Belkin N1 Vision Router

For the purpose of testing, we used an HP DV6700 laptop and a Dell Inspiron 1525 with N support. We divided the test into simple parts. In the first test, we tested file transfer speeds using a directory consisting of three folders of 1.5GB ISOs, a directory with 3GB of small files, and a single large 5GB file. In each case the test was done multiple times to achieve accuracy in the result.

In the second test, we simply checked the speed availability that the router offers at maximum distance. On the router side, since it only offers a mixed mode, no extra settings needed to be modified.

The results we got from our file tests were about average. The router achieved a stable throughput of 43Mb which is a bit on the lower side compared to what D-Link and Linksys routers are able to achieve. The good thing is that despite moving around quite a bit, the router was as stable as a rock and the file transfer speeds stayed consistent.

Our second test result was a bit disappointing. Though the router is quite stable in its file transfers and seamlessly steps down, its signal throw (area of reach) proved to be quite poor. At a distance of barely 90-100 feet, the signal had dipped quite a bit and had downshifted well into 802.11g territory. A little more movement and it completely lost the signal. When you compare this with our in-house Linksys WRT310n router, which at the same spot was offering a 50 percent signal, the N1 does cut a sorry figure.

The Belkin N1 Vision router retails for Rs 12,000. In comparison, Linksys offers its entry-level WRT310 model for just Rs 6,900, which can be modded with DD-WRT firmware to gain all the functionality of an enterprise-level Wi-Fi router. This alone makes it difficult to recommend the N1 vision – not only are its file transfer speeds on the lower side, it also does not offer a good network spread.

We would suggest that you look at offerings from Linksys, which can be modded with DD-WRT or D-link’s DL655 series. This offers some of the fastest raw file transfers and widest network spreads that can be obtained from any company today.