D-Link, the industry leader in wireless networking, introduces another breakthrough in wireless connectivity. The D-Link AirPlus G DI-524 Wireless Router which is capable of transferring data at rates of up to 54Mbps in the 2.4GHz frequency the same wireless frequency as 802.11b. The D-Link DI-524 Wireless Router also offers four Ethernet ports to support multiple computers.
The advanced wireless technology built into the DI-524 Wireless Router offers data transfer speeds up to 54Mbps through its wireless channels allowing streaming videos and other high bandwidth applications, such as online gaming events, to operate without the hassle of Ethernet cables. The ability to use high bandwidth applications also makes streaming real-time programs more enjoyable and more efficient.
With the DI-524 Wireless Router's built-in advanced firewall, threats of hackers penetrating your network are minimized. Some firewall features include functions that allow or disallow certain ports to be open for certain applications.
Time scheduling can be established as a firewall rule so that specific ports will be open at certain times and be closed at other times. Features like content filtering, MAC filtering, URL blocking, and domain blocking are useful tools to prevent other unwanted intruders from connecting to your network or browsing restricted sites.
The easy-to-use configuration wizard takes only minutes to setup and guides users step-by-step through configuring the DI-524. With all the versatile features and an user-friendly utility, the DI-524 Wireless Router provides an enhanced networking experience.
1 An Easy to Use Basic Wireless Router
I don't have any gripes about the "lack" of features this wireless router has. It has everything a novice wireless user needs. WPA, 802.11g, web interface, 4 wired ports, DHCP, Firewall, easy to edit firewall rules, MAC filtering, and some more.
This wireless router works great in my home and provides good wireless coverage throughout my home. I don't have a massive house, but I do find this router to be well enough to cover what I do have in my 2 bedroom town home.
I would strongly suggest using the installation wizard that you first see when you login to the router via a web browser as this is straight forward and easy to understand.
I personally didn't have any problems setting this up, but if you do it looks like their FAQ on their support site ( support.dlink.com ) has some good answers. I'd also suggest browsing through the "emulator" on this product page on dlink.com.
2 Doesn't work with personal firewalls???!
I bought this router to replace an SMC router that I love for its built-in print server, but the switch seems to be failing and SMC does not seem to make one with a parallel printer port anymore. I bought this one because of its very low price after rebate. I figured even if it does not work perfectly and I kept it as a backup, it would be fine (the way people yell when the broadband goes down around here, you'd think they're doing mission critical government national security work). At the same time, I bought a Linksys 802.11b router, which I was sure would give me the distance I needed. Unfortunately the dLink router is not even good enough in my circumstance to be a backup and is going back.
The installation was fine and the web management interface was simple and very complete in the information and control it provided. That's why I'm giving this 2 stars and not fewer. Four PCs I tried connected without a hitch and worked great, but that fifth PC....
My fifth PC is the one I have from work. It's a ThinkPad T41 with a built in WiFi adapter and it could not get an IP address from the DHCP server in the router. I called D-Link tech support and got a really nice technician who seemed pretty much resigned to my configuration not working. He said my problem was likely specific to that PC and it could be either the WiFi card (which it can't be, as I further explained to him that the wired Ethernet card in the machine also could not get an IP address) or the Cyber Armor firewall my company loaded on it. He instructed me to disable the firewall and try it, because there is a known issue with certain personal firewalls, but he had no specific information as to known issues with this firewall or with ThinkPad T41s. I asked him why this router would have problems with this firewall when my SMC and Linksys did not. He said that different routers used different chips and left it at that.
With all the focus on security these days, I find it very odd that they would release a product that requires you to disable such a vital piece of software.
I had further problems because even with a static address to avoid the DCHP issue, my Nortel Contivity VPN did not work. THere's a FAQ on this on their web site, but following the instructions did not fix the problem and the odds of me calling my IS department and finding out how authentication is configured (as the FAQ said to do) is nil. And if authetication is configured a certain way, the router won't work anyway.
I've used other D-Link products and have been pretty happy with them. I won't hold a grudge - unless I have trouble returning it!
3 Forget all the Rest D-Link Rules!
This router has saved me from my bad router-itus. I've had other brands, and I see no need to mention their names, but lets just say they all had thier own quirks to get working. The last one I tried was this little router guy. Finally something that works!
It was easy to setup, I didn't have to read a 20 page manual to figure it out, I don't have to keep resetting it or upgrading firmware constantly, and the wireless range is pretty good. I was purchasing other inexpensive routers as I don't see my router justifing a $100 of my hard earned money. Everyone should have one and it shouldn't cost a days work to have one.
Basically this router does everything I need, and at a good price, and easy to use interface. I have no complaints about this one.
4 A Good First Time Wireless Router
If you are new to wireless routers, or never had one of your won that you've had to take care of (not much care). Then this router is for you. It's real easy to use thanks to the wizards that walk you through things and the included documentation seems to be good enough for beginners. You do have to know some things about computers, as this isn't for the absolute newbie.
Overall this router packs a punch for such a low price. There is good wireless performance, good wired performance and the router seems to be stable with constant flows of traffic running through it. I haven't had any trouble with this router since I got it. I expect the same for others.
5 Good Wireless and Wired Connections
I'm not the brightest bulb in the tulip patch, but I was able to figure this thing out with minimal hassle. The instructions and online material really help.
I've had this installed for about 4 months and its always been good to me. I can get a strong wireless signal from anywhere in my apartment even in my bedroom behind walls and closed doors.
The wired portion works just fine, as it should, and the setup was rather simple. Overall this wireless router is a well priced home router.
6 DI-524 can't hold a connection
I've had the DLink DI-524 for eight months. Although the wired features work well, I have been unable to maintain a wireless connection (at 20 feet). The signal drops every 2-3 minutes. I've upgraded the firmware twice and spent 20+ hours troubleshooting. Tech support solved some issues, but couldn't resolve the signal loss. Forums on the web contain dozens of examples for this same problem. When I finally gave up and bought a Motorola, it performed flawlessly from the same location with the same settings and network systems. Caught red handed, DLink finally agreed to discuss a replacement, but it took them five weeks to respond to my email -- after four follow-ups and an info copy to the better business bureau. They reminded me that they never provide a refund ("No exceptions!") and reminded me that if I'd read the manual, I would have KNOWN that I had to call the 800 number instead of using email. I called, and the recorded message referred me to the RMA.DLINK.COM web site!
I've had bad products before, but the key issue here was DLINK's repeated denials that anything serious was wrong, and their attempt to ignore me, then blame me for the problem. I have 20+ years of IT experience. Evidently SOME of these routers work as advertised ... DO YOU FEEL LUCKY?
7 The Darn Thing Just keeps on Going!
I've had this router with me for about 3 living arrangement changes and each time I change my location this comes with me. Each and everytime this is the device that powers my Internet conenction sharing and firewall, AND wireless access. I love it.
