D-Link DIR-655 Extreme-N Gigabit Wireless Router
by D-Link Systems, Inc.
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of D-Link DIR-655 Extreme-N Gigabit Wireless Router
Customer Review: A featureful well-designed device!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have to agree with the many positive reviews here.
I've been a long-term Linksys user. Recently I noticed a decline in the overall quality of their product line. I'd been using a third-party firmware as well to increase/tune performance, ultimately finding it wasn't worth the bother.
I decided to look to amazon.com customer reviews for better recommendations.
Here I found the D-LINK DIR-655, which received the most positive reviews.
I was surprised, as I'd always associated D-LINK with lower-end products, for some reason. Don't let the price deceive you; this unit is packed full of features that actually work very well.
The device was easy to set up. I use a Mac and didn't need to use the disc-based setup; rather the default web page has a similar tool to get you started. It does a very good job at warning you about the need to reboot, allowing you to postpone. They've coded their web pages such that it will automatically refresh to the rebooted unit. Very smoothly done.
People have complained here that the default router address is 192.168.0.1 versus 192.168.1.1 -- clearly they haven't read the manual, as you can change this in the router configuration! Please people, read the manual before you post negative critique.
Yes, the LEDs are very bright! I placed this on top of my television, as that's where my cable modem resides. It is a bit distracting, like a mini disco :-) I put it behind the TV for now. It would be nice if they had some adjustment to lower the power on the LEDs.
The only problems I ran into were trying to find the obvious place to set the wireless security. It starts up as password-less access point, which provides open access. At the moment I brought it online, I already found someone in my building connected, leeching off the wireless, so I disconnected him, set the WPA2 security and rebooted.. It's very important that you set the router password and establish WPA2-only security.
I also recommend that you select to "hide" the unit, as in not broadcast the SSID. This setting is available in the D-LINK settings -- normally we would expect to see "Broadcast SSID?" but D-LINK has this as "Hide?" Keep note of that.
In that regard, I think the interface could be more intuitive in putting the most important things (like security) in the obvious front part - or even as a part of the configuration wizard. However, I'm also very used to another configuration entirely, so it could be just me that needs to adjust.
In any case, the features provided are enough to satisfy both the basic and advanced users. The logs display in a screen that can be refreshed, there's an SPI firewall and many other useful tuned features you can work with which I'm still discovering.
I would like to have more flexibility with the SPI firewall to block certain specific addresses and ranges - I'm not sure this unit can perform that.
All in all, I couldn't be happier. This is a well-designed device. It's clear to me that whomever designed the features and interface really put a lot of thought into it.
5 Stars!
Customer Review: Top-notch wireless router! It works... period!
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased the D-Link DIR-655 as my primary wireless DHCP router when my aged Netgear WGR614 started to act funny (will only connect to one wireless device at a time). It is an excellent wireless-N router, and an equally impressive gigabit router. Although there are over 700 reviews for this device already, I decided to add one more just because it is such an impressive device.
My configuration for this system is not your typical setup. I have the DIR-655 set up as the main router, and I have a Netgear WRT110 hard-wired (RJ-45 Cat5e) to this router (DHCP disabled) to connect with wireless-g devices. "Why do I have two routers, when the DIR655 is backward compatible with G as well as N?" one might ask. The reason I have it with this configuration is because I have a mix of N devices and G devices. The G devices drop the DIR655 down to wireless-g speed (54 Mbps) whenever they are wirelessly connected to the DIR655, even with N devices. So, I have a wireless-G router hooked to the DIR655, the wireless-G computers are connected to the WRT110 and the N devices are connected to the DIR655, and all the devices are working to my preference. I need and rely on a fast data transfer rate for viewing HD movies through my network, so a severe bottleneck happens when G devices connect to it. The DIR-655 still serves as the DHCP router.
I bypassed the disk installer and did a manual configuration. The setup was quite painless, and I had the wireless router working in 10 minutes. Afterwards, I searched the available wireless network, found the router SSID, typed in the password for network security (a definite must-do in San Francisco), and I was wirelessly connected! I never had to reset the DIR-655 since I installed it over a year ago, I have never dropped a wireless connection, and the data transfer has been flawless. The wireless N devices I have are a 17-inch MacBook Pro, a 15-inch MacBook Pro, a Dell XPS via D-Link DWA-140 (where I store my movies), and an IBM Thinkpad T43. All connect well, and I get at least 28 Mbps speed in the fartherst corners of my house, and above 80 Mbps speed anywhere on the same floor as the router.
