Customer Reviews
F5D8053 cannot connect to Kyocera KR2 
2008-09-05
bought one from BestBuy for $80.
bought another one from Fry's.
bought another model N1 Mimo which was $99.
so, i have 3 of the Belkin USB wi-fi.
don't mind about the price if it works but it doesn't.
the Belkin cannot connect to Kyocera KR2.
i spent several days troubleshoot both KR2 and 8053.
finally, the conclusion is the Belkin doesn't work.
EQUIPMENT FOR TESTING:
two Dell Dimension 3000 runs XP Home SP3
Toshiba U205 laptop runs on XP Pro SP2
HP laptop DV5000 and DV6000 runs on XP Home SP2
eMachine runs on XP Home SP3
Dell Dimension 4550 runs on XP Pro SP3
two HP iPaq 6945 PDA
two HP iPaq 3715 PDA
one HP iPaq 910c PDA
TROUBLESHOOTING TECHNIQUE:
the PDA and laptop has a built-in wi-fi.
i used those to connect to the Kyocera KR2 router.
this determined that the KR2 wireless capability is working fine.
the router security features are temporarily disabled for this testing.
there's no anti-virus programs on any of the PCs.
Microsoft firewall also has been disabled for this testing.
all the PCs have a built-in NIC.
NIC works fine when connected to the KR2 port.
only one computer used to connect to the KR2 with the Belkin.
both Belkin and KR2 used the latest driver as posted on their website.
the distance between the router and Belkin is about 5 feet.
NIC on the PC is disabled while trying to setup the Belkin.
first, tried the Belkin utility software.
no luck.
then, disabled the Belkin util software and used Microsoft wireless software.
no luck either.
tried with the laptops.
disabled all the laptops NIC and built-in wi-fi while trying to configure Belkin.
no luck either.
remember, the built-in wi-fi on the laptop works fine with the KR2.
and i don't use any anti-virus or firewalls on any of my computers.
my philosophy is that there's no need for HIV test if you only sleep with your spouse.
after several days couldn't get the Belkin to work, i contacted their tech support.
talked to LEVEL 1 for 2 hour.
then, escalated to LEVEL 2 for another hour.
then, the LEVEL 2 said LEVEL 3 will call me back.
i waited for that phone call.
never happens.
i called them, gave the ticket #.
never get a hold of LEVEL 3.
to make long story short, if you're looking for a USB wi-fi capability, Belkin is not your answer.
i tried their top of the line product, the N and N1 series.
none of them work.
i'm a believer in high price means quality product.
that's why i don't mind paying $100 for the N1 series.
CONCLUSION:
i owned a lot of Belkin surge protectors.
just recently updated to APC Battery backup with surge protector.
after this experience and the experience with their tech support staff, i won't purchase another Belkin product nor would i recommend this to any of my clients until Belkin gets their act together.
next move?
i will try PCI wi-fi instead.
technically, USB amperage is too low for great reception.
low power translates to weak signal.
USB is a trade-off between convenient and functionality.
anyhow, check out other products review on my personal website.
these are the products that i owned and used daily.
updates (if any) will be available on my personal website: sokhaDotCom
Terrible product and terrible service 2008-08-12
Please never buy Belkin product. I had terrible experience. They sent me a fault device and took me almost a week now still not able to get it resolved for me. Their technical support and customer guys are absolutely helpless and hopeless. Please learn from my experience and never but their products. Please tell your friends this as well
Connection is very bad 2008-07-28
the wireless N USB was kinda cool because its so easy to install. But the actual connection is weak. I later compared my wireless laptop and the desktop which was connected to the wireless USB. the result was interesting, my laptop had 100% connection while the wireless usb remained the same 10% connection or no connection at all.
I highly recommend against buying this.
Strong signl, but becomes idle after sometimes 
2008-05-27
The adapter always shows good or very good signal.
But, suddenly it becomes idle. the blue light becomes static, it does not blink & there are no date received or sent at that time. If you ping some website & monitor it activity, you can see that after sometimes it shows "request times out". It starts working automatically after 1 mins or so, sometimes more than that. So, this is really annoyimg.