Whether it sits on the dirty cement floor, or high up on a shelf, it seems to work great.
Setup is always simple thanks to the setup wizard, and if need be I can set it back to factory settings with a paperclip and some patience. I really do appreciate the low cost of this router and the over abundance of use I get out of this. I once had all four wired ports full of computers and 3 wireless connections connected to this router and we were all playing some online web games and everything worked fine.
I can't get over the price per performance this thing outputs. Big ups to D-Link!
8 Easy to use and Recommeded for First Timers
I installed this for my parents so that they could also roam wirelessly throughout their home with their laptop. Even though their laptop is usually in the same spot everytime I come over. :p
I have a mostly wired network at home and have my own access point seperate from my router. But this little device actually performs quite well for it's price and size.
The setup was easy, the confugurations were simple and straight forward, and I haven't had any trouble from it in the past 3 months my parents have been using it.
9 Not a helpful company!
I bought this unit for a small retail store. It's primary purpose was to act as the router for the three computers in the store, and to access the DSL.
I spent more than four hours on the phone with tech support trying to get it to communicate with the DSL unit. The tech support from my ISP was more helpful than D-Link. My ISP even tried to help me fix the settings on the D-Link unit. End result is that I have replaced the unit with one from US Robotics and it hooked right up without a hitch!
D-Link's tech support tried for a while then gave up pointing the finger at my ISP, saying that the name and password had to be wrong since all of their other settings were correct. I could have accepted this, except that when we logged on without the D-Link in between the password worked fine.
D-Link's tech support finally (after two days and more than four hours on the phone) admitted that the unit may not be working properly. Worst tech support I have ever experienced!
10 Perfect Little Wireless Router
I brought this home from Best Buy as a replacement to my old router as for some reason it stopped working. When I got home I was able to setup and get this router working in a matter of minutes. Setup and installation weren't hard at all thanks to the quick install guide and easy to use wizard.
After installation everything has been working fine since the second I plugged it in. I did have to upgrade the firmware, which made me re-configure the firewall and router settings, but after that everything worked great.
My wireless connections are stable, my wired connections are stable (as expected), and my wireless range is surprisingly further than my old wireless router. This was almost too easy.
11 I wish foresight was 20/20
I bought the DI-524 to replace my LinkSys BEFSR41 and to be able to use my laptop wirelesly.
The wireless connection was horrible. It kept dropping. The speed would go from 1.1 MBps to 11 MBps & back. I figured, "well, it's wireless, it's bound to happen."
However, even my workstation that's wired DIRECTLY to the DI-524 would disconnect every 10-15 minutes. I play MMORPS & getting disconnected even for a second is a very bad thing indeed.
I updated to firmware, replaced the cable, replaced my NIC. All the same. I reinstalled my NIC & reconnected the LinkSys & all is good again.
I'm returning this unit & I'm going to get a LinkSys WRT54GS instead.
Moral: I should have stuck with what I had to begin with.
12 I Love the 802.11g Speeds!
I just upgraded from 802.11b to 802.11g (I know I'm late, but whatever) and the speed increase is amazing! I can transfer files over the network so much quicker now.
I have been using 802.11b for a while now, and didn't feel like upgrading because of money and the fear of getting my router/AP working the way I want. Most router/APs are difficult to get working properly.
Well this router was not one of those older router/APs. This one was easy to install, and I get blazing speeds anywhere in my apartment. OK so it's not amazing that I get wireless coverage in my one bedroom apartment, but believe it or not I'd get dropped sometimes with my older 802.11b router/AP. Now I don't get dropped and I have faster speeds. Weeeeeeeeeee!!!
13 Fits my Simple Needs at Home
I have this wireless capable router in my home, and have for about a month now. I am pleased with it's performance as I've never had to curse it out for being a bad router. :)
From what I remember the installation of this router was very easy and I had zero problems. I can always check and see how the router is doing by going to it's web interface via my web browser and checking out the status page. Or the Logs. I don't always knwo what they mean, but if nothing looks out of the ordinary then I feel ok.
The wireless portion of this router works pretty good to. Nice and secure, which keeps out my neighbors, the range is good in my home, I can even go outside. Overall I like this router and would recommend it to other casual computer/internet users out there. It's priced right too!
14 "We're not going to give you your money back."
I am not a complainer; I have NEVER written a negative review for any product or vendor on Amazon. But D-Link is evil. This product only worked intermittently; kept dropping the signal. D-Link insisted the product worked fine and *refused* to allow a return. Direct quote: "We're not going to give you your money back." DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY: They make a poor product, refuse to stand behind it, and engage in shoddy business practices. Would give them a zero if I could. I should have read all the negative reviews on this site before I purchased from them.
15 The No Hassle Small Wonder
This wireless router is so small. I pictured it would be bigger than it actually is. It takes up so little space and I like it.
Other than the physical attributes the software and hardware side seem to work very good as well. It wasn't hard to setup, as most people have found, and for me, the reliability of connections seemed to be just fine. I've been running this router for about two weeks or so now and I've never had to touch it since the first install. I use my PC a lot and would notice if I dropped from the Internet or network all together.
Since this is easy to use, reliable, and has such a small footprint on my desk I have to give it a 5 star rating. Not to mention the low low price. :) w00t!
16 No cheap to be good
I bought this router mainly because of a $40 rebate offered through Bestbuy. Since I got such a good deal...I wasn't expecting it to be the best router I could find. I was just looking for something simple to set up a small network in my apartment. It was easy enough to install, but the quality of the connection was terrible. It keep droping from the internet about every five minutes. I downloaded the upgrade from the support site, and still the same problem. This is definately an item that is priced too good to be true.
17 Setup According to Plan
First I should note that the setup was very easy to do. So easy in fact that when I was done I was sad there wasn't anything else to configure. I've always thought that setting up my own router would be a difficult task and I needed to know all about networking to get it done correctly. Well, apparently I don't *have* to. :)
Just follow the setup guide included in the package and you will be fine. I've heard that cable internet access is easier to configure than DSL, but I've never had DSL so I can't say yes or no.
After the initial setup I haven't done anything else to this router and it just keeps on working like it should. I haven't had any Internet hick-ups, or dropped/rebooting problems, and I definitely can say that this router does it's job very well.
Summary:
Setup was easy. duh.
You don't have to be a network guru to get this working.
It keeps working good for me, so I see no reason why it wouldn't for you.
18 Very Good Product for the Money
I have installed this router in my parents house and I have the model up from this one DI-624 and they are both very similar. This is like the DI-624 due to it's reliability and wireless coverage area. It is different in regards to it's max speeds (base speeds are the same) physical size, and cost.
I love my DI-624 and this DI-524 gives my parents zero problems. The setup wizard on this DI-524 is very straight forward and walk you through crucial steps rather nicely. I'd recommend it to all.
