DIR-655 HW v. A1/A2, Firmware v. 1.04. DWA-652, DWA-130 adaptors.
Strengths:Many features, High Speed wired/wireless connections work well. Cost is low. Firmware updates are frequent. Maintains Draft N compatibility.
Weaknesses:D-Link Documentation, support poor. No D-Link knowledgebase entry. Firmware updates not documented.
Posted Jul 22, 2007 - I am a computer desktop support professional. I planned upgrade from ancient 801.11B Linksys router because I wanted Gb wired, fastest wireless standard, and latest encryption (WPA2). I read many posts before deciding on D-Link DIR-655. Reviewers were complimentary, so I made the plunge.
Firstly, Draft N wireless is cutting edge: heed all the warnings before you upgrade. WPA2 encryption is relatively new , too, and if the intent is to use it with Windows XP, go to Microsoft and get the latest upgrade for wireless config for WPA2 -- not well published. Ensure you are using Draft N adaptors with the latest drivers.
I had problems getting the router to work draft N with its published compatible DWA-652 adaptor, and with older DWA-130 -- would never authenticate faster than G. D-Link doesn't document this, but you must use WPA encryption to get draft N speeds. I found this in posts after struggling with it. At the time, no documentation existed. That may be part of Draft N standards which I didn't read.
At the time of the upgrade, I could not find Draft N wireless print servers, so I settled on Netgear WGPS606 which is not compatible with WPA2. It does work with WPA encryption, so the router is set in dual WPA/WPA2 encryption mode. Works well. Forced WPA2 encrypted connections work fine.
Problems exist through upgrade to 1.03 firmware and 1.04 firmware with intermittent resetting of the router. Posts for 1.04 upgrade notes bugs that it has with resetting, saved config settings from older versions incompatible with 1.04, and SPI firewall disablement. Expectation is 1.05 upgrade will solve this, as DLink frequent firmware upgrades are intended to maintain Draft N status, I suppose. The problem is, they don't publish any details. The best/only help available for this router’s settings are the Help link within the interface, and other users' posts. DLink is apparently silent.
As for the 24/7 helpdesk. In a word: Fageddaboudit! Asian helpdesk hosed me in 15 minutes when I called them, and I had to tell him what to do to fix it. He referred me to 2nd level support with an incident number for Day hours M-F ONLY. The return call was helpful, but I solved my own problem (WPA2 encryption to get Draft N speed) before the guy called me a few days later. I was given his direct 2nd level support phone number, but he didn't return my calls after his initial call to me. Bottom line: YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN with support. If you don't like doing these upgrades get a subscription rate from GeekSquad or build a good relationship with that geek brother-in-law.
I'll probably try another company's hardware when I do another upgrade (3 years or so from now). I like having some documentation to go with equipment.
Satisfactory rating is due to fact that Draft N is just that: Draft. I'm on the edge of rating this lower, but I'll give DLink the benefit of that doubt.
Most thorough review to date is at XBIT LABS: www.xbitlabs.com/artic...
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