Day before yesterday I came back home to find the lights on my D-Link DWL-2000AP Xtreme G Wireless Access Point completely out. Power connection on both ends was fine so I felt the AC adapter and it was cool, not warm as it normally is, and then I put my nose up close to the adapter and sure enough, I smelt the familiar burnt odor of a failed power supply. So last night I picked up a new AC switchable adapter that supported the 5V, 2.5A rating that the D-Link uses. Lights turned on and started blinking. But I soon found out that the unit itself had problems that were hardware-related. Tried resetting and reconfiguring it and initially, I got some of the web-based config pages to show up (although strangely, some graphic elements were missing, which hinted at more serious problems) and I even changed a few settings (admin password and SSID) but later I was totally unable to connect to it, even after multiple resets. The LAN light just continually flashed on and off.

So tonight I picked up a Belkin High-Speed Mode Wireless G Router (model F5D7231-4) from the helpful and knowledgeable folks, Sam Shum and Eric Chu, at IntelliTech System in the Wanchai Computer Mall (Southorn Centre, just above the Wanchai MTR station). These guys sell all the major wireless broadband brands, including Linksys, D-Link, ZyXEL, 3Com, and Buffalo but have always recommended Belkin for its stability and high-quality drivers. And based on their recommendation, I recommended Belkin to 4 of my friends and colleagues — Greg Li, Patrick Wei, Raymond Leung, and Andy Man — who ended up buying their product and were happy with it. So finally, I myself got a Belkin and just got it set it up and can say that I am totally impressed with their product. Everything from the packaging, printed manual, exterior casing, and through to their web-based configurator is top notch. I can see evidence everywhere of the fine details they took care of (e.g. sticker that seals the bubble packaging that holds the unit and says "STOP: Run the Installation CD-ROM FIRST"). The instructions, explanations, diagrams, and definitions in the manual (and in the web-based configurator) are easy to understand and follow (lots of screen captures and diagrams help!) — definitly one of the best I have ever come across. I also like the "Designed in California" note (just like Apple products!), tastefully printed in small type under the unit. Lifetime warranty (competitors only offer 1-year warranty)! Mac OS 9 and OS X support! Access Point and Wireless Bridge modes! Dynamic DNS, Parental Control Web Content Filter, and STOPzilla pop-up blocking support! And last but not least, a high-quality Delta AC adaptor!

If you're in the market for a new wireless broadband router, I strongly recommend Belkin over all the rest. And I have had my fair share of experience with broadband routers and wireless devices (access points and wireless network cards and antennas). Before the D-Link I used an Apple AirPort Base Station (1st generation) along with a Linksys broadband router (wired only). Worked with the old WaveLAN and Lucent (now Agere) gear too. I currently have the Belkin in Access Point mode hooked up to my stable and reliable ZyXEL Prestige 314 broadband router (wired only). I have a somewhat fancy setup here at home with basically 3 web servers (2 IP cameras and this PowerBook G4/500MHz running Mac OS X Server 10.3.8 which has served you this very page!) that use different TCP ports (to get around my ISP, PCCW Netvigator, blocking incoming port 80).