19 Works for me (so far!)
I just got this router today, and with a rebate it comes to $19.99. I plugged it in and followed the instructions, it worked immediately. We have 4 wired desktops (XP pro in 3 and W98 in 1) and 3 wireless laptops (2 with wireless built in Centrinos, b and g running XP Pro and Home, and 1 is a 3 yr old IBM Thinkpad with a Dlink Wireless G cardbus card running W2000). Everything worked after configuring as instructed and restarting. Hard to complain with 7 different networked devices all working at once! Now, time will tell if it holds up. I still have one more laptop to try, an old Toshiba Celeron 400 with a MS wireless card running W98.
Update 4/12/2005
Got the old Toshiba laptop on the network, no problems with that. But there was one computer with drop out problems, which were solved with the firmware upgrade: I have the C revision which had the 3.0 firmware, and now 3.02. Seems to have cured the dropout problems, and a throughput issue: seems much faster now too. I think it was worth the $19.99 after rebates!
20 Five stars for Affordability to Performance Ratio
I couldn't believe how inexpensive this router was when I bought it. I intentionally kept the recipt away from the trash while I was setting this up in case it was rubbish. I've come to find out that I was wrong with my assumption.
This router is;
1) Easy on the bank account
2) Had a simple setup guide
3) Easy to setup
4) Easy to configure
5) Reliable in its function
6) Has been running perfect for 2 months
I have to compliment D-Link on thier achievement to provide good quality low price routers. In this day and age, everyone should have a router at home for security reasons, and wireless accessability is just a plus.
21 A Good Solution for Not a lot of $$$
Overall I am pleased with this router being my main router and wireless access point. It was easy to setup and easy to configure. It was simple to purchase since it was at my local Fry's and here on Amazon. The price is right, and I even got a mail in rebate for an extra $20 off. It's secure enough for me, and my neighborhood, and the wireless signal travels far enough in my home to cover even my back bedroom. I've never had any problems with this router within the 2 months or so I've had it running. I can't say anything bad about this router, so I had to give it 5 stars.
22 Excellent little Router with Wireless
All-in-all this is a good router for it's price.
OK so some features are left out and it's not the fastest (108Mbps = DI-624) router D-Link makes, but it's just fine for most.
Let's face it, most people aren't avid wireless networking buffs who know how all this stuff works. But this router makes things a little easier to handle with its small price tag and simple to use inferface and the whole "set it and forget it" mentality.
Personally, I've setup a couple of these, they were for either family members or friends. All I have to do is update the firmware, set the basic features up and leave it that way. The only problems I've come across involving this router were with my parents. They said their internet "just wasn't working" so I had them reboot (unplug power, count to 10, plug power back in) their cable modem (provided by ISP) and the same to this router. tehy were back up and working in 3 minutes. The router handles everything automatically when it's rebooted. As most do.
Either way I've never had to replace any of these, nor have I heard complaints of wireless connections being dropped while in range.
I gave this 5 stars because from the few that I've actually installed I haven't had to see them again since. And that's a good sign for me. Thanks D-Link for the inexpensive, yet reliable router.
23 Works Wonders
I am just pleased this inexpensive router can handle all my WinMX transfers. It wasn't hard, thanks to the easy to navigate web based interface, to open certain ports so I could use WinMX properly. I have tried other P2P programs, but I find WinMX to be my favorite, and I've heard of other P2P programs not working correctly with some cable/DSL routers.
Everything else with this router works as it should. I didn't really put everything to the test, but the wireless works, my Internet connection is reliable, and I can use my WinMX. Everything is great on my end, and if you are like me, I think you will enjoy the simplicity of this D-Link router.
24 Wireless is the Way to Go!
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!
I'm on my couch surfing the Internet without any wires attached to my laptop. Just some blinky lights and the perfect seat. :)
I am so happy I bought this router. I've personally never tried wireless until now. My laptop had it built in, but I never had an access point to connect to. Well this D-Link router can handle it, and it handles it well.
At first I was hesitent about wireless all together, but now that I read up on it a bit, and learned what I needed to know to secure my wireless and getting running best I did it. And thanks to this little D-Link router I was able to do it with no fuss.
Plug it in like the quick install guide says, go to the right IP address, go through the setup wizard and off you go! I was connected to the Internet and tested it on my desktop and it worked. Then I went straight to the laptop and configured the wireless settings to the right SSID and WEP code, and viola!
I'm now on the couch surfing my favorite sites while I half pay attention to the TV. This is great! I never have to leave the couch again. Except for the bathroom, and even then I can bring my wireless laptop with me. :D Thanks D-Link!
25 This Router is Inexpensive and Works!
That's right, I just wanted a wireless router that 1) worked and 2) didn't cost very much.
I found it! This D-Link router can do 54Mbps 802.11g support and the reliability/up time is perfect. I don't see any wireless signal drops, or internet connections dropping so I am very happy.
Setup was rather painless, and further configuration was simple once you figured out where to go within the router's configuration screens.
I'm pleased with this inexpensive purchase and would recommend D-Link, if not just this router, for ease of use and reliability.
26 Router was easy to setup and works great!
This router was very simple to set up. It basically walks you through the setup procedure with a setup wizard. This will take you to the settings that are necessary to change in order for it to perform its basic functions and be secure.
After that you can tweak the settings to your liking. It's very straight forward and if you want to see it for yourself go to D-Link's product page of this product, or other router, and look for the link labeled "EMULATOR" underneath the picture of the product itself. This is an emulator of the interface so that you can become familiar with it while you are waiting for your online order to arrive. This helped me whiz through my setup.
The wireless range of this covers my apartment well, and both wireless and internet have been more reliable since I bought this.
TIP: If the wireless signal/range isn't what you'd like it to be, try changing the channel the wireless network uses. Default is channel 6, so try 1, or 11 for best results.
27 No complaints here. This router works just fine for me.
I was very apprehensive about buying this router because of all the negative reviews. However, I couldn't resist the tempting price tag and decided to take a risk.
Setting it up was a cinch, and so far it's worked liked a charm. I purposely waited for a month before posting this review to make sure that it does not crap out on me. No problems here so far. I would give it 5 stars, but the router's build quality, along with many of dlinks products, does feel a bit cheap. My previous dlink router got stepped on by my fat sister and stopped working. I'm keeping this one away from her foot steps this time around.
28 Bad product, do not try
[...]
As a regular user, I tried all possible solutions such as moving closer, tried three different brands of wireless adaptors, choose all kinds of different configurations, so on and so forth.
As an experienced computer engineer, I tried different firmware, tried to use network strumbler,tried linux, and more.
Nothing can prevent this router from crash. You can literally tell the router automatically reboot by just looking at the light leds on the front panel. It blinks for 40-50 seconds, and whennever the traffic through the router goes a little bit higher, all leds lighted up staticly and then all shutdown. There you go, re-----booooot!
