D-Link DIR-655 Extreme N Wireless Router | List Price: $179.99
Discount Price: $84.98
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Brand: D-Link
Binding: Electronics
Warranty: 1 year limited
Features: - Delivers up to 14x faster speeds* and 6x farther range* than 802.11g means Greater Coverage for Your Entire Home or Office
- Ideal for streaming HD video or streaming multiple applications simultaneously
- Intelligent QoS technology prioritizes both wired and wireless Internet traffic to enable enhanced gaming and phone calling (VoIP) experience
- Gigabit Ports for Incredible Wired Network Speeds
- Dual active firewall protection (SPI & NAT) helps block malicious attacks on networks from the Internet.
d-link owes me headache meds [Posted on 2008-08-14]
level: career techie (not IT guy)
equipment: (old) Netgear 108Mbps router, (antique) Linksys 10/100 wired router
Problem: Failing G router (weekly reboots), no wireless on antique router, Desire for Gigabit and N router in a mixed network. D-link priced right but reviews suggest hit/miss w/ product.
Pros: Setup on Mac took 3 minutes, unpacking time took longer. Already knew about device/setup IP conflict prior to purchase. Lots of config settings. Has everything, does everything (almost). Once FINALLY setup, the unit performs well. Still get 60% N signal at 80ft (4 walls + ceiling/floor). Nothing to compare it to so I guess it's ok (laptops were new and not tested on the netgear). Owned unit since Nov 2007, solid performer.
Cons: 1. The install. PITA!!!!! Install disc is worthless (firmware 1.10) and the Auto Wizards are useless. EQ: Mac OS 10.2.8, XP Pro, Win2k, Vista (laptops Dell & HP), Samba (LaCie) NAS box. Wouldn't recognize everything 100% (ie. able to access NAS settings via web browser but unable to access files on the NAS). Wasted 2 weekends entering settings and MAC addresses manually. Was about to return it for a TrendNet but gave it one last try. Final attempt starting again w/ Mac only. Slowly, re-introduced NAS, and other PCs to network and it was fine.. No changes in settings/procedure, nothing. Go figure ~_~ .
2. Unlabeled BLUE LEDs are ridiculously bright. I hate blue LEDs.
Other Thoughts: Replaced a good but failing netgear 108Mbps router. Have not done any speed tests. Would much rather have gold LEDs fad than the current blue LED fad. Also, given the install, no consideration was given to the usb port. A network printer was later added as a standalone unit onto the network (neither attached to the router or NAS).
Brother HL-2170w 23ppm Laser Printer with Wireless & Wired Network Interfaces
Works Great [Posted on 2008-08-14]
I have never installed a wireless router before. I used the wizard on the software CD and it installed very easy, I am using the Vista Ultimate 64 byte OS which is updated. My cable modem [Motorola Surfboard sbv5222] with phone service, download speed is 10 Mbps. It getting 130mbps to the USB adapter on the XP computer upstairs. I would highly recommend to friend. I am very pleased with this DIR-655 N router it performs as claimed.
Very nice router [Posted on 2008-08-20]
I just upgraded my home network by replacing an 9-year old Netgear RT314 router with a D-Link DIR-655 Extreme N Gigabit Router D-Link DIR-655 Extreme N Wireless Router. I was fortunate to receive an A3 revision with the 1.11 firmware already loaded (I wouldn't touch the recent 1.20 firmware). I also purchased 2 D-Link DGS-2208 8-port GB switches D-Link DGS-2208 8-Port 10/100/1000 Desktop Switch that replaced a single 10/100 switch.
Prior to installing the DIR-655, I logged in to the RT314's web server (192.168.0.1) using IE and printed all of the configuration settings. Next, I used IE to display the web pages (192.168.100.1) of the Motorola SB4200 cable modem (I have Road Runner Business Class) and printed all of its settings (I plan to get Time Warner to replace the SB4200 with a DOCSIS 2.0 cable modem in the near future). I was particularly concerned that Time Warner would detect the changed MAC address and interrupt my service, but that was not the case.
I disdain unnecessary software installs, and so disregarded the quick setup CD in favor of using the DIR-655's wizards and manual configuration web pages. My setup method is to leave settings at the default unless I encounter conditions that require a change. The steps I took were:
1) Changed the default Admin password
2) Disabled the wireless component (bought for future use)
3) Reserved the assigned IP Address for my print server
4) Configured the router's time and enabled NTP
5) Enabled email logging of the logs to my personal email address
I felt the router rebooted in a resonable period of time after the configuration changes - certainly quicker that the RT314 it replaced. My overall impression is that web pages load more quickly (and this is with the SPI firewall and NAT translation enabled) than previously.
I compared before and after performance using PingPlotter and Speedtest.net. PingPlotter results were nearly equal before and after. Speedtest.net indicated an increase in download speed from 7Mb to 7.3Mb, but upload speed remained constant at 960Kbps.
I also tested my Windows VPN connection to my workplace - VPN passthrough appears to work by default.
All of this took about an hour. I am pleased with my purchase, its performance, appearance, and ease of configuration. I had internet connectivity immediately after plugging everything in and powering the DIR-655 up.
Now if I could just figure out how to dim those incredibly bright iridescent blue status LEDs and still achieve the WAF...
Very mitigated [Posted on 2008-08-20]
First of all, I'd suggest not to use the wizard provided for Windows. Didn't work for me. What was supposed to be a breeze and 10 minutes setup with the wizard, ended up taking in reality much longer. I recommend personally to hit the web interface directly.
Although I was pleased with the Ethernet 1Gbit connectivity, and the direct close wireless access 802n connectivity with my MacBook pro, that was a totally different ball game when crossing 2 walls. My windows XP laptop would drop connections all the time. My old NetGear never had that issue, which really irritated me.
Took me multiple tweaks and resets from both the router and the laptop sides, and maybe a week of disgruntled googling to get it right. I think that the orientation of the laptop itself (a Compaq 6510b) made a great difference. Although negotiating 802g only, it's finally very stable. Was very critical for me to get this working since I'm using VPN for work, and communication drops were more than just annoying.
I was about to return the item to Amazon when I finally got things right. Since I got a great deal on this device, I am planning to keep it. Not sure I would go for this product if I had known in advance that the communication through walls could be such a problem.
No Problems [Posted on 2008-08-24]
I have had this router for about 2 weeks now and I am very pleased with it. The set-up wasn't quite as helpful as I would have liked, but with a little patience, it set up after about 30 minutes. Have not lost a signal once and get coverage all over the house and even out to the back patio. Highly reccomend this router!!
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