I gave it a 5-star rating because it worked for me out of the box and without the disk installer. No glitches, and the device was current with the latest firmware. The router is on the second level, and I have decent signal (>72 Mbps) in all the rooms on the same floor, and a stronger signal than the previous g-router on the other floors (18-24 Mbps with WRT110, -vs- 0-12 Mbps with WGR614).
I've had no issues with heating or overheating. I use the little "feet" so that the router is "standing" upright. This helps dissipate the heat better than if it was lying flat on a surface.
It works with various OS flavors, including WinXP Pro SP2, Vista Home Premium, Mac OS X, and Linux (Ubuntu, Fedora, and OpenSUSE).
I've using many of its other features (WPA2 encryption, VPN, QOS, content filtering, filter scheduling, and many others). It works as a wireless router, it works as a gigabit router, it works... plain and simple. It fully deserves my designation of a 5-star rating.
Customer Review: works just as it should
Summary: 5 Stars
I can't help but laugh every time i read a review of a tech product by someone that has no business trying to do what they are trying to do. This is, for all intents and purposes, a router! with all of the big boy features that a router should have, BUT yes, in a consumer product, and Amazon will and does sell it to anyone with the cashe to purchase it. Unfortunately there is no aptitude test to keep most of you from buying it. So, "caveat emptor" but NOT because this is a bad - or even potentially bad - product, but because it does a lot of stuff that the average joe blow computer user hasn't a clue how to use or why.
I cannot comment on the dlink customer support, but can only imagine it is probably as bad as all the complainers have said, maybe worse. again, you are talking about a piece of technology that companies offer full blown college courses and credentials to learn how to configure properly, and trying to explain these concepts over the phone to an obliviate can be somewhat taxing if not impossible. and yes, i can see where a support person would just eventually get fed up with you.
in dlink's defense, they have tried - best they can - to develop a "plug and play" solution to get this configured for you. but here is the bottom line for those that have written something like "it works with Vista!" or some other such moronic thing. a router doth not care what operating system you have, and you doth not need to install ANYTHING on your computer to make this thing work! it's a router!, it simply routes packets from point a to point b. if your computer isn't configured properly, you may have problems, but don't blame the router. it's more than likely doing EXACTLY what you told it to do!
that said - [stepping down off the milk crate] - i bought this router because i was thoroughly pissed off at linksys/cisco for making a competing product that truly does NOT work, but that is a different story. once i got this router, i have NEVER had a bad thing to say about it. i run anywhere from 4 to 7 computers through it, both wired and wireless, running Vista 32 and 64, XP, Windows 2003 server, Linux, open BSD and yes, even a flippin' Mac on rare occasions when i really need a hair-cut and i simply don't have the time, so I figure I'll just pull my hair out one strand at a time for a few hours while struggling to find the right mouse button.
Anyway, this thing is rock solid, has great wireless range, and is easy to configure (when you know what you are doing, or at least have some technical aptitude.) I won't say you must be a tech geek, but SOME aptitude will greatly help you during your travels through wireless security options, port forwarding, and firewall settings. This or any other product like it, simply isn't made to be "plug and play" those that have given this anything less that 4 stars either got a bad one - not out of the realm of possibility - or simply have no business trying to do this themselves. This is a prefect opportunity to hire the geek squad if you don't know what you are doing, but don't blame the product if you have trouble. In the immortal words from the movie, Mr. Mom, "You're doing it wrong."
Customer Review: Lots of features, stable, fast, easy to set up.
Summary: 5 Stars
Preface: I've been working in information technology business for 10 years. I've been a technology hobbyist for 16 or more years... I've always had a bit of a "bad taste" in my mouth for D-link after much of their equipment failed or had compatibility issues with other manufactures. This router changed all that.
Packaging: Excellent. Protected the equipment but wasn't wasteful.