Someone may say, you get what you paid for. Yes it is CHEAP. but for this product, I would rather pay NOTHING. I won't bother to call the customer service, they could not be more proficient than me. I would not waste more time on this product, otherwise, I would ask D-link paying me for all the time I spent to disgnose this crap.
So, DO NOT BUY! And if you happened read this, and you do agree, please try to click the LINK stating that you think this comment is useful. So that no more victims would suffer as I did in the past few days.
29 It was cheap and it shows
Well, I guess I got what I paid for. When I first got it, it didn't work AT ALL until I downloaded the v.1.05 firmware update. But now, it's still pretty wishy-washy. My connection gets dropped a lot and that's pretty annoying. I've been having problems with the MAC filtering especially. I'm basically just waiting for the next firmware update that will hopefully fix a lot of the problems. I'm not holding my breath though.
30 Pretty Cool stuff
I just bought this a month back along with a USB wireless device. Both work fine. The wireless router was pretty easy to install. The connection is great, although sometimes the link strength reads ~50% but I havent seen a drop in performance. Overall I am pretty happy with this.
31 FIRMWARE NIGHTMARE
DON'T DO IT!!!!! Current firmware 1.05 is flawed notorious for disconects......waiting for new release....
32 piece of junk
Even when it was working it would drop the signal every 30 minutes. However, just over a year of having it, it suddenly stopped working. No power at all. Call customer support - tough luck it was over the one year warranty. You get what you pay for. Stay away from this piece of junk.
33 Nice little box
First of all, setting up a secure wireless network with encryption, connected to a wired network through a cable/dsl modem, and enabling filesharing without security holes, is not easy. This is a relatively new market, people, and this stuff is just not plug-and-play. If it is, then you probably have some major security holes. 90% of all wireless networks in the U.S. are wide open (that means most of you). I bought this router and set it up for my parents, and changed a lot of features. If you know what you're doing, you'll have no problem. If you're willing to spend some time following the wizard and possibly talking to a friend or tech support, you'll have no problem. If you want instant wireless connectivity right out of the box, frankly, you have a pipe dream. Your internet connection and personal computer are likely to be compromised in less than a week.
Tips for wireless security:
- Disable SSID broadcasting
- Enable WPA/TKIP pre-shared key (NOT WEP, which easily is crackable)
- Filter wireless access by MAC
- Change router's IP to nonstandard address
- There's more than this, but these are the basics. Read up on the internet.
The D-Link is a good router with nice features (reserved DHCP is something Linksys doesn't have unless you mod the firmware), it's small, and it looks nice. The hardware is a dime a dozen; there's nothing wrong with this router! If you want alternate firmware and a Linux shell, this is not the model for you. If you want a small, compact, cheap, nice-loooking wireless router, don't hesitate to buy it. Just know that you're going to have to spend a little time with it, just as you would with any other model.
By the way, the Broadcom chip (108 mbps SpeedBurst) is overrated for internet use. 95% of all users will not need the higher model than this, especially when your internet connection is is <3 mbps!
34 Great product from Dlink again for a happy DI-614+ user
I decided to upgrade my DI-614+ (which works great!) to this model so I can have 802.11g support. Some of negative reviews got me to think twice but they all proved to be non-existence for me. Maybe I got used to the user interface form DI-614+. I have no issue what so ever on setting up the box. I took precaution to reboot my cable modem after I plugged in the box. This thing supports UPnP as well, which is a must for xbox and MSN messenger (if you need voice, video, and application sharing). My only advice to people is read the quick setup (mostly illustrated instructions) and get the latest firmware.
My only wish is for DLink to provide porting of some configuration parameters among different boxes for easy upgrade. I had to manually configure all my static DHCP, filtering, and firewall customizaiton.
35 Flakey
Look, this is an OK product if you do not use heavy networking. If you play games or fileshare, you may have problems. I bought one for ~$20 after rebate, and I'm glad I did not spend and more on it. Mine will start the cycle of rebooting every 20 sec until I reset the thing. This was caused only during load from the wired side. This should not be a hard load for a wired connection to handle. You may want to consider a Linksys. It is worth the extra money.
36 You get what you paid for
I bought this at 2:00pm, returned it the same day. I didn't have any problems when i hooked it up. It wasn't until when i ran the wizard to enable the encryption that i started having problems. My internet connection was disconnected. I tried read the manual but had very little info. This item is not plug and play. Look elsewhere, even if you have to spend a little more.
37 Not ready for prime time
This product is simply not ready for market. As a product developer for over 25 years I know when a product is ready to go to market and this ain't it. This device is not plug and play by any stretch. Look forward to spending more in time tweeking this device than the original cost of purchase. There are thousands of complaints on Google at this time and I anticipate that retailers are going to stop carrying this if returns reach a threshold of pain.
38 Firmware Disaster
Firmware version 1.05 doesn't work. The router hands out new DHCP addresses to every wireless device every few seconds, so obviously your connection will drop continuously like so many people have reported here. This isn't a fluke, it's a well-documented, reproducible problem that has been discussed at length on hardware forums like BroadbandReports.com. Flashing back to old firmware 1.03 solves it, but that version introduces another issue with buffer overflows when using P2P file sharing.
At the time of this review, 1.05 is the latest firmware version available. Incredibly enough, this horrible piece of broken code isn't a beta version, it's the final release that D-Link has been recommending for months. How a company can get away with this for so long is beyond me.
I rolled my DI-524 back to firmware 1.03 and it solved all my connectivity problems. I don't use P2P so it's actually working great for me now, which is why I gave it two stars instead of one. But I spent countless hours tearing my hair out to get to this point and D-Link tech support wouldn't admit the problem, so I can't recommend buying this, or any product, from this company. Knowing what I do now, I'd buy a Linksys instead.
39 Works well, but the wireless requires tweaking
The "wired" part of this router works very well out of the box. The installation wizard runs smoothly and gets you on your way fairly quickly. It detected my SBC DSL configuration and I was on the internet within minutes. At the same time, I had just bought myself a new iBook G4, with an Airport Extreme 802.11g card. Getting the wireless to work was an excercise in frustration for a couple of hours. The documentation and online FAQ, as well as Google were all consulted to find a solution. What I ended up doing was disabling *all* security features in order to get any kind of connection at all, then re-enabling them one by one. In the end, it was the MAC address filter that was stopping the wireless connection from working. My configuration now has SSID broadcasting turned off and WPA-PSK turned on, for better security (this is called WPA Personal on the Airport configuration utility). In all, this device is a good deal, but take note of some of the gotchas noted in the other reviews.
40 Nice appearance; wireless connection full of bugs
Purchased this router a week ago. The hard-wired connection works OK. However:
1) Try to change the password, then do a hardware reset; dont be surprised that admin password will not reset.
