Belkin Surf N150 review

Belkin’s Surf N150 has a minimalist design with a single indicator light to let you know if you’re connected to the internet or if there’s a problem. It doesn’t have a built-in modem, so ADSL subscribers will need to buy a separate Ethernet-port-equipped ADSL modem. The version with built-in ADSL (part code F7D1401UK) is £53 from www.dabs.com.

Belkin’s setup guide is clear and simple, and ideal for novice users. We opened the box to find the power and RJ45 cables already plugged into the back of the Surf N150, with small tags on each telling us what to connect them to. A CD in the box contains a Windows utility which sets up security and internet access.

Once the setup process is complete, the utility still runs in the background but it offers nothing more except links to the router’s web interface, so we uninstalled it. Belkin’s web interface is clear and easy to navigate, with options logically organised into groups such as LAN Setup, Internet WAN, Wireless, Firewall and Utilities.

The Surf N150 has most of the common options we’d expect to find on a router, but it does lack some features, such as QoS, so you can’t prioritise certain types of traffic on your network. It also lacks many of the features found on more expensive Belkin routers such as the Best Buy award-winning Belkin Play Max N600 HD, including Music Mover and Memory Safe, but these aren’t particularly useful.