New Belkin router is a Vision to behold

The N1 Vision router lets you view the status of your network right on the router.

(Credit: Belkin)

Belkin announced today the newest member of its N1 family of 802.11n-based networking products--the N1 Vision. Belkin broke the mold of usability with its original N1 router, but the N1 Vision takes it a step further: mounted on the front of the sleek, black router is an interactive network display. The graphical LCD displays information such as your upload/download speed, network bandwidth usage, the number of connected devices on your network, the guest access network key, and the date and time. A four-way rocker key lets you navigate through the available information.

The N1 Vision is compliant with draft 2.0 of the 802.11n spec, which means it's guaranteed to be interoperable with 11n products from other networking vendors and backward compatible with 11g/b products. According to Belkin, setup is "CD-less" and plug-and-play, but as we haven't gotten our hands on the router, we can't comment on that yet. It offers Gigabit Ethernet ports and the latest in wireless security, including WPA and WPA2. The $200 price tag may seem a bit steep, but with other 11n routers such as the D-Link Xtreme N Gigabit router and Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station coming in at $180, it's not too bad considering the extra user-friendly features. The router will be available in late July. Expect to see a review of it shortly after.

[jjayguy23]

That's pretty cool

Hopefully .n will be finalized soon.

[Nunya Bidnez]

and grief to own

Stay away from belchin. They can't even make a decent UPS. My Belkin
F5D7230-4 802.11g router (and 36 other models) was part of a class action
lawsuit it was so crappy. They settled, full refund (if I could find receipt).

[bommai]

D-Link is $120 from Costco and other places

The D-Link Gigabit router with 802.11n (draft 2.0) is $119.95 from Costco.com - I bought one and it works fine. The strength could be better. $200 is too much. I am an Apple fan and even I don't buy the Airport Extreme - just too expensive and it does not even have gigabit wired ports!!

[oxtail01]

Belkin sucks in real task

Isn't it funny how one can write a flowery column on appearance and overlook the terrible reputation of Belkin for producing terible routers (yes, I had one), especially when one is paid to do so.

[smichaelp]

New Belkin N1 Vision is very nice

Purchased the Belkin N1 Vision today at Best Buy. Not a bad price considering the others in this category. The packaging is beauttiful as it reminded me of how Apple would prepare a package. The unit is nice looking and the LCD is useful and readable. The unit is really plug and play as the installation took minutes. The quick start guide included in the box is simple and mentioned nothing of security. I called the 24/7 number on the box and was quickly connected to India and someone that spoke very good English. How nice. Open IE and type in 192.168.2.1 and Viola, your there. Enabled WAP and password and then went down stairs to my HP laptop and searched for available WiFi and clicked on my network. Typed in the key and the signal is very strong and seems faster than my wife's Apple network. All in All, this router is wonderful and simple to use. The LCD is informative and sort of fun to play with as there are a number of screens that display everything from the date and time to what is on the network to the speed of the network. The black color (front only)is easy to fit in with any decor. Why do they give you a gray cable? Oh well. Thanks Belkin, nice product.

[stenspect22]

Were giving one away for free.

Just visit to enter:
http://www.gadgetreview.com/contest/BelkinRouterContest