2) Encrypted Wireless connection worked for about two days; it stopped working shortly after; router is either not detectable or if it is, then you cannot log into it. Of course, you can disable encryption but then anyone near can use the connection.
3) Customer support when contacted, told me to downgrade the firmware from 1.05 to 1.03. It helped a little bit; I can connect occasionally via encrypted connection. Still, periodically router disconnects and I cannot reconnect.
4) When emailed support back and asked when is expected release of newer version of firmware; I got a reply with link to current version of firmware and suggestion of "not sending additional questions for this information"
So, if You're gone use this as a hard-wired connection router, it works good; its wireless capabilities I would not vouch for.
41 this router works just fine
setup is a little complicated but common sense combined with reading the instructions make things fairly simple. Once configuration is done, there is a wide range of security settings and options for controlling your home network. Range could be a bit better however but overall it is a nice router. Dont listen to all the angry reviewers who dont know how to read directions. I set it up and had my lan and wireless systems accessing it in about 10 minutes.
42 not for macs, probably not windows either
The signal fades away after about 20 minutes, Changing the channel does not help. It needs to be unplugged and plugged in again. This is a waste of money. I replaced it with airport express which works flawlessly. You get what you pay for. If you are having problems connecting to the internet, check out Jack Szwergold's review at the very end. Thanks Jack! This router did not work with my modem at all before following his instructions. Selling routers preset like this is a major screw up on d link's part. I called technical support and described my problem, and she did not even suggest this.
I will not purchase any products from them in the future, only from the apple store.
43 A very ordinary product
This router required a lot of pampering to work, including downloading new firmware and manually setting the WAN port to 10 Mbps. It also requires a hard reset periodically (sometimes several times the same day). I'm not sure why I put up with it. It also reports that WEP is disabled when using the superior WPA encryption, suggesting that your network is unprotected. At least it supports WPA.
44 Router beset by bugs
I purchased a DI-524 when first upgrading my network to 802.11g. While installation was easy, operation was abysmal - the router had compatibility problems with most of the other wireless systems I owned (These include a TiVo, Palm Tungsten C, an Airport Express for online music.) There were two major problems: First, the DHCP service constantly got into states where it would start handing out new addresses to any active client every 45 seconds - one minute. This had the effect of causing slow connections and lots of lost connections. This problem was particularly bad with my HP network printer, and print jobs would frequently fail or hang. The second problem (which may have been related to the first) was that it would frequently lost the ability to route between the wireless and wired network.
An amusing side effect of these were that the log file on the router would fill up constantly - I'd get two or three emails a day from the router documenting its frantic efforts to hand out DHCP addresses.
I ended up replacing the DI-524 with a Belkin F5D7230-4 after less than two months. The Belkin is a hands-down winner, both in terms of stability and features, like WDS and parental controls.
45 Get the Linksys wireless G - trust me
First problem was ever time I rebooted my main comp the Internet connection was lost and I had to reset IE to default.
Second it wouldn't work with my old Gateway, not only was tech support worthless, they were vaguely insulting about my still using a PII.
So having been using a linksys wired router for the last 3 years, I decided to give them a shot. Everything set up and ran perfectly, all I did was sit there and watch.
spend a little more and get the linksys- you will be happy you did.
46 Incompatabilities
As long as the rest of your wireless equipment is DLink, you may never have a problem, but try using a cheaper non-DLink card and you quickly find out that you've been locked in. I've never had problems with the router, but it really narrows your choices when you're looking to use a cheaper h/w or share connectivity with non-DLink friends.
47 Don't buy this router!!
Some guys here are giving review saying that other people don't know how to set up the router and so caused a lot of problems. This does not apply to my case. Although I'm not an expert, I do know something about the router hardware and parameters settings. I'm sure nothing was wrong with the settings. As said in my previous preview quoted below, connection drops out frequently and D-link tech support went through all the settings with me, trying with different sets of parameters without any success. Finally, they concluded that the hardware might have problem and I had to pay for the shipping to send it back to get a replacement. The story did not end here. The replacement router got exactly same problem. I contacted D-link again and this time they passed me to a product specialist. Still, he could not get the problem solved. However, he's willing to test the model himself and try to get a solution. I ended up waiting.
I borrowed a Belkin 54G wireless router from a friend and set up with exactly same settings as the DI-524. The Belkin worked for 5 days without any problems. No drop out at all. When I switched back to DI-524, same old problem came back. I reported this to the D-link specialist and he finally emailed me a new version of beta firmware 1.06 for me to try with.
Once the new firmware is loaded. There's no more connection drop out. It's been working for a week without any problems. So, if you are buying this router, remember to get the 1.06 beta firmware from D-Link or else you will experience drop out problems.
One last thing to note. The firware was dated a month before the first time I started complaining to D-link. So, why didn't they give me the firmware in the beginning so that I didn't have to go through that much trouble? This is why I still only give it a 4-star rating instead of 5.
============================
Original review quoted below
============================
It just doesn't work. Every thing was set up correctly with latest firmware loaded. However, it keeps reassigning IP addresses to every station every minute. That means link drops every minute (in worst case even every few seconds) and then try to reconnect. Sometimes it gets wild and just can't reconnect. Need to restart system to get connection again.
Tried with older version of firmware but that also had some other problems. Link broken every few hours and need manual reset every time to get back connection.
D-link support just keep telling me to try all that I had already tried. No solution.
48 Nice router
I upgraded from a D-Link 802.11b router to this one. Works great. Set up is very similar--no trouble at all. Administration menus very straightforward. I'm using it in a mixed Mac OS X / Windows mixed -b and -g environment and having no problems.
49 It is simple and easy to use
I bought this thing a couple of months back. I had learnt from a friend of mine that it is not a good router. However I could not resist the price at which it was available. THOUGH MY MAIL-IN REBATE HAS NOT REACHED ME EVEN AFTER TWO CALLS.
Anyways, I found this thing to be very simple and easy to use.
Simple English that we have learnt so far is good enough for the installation. I was a first time user so followed the book to the hilt and faced no issues. It is still running happily. I keep power cycling it (once a month) when I'm bored with nothing else to do. And I can catch the signal from my parking lot, don't ask me why i do that.
50 I bought this to use while traveling
This router is very small and weighs nothing. Its power adapter is hardly bigger than a normal plug. I keep it in my laptop bag and its come in very handy for setting up improptu networks during meetings or for use in hotel rooms. Never had any trouble configuring it but I always read the manual first.
51 Works well for me
I just bought the Dl-524 along with DWL-G120 wireless USB adapter for my remote desktop and the DWL-G630 wireless cardbus adapter for my laptop. I already had an established -11b network with 3 desktops on land lines and 2 laptops and 2 desktops connected wireless. I switched out the old router with the new D-link and was up and working immediately. I went ahead and ran the wizard so my laptops would be ok with WEP and have had NO PROBLEMS. The signal for my desktop fluctuates between 24 and 54 mbps. The signal for my 2 laptops runs between 36 and 54 mbps (staying mostly between 48 and 54). My son's desktop that still is connected with an -11b usb adapter seems to run faster, as well. Overall, I'm very pleased. The reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is that the signal strength isn't rock solid at 54....but still way better than 11mbps.
