D-Link DIR-655 Extreme-N Gigabit Wireless Router
by D-Link Systems, Inc.
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List Price: Our Price: $73.99 You Save: $51.00 (41%) Availability: Usually ships in 2-3 business days Buy Used: from $45.00 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of D-Link DIR-655 Extreme-N Gigabit Wireless Router
Customer Review: One Nice Piece of Wireless Equipment
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased the D-Link DIR-655 router as a Christmas present for myself (yeah, lame, I know, but I had to get one anyways). I went a little over the top with this purchase, opting for the more expensive Draft N over the current G format. In hindsight, it was definitely way over the top. For typical home users, most likely the maximum you will need is G, so it might be worth saving a few bucks and looking at a Wireless G model first.
But, this model still turned out to be a good buy. I have it set to N-mode only, so only laptops with Wireless N can receive the wireless signal. Very seldom do I actually perform a download that maxes out the wireless download speed, but from what I've seen during those instances, it has been performing at the 130 Mbps specified (or darn close). My roommate does more downloading than me and has said the wireless performs faster than his land-line ethernet (100 Mbps). So, given the positive feedback from him and my observations of its timeliness, I would say speed is terrific.
The range on this thing is absolutely amazing. In the days following its installation, I took my laptop on a tour around our apartment building after setting the router to mixed mode (for all B, G, and N receiving laptops, which has a lower transmission rate overall). Six apartments away, I was still receiving a signal that allowed me to check my email and other websites. I don't know if the faster speeds were maintained, but that signal penetrated through nearly a dozen walls. In my experience, I've seen Wireless G routers struggle to make it through a few walls, so this was quite impressive.
Installation was a little tricky, but not entirely impossible. Networking as a whole is generally a little cumbersome for the average person, but a few iterations through the instructions got it up and working. The router's browser page is quite organized and descriptive. This unit has a lot of features, most of which I have not used, but the typical home owner would probably not need half of these.
Some reviewers have complained that this unit runs hot. Unfortunately, I have to say that this is indeed true. It does not run hot to the point where I fear it will start a fire or burn my hand, but it does get a little warm from time to time. It is, after all, an electronic device, which are all prone to getting warm. There are little vents on the sides and top of the unit, so making sure papers don't get stacked on top will reduce any heat-related issues (an oops I've done from time to time). I have not noticed any drop in performance because of the unit getting hot, but again I'm not maxing it out continuously. I will say that it did begin to get warmer when my roommate hooked up and started exchanging a lot of data, but overall there has been no problem. If you're worried about heat, just do know that all routers, in some state or use, get hot.
Another reviewer commented on the flashing blue lights on the front panel being obnoxious. Yes, that is true also. Unfortunately, I keep this in my room at night and I don't have to worry about buying a night light to find the bathroom. I keep an office chair between my bed and it and have had no problems as a result. If you're not trying to sleep though, it actually looks quite appeasing in my opinion (similar to blue Christmas lights).
All in all, while this wireless router is far above the level in which I need, I am pleased with the purchase I have made. It has been in my possession for over a year and I have had no problems whatsoever. Some people may find issues for their particular case, but the typical home user or small office user would likely have no problems with this model either, in my opinion. I would recommend this product.
Customer Review: Returned one then found the solution
Summary: 4 Stars
I ordered this because I previously owned an earlier model DIR-655. I had given that one to a friend and upgraded to an apple airport extreme. That lasted about 11 months then died. That put me back in the market for another router. I use this and all the other routers with 3 Dlink DWL-G820 jumps. That created a problem when trying to use them with this router with the older DWL-G820's. The Security for the jumps used TKIP only, not AES. I also checked and made sure the jumps had the latest firmware. This router had the capability of using either but when using newer hardware such as my Sony laptop (N), Dell laptop (N), Imac wireless, Ipad, Iphone, HP wireless printer, 5 IP cams and a wireless Samsung DVD player, oh and the direct tv DVR, using the TKIP only this router would stop transmitting everyday and sometimes twice a day. I called DLink tech non-support with no help. I also replaced my motorola DSL modem thinking it was possibly a problem since I was using the PPPoE in this router not the modem which was necessary to allow IP Pass-through. Replacing the modem had no effect, my DIR-655 stopped transmitting regularly again after that. I even set the channel selection of the router to a fixed channel instead of the auto select with no success. After replacing both hardware items, updating all to the latest firmware, I knew it had to be a setting problem, just what? Having setup Dlinks before, an Apple extreme, a belkin and also a many linksys routers over the past 10 years I Liked the user interface of the Dlink best so I persisted over the next 3 or 4 days in changing every setting one at a time to find the right combo to make it work correctly. There is something in this routers firmware that will not accept the use of TKIP only for very long. Each time the router stopped transmitting I would reboot it and it would limp along for several more hours until something changed, likely a frequency collision from a neighboring router that forced a channel change or something. The solution I found was to set one network SSID using B/G only, and TKIP only for the DWL-G820's and the other network using all three B/G/ and N plus TKIP and AES for the laptops, DVD player network stream and the IPAD. Prior to finding the solution the best my laptop would connect and flow data at was about 54 Mbs. now using the multi SSID (with routing across networks enabled) and the auto TKIP, AES my laptops, Dell and Sony connect at 300 Mbs steady and truly. I transfered a 450 Mb ISO file and it took just over a minute so the 300 is real. I post this to help anyone else who orders this and pulls their hair out. The critical thing to address in the settings is the security. It must be TKIP AND AES to get the 300 Mbs rate N speed along with steady transmitting, and the G speed devices using TKIP only must be on the guest network, well at least be on opposite networks however you set them up. meaning whichever network SSID uses B/G only for those devices then the other one can be TKIP and AES to allow fast throughput. I found the quirk about the TKIP only when I tried to use one SSID network in N only. That is when the router prompted me saying "You can't use N only with TKIP only" definitely an obscure place to have to find out. Now though I am glad I persisted because I am now getting blazing stable speed and distance on my network. I haven't tried the USB port since I have all my external drives shared through windows 7 PC's that run 24-7.