Setup: I had a Linksys WRT54G and wanted to go to Wireless N for large file transfers and HD content streaming. I promptly ignored the "run CD before installing router" stickers and removed my old router. Plugged into one of the ports and went to 192.168.0.1 from my desktop's browser. The router displayed the log-in screen but I couldn't log in after repeated attempts (UN "Admin" and PW blank by default). Turns out it was something with Firefox (which has been admittedly buggy since I went to the newest beta release). It worked just fine in IE. Set up was a breeze with my cable modem. I used the manual process but you can choose to use setup wizards for internet settings, LAN and wireless LAN settings. The firmware seems solid and the interface is intuitive, even to a long time Cisco/Linksys guy.
Performance: Excellent. There are many detailed performance reviews online and I've been pleasantly surprised how well it performs in my mixed environment. I highly recommend it- even if you are a long time Linksys user. I love their B and G products, but the Linksys wireless-N routers I've used have been sub-par at best. This unit and the Apple AirPort Extreme are the only two N routers I've been impressed with. Either one is a solid buy. This one costs a little less and outperforms the Apple unit at close distances. The AirPort Extreme is more consistent and performs better/faster if you have any devices that are a good distance from the router. Read more online if this is a concern for you. My devices are all within 20 yards of my router so it was not a factor for me.
Suggestions: Use IE to interface with the router, Firefox (could just be a beta thing) didn't work with it (although it was listed as supported in the docs). Of course Firefox works just fine as a browser after the setup is complete, I just couldn't get it to actually log in to the router. I didn't test Opera. Download the latest firmware from D-link and install it before you bother configuring your new router, it will save you a few minutes. The firmware I updated to erased all my settings (which is not at all uncommon) and some of them transfer when you backup/restore, others don't.
Conclusion: For the money, it's by far the best cost/value in wireless-N routers at the moment. That can easily change before I can hit publish on this review, but at this time (April '08) only the AirPort Extreme rivals it. So check out both of them, even if you're not an Apple fan, the AirPort is a great unit as well. Also, FYI- I hear that D-link's support is horrible but I haven't needed to call so that's just hearsay.
Customer Review: Good for Comcast customers who want to upgrade!
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't know about some of these negative reviews, but mines seems to function according to specification. I believe that the negative reviewers did not take into accountability several factors: ISP's technological setup, Operating System Compatibility, Basic Knowledge of Networking, whether D-Link DIR655 will work together with cable modem, whether or not their home was built using plaster as this will cause interference with receiving wireless signals to other devices in the house, and location of router in house (should always be where signal can trickle down to wireless devices. I also believe that one reviewer did not take-off the plastic protective covering over the vents or did not set it where it could breath, and this is why it was "hotter than a firecracker."
My Uses (so far)....
Let me say this first...I have only utilized this for three days even though I've had it one week earlier. Even though I haven't used this for very long, I've done my homework before I went on to spend money upgrading from Comcast's crappy Netgear Cable Modem Gateway (an all-in-one wireless router and cable modem using Wireless G technology). The difference was very definite for me as I saw a tremendous boost in my signal, speed, and overall dependability (mostly due to my new Cable modem I purchased with this). I would recommend that Comcast/Cable Modem users buy the Motorola Surfboard 120 Cable Modem along with this because it uses DOCSIS 3.0, and even if you do not have the high echelon of speed from your Cable ISP, this will enhance your lower-paid speed as it did my 16Megs of speed on my (DOCSIS 2.0) connection. Many people do not research things, or go by the advice of others. Even if you read my comment make sure that you can afford the upgrades, research the compatibility of your wireless devices/computers, research the capabilities of your ISP, research how this will effect your Internet bills, research the make of you home as well as the layout, and research the frequencies of devices in your house that could interfere with your router. I would also recommend that if you upgrade from your current setup (if it was installed by a ISP technician) that you have a technician install your equipment (cable modem, router) if you do not have the technical expertise to do this on your own merit.
I would have to give another review later on regarding the overall reliability and USB Share-port technology (heard Share-port on this was not very great, but got the job done if you think of it on terms as a networked printer [only one person can use whatever USB device you hooked-up to this router at a time.]). My verdict, as of only three-day use...very good! Would suggest to anyone looking to upgrade their router to include this in their RESEARCH. Great value for the wallet, and great signal strength if upgrading from older equipment like I did. Wireless N technology sure does a hell of a job compared to Wireless G or even Super/Range-Max Wireless G. Great Job (so far anyways) D-Link!