52 Works for my simple setup
I gave this dlink d1-524 router 4 stars because it was easy to setup and configure. I also bought the D-Link DWL-G120 Wireless 802.11g USB Adapter for another desktop machine to go with this router. Only problem I encountered was after going through the setup instructions, I couldn't get a connection to the cable modem so I read the "troubleshooting" section. It instructed me to turn modem off for 2 minutes, turn router off, turn router on, etc. etc. After I did this it worked!
While I'm not a sophisticated user (i.e. multiple wireless clients, complex security setup needs), I would guess my setup is pretty average. For this type of user, I would recommend this router based on it's price and features (security). The user manual is very average and doesn't waste a lot of words explaining to novices what certain features are for. However, the bottom line I got my wireless network setup up on two boxes in less than 1 hour and IT WORKS! Good enough for me!
53 Lots of trouble making it work, poor web interface too
I've used wireless equipment from Netgear and Belkin but this was my first experience with D-Link after a friend's glowing recommendation. It simply took too much time to get this unit set up, especially due to the counterintuitive web interface. I could never get the wireless capability to work completely--when any one of my three PCs would connect, the others wouldn't. It especially aggrivated me that I had to manually type in WEP keys rather than the unit generating them for me from a password.
I like that the unit is small, mountable, stackable, and attractive (as wireless routers go); has a removable antenna; and has a lot of advanced configuration features. But since I just couldn't make all my computers work with it I had to take it back. Unless you really need the advanced settings (which I doubt, e.g. wireless transmit power, fragmentation threshhold, beacon interval, preamble size...) or have previously had good luck with D-Link, I'd recommend Netgear or Belkin instead.
54 Rough beginning
After a lot of hair pulling and trying to understand the minimalist instructions, I finally (for now) have this thing working. Setup was tough, unit did not want to communicate with my laptop and stopped transmitting entirely several times. I finally figured that it and SBC DSL don't like each other. Since I've deleted all SBC software it has been working great. Don't just uninstall the DSL connection software, search it out and delete it. I think that their software is like spyware and doesn't give up easily. Worked for me at any rate, after having tried everything I could think of and the booklet/help manual suggested. Hope this helps someone.
55 Drops PPPoE DSL Connection Every 20 minutes
I have a similar problem to what other users are reporting, it drops the connection every 20 minutes. I would downgrade to firmware 1.03 but that firmware made my FTP uploads extremely slow.
56 Buggy firmware makes 524 a poor choice
The 524 is seemingly a good alternative for sharing a cablemodem to multiple clients. However, ongoing problems with firmware that lead to multiple router reboots and configuration loss make this a router to avoid.
DSLReports contains listings from multiple users that indicate firmware release 1.05 to be buggy and unreliable, and certain security features don't work properly. Most users are encouraged to drop back to version 1.03. Both 1.05 and 1.03 firmware releases are available for download from the DLink website.
I've not been able to get the router to maintain its activity logs, time configuration, or even connections for much more than two minutes at a time. Two XP Pro wireless client report innumerable drop/reconnect events; that, combined with the loss of time configuration/log data suggest the router is perhaps not merely dropping connections, but crashing entirely.
Some pages of the internal router webserver don't even identify the correct product, listing the "514+" instead of "524." DLink's technical support has been only marginal helpful, with a promise to forward my debugging steps to their labs but with no return information.
Although I've had good luck with DLink products in the past, this is an exception. I'd have to encourage shoppers to look toward LinkSys or NetGear products as a more reliable alternative. As it is, the frequent reboots/reconnects make connection-dependent network applications, such as certain network games or email downloading, a practical impossibility.
Sad to say, but there are better wireless routers. The 524 is one to avoid.
David
57 Tech support in 20 minutes
I was on the phone with D-Link Tech Support within 20 minutes of setting this thing up. I unplugged a Wired Netgear router that was working fine. Brought the entire system down and then installed. I followed the directions and being a Computer and Network support person at a Major Corporation I know how to set things like this up. Well Nothing worked.
I got on the phone with tech support (very nice people but heavy accents) and we began troubleshooting. Effectively i could talk to the ISP and get a IP addy from them but no name resolution. Finally after 40 minutes the thing seemed to start working and that lasted all of about 10 minutes. I had nothing more than 2 wireless laptops and a single Wired desktop on the switch. Oddly enough I took one of the laptops up to my daughters room and it found one of my neighbors Linksys network and connected to that with no problems.
My reccomendation is spend the few extra dollars and get the Linksys, i know from first hand experience the D-Link doesnt work and the linksys does. The D-link is on its way back right now.
58 Be Warned!
I bought this item to replace the Linksys version that I was using at the time. Since I was utilizing the D-Link card, I wanted to keep the "brand continuity." I really should have left well enough alone! Even after upgrading the firmware of both the card and router, I lose connectivity almost every half an hour (no exaggeration.) I happen to be a Network Engineer and still find this to be beyond frustrating! "Hard wired," I have no problems but I didn't buy a WIRELESS router to be "hard wired!" What compounds the problem is that I have a wireless print-server in my printer so when the router goes down, I can't print! Thank G*d my VOIP phone does not go through the router but, even though the gateway is D-Link as well, I seem to have no problems with that (knock on wood.)
To make matters worse, as if the issues I'm having with their equipment aren't enough, D-Link just sent me a notice saying that they won't honor my rebate claim because they can't find the UPC label that I sent them. Lovely! I used to think highly of D-Link but now all I can say is save yourself the aggravation.
59 Works great unless you want to use it with a 802.11b
The router seemed easy to set up including adding a WEP for security. It turns out that although I set up a WEP through the 'wizard,' the WEP was not turned on. Calling technical support was easy and they helped fix that.
The main problem was we were using two laptops with wireless cards; one with a 802.11b and one with 802.11g. Even though the packaging and the tech people said that it should work with both, we had problems with the 802.11b. After spending the weekend on the phone with tech people without solving the problem, I went online and found out that this router has problems with 802.11b.
So it's a great router if you don't have mixed platforms.
60 this one has tech problem!
first the instruction is bad, and you better call during the setup which may save your time. after setup, it has been off for several time though the wired still in the net surfing. after 3 wk of heavy downloading, the whole thing crashed. I called the tech, and they basically tell you just followed troubleshooting guide to test yourself because the tech is doing the same thing. what a waste time. they always tried to point to us for the failure of the product. WRONG ATTITUDE! I am waiting for the replacement, which cost me 8 dollars. they won't accept the US postal service, which you can pay less. Final word, this machine may only for those who only light net surfing. If you use it heavily, it can not perform the job as you expect. that's why cheap and small.
