Belkin Bows Wireless Interactive Router with LCD Screen

Belkin is introducing a gadget to please computer users with a yen for a “data dashboard” on their routers.

It will ship in the August/September time frame what the company says is a first-of-its-kind consumer-use wireless 802.11n-compatible router that offers interactive access to data on device status, network upload/download speeds – and, by the way, the date and time as well – on a built-in LCD screen.

The vertical design on the N1 Vision Model F5D8232 ($199.99) takes up less space on a desktop and is wall-mountable, according to Jonathan Bettino, the company’s business unit manager for networking. The display uses icons to describe the various devices connected to it, and when an icon blinks, indicating a problem, the unit can be switched into a troubleshooting mode, offering suggestions for possible corrective actions. Also visually trackable are variations in both upload and download speeds, and both figures can be viewed simultaneously, speedometer-style. The device can also show information about which computers are connected on a network while it tracks their usage. The N1 Vision, Bettino adds, is firmware-upgradable.