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Belkin Surf Wireless N300 Router BEF7D2301 Officeworks, $19 Instore Only

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Belkin Surf Wireless N300 Router BEF7D2301 Officeworks, $19 Instore Only
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lzwdavid on 10/09/2012 - 00:19 officeworks.com.au (1985 clicks)
Last edited 10/09/2012 - 11:04

Was $29 before: http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/78221
It's not the best N300 router, but for $19, still worth a try.
Check availability before you go.

I checked online, some left in Clayton Vic and some store in Sydney. Didn't check other places.

ADD:
Note: I used this N300 before and using N150 now, NO repeater or bridge mode supported. But you can set this router as a pure AP mode as I did.

My experience with this router is I prefer use a fix channel (no auto channel selection, no big conflict with your neighbor's channel), normally I set it to channel 2 or 7 or 9 etc. The reason I did this is I found that if you set is as auto channel selection, when the router try to change channel itself, the wireless will stuck and stop working. Set it as fix channel, it will work perfectly, but DON'T set it to a HOT channel like 1, 6, 11.

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  • FairCrack on 10/09/2012 - 00:22

    I got this from Harvey Norman at the same price recently. Have been super happy. Installed on at my parents too. they were very glad. Runs well.

  • GreenLego on 10/09/2012 - 00:54

    My modem/router is in the study and is too far to give decent wireless coverage in the lounge room. My lounge room is hard wired via cat5. Can I use this Belkin to give me an access point in the lounge?

    • bentan77 on 10/09/2012 - 01:21
      +3

      You should be able to just disable the DHCP server

    • pb924 on 10/09/2012 - 08:57
      +1

      just set it up with the same SSID name and password as your existing wifi router and a different channel and disable DHCP as bentan77 says. I use three wifi routers in my home.

      • [Deactivated] on 06/10/2012 - 20:21

        try putting them on channels seperated by at least 5 other channels, it's recommended to use 1,6,11 because channels next to each other i.e. 1,2 interfere with each other.

  • jamesvtre on 10/09/2012 - 01:33

    how do i connect this up to my current netgear modem/ router. I'm only getting 54mbps speed from the description it says speeds up to 300mbps is this speed achievable, if so that will a big improvement.

    • doperst on 10/09/2012 - 01:58
      +2

      300mbps for 802.11n (as well as 54mbps for 802.11g) is the speed in some ideal world.
      In real conditions you will be lucky to get 30% of it.

    • jong on 10/09/2012 - 02:25
      +1

      You buy an "Ethernet" cable, and you plug it between your existing modem and this thing. There will be a manual that comes with the Belkin to help set it up.

      Whatever wireless devices you have will also need to have 802.11n network cards, otherwise you won't see any benefit (both ends of the connection have to be talking at 300mbps)

      • g12345567 on 10/09/2012 - 08:23

        Max speed: 300mbps for wireless devices, 100mbps for wired devices.

      • Vallani on 10/09/2012 - 09:33

        I am thinking of getting one of these and connecting it to an ethernet over power adaptor. Will that work?

        • poxy001 on 10/09/2012 - 11:07

          yes, but why not just use the wifi?

        • Vallani on 10/09/2012 - 11:16

          The wifi signal on my modem/router is too weak to reach the living room, so my plan is to use this router in the living room, connecting it to the modem via the eop adaptor.

      • aussieaubs on 10/09/2012 - 12:46

        you cannot bridge this as " NO repeater or bridge mode supported"….

        just swap it out for the router you currently have and edit the ADSL settings in it and youre away…

  • ca6leguy on 10/09/2012 - 07:49

    There's quite a number of bad reviews on this model. Is it generally that bad?

  • jazoom on 10/09/2012 - 08:51
    +2

    I had a Belkin Share modem/router. It was rubbish. On a positive note, Belkin was very good with giving me a replacement (which I immediately sold off, being sure it would also be junk).

    • Elijha on 10/09/2012 - 10:28

      I can't comment on this item, but my history with their router/modems is also quite bad. Had to reset them constantly, high volume traffic would choke it (locally), the wifi would be visible but not authenticate and its webpage interface was very slow - felt like I was actually using a webpage online.

  • wortho on 10/09/2012 - 09:16

    Anyone tried it with WDS to extend wifi coverage without wires. The main router must support WDS of course.

    • Dave1988 on 10/09/2012 - 09:24

      not sure about Belkin routers have support for dd-wrt and tomato custom firmwares but these firmwares provide wds support many more features ….just do some research on them….

