Many features for the price
Written: Feb 25 '04 (Updated Aug 02 '04)
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Pros: Easy web based setup wizard and administration
Cons: Log only shows warnings... Manual not great. failed to get latest firmware from web
The Bottom Line: I have no regrets in buying this item. It worked as expected.
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| adinas's Full Review: D-Link DI-604 Broadband Router |
I got the D-Link the same day I got my regular ADSL modem (up to then I'd been using a USB ADSL modem which cannot be used with a router). So I was setting both up for the first time. The documentation for the modem only explained how to connect it to a PC and not a router but the d-link's setup Wizard took care of connecting to the ADSL modem in a breeze. Considering that I never set up a router before I had no trouble, at all. I followed the web based setup wizard and was on the Internet within 10 minutes (You have to setup a network on your PC first and then go to http://192.168.0.1 to reach the wizard). The router's web based administration took a couple of minutes to get used to. It isn't ingeniously easy but once you realize that each tab at the top has its own buttons on the side then you are OK.
I was happy when I reached the DDNS section. I've been using dyndns.org to redirect web traffic to my site for a while and was worried about how I would update it with my IP now that the router was holding the real IP and not my web server. In the DDNS section you simply enter your domain and password and its supposed to works. The problem is that it seems to send many updates to dyndns.org and I was banned in the end for abuse. So unless they update the firmware I wouldn't use this feature. In the end I kept using my regular software solution to update dyndns.org
I, of course, had to redirect traffic to port 80 on the web server computer. By the way, redirecting port traffic (also needed by programs like eDonkey, eMule, Overnet...) is under the "Virtual Servers" section.
Though using DHCP is the easiest way to set up the router, if you want to redirect port traffic you need a stable IP for the computer you are redirecting traffic to. You can do this in the DHCP section.
By the way, My D-Link supported dyndns.org (dynamic and custom), TZO.com and dhs.org
It seems that a few of the others here had problems with their hardware. Mine is a H/W Ver.:D1 (Supposedly the European version of this router) bought and in use in Israel. Firmware version 3.02. I haven't had any trouble with disconnections or anything else so far.
My biggest compliant so far is the log. It doesn't provide specific enough info for me (like every IP contacted and files requested...). The manual is OK for someone who already knows their way around a network but not good enough for a real "newbie".
Seems I paid about double what others paid (60$) but that's because everything here in Israel is expensive. It was actually one the cheapest ones I found here.
Funny thing happened to me when I went to get the latest firmware (always a good idea when buying a new router) I went to www.d-link.com and there they said I can't download cuz my d-link is revision D and its Eurotrash... uh sorry! I mean the European version. Anyway, I headed over to www.d-link.dk. Sure, its all in German but I found the firmware section easily. They had firmware 3.01b1 (mine came with 3.02)! I headed over to www.d-link.co.uk and they had 3.03 but "only for H/W Dx" mine is D1. Go figure.
Anyway, I have no regrets about this router and would buy it again if needed.
Read the other reviews here at epinions for more tips, i found some of them very useful.
UPDATE:
There was a period where the router was causing me a lot of trouble, it seemed to stop working forcing to unplug and plug it back in to get it working again. These problems started after I got a hub and set it on top of the router. Once I separated them the router worked perfectly. I assume that heat buildup was the problem. So keep it as cool as possible.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 60
Driver Availability: Windows, Linux, and Mac
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Epinions.com ID:
adinas
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Member: Adin Aronson
Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
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