I AM LOKING FOR A GOOD ONE THAT CAN ALLOW ME TO USE BOTH DESKTOP AND LAPTOP FOR HEAVY DOWNLOADING. ANYONE KNOW, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
61 Piece of Junk
This thing is a piece of junk. I bought a brand new one. Had the issue of being disconnected from my internet randomly. Sometimes every 5 mins sometimes i could go for a few hours before being dropped. But very annoying. I'm not talking wireless either. im talking ALL internet for wired connections too.
Called tech support 4 times. While i admit their tech support is better than linksys. it was still worthless. They told me to switch cabls, change settings, etc. None of which worked. Finally they said to take it back.
I took it back got a replacement. Guess what. same deal. I'm not even going to bother calling tech support again. Back to the store you go. Don't waste your money on this piece of crap.
62 Simply didn't work and customer support was useless ...
I meticulously followed the instructions, and it didn't work. I called customer service, which (after lengthly holds) referred me to my ISP provider. After confirming with my ISP provider that everything was fine on their end, I called back customer service for the router(and again waited forever). The advice was fairly simple -- try power cycling, checking some basic (obvious) settings, telling me to substitute different ethernet cables, etc., and equally useless. At the end -- the "customer service" representative basically said -- sorry sir -- frankly some of our routers just aren't compatible with certain cable modems." He then gave numerous examples (not relating to my provider -- Starpower -- with a 3-Com Cable Modem) and then suggested that I should return it and maybe try a few other D-Link models which "might" work --- what a waste of effort, money and time ... Ridiculous.
63 An Oxymoron - Simple yet Robust
I know it doesn't make sense, but this router is inexpensive, easy to use, small in size, and doesn't take much time to setup, yet it's fairly giving with it's features, is 802.11g (54Mbps) standard, and has adequate wireless range for a home.
I don't know what else to say expect I like this small wireless router. it does it's job without all the bells and whistles of Overclocking/Turbo/Break-Neck/eXtreme/Ultra/whatever the next marketing term is name and fancy configurations.
it just plain works. And for a reasonable price.
64 Not as good as my last D-Link router
I previously had a D-Link DI-713P 802.11b wireless router which worked very well, and I got this one to have the higher speeds and extra firewall features (and the low price). First of all, to get it to work at all with my cable modem I had to do what others said here (and boy am I glad they reported it), which is to throttle the WAN port down from 100 to 10 Mbps. Then I wanted to use MAC address filtering, a really good security feature, which I'd used with the old one. I also wanted to use WEP encryption as before. With both features turned on, I couldn't get our wireless workstations to connect at all. I wrote D-Link tech support, and they got back to me very quickly, but said that these two features both "increase the over load on the data packets," and decrease the signal strength, and recommended turning off encryption! I neglected to tell them I was about 2 feet away from the router at the time, so signal strength (or interference) shouldn't be the problem. I also found that to get a Mac OS X PowerBook to connect, I had to turn SSID broadcasting back on, another lowering of security. With encryption & SSID broadcasting on, but MAC address filtering off, it works with my PCs & Macs, but my Windows XP machine reports a fluttering signal strength (and I'm not very far away), which means I constantly get those little pop-up windows that my connection is off, now it's on again, now it's off again, etc. So even though it basically works, I have less security, more annoyances, and no discernible speed improvement over my old D-Link 802.11b router, which is going to be re-installed soon and this new one is going back to Amazon.
65 This router is great!
I purchased the D-Link 524 with cautious optimism. I read all the amazon reviews and decided to go forward with the purchase. I'm not sure why folks have such a hard time with the install. Total time was under an hour, that was with filling out the rebate forms and installing on two computers, one with wireless card, one without. So far, no dropped signals, we'll see how that goes, I know what to expect there. But from an install perspective, this was the most painless hardware install I've done yet.
66 Fine wireless router for both newbies and experienced users.
I am very happy with this product, my first wireless router. Set-up was simple; both my Ethernet and wireless computers acess it easily and have no problems.
I would recommend reading the instructions to anyone who feels they are having problems with the setup. Routers are not completely plug and play - by definition it would be difficult for them to be completely so.
One down side - customer support is not very supportive. On the other hand, with a product this simple and powerful, you probably won't need them.
67 Nice design but rebooting sucks..
I have an old Linksys Router w/o WLAN. I got this to replace my router as well as 11b AP. Nice design on the outside but everytime you make a change, it needs to reboot. For example, if I add a MAC address of a PC to the router, it reboots each time I add one. So if I have 3 PCs, it needs to reboot 3 times. And reboot isn't fast - maybe 30 secs. or so. I've found it annoying.
I guess once it's set up and if you don't plan on making any changes, it's alright. But I am going to get a Linksys Router w/11g and returning this.
Oh, btw, instruction manual says, turn off both cable modem and router, turn cable modem on, leave router off for 2 minutes, and turn the router on, and wait 30 secs. It works but what is this about??? :-(
68 D-Link's DI-524 is incompatible with DWL-650 A1-J3 revs
I bought a DI-524. I regret the purchase and plan to return this router.
I previously owned a DI-713P wired/wireless router but the wired connections went bad and D-Link support said it was likely a hardware issue. I thought it was a good time to upgrade and the DI-524 looked good.
First, I wasted an hour trying stuff myself beforce calling D-Link support and finding that "WAN select to 10/100 Mbps" had to be set to 10 Mbps for my (3 years) old cable modem to even obtain a WAN connection. Nothing on D-Links web site about this though I see it listed in other Amazon reviews. Very frustrating.
Once the wired connections worked, I was still left trying to establish a wireless connection to my Windows 2000 laptop with D-Link's own DWL-650 rev J3 PCMCIA card.
Tried calling D-Link support again. The guy just gave me excuses about how the DWL-650 card is old and can't be expected to work. The card works FINE with other wireless routers. The guy recommended I buy another wireless card.
This router is a terrible upgrade if you already have an old wireless PC that works. There's no telling if it will be compatible.
69 Nice little wireless router
I'm not sure if the other reviewers have problems reading instructions or if they just skipped steps. Had no problems at all getting this unit set up and establishing connections between my desktop and Inspiron 5150. Take it out of the box, connect an ethernet cable between the desktop and router and plug it in. Use your favourite browser to connect to 198.168.1.1 and run through the setup wizard. Then once you've got everything set up, read through the manual, go through the various setup options and tweak as desired. I opted to go with the WPA-PSK authentication protocol because its supposed to be more secure, but if you have other devices that don't support it, you'll probably have to stick with WEP.
It can be laid flat on the desk, or propped up on end vertically using the little rubber feet that are supplied. There are 4 ethernet ports that allow you to connect via 10/100 Ethernet and the WAN port to connect to cable, DSL or LAN. The antenna is on a swivel and can be rotated to just about any convenient orientation.