      • bentan77 on 10/09/2012 - 09:49
        +1

        It's not listed on the supported devices wiki page. If you want a cheap router that supports DDWRT and Tomato there's the Asus RT N10U that costs under $30 if you have a Umart near you, it also has a USB port.

    • pb924 on 10/09/2012 - 10:02

      WDC can be problematic using different brand routers. I use TP-Link WR1043ND with one set as a WDC extender connected to a TV, bluray and WD-TV. Works great but I read lots of sad stories of people trying to connect different-brand gear. Apparently Apple gear is the worst at playing nice with other brands.

  • Dave1988 on 10/09/2012 - 09:20
    +1

    damn i bought Belkin n150(150mbps speed) for same price 2 months back …

    • lzwdavid on 10/09/2012 - 09:46

      Same…..:(

  • whiskey299 on 10/09/2012 - 09:36

    Bought two of these units when they were on sale at Harvey Normal. One has died and the other one is still running. Not the best device but ok as an additional hotspot for the black spots in the house

  • aedeau on 10/09/2012 - 10:06

    excellent, been waiting for this since the last deal. Except this time QLD stores actually have stock!!!

  • hallo123 on 10/09/2012 - 10:10

    "not the best N300 router"

    OK, dumb question: what's a N300 router? (wince)

    • siuol on 10/09/2012 - 10:21
      +2

      N300 is the shorthand of Wireless-N running at 300Mbit/s
      Note that it is 300Mbit/s, not 300MB/s

      In theory it is 37.5MB/s. HOWEVER, no way it will be running at this speed. At most, the router will run at 8-9MB/s for file transfer (subject to distance and compatibility to the chip sets etc) with your device which is also running a N300 compatible network card.

      What are the others wireless-N router available?
      N150 (the worst), N450, N600 (through 2 spectrum - 2.4Ghz/5Gz, require matching network card) and N750 (Similar to N600)… N900

      In short, N300 is basically enough for normal usage.

  • jefrileang on 10/09/2012 - 10:25

    can I use it as a bridge?

    • lzwdavid on 10/09/2012 - 10:52

      NO. But you can set this router as a pure AP mode, with fix channel(no auto channel selection, no conflict with your neighbor's channel), it will work perfectly.

  • heyh on 10/09/2012 - 10:30

    Does it support Wireless repeater(Bridge or Wireless AP) function? I want to extend my wireless network of my home.
    Thanks

    • lzwdavid on 10/09/2012 - 10:54

      NO repeater or bridge mode. But you can set this router as a pure AP mode. And personally I prefer use a fix channel (no auto channel selection, no conflict with your neighbor's channel), normally I set it to channel 2 or 7 etc.

      • ranma on 10/09/2012 - 11:26

        lzwdavid, sorry if I can also ask, what's the difference between repeater/bridge and access point mode? We've got a three storey terrace house and the actual wireless modem is on the first floor. So the 3rd floor rooms have very weak signals - if I got this will it help?

        • lzwdavid on 10/09/2012 - 11:48
          +1

          Base my knowledge in short words, bridge mode and repeater mode allow you extend your existing wireless without Ethernet cable, with AP mode you have to use an Ethernet cable to extend your existing wireless(by setting two wireless in same SSID and password but in different channel). With this router, you may choose an Ethernet cable or a pair of Ethernet over power adapter through your 1st to 3rd floor and set this router in AP mode in 3rd floor.
          Kind reminding: do not set it in auto channel selection, it will stuck it self when wireless conflict happens, and do not set it on HOT channel（1，6，11） either.

        • ranma on 10/09/2012 - 11:51

          Thanks! Appreciate it.

        • Twisty on 10/09/2012 - 16:19

          Thanks for that, just answer my question too. I will connect it via ethernet from my main modem to this one and it will boost my wifi signal. Can you tell me tho, will the ethernet ports still work on this modem when in AP Mode as well as boosting wifi signal?

          Will it have green solid light or the amber flashing light i read about when doing this?

        • bbyboy on 10/09/2012 - 16:27

          the eop method should work but you need to remember eop only works on the same circuit

        • heyh on 10/09/2012 - 21:16

          Appreciate your quick answer. Can it connect to my existing d-link modem/router via wireless not Ethernet cable and work as an AP?

        • bbyboy on 10/09/2012 - 23:44

          yes

    • miztadave on 10/09/2012 - 12:04

      Deleted

      My comment related to the Belkin N300 not the Surf N300

  • yeohkt on 10/09/2012 - 11:14

    good price . BEF7D2301 work with DD-WRT ?