I may be making the wrong assumption about the solution but with my router setup this way using one B/G and TKIP then the other B/G/N and AES it works solidly.
Kudos to Amazon for the fast exchange of routers, too bad Dlink tech support failed as well as the GUI of the router that made it so hard to find a solution to the conflict in settings.
Customer Review: Smoking fast! Works with Windows 7...
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this router last week and it has been up and running for 5 days straight. I wanted to make sure that it was capable of maintaining a strong and reliable signal for at least few days before writing a review.
Prior to this purchase, I was running the Netgear WGR614 Wireless-G Router. I did no prior research before purchasing that router, I needed to setup a wireless connection at home and I went out and bought the least-expensive model at my local electronics store. Fortunately, I was relatively pleased with that product. After upgrading the firmware (due to some initial problems), I was able to sustain a strong signal for months at a time without a reboot or reset. It performed well, connecting the sole wireless product I owned (a laptop) to the Internet at satisfactory speeds.
However, I soon needed to connect other devices (such as a Wii, Nintendo DS, XBOX 360, Sony PSP, and an iPod Touch) to the Internet. At first my Wii would not connect to the Netgear, and I spent hours looking for a solution to my problem on the Internet. I was able to find one, but had to change to very specific settings in order for the Wii to connect. (Only B, Channel 11, WEP). I was never able to connect a Nintendo DS or a PSP without disabling all security settings which I had no desire to do. I also was not happy that I had to finagle the settings extensively to get it to work with these very popular gaming devices. I also recently bought and iPod Touch and the connection was cumbersomely slow, to the point that a YouTube video would stutter relentlessly.
The last straw was when I realized just how loud that Netgear router actually is. It has a fan inside and that thing would buzz and buzz and drive me insane. I finally said "ENOUGH!" and decided to get a new router.
I chose the D-Link DIR-655 Extreme N Wireless Router because I wanted to "future proof" my wireless connection. My interest was also greatly piqued when I read that it has no moving parts inside (thus eliminating the noise from a cooling fan). It was a little more than I was willing to spend, but figured it may be worth spending more in order to get a quality product.
The setup was ridiculously easy. I used the CD which came with the product and the whole process was finished in less than 10 minutes. The connection is very fast! I am now able to view entire 10 minute YouTube clips on my iPod Touch without any stuttering. The range of this product is also extraordinary. Just yesterday I was walking my dog and upon returning home -- just before crossing the street in front of my house -- I heard the familiar "ping" of a new email message on my iPod. I couldn't believe I could get a connection from that far away! That was at least 50 yards from the router.
All of my other gaming devices connect easily and the router can actually identify them by product in the internal log. (For instance, when I connected my laptop the router's log read "LAPTOP" or "WII", etc.) The router's GUI is actually more refined than that or Netgear which is an added bonus.
All in all, I feel like I'm finally getting the most of my high-speed cable Internet connection. I'm just dissapointed I didn't get this sooner.
The installation also worked very well on Windows 7 Beta (RC), but that wasn't too surprising.
NOTE: This runs surprisingly cool. Like I stated previously, it has been running for 5 days straight and it's still cool (yes, cool) to the touch. This was a concern of mine because of the other reviews.
Customer Review: Very disappointed
Summary: 1 Stars
Trying to take a subjective look at many of the reviews already posted, I had the DIR-655 listed on my wish list. I wanted to effectively create a NAS drive out of the existing external storage drive I have (WD My Book) because a new router with USB connectivity costs less than buying a new NAS drive. I already own a D-Link wireless G router (DI-624) that is at least 5 years old and have not had problems with it, so I reasoned [incorrectly] that D-Link is capable of producing a strong product. The DIR-655 was gifted to me and the adventure began. Within three days of "working with" (which implies mutual effort on mine and the router's parts) this device, my first inclination was to advertise it on Craigs List as a boat anchor so that it might actually serve a useful purpose.
