| D-Link DI-524 Wireless 54 Mbps High Speed Router (802.11g) |
 enlarge
|
Model: DI-524
Brand: D-Link
Manufacturer: D-Link
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 263
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
|
|
|
| |
| Features: |
Share your Internet connection with built-in 4-Port switch
Compatible with 802.11g and 802.11b networks
Advanced Firewall and Security Controls
Built-in 4-Port SwitchOperating range of up to 328 feet indoors, up to 1,312 feet outdoors
Quick and easy set-up |
| |
| Description: |
| D-Link AirPlus G 802.11g Wireless Router - The DI-524 from D-Link can handle all of your networking needs. Utilizing the built-in 4-port 10/100 Ethernet switch, you can wire your computers together in the standard fashion, or you can go wireless with 802.11g technology. Transferring data through the air at up to 54Mbps! The router and built-in firewall portion of the DI-524 allows for easy & safe broadband Internet sharing. Advanced Firewall Features - NAT with VPN Pass-through (Network Address Translation) MAC Filtering IP Filtering URL Filtering Domain Blocking Scheduling Dimensions - 5.6 (l) x 4.3 (w) x 1.2 (h) Weight - 7.8 oz. |
| |
| User Reviews (263 total): |
|
Pequeno, Practico......, February 17, 2006
By user (Porlamar, Nueva Esparta Venezuela)
Excelente presentacion de empacado. No trae manual de papel, todo viene en el Cd de instalacion. Viene con un par de bases muy funcionales para poder tenerlo parado en vez de acostado. Trae hasta sus tornillo. La instalacion no es tan sencilla, de por si lo mas complicado es la conflagracion del router para asignar las claves, La potencia no es una cosa del otro mundo, yo tengo un apartamento de 70 m2 y lo tengo en una esquina del apto. y en la esquina contraria de 54 mbs tengo menos de 24, aunque navega bien, podria ser mejor.
|
Unreliable, problematic, poor support, buggy firmware, February 14, 2006
By user
I bought the DI-524 (Rev A2) after my trusty Linksys WRT54G v1.0 croaked. At first, everything appeared to work well with DI-524. Web browsing and small file transfers on the wireless intranet seemed to go without a hitch.
But once I started doing some heavy file transfers and run some bandwidth intensive applications, the problems arose. I noticed repeated DHCP Requests in the log (approximately every 2-5 minutes), dropped packets, DNS resolution failures, slow transfer speeds, and consistent problems with wireless connections. According to the log, the router would also reboot itself almost every day (the log would automatically clear itself whenever the router reboots).
I would consider myself much more tech-savvy than the average person, and I tried all kinds of settings with this router to make it perform better. To no avail, it simply did not work as well as my now dead 3 year old WRT54G.
Based on my experience, if you get this router...
- Forget running any kind of P2P application (azureus, utorrent, bitcoment, emule, limewire, etc.). The issue is not related to firewalls, uPnP, or any other router setting you would typically configure to ensure an optimal P2P transfer. Because of the router's inability to maintain a stable connection (whether PC to router or router to ISP), any kind of P2P activity will be negatively affected, period.
- Forget transferring any kind of large file (600MB+) between 2 wireless clients or even between a wireless and a wired client.
Here are some 802.11g file transfer scenarios I've tried:
Between a PC running Windows XP SP2 and a Mac with OS X 10.3.9 via Samba.
Between two PC's running Win XP via Windows file sharing.
Between a Mac with OS X 10.3.9 and another Mac with OS X 10.4.3 Server via AFP
None work consistently well. About half the time, the file transfer would be interrupted and fail, or it would look like the file was still being transferred, but nothing was actually coming through. Occasionally Windows Explorer or Mac's Finder would lock up due to the router's poor communication with clients.
- Forget about mixed wireless environments where you have both 802.11b and 802.11g devices. Max transfer speeds between a "b" and a "g" device were less than 100kbps.