    • bbyboy on 10/09/2012 - 11:23

      no

  • gorzilla on 10/09/2012 - 11:30

    I got the N600 (Belkin Play Max Wireless Modem Router F7D4401au) which is better than this model but I still got to say it's pretty frustrating that the connection and wireless connectivity isn't that great and it drops out for no reason… Took me 30 mins to tweak the settings, etc. this morning to get it working again

    • lzwdavid on 10/09/2012 - 11:52

      Try set fix channel to 2 or 7 or 9 etc, DON'T set it to a HOT channel like 1, 6, 11.

      • retiredfeline on 10/09/2012 - 11:59
        +4

        A useful free tool to get is inSSIDer which maps the channels in use around you so you can pick a less congested one.

        • EnALup on 10/09/2012 - 13:33

          Thanks, I will try this one for my existing router.

        • Daniel15 on 10/09/2012 - 13:41

          I've got a Fritz!Box WLAN 7390 and it has something similar inbuilt. It automatically scans the wifi channels and picks one that isn't very congested by default. Also shows which channels are in use (like inSSIDer does). Very handy.

      • PotPlant on 10/09/2012 - 16:58

        What is a HOT channel? Explained simply? Thanks

        • lzwdavid on 10/09/2012 - 20:52

          inSSIDer is a great tools to shows how this works. Just check the video in this link: http://www.metageek.net/products/inssider/

        • bbyboy on 10/09/2012 - 23:47
          +1

          i think he means by channels thats set as default or popular channels, choose something less used to reduce interference

  • moof05 on 10/09/2012 - 11:31

    Wonder if you can open it and add external antennas to get better WIFI range. Would void warranty, but for $19 worth a shot :-)

    • lzwdavid on 10/09/2012 - 11:51

      It already has two Internal antenna.

  • CuteBirdy on 10/09/2012 - 12:05

    Too many poor reviews, I think it's only worth $10.

    • quarrymaster on 10/09/2012 - 12:16

      So you are saying you'd value your potential frustration and hair pulling at $9? :)

      • CuteBirdy on 10/09/2012 - 16:14

        Yes :) that is one way of looking at it!

        But I suppose I was thinking, this router is worth $20 if it works perfectly, the risk of it stuffing up is about 50% judging from the reviews, which means $10 is an acceptable gamble. But not $19.

  • nickolanda on 10/09/2012 - 14:28

    Just bought one of these, great buy for $19.

    Set it up in AP mode but the belkin doesn't think it has an internet connection (as nothing is connected to the WAN port). It isn't a problem as the internet does actually work via it, however there is the annoying orange flashing light.

    Anyone got a way around this?

    • ranma on 10/09/2012 - 16:09

      Hold up, so it's working more like a bridge/repeater? Meaning you don't have an ethernet cable connected to it, yet it's picked up your original wireless network's signal/internet? (damn this networking stuff is confusing :S)

      • nickolanda on 10/09/2012 - 16:48
        +1

        Nup not working as a bridge/repeater…sorry should have clarified.

        When running it in AP mode you connect the Ethernet to a LAN port as opposed to the WAN port. Therefore, with nothing connected to the WAN port, the belkin doesn't think it has an internet connection (even though it does via the LAN port).

        Essentially in "AP Mode" it's like a 4 port 10/100 + wireless switch.

    • fLaMePrO on 10/09/2012 - 17:04

      You can turn off the LED in the router settings.

      • lzwdavid on 10/09/2012 - 20:58

        May I ask where? I cannot find the LED setting.

        • bbyboy on 10/09/2012 - 23:49

          you can just use a sticker

  • Twisty on 10/09/2012 - 15:55

    When using this as a Access Point to Boost the WiFi, does it need to be connect to the main Modem / Router Via Eathernet Cable or wifi?

    Also will the ethernet ports still work while the router is boosting my wifi?

    • bbyboy on 10/09/2012 - 23:53

      this will NOT boost your wifi. with this router you MUST use an ethernet cable to use as an ap. go get the dlink

  • aboutconfig on 10/09/2012 - 16:16

    I got some F7D7301 v1 "Share Max", anyone interested?
    300N, Broadcom, 480MHz, 64MB RAM, 8MB ROM, 2 USB2.0, Giga network, etc

    K7SF7D3301V1
    Broadcom BCM4718@480
    64MB RAM
    8MB ROM
    SOC
    b/g/n - 1 1
    4 LAN 1 WAN
    12v 1.5A
    2x USB 2.0, GBit WAN&LAN
    DDWRT v24 SP2 K2.6 15337

    • fLaMePrO on 10/09/2012 - 16:58

      …You're selling these? Details please :)

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