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valiant
This is a FAQ for the Belkin F5D7633UK-4a ADSL Wireless Router. I will regularly amend this first post in this thread to reflect any suggested changes. Please.......PLEASE help me out here. My technical knowledge is limited so please feel free to correct any errors/inaccuracies you see by posting to this thread. Maybe, after a few weeks of editing and perfecting, MrSaffron might make this a sticky.
This FAQ refers specifically to the Belkin F5D7633uk4A. If your model number is different then keep in mind that this FAQ may not apply. This FAQ is not a substitute for the manual that came on the CD with your router.
1) What's so special about the Belkin 7633 when used with Bulldog?
2) What's not so special about the Belkin 7633 and why might you want to buy something else?
3) Are there any online reviews of the Belkin 7633?
4) Where is the best/cheapest place to buy the Belkin 7366?
5) What is firmware? What is the latest firmware? Where do I get it?
6) Where can I find the latest manual?
7) What is this 'CLI Tweak' thingy everyone is talking about?
8) Ok, so doing this 'CLI Tweak' is a hassle but how do I go about it? I want more speed!
9) The 'CLI Tweak' gives me better speeds but do I need to go through this hassle every time I turn on (or reboot) my router?
10) What are the undocumented features offered by this router and how do I access them?
11) Are there any alternative (non Belkin) firmware versions? Why would I want them? Why should I avoid them? Where do I get them?
1) What's so special about the Belkin 7633 when used with Bulldog?
The main reason for using this router with Bulldog is that people are finding that they are getting higher speeds (up to 50% higher) than with most other routers. The most likely explanation for this higher speed is that the chipset (the BCM6348) used in this modem is 'more compatible' with the chipset used by Bulldog in its LLU exchanges. Basically, they 'speak with a larger vocabulary of the same language'. The BCM6348 chipset is also considered to be one of the better chipsets available.
If this logic is correct then there should be little or no advantage in using this router if you haven't taken advantage of Bulldog's 'all-in-one' LLU product i.e your telecom provider is BT or otherwise but your ISP is Bulldog.
There ARE other routers that use the same chipset as the Belkin 7633 (e.g. the Netgear DG834GT and Speedtouches 516/536/546/576/585/716, and the v5/v6 revisions of the 510/530 and probably a few others) but there are other faults with these alternative routers that tip the balance in favour of the Belkin when used with highspeed ADSL providers such as Bulldog. Chief among these is the the availability of the 'CLI Tweak' on the Belkin 7633 (see Q7 below)
An additional advantage of the Belkin 7633 (along with a lot of other routers) is its claimed compatibility with the new faster version of ADSL, called ADSL2+. ADSL2+ is currently being trialed by Bulldog but it's likely to be offered to most LLU subscribers in the not too distant future. Buying an ADSL2+ compatible router is likely to give you some 'future proofing'.
Unlike some other ADSL2+ compatible routers the 7633 supports SRA (Seamless Rate Adaptation) which is a facility used on the ADSL2+ platform that changes sync speed on the fly based on your current SNR rather than dropping the connection and resyncing, which happens with current ADSL. See Q10 below for more details.
The actual build quality of the Belkin 7633 is pretty good. Belkins tend to last quite well, which is why they offer the lifetime guarantee.
2) What's not so special about the Belkin 7633 and why might you want to buy something else?
The consensus on the net, in terms of user experience and product reviews, seems to be that the wireless performance of this router is pretty average. It's not the worst by any means but it's not the best. In most cases it will be perfectly adequate for internet access from a wirelessly connected PC; but you are likely to get better performance from some other routers if you need to transfer files on an internal wireless network.
Also, the standard interface offered by this router is VERY VERY basic. It's as though Belkin decided to make this router 'idiot proof' and they removed a lot of functionality that some technically oriented people might find useful. In order to use these extra facilities you have to use a 'backdoor' method of access (see Q10 below).
Belkin's Customer Support is considered to be pretty flakey and their standard of documentation doesn't make up for it.
Belkin are known for the infrequency with which they issue new versions of firmware. So if there's a bug in the current version of the firmware that causes you problems, expect to have to live with it for a while.
3) Are there any online reviews of the Belkin 7633?
(i) http://www.dslzoneuk.net/hw_reviews_adsl_belkin7633.php
4) Where is the best/cheapest place to buy the Belkin 7366?
As always, Google Is Your Friend!. At the time of writing www.pcworld.co.uk and www.ebuyer.co.uk are offering some good deals. Having said that you can often pick one up on Ebay for a knock-down price but beware of people offering 'Buyout' prices on Ebay for more than you can buy it from a retail outlet. Also, although Belkin offer a 'lifetime guarantee' on this router (and they seem to allow you to return it to them direct if anything goes wrong), remember that the provisions of the Sale of Goods Act are more robust if you buy from a 'proper' retailer.