- Forget about using any web browser except Internet Explorer or Opera to configure the router. There is a Javascript bug on the wireless configuration page that renders the "Apply settings" link useless in browsers like Firefox or Safari. This bug exists in firmware version 1.20 and 1.21 (the two latest). When I raised this issue with D-Link support, their official response was "Downgrade to firmware v1.11 if you need compatibility with Firefox" I kid you not, folks.
- Forget connecting any kind of networkable printer to the router's ethernet port. Due to the many reboots or some other unknown reason, print jobs to my networked printer would not spool to the printer sometimes, even though the printer was visible on the network (via Rendezvous/Bonjour).
I did email D-Link support a few times raising the issues I mentioned above. Their answers never really addressed the issue, or the solution they provided was not acceptable (see "downgrade firmware").
After 3 months of tinkering I finally gave up on the D-Link and bought a Linksys WRT54G v5.0, even though I had major reservations due to all the negative comments about the v5. My worries, however, were put to rest after the first couple hours of use. Every problem with the DI-524 I mentioned above does not exist with the Linksys WRT54G v5. Comparing the two routers is like night and day - the difference is astonishing.
I've used the WRT54G for about a week now in the same environment, and so far not a single hiccup even under heavy bandwidth duress. For all intents and purposes the WRT54G v5 works as well as my v1 did, if not better.
So my "professional" geek recommendation based on the 3 months I lived with the DI-524 is to avoid it at all costs, even if you are just a basic web surfer and don't plan on doing any heavy file transfers. Don't be fooled by the low price after rebate or its compact size compared to other routers. This is not a quality product and your internet experience will suffer for it.
|
worked straight out of the box, February 13, 2006
By user (Phoenix)
I had great reservations about this product after reading the reviews.
But we got it home, plugged it in and it worked straight out of the
box. (...), but it is still early days.
|
Very good product but bad customer service, January 24, 2006
By user (Chicago, IL USA)
The product is very good, and I could install this with out any trouble. The good thing I liked about the product is it's compact size, reliability and appearance. The bad part is the customer service. The service personnels does nt even know the basic etiquettes of dealing with people.
|
OK for basic usage, range could be better, January 19, 2006
By user (Massachusetts)
This is a budget wireless router and will work fine if (1) you don't expect great things from the wireless connection in terms of range and throughput and (2) you aren't planning to do anything beyond casual Internet usage.
As far as (1) is concerned, I placed this router in my attic and the signal was so attenuated as to be useless by the time it reached the first floor (I have a second floor). I replaced it with a Belkin Pre-N wireless router which I have also reviewed (great wireless, not so great router).
And for (2) I am talking particularly about peer to peer software that causes a large number of connections from different Internet hosts and basically overwhelms the NAT capabilities of the router to the point that your connection speed drops to a crawl and you can't pull up the administrative interface of the router in your web browser. You have to physically power cycle it. I understand a fix for this is something like one of the D-Link gaming routers which are designed to accomodate just this type of activity, so I have one of those on my wish list.
|
As close to perfect as you can find, January 10, 2006
By user (Berkeley, CA USA)
We had to get a new cable modem after a power outage fried the old one, and, of course, the cable tech installed things so that the computer talked DIRECTLY to the modem. An existing router? Not his problem. After spending three frustrating hours trying to get the old router to talk, I gave up and got one of these.
All I can say is "Wow!" The unit comes with a CD and a wizard program that gets your computer's "talk to the cable modem" configuration and then walks you through replacing the direct connection to one that works through the router. Fifteen minutes standing start to standing finish and *all* I had to do besides shifting network cables around and plugging in the power was to click the "Next" button on the walkthrough. No muss, no fuss and absolutely *NO* frustration.
This is my third D-link router and my first D-link wireless and I will say, these guys have NEVER given me any trouble. Their tech support is superb, too. D-link rules!
|
So far so good., December 28, 2005
By user (Lawrenceville, GA)
I got this thing for Christmas, I wasn't expecting it, so eventhough I was planning on buying the Linksys version eventually, this was a nice suprise.