SETUP
I understand networking. I skipped to the instructions that gave me the router's default IP address and login and went to work from there. New interface, no problem. I see the link for the network setup I want and click it...now I have to log into the router again. I log in and get returned to the page I was just on; click the link again and it works. I try to click on a link for a sub-page of the settings group and I get kicked out and have to log in a third time. I log in again and am returned to the main page again. Maybe this is one of the many security add-ons I'm running in Firefox; No Script is notorious for being over conservative and blocking pages or frames of web pages. I restart the process with Internet Explorer, only to relive the exact same experience. Through repeated attempts, I am inconsistently able to reach some of the settings pages where I try to make changes - nothing saves...ever.
SETUP DISC
I try the setup disc and it does manage to communicate with the router and setup some basic settings, so that I at least have a password on my network. I still don't know why this matters, but it seemed to like talking to the CD better than me - so be it. Now, I have the ability to navigate to pages more consistently, but still with the occasional "kick-back" to the login screen. The ability to save changes is now available, and I seem to have the basic essentials to get my PC's connected to the internet and each other.
LULLED INTO SATISFACTION
Some time later, without making any changes to the router, or any connected device, my PC's have noticeably slow connectivity speeds - both wireless and wired. Maybe the QoS was giving priority to a neighbor kid who hacked in to look at porn on the net? Maybe the router became self-aware and demanded servitude from humans - I don't know. Shortly thereafter, the wireless connectivity was intermittent, so I went to a wired PC to check it out. Even the wired PC was having problems, and the kick-back to login problems were worse than ever.
USB PORT
For the short time this router seemed to work, my external hard drive worked great with the Shareport software utility. You can access the drive on one PC at a time, so it's not a true NAS configuration in case this helps anyone.
FRONT LED'S
These are worth noting because you don't want these in an area (like a bedroom) that you want to have darkness...unless maybe you're using them to spot deer.
I just can't in good conscience recommend this device to anyone who doesn't have disposable income, and isn't willing to take a chance. Mine is boxed up with the return paperwork and waiting on the mail carrier.
Customer Review: Good price, very poor support!
Summary: 2 Stars
I purchased this router to upgrade my network from a 10/100 Ethernet, b/g wireless to 1Gbs Ethernet, b/g/n capabilities. Previous router was a Netgear product serving faithfully for 5 years. I am not an experienced network person, but have better-than-average computer skills supporting a network that has Win2000, WinXP Pro and Win7 Pro Dell laptops. I needed technical network support to implement a new router on a 6-computer, mixed OS network. D-Link support (Phillipine based) was unable to provide much help.
The problems started when I found the enclosed quick-start guide (and manual) to be unclear and conflicting. I called customer support to clarify. I was informed that the instructions were WRONG and they would be glad to help me setup the DIR-655 and integrate my 6 laptops into the network. They insisted a manual setup was the best and only way in which they would help (I now wish I knew how automated setup would work). Setup of the router and wired connection went relatively well. For wireless we started with one of the WinXP machines and they recommended WEP encryption due to "issues" with WPA2 on WinXP. Also, the previous router used WEP wireless security. The first tech was unable to get the WinXP system to connect to the wireless network and turfed the issue to Dell stating that they did not support Dell software. I contacted Dell Pro support and even though they normally do not support network setup issues, the tech discovered the problem. The Win7 machine required an internal router code and the WinXP system needs a WEP encryption key. Unfortunately, my problems were not over as the next WinXP system would not accept the WEP encryption key. Another call to D-Link support got a tech that new networking better than the first. It turned out that the Device Ownership Password (transmitted to Win7) was required on this system, but it needed to be obtained from the bottom of the router. Still, this wireless adapter software had no provisions for WEP (only WPA2), so the agent attempted to get Windows to manage the card, with no success. I was again turfed to Dell. I finally went back to D-Link support and had them help set up WPA security (this agent actually provided decent support, but still could not get one XP system to connect, nor could he help me with a Netgear switch). That allowed the Win7 system and the second XP system to connect, but not the first. Back to Dell support to reload wireless card drivers in the first XP laptop. First, he deleted the Dell software managing the card....and the card connected! Windows is managing the card. I finally fought through the Win2000 system and it's Netgear PCMCIA card and it was fine with WPA security. Dell support helped me connect my printer to the network, and I am up and running.
So far, no apparent improvement in wireless network speed, but wired Gigabit is nice. I do believe there is improvement in reliability on the internet, but that's a tough call. Because of lackluster customer support, I do not expect to get everything this router should be able to offer. I need to get an N-capable laptop to determine if speed or range is improved. I have decided to keep the router only because so many hard-fought issues were overcome and I am much more knowledgeable about networks now. I do NOT recommend this router to an inexperienced person with a mixed network of systems primarily because of D-Link Phillipine-based support and poor documentation!