5) What is firmware? What is the latest firmware? Where do I get it?
Firmware is basically the program code that sits inside the router and makes the hardware components 'talk' to each other and any connected PC's. Firmware also includes the program that you run to allow you to change the router's settings. If the firmware doesn't provide a facility then you usually can't access it. Firmware is 'flashable' i.e. you can download a new version of firmware from the Internet and upload it onto your router so that the router will behave differently and/or more efficiently and/or provide you with extra facilities. Usually you should only upgrade your firmware if you have reason to e.g. you have problems; or you hear that it provides a facility you would like to use; or you hear it makes something more efficient.
Upgrading the firmware comes with risks. If, for any reason, the process doesn't complete then your router might be rendered inoperable. In the case of the Belkin 7633, unlike some other routers, this is particularly relevant because Belkin haven't provided any recovery mechanism if things go wrong (e.g....you suffer a power outage or a PC crash during the update process or the firmware you downloaded is corrupt for some reason). In general the risks are worth taking, but in the worst case you may have to send your router back to Belkin to get it reflashed. Read the manual for instructions on how to update the firmware.
The latest firmware version is available from the Belkin UK website . This is version F5D7633-4Av1_UK_1.00.11. Reports from the net and other posts on ADSLGuide suggest that it's well worth upgrading to this firmware. First you should check what firmware you have by using your web browser to navigate to http://192.168.2.1/ and compare the entry under 'Runtime Code version' with the above version.
6) Where can I find the latest manual?
Belkin's corporate professionalism isn't quite up to par and their website and their Customer Support facilities reflect this. A good example of their shambolic Customer Support is this page, which claims to provide a manual for the F5D7633uk4A but actually lists a manual for the F5D7630uk4A (a different model). Currently, the only manual known of is the one provided on the CD that comes with the router. Also, there is no additional documentation for the changes introduced by the latest firmware.
7) What is this 'CLI Tweak' or 'SNR Tweak' thingy everyone is talking about?
One of the advantages of the Belkin 7633 is that something known as the 'Signal to Noise Ratio Margin' (known as the 'SNR Margin') of the line between the router and the local exchange can be changed. Most routers that don't use the Belkin chipset don't allow you to change this value. The lower the SNR Margin the more unstable the line; but (and here's the rub) the higher the speed that you might be able to achieve. By changing the default SNR Margin level that the Belkin 7633 boots up with, you can often get a significant increase in speed; albeit at the cost of your connection's stability. Very often it's possible to lower the SNR Margin and therefore increase the speed you get without compromising the stability of your connection too much. It's a case of trial and error to see how far you can push it.
However, noise levels aren't consistent, and vary wildly between lines. Thus some people get big noise spikes, and a SNR Margin of 10+ may be needed to ride over the larger peaks and retain stability. If you're lucky and get consistently low noise, 2 or even 3 might be fine. There's no real way to tell in advance, so the ISPs just set an average figure that will be stable and error-free for nearly everyone. For shorter lines, that margin is often way too high.
The problem is that Belkin (in their wisdom.....or ineptitude.....you decide) have provided no 'easy' way of changing the SNR Margin using the standard web-based interface. To change it, you have to resort to a different way of communicating with the router called Telnet. On most Windows operating systems Telnet runs in a DOS window (a way of running programs on your PC under Windows that is a kind of flash-back to a time before Windows was ever heard of). Back in the days of DOS there were no mice, no icons and everything you wanted to do had to be laboriously typed out as a complicated command. The interface that allowed you to type these commands was called a Command Line Interface (CLI). Hence the term 'CLI Tweak'; a change you make to the way the router operates that you effect by typing a command in a CLI such as a DOS or Telnet window.
8) Ok, so doing this 'CLI Tweak' is a hassle but how do I go about it? I want more speed!
First you need to navigate to the main web page offered by the Belkin 7633 router.. If that link doesn't work then you've faffed around with the settings on your router and you don't need this FAQ! Have a look at the page that comes up and take note of the 'Downstream, Data Rate'. The maximum value it can be on an 8Mb Bulldog connection is "8025". If the value you are getting is less than that then you may be able to increase it by using the 'CLI Tweak'.
Next you need to bring up the DOS/Telnet window. Click on the 'Start' button (at the bottom left of your desktop) and then click on 'Run'. Clear any characters you see in that window and type 'telnet' and then click on 'Ok'. In the next window type 'open 192.168.2.1'. The window will clear and you'll see a 'Login:' prompt. Type 'admin' and hit <Enter>. Next you'll see "Password:". Just press <Enter> again. You'll now get a flashing cursor next to a '>' symbol. This is the Command Line Interface (CLI) that everyone is talking about! You will now tell the router to try a new SNR value. It's a good idea to start with 30, see how that works out and then if everything is ok repeat the whole process to try a lower number (and maybe get a higher speed). So type the following (exactly) to start:
adsl configure --snr 30
Press <Enter>
Note the value after 'snr'......this is the SNR value you are setting, in this case '30'.