The only thing I had a little problem with is setting it up. The included software treats you like you are stupid and tries to force you to do their automatic setup software crap that DOESNT WORK.
I finally went to DLINK's website and figured out the IP address to log into the router and manually set it up myself. The instructions on Dlink's website were clear and concise, and after reading it I was able to manually set up the router myself.
I like the freedom of being able to use my BellSouth fastaccess service on work laptop anywhere in my home without having to be in the computer room. Before this router if I wanted to use my laptop in my bedroom I would have to resort to using this POS Verizon Broadband access PC5470 PC card that absolutely sucks, slower than dialup and even more unreliable. Not anymore though, now I can use my reliable home ISP on my laptop anywhere I choose to go in my home
My other computers are still connected to the dlink router with wires as I don't plan to move them around the house.
If you don't use the automatic setup crap, then you will find that its pretty simple to set up. Don't forget your encryption key!
|
DI-524, December 21, 2005
By user (PELHAM, AL USA)
Pretty darn good wireless router. The 54 Mbps speed is about what I expected. The performance and reliability so far is every bit as good as the LinkSys, at a much better price. Once detected and connected, my laptop receives a signal strength of "Excellent" from a distance of about 40-50 feet. I have no problems at all with the reception.
Had a bit of a problem with the connection set-up since I was trying to incorporate my existing wired router to this wireless router by utilizing a vacant port on the wired router. Called D-Link support and was connected to a very good and knowledgable source. This person knew exactly was I was trying to accomplish and guided me thru the appropriate steps. It worked flawlessly and continues to work to this day.
A caution about the rebate. D-Link is tremendously slow in mailing out the rebate checks. I submitted mine on 8/15/2005 and still have not received the check. It's 12/21/2005, four months later. The rebate forms indicates to allow 8-10 weeks for delivery. I called D-Link rebate customer support and they said a check has been assigned and is in the process of being mailed. I will keep my finger crossed.
I down-graded the rating from a five star to a four star because of the rebate problems. Otherwise, this would have certainly been a five star in my opinion. Great product.
|
Love the freedom, December 16, 2005
By user (ISN, ND United States)
Setup is a snap but read the manual, the connect and power up sequence is important.
I have set up two of these units; mine linked up with my cable modem automatically without a hitch, my b-i-l's needed about 5 internet addresses entered in and then it linked right up.
I suggest getting the router & modem linked up and talking to each other before turning on the encryption though.
If you are outdoors a tinted, low-E window or door will cause serious signal loss but that is not a fault of this unit
|
No problems., December 9, 2005
By user (NC)
This router is easy to setup and has multiple security settings. I can get online easily anywhere inside my house, and reasonably good reception outside my house at some distance.
|
|
|
Doesn't let me down, December 4, 2005
By user (Silver Spring, MD USA)
I bought this in the fall of '04. This is the first router I've purchased. The setup was a little complicated since I was so new to networking, but within an hour I was up and running. I have it sharing my cable modem with 1 laptop, 2 desktops (I work from home) and 2 TiVos with no problems. I see on some reviews that people have trouble with it, but it's been working great for me. I am purchasing another one for my sister. Good luck:)
|
Don't buy this product, December 2, 2005
By user (Austin)
I found this product very difficult to install. Seems to not work with my cable modem.
