Thought I'd pass along to the group my initial experience with a Belkin pre-n system. I have the pre-n router, a desktop card (which is really a PCI card with an adapter built into it for a wireless PC card to fit into), and a notebook card for my Dell Inspiron laptop.
The setup was incredibly easy. Most other networks I've set up have been Linksys, mostly because I'm familiar with their configuration utilities. The Belkin router software starts with a wizard that basically sets up everything automatically on a cable system (I'm sure there'd be a little more user input on a DSL/PPPoE setup, but not much). There is new software online for the network and desktop cards, which I'd highly recommend using (self-extracting zip file that winds up being identical to the "shipping" CD's except for updated drivers). I set up the system with WPA, which requires you to use Windows Wireless Zero Configuration Service to manage the connection (the only thing I found surprising/disappointing).
While I didn't experience speeds and ranges that approached the estimates given on the box (6 to 8 times better than 802.11g), I did get both better range and throughput than I got on my previous Linksys Wireless A/B network. On that network I could sometimes get 30 mbps on the "A" network (but usually in the 20's), but the range was limited to about 1 room away. The "B" side was good for 6-7 mbps but had good range. On this system, I can get 100% signal on a room that is one floor up and slightly horizontal from the router, if the desktop is oriented properly, which is challenging with the card sticking out of the back of the machine, which in turn normally backs up into my desk. Even with it just shoved into its normal spot, a 70% signal is normal. Depending on how I position the desktop, throughput ranges from the high 30's to the low 40's, which I consider pretty good. My laptop now works in areas of the house that it never worked in, getting a
50% signal in the farthest reaches. It consistently delivers 25+ mbps even in the weak signal areas where "A" wasn't even an option. My guestimate is that range might be 100% better, but I haven't tried a scientifically valid experiment to verify.I think there's probably more speed available through tweaking some settings. I've played with a few briefly, but so far they mostly seem to be range/speed trade-offs.
All-in-all, I'm very pleased. The network is fast enough and reliable enough for me to be able to do full system backups across the network, which is my toughest requirement. Streaming video and games seems to be excellent thus far as well. A little less puffery on their numbers and having their own software manage the connection with WPA on the notebook/desktop machines are the only significant shortcomings I see thus far.
Questions, comments, and others' experiences are welcome.