Belkin offers new routers from $40 to $130

Belkin has announced its new line of wireless routers, starting at $40 and topping out at $130. The company says the new models are high-performance networking solutions that can handle all your wireless devices in the home, from smartphones and tablets to Internet TVs and gaming consoles.

All of Belkin's new routers feature MultiBeam, a technology the company claims provides greater throughput at greater distances – higher data rates, faster speeds, and stronger wireless signals throughout the home. Each router also features Belkin's Easy Setup, which gets you from the router box to online in three steps, and pre-configured encryption settings for built-in wireless security.

Here are the five new routers and how they differ from each other:

• Belkin N150 Wireless Router (F9K1001, $40): wireless speeds of up to 150 Mbps, wireless coverage at twice the speed of G technology, Easy Setup, and preset security
• Belkin N300 Wireless N Router (F9K1002, $50): wireless speeds of up to 300 Mbps, Easy Setup, preset security, and a Self-Healing App to detect network problems
• Belkin N450 Wireless N+ Router (F9K1003, $70): wireless speeds of up to 450 Mbps, Gigabit for ultra-fast file sharing, Easy Setup, preset security, and a Self-Healing App to detect network problems
• Belkin N600 DB Wireless Dual Band N+ Router (F9K1102, $80): wireless speeds of up to 300Mbps (2.4Ghz) plus 300Mbps (5Ghz), simultaneous dual-band operating on 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands, one USB port for wireless printing or storage, a Video Mover App for wireless streaming of video content throughout the house, a Print Zone App allows you to print from anywhere in the home, a Memory Safe App that automatically backs up files to your external hard drive, Easy Setup, preset security, and a Self-Healing App to detect network problems
• Belkin N750 DB Wireless Dual Band N+ Router (F9K1103, $130): wireless speeds of up to 300Mbps (2.4Ghz) plus 450Mbps (5Ghz), simultaneous dual-band operating on 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands, two USB ports for more media sharing or wireless printing, a video mover App for wireless streaming of video content throughout the house, a Print Zone App allows you to print from anywhere in the home, a Memory Safe App automatically backs up files to your external hard drive, Easy Setup, preset security, and a Self-Healing App to detect network problems

The Belkin N150, the Belkin N300, and the Belkin N600 DB are available now in the US at major retailers while the Belkin N450 and the Belkin N750 DB (picture above) will be available mid-May. As you can see above, the two most expensive ones (Belkin N600 DB for $80 and Belkin N750 DB for $130) feature dual-band channels to eliminate interference and optimize performance for bandwidth-intensive applications such as HD video streaming. The most expensive model is still cheaper than Netgear's top-of-the-line router, which we covered earlier this week.

"As people add more connected devices to their home network and the demand for streaming high-definition movies, downloading music, playing games, and sending emails continues to increase, a router that can manage these connections is essential to unlock the true potential of your electronic family," Mike Chen, Belkin's General Manager for Networking, said in a statement. "Belkin's newest routers are designed to give you the strongest Internet signal at the farthest distance in your home so your devices work where you live, not where your router lives."


Source