|
Great Router, was hard to setup, November 28, 2005
By user
This router is good for the price, so if your looking for a good wireless router, definitely buy this one. Im outside my house and i still get a perfect signal. The speed and range is excellent. I definitely recommend this router. The only downside is it was hard to setup. The installation is trash and never helps at all. I recommed calling some of your IT friends as i did with mine and he finally helped me out. Did some MAC filtering so only my desktop, laptop, and PDA would get on. Before that, I just left my computer and wireless unsecured and my firewall did the rest. As i was setting up security. An unknown IP address was using my connection. I ultimately banned it from connecting to my network. So far, its pretty good and does what its supposed to do. The installation sucks so I'll give this a 4. but overall its a great router for the price :)
|
You get what you pay for, November 28, 2005
By user (Tucson, AZ United States)
There's a reason why this router is often "free" or heavily discounted: it's a sub-par model. High-speed transfers, downloads, and radio streams are often suddenly dropped because of spotty reception. I've been kicked off of internet game sites, and a friend of mine gets kicked off of X-Box live all the time with this router.
Sure, it's cheap and relatively easy to set up, but I recently got a Netgear router, and it's much better, especially in terms of reliability and security. I hear Linksys is pretty good too. If you don't use the internet very much, then this model is fine, but if you want something reliable, get another brand.
|
Excellent value, outstanding tech support, November 13, 2005
By user (North Kingstown, RI USA)
I purchased this router 3 months ago, and meant to submit a review earlier; my delay has the advantage of letting me vouch for the product's reliability after 3 months of use. It has functioned without a hitch, communicating flawlessly with my laptop even though I have the router stashed on a rack under my desk. Since I have a Macintosh desktop and laptop computer, I had some difficulty setting up the router according to the instruction manual (as usual, the instructions for Mac setup were skimpy); however, D-Link's tech support operator was able to talk me through the process efficiently and pleasantly. I can't imagine getting better quality at this budget price.
|
It's an excellent product and service, November 1, 2005
By user (Bogota D.C., Colombia)
The service was excellent and the product is perfect.
|
Pretty Good but needs some work in the web interface, October 28, 2005
By user (Baltimore, MD United States)
I got it for a reasonable price and it is doing well so far. The web interface has some shortcomings. Most notably in the virtual server, you cannot define a range of ports to forward from the router to an internal computer. This is inconvenient when there is a service that uses a range of port and if you want to enable them all you need to do them manually one by one. So inconvenient. Either than that the interface is usable to me.
|
very good, October 25, 2005
By user (BARRANQUILLA, COLOMBIA)
The only drawback is the little list ( 12 keywords) for URL blocking.
|
Small and good, October 25, 2005
By user (Phoenix, AZ USA)
I got DI-524 when I bought a D-link package that included this wireless router and a wireless notebook card. My only reason I bought this was the price ($80 for the whole package).
The installation of the DI-524 was supposed to be straightforward because of the installation wizard. The browser-based wizard detects your broadband connection and launches the appropriate means to configure a static or dynamic IP address or one that's PPPoE - or PPTP-based. After I ran the wizard, I checked the status page and sure enough the router seemed to be properly connected since it was served the correct IP address.
But when I tried to access the Internet, it failed.
After an hour of unsuccessfully figuring out what the problem was, I called the D-Link tech support. It took an hour and a half before a technician was able to talk to me. It turned out the the problem was that my DSL modem (an actiontec from Qwest) had the same IP as the default IP of DI-524 (they both had 192.168.0.1). When I changed the IP address of the wireless router to 192.168.3.1, the internet connection worked (thank you Jose of D-Link support!).
After I installed the wireless notebook card (it was a breeze) and after setting up WEP for secured wireless coneection, I tested the wireless connection around my apartment (3 bedrooms, living room, patio). The wireless connection signals are superb throughout. I then left the wireless router running for 24 hour to see if it will break. Not anytime did it break.
The DI-524's feature set offers a virtual DMZ and VPN pass-through. For wireless security, you can choose between WEP, WPA with preshared key, or even 802.1x security using TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) through a RADIUS server.
If you're looking for a reasonably-priced wireless router with a full feature set, DI-524 is worth a look.
|
nice and good router, October 22, 2005
By user (San Jose, CA)
Router works qiute well and dint have any problem regarding it.
|
|
|
| Copyright 2001-2008 NTReview.info |
|