-directional antenna’s mounted on the back of the router allow for
better reception than the single ‘PCCard’ wireless routers but neither
antenna is removable (read, harder to hack in better antennas)
Application Support
It’s pretty rare to see a router do NetMeeting passthrough and VPN IPSEC passthrough
in a version 1.0 product right out of the box but I tested this router with both
applications and they worked with NO additional setup. What does that mean? Many
routers require you to place the ‘calling’ computer for these applications
in the DMZ(un-secured area). That is because the applications talk TCP/IP in a fairly
complex way. To get a NAT router to function with these apps properly, like this
router, the router must be programmed to recognize these applications and handle
them specially. Of course, the router also supports Port Forwarding for running
virtual servers and also has a ‘triggered applications’ area to setting
up advanced or tricky internet applications.
Sample Admin Screens
Missing in action
SNMP trap or syslog network security logging
Backup/restore router configuration
Better outgoing security: Group computers by mac address instead of IP, then set
outgoing filters by group.
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