Orange Livebox vs Belkin ADSL Modem/ Router

[tim-d]

Hi there folks have at last got Orange to play ball and actually deliver my new phone and livebox as part of their "free broadband" deal - saga in itself (see prev posts) but now I have a shiny new livebox but opinions on the thing seem divided - the design aside that looks like an ikea reject....
However is this thing actually worth using??? at the moment I have a Belkin ADSL modem & router in one that I have found to be a superb piece of kit - ok the first one was a dud & kept jamming up but Staples replaced without a murmur and this one has been running faultlessly for six months now with no issues whatsoever (wired to my desktop with both my laptop and my son's desktop connecting perfectly at all times) but I'm pretty useless when it comes to techy toys and havent been able to share files or print from wireless PC's????
The crux of my question is based upon connection range - Belkin seems to limit to about 30 feet (live in a properly built house with solid brick walls) could the livebox do better or am i wasting my time even considering it???????????????? (if so I won't return it I'll sling it in the left to languish forgotten forever.....)