Watch the lights on your router. The two lights on the right-most side will flash and the router will drop the connection to the Internet and 'retrain'. Wait until they're both solid green again.
Leave the 'Telnet' window open and bring up the main settings page of your router (see above and 'refresh' the page if necessary). Has the 'Data Rate' changed (i.e increased)? If it has then use your internet connection for a while to see if it's stable at this new speed. If you don't experience any problems (i.e. the router doesn't lose connection to the internet over a period of sustained use) then you can repeat the above steps, decreasing the value of the SNR by 5 each time i.e. 25, 10, 15 etc. Eventually, probably before you get to zero, you'll find that the connection will become unstable. The previous SNR value is the 'sweet point' you need to remember.
It's also a good idea to do a 'Speed Test' on the ADSLGuide front page every time you change the SNR so you can see if the change has made a significant practical difference to your download speed.
9) The 'CLI Tweak' gives me better speeds but do I need to go through this hassle every time I turn on (or reboot) my router?
Yes and No! Yes, unfortunately the Belkin 7633 'forgets' its SNR setting every time its rebooted or powered on so you need to reset the SNR each time this happens. No, because you can automate the process so all you have to do to regain your top speed is to click on an icon on your desktop. Have a look at this post by 'mr_grinch' which gives instructions for doing just that.
10) What are the undocumented features offered by this router and how do I access them?
As mentioned above, Belkin, in their wisdom, have chosen to provide a very basic control interface for this router. The result is that a number of very useful features are not directly available from the main menu.
It's important to note that for some unfathomable reason the router links below will NOT work unless you have 'signed on' to the router first. If you click one of the links below without signing on you will be asked for a password but the next page will be blank. First you need to open the main menu of the router interface at http://192.168.2.1/ and then click on any of the options requiring log in ('Virtual Servers' is as good as any). Provide the password asked for on the next page and on the subsequent page you can copy any of the links below into the address bar of your browser. It's probably a good idea to add any links you use regularly to your browser 'Favourites'.
1) Dynamic Domain Name Server (a.k.a. 'Dynamic DNS' or 'DDNS').
Router Link: http://192.168.2.1/ddnsmngr.cmd
It's beyond the scope of this FAQ to explain DDNS but a good overview is available at Wikipedia. DDNS is particularly useful to people running servers because Bulldog provides a dynamic IP address to their customers. The Belkin router supports DDNS services from www.dyndns.com (free service) and www.tzo.com (paid service).
2) Event Log
Router Link: http://192.168.2.1/logintro.cgi
This facility provides a useful history of events/errors reported by the router.The configuration page allows you to enable/disable logging and set the level of detail that you would like recorded. The view page displays the contents of the log.
3) SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol)
Router Link: http://192.168.2.1/snmpconfig.html
See an overview of SNMP at Wikipedia
4) Telnet tweaking
Some other features are available by Telneting to the router. Type 'telnet' in the Start/Run window or type 'telnet' in a Dos window. In the Telnet window type 'open 192.168.2.1' and sign-on using 'admin' and a blank password (unless you've set one up). Type 'help' at the prompt for a list of available commands and their syntax. As yet, there doesn't seem to be any documentation available for these commands.
Command: adsl info --stats
Shows extra information over and above that displayed on the 'home' set-up page including MAX ATTAINABLE LINE RATE,
Command: adsl info --SNR
Shows SNR graph data
Does anyone know of any other hidden pages?
11) Are there any alternative (non Belkin) firmware versions? Why would I want them? Why should I avoid them? Where do I get them?
Belkin have released the source code for an older version of the firmware (version 1.00.10). At least one regular contributor to this forum (Tony Hoyle) has taken this code and generated his own version of the firmware. Tony has very kindly made his version available here for anyone who would like to try it out.
The advantage of using this version of the firmware is that you can take advantage of some of the facilities that Tony Hoyle has opened up. See this thread for details.
The disadvantages of using this version of the firmware is that you use it at your own risk. If anything goes wrong you might turn your router into a useless brick. Additionally, strictly speaking, you will invalidate the warrenty on your router (although it's possible that if you ever needed to take advantage of the warranty then you could flash back to a legitimate version of the firmware and there's a half a chance that you'd leave no tell-tale evidence behind).
Edited by valiant (Thu 30-Mar-06 00:41:18)
, never seen that second 1 before, seen the 1st one tho as its available in my modded v10 firmware
cdmz.html