It is also sensitive to the distance & the position of the router.
Great speed, signal, and no software problems 
2008-04-24
My old adapter couldn't handle the distance and number of walls--poor signal and slow speeds. I installed this Belkin adapter a couple of months ago. Unlike other reviewers experiences, the installation went smoothly and the software has played well with my computer so far. No problems with installation, hibernation, or glitchy software. The signal strength is excellent and the speed is about 6 times what I got from my old adapter.
The only thing that remains is seeing how long this gadget lasts.
Excellent product with a sleek design 
2008-03-02
The N Wireless USB Adapter connects your desktop or notebook computer to a wireless network. Providing greater range and faster speeds, N offers an excellent solution for sending large files such as video, music, photos, and documents among the networked computers in your home.Based on the 802.11n draft, N Wireless enables multiple receivers and transmitters to send and receive data using Intelligent MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) spatial multiplexing techniques which greatly increases speed, coverage, and the reliability of the wireless network.
Good Range 2008-01-23
First, let me say I'm no tech, so my comments are more observational than technical. I bought this unit and the matching Belkin N wireless router because of the range touted by N wireless. I installed the router in the basement of my home to service a desktop which is located on the second floor, at the opposite end of the house from the router. The Belkin N wireless adapter gives me a 4/5 signal strength and moves data at about 78 mbps, even though the signal passes through 3 floors and multiple walls. So, it lives up to the claim of excellent range.
On the downside, once installed, the Belkin program manager was unable to "see" the router, even though the Vista network manager could see it and reported the signal as good to strong. I could not connect to the router using the Vista network manager because of a conflict between the Belkin program manager and Vista. Every time I attempted to connect with the Vista network manager, I got the "blue screen of death" and the computer shutdown. Therefore, if you are using Vista with this product, you must go to the Belkin website and download the driver for Vista and install it. In attempting to resolve this problem, I called Belkin support. That effort proved fruitless as the Belkin support team was unaware that a Vista driver was necessary and that Belkin had such a driver available on the Belkin website. So, Belkin technical support was not helpful in resolving the issue. Thankfully, a call to Dell Support pointed me in the right direction.
Once I loaded the driver, however, the Belkin program manager would not recognize the router. The good news is that the driver removed the conflict and the Vista network manager now allows me to connect to the router and surf the internet.
Bottom line is that the hardware works well but the Belkin program manager was for me at best useless and at worst, a source of trouble.
Excellent Signal Strength, but disable the Belkin Software 2008-01-16
I just upgraded from a wireless G PCI card to this USB device. I still have my Wireless G router. My signal strength went from "poor" with old adapter to "excellent" with this device. I would rank this as a 5 star product, but the Belkin software manager is non-functional. It would/could not detect my network. I could not even change any settings in the Belkin program. All of the settings would return to default after you clicked on another field. I repeat, THE BELKIN PROGRAM DOES NOT WORK. Fortunately, it does tell you how to use Window's Built-in Wireless Manager instead of the Belkin program. However, you need the internet to read the help-tip instructions on microsoft.com. I guess the Belkin software turns off the automatic Window's Wireless Manager, so it can replace it's functionality. Like I said, the product works great once you re-activate the Window's Wireless Manager. [...]
Work with Vista 64... with some problems. 2008-01-16
I bought this adapter after trying three different PCI adapters with no success on Vista 64-bit. To my surprise, this adapter connected to my router immediately with an excellent connection after I installed the updated drivers found on the Belkin site. All other connections in the vicinity are also accessible.
However, I can't load any videos and can't initiate an RDP session (with an ActiveX or Citrix box). Not being able to RDP is a major drawback for me since I work from home from time to time. Downloads and games (BF2, Crysis) work fine at 802.11b - I top out at 800kb/s which is about the ceiling for my cable.
Excellent adapter 2007-12-22
The Belkin F5D8053 N adapter is one of the few which will process a 300 bmps signal. The USB cord allows for optimal placement to receive the router signal--especially with the use of powered extension cords. It works well with other brands of routers, also.