The only thing I don't like about the router is that it doesn't have an internal clock, so every time it is powered off the router's system time goes back to it's default start value. It can be configured to set the time from an NTP server, but only if it's connected to a WAN network (via DSL, cable or LAN). It's only a minor inconvenience though. The other thing is that the router's web interface only seems to work properly if you use IE. Using Netscape/Mozilla/Firefox sort of works for most things, but not everything.
70 Hope you're patient
Either I'm stupid or the reviewers who found this thing easy to set up are just lucky. I fought with this thing for several hours and two calls to customer service. Both useless, by the way. The instructions are beyond horrible. They're inadequate clues at best. The encryption process is cruel. You have to do it in the proper order - I believe the base computer you're using for set up and then the your wireless computer. No mention of the order in the directions. Learned by trial and error. Do it backwards and you lose your connection. No instructions for the event you just want to set up your wireless computer without a base 'setup' computer. Having never done encryption I didn't realize that I supply the encryption code. Finally figured that out. Possibly the others out there are just as bad. Now that I've got it set up, it generally works fine. I also set up a d-link wireless printer adaptor. Equally frustrating and directions better but left out one very important fact.
71 Lousy router doesnt work with IBM Thinkpad
I hate this router already before reading the feedbacks here. If a router wont work with so many devices, it is basically junk. I have used both Microsoft(I know,I know MS) and Netgear but the routers never gave me any problems with any devices, "firmware" also was great. This stupid thing restarts every time I add a MAC address to the filter list. I sneeze and it restarts.
In short, I HATE IT!!!
Go for the little more expensive Netgear or grrr... Microsoft and you will get your money's worth and professionalism.
72 Lousy router doesnt work with IBM Thinkpad
I hate this router already before reading the feedbacks here. If a router wont work with so many devices, it is basically junk. I have used both Microsoft(I know we are against MS) but the router never gave me any problems with any devices, "firmware" also was great. This stupid thing restarts every time I add a MAC address to the filter list. I sneeze and it restarts.
In short, I HATE IT!!!
Go for the little more expensive Netgear or grrr... Microsoft and you will get your money's worth and professionalism.
73 Beats Linksys any day!
I am happily sitting in my back yard typing up this review on my new D-Link wireless router, which took me less than a half hour to set up and get running with all three of my laptops (including using WEP security).
Previously I had a Linksys router, which was a living nightmare! It constantly dropped the signal and had to be reset, it stopped working altogether one day, then after two hours on the phone with Linksys tech support, I was able to get the Ethernet ports working again - but not the wireless. I've commiserated with many others who've had nothing but trouble with their Linksys products.
On top of being easier to set up, the signal from the D-Link router is much stronger throughout my house than the Linksys ever was. I couldn't be happier! :)
74 Total POS
The unit was simple to install and I was on-line on the internet in minutes with NO hassles. HOWEVER... it will NOT connect to HP iPaq devices at ALL. All it will do is show the router as Available, but will NOT, EVER connect. Just ask: If you Google the DI-524 and iPaq 4155, you can see more information. The tech support guy actually said that his best suggestion would be to return the router. I unplugged it, popped my Netgear 802.11b back in and voila, I was back on-line with NO problems.
I'd avoid D-Links products. I have a PCMCIA card arriving tomorrow which I'm returning without even opening the box.
What a bunch of low-budget crap! Go with Netgear or Linksys, you'll never be sorry.
75 Great inexpensive wireless router - minor trouble setting up
This router works flawless. I would have given it 5 stars, but I had trouble getting the WAN to work. The solution was written by a Jack Szwergold. I was about to return this product until I found Jack Szwergold's post. I wasted 3 hours of my time trying to troubleshoot. Thanks Jack Szwergold.
I would recommend this product. Read the Jack Szwergold's post if you have cable broadband.
76 Love this router!
This router is my favorite one out there. (...) I have tried other wireless solutions such as Linksys and Microsoft and this is the best. It's cheaper and has better features. I would recommend this router to anyone who wants one with easy setup and cost effectiveness.
77 great wireless router
excellent router, easy setup, works well with wireless B card, the signal is even.
probably the best thing is that customer service is very friendly and knowledable and you are speaking with live person in CA and not in another country. they are super helpful even if the warranty is out
the only note is that firmware and the original set up is set for 100Mbps (in the menu -> Tools/Misc.), make sure you set it to 10Mbps
78 DI-524 VPN Passthrough
Connection to Checkpoint VPN as well as others is only partial - requires that UDP encapsulation be forced on SecureClient. Still no VPN access to Exchange Server, can't map network drives.
79 Good router work perfect but need little effort on setup
This router is pretty good and sent signal to my Microsoft USB wireless receiver with no problem after setup. It provides strong signal all the time with either 64bit or 128 bit WEP security. It works together with Mircosoft products with no compatibility problem. But, the setup take a while to figure out how to load the setup wizard. The CD disc come with the package is useless. At the beginning, I thought it is a driver and will automatic start the setup afte you put the disc in the cdrom. Wrong! the disc just a manuel. You have to open up the web broswer to type a http address to start the setup wizard on you web broswer. It comfused a lot of people. Except this, everything is very smoothly in the setup. Nice product. Remember read the instruction before start the setup. My DSL speed is more than 100 Mbps, so I have no problem on the defaut setting. One of the review below mention about you have to set it back to 10 Mbps, If you need to do this, it means your DSL connection speed is slow. You should upgrade a little more speed.
80 DHCP is incompatible with numerous NICs
The DI-524's firmware is junk. Its internal router is completely unable to communicate with a number of NICs:
. 3Com Etherlink XL 10/100 NIC
. Nvidia nForce2 onboard 10/100 NIC
. Realtek RTL8029AS 10 NIC
. Linksys EPSX3 ethernet print server
The symptom is that the router does not hand out an IP to these NICs. One might think that manually setting the IP would work around it. It does not. The router will not communicate at all to these devices.
I've diagnosed this for many, many hours. It's not the cabling or anything else in my setup. I have a Netgear router and it works perfectly with all those devices. I literally swapped the Netgear and D-Link routers and left all the cabling intact.
I've found one NIC using an Intel 21140 chipset that DOES work. 1 out of 5 is a darn poor success rate.
D-Link's tech support is unresponsive, slow, and generally not helpful. After sending 3 emails, they finally responded saying basically "if there is a bug, our developers will release a new firmware on the web site". Great, no telling how long that will take.
81 disabling ssid broadcast and enabling wpa failed
Disabling ssid broadcast doesn't work - the ssid is still seen by my laptop.
wpa doesn't work w/the dlink DWL-G630 card though I suspect it's the card's fault.
Returned for another brand's router and card. Disabling ssid broadcast works, ie, the ssid is hidden. And wpa works very for a few hours straight so far.
82 MUST see Jack Szwergold's comment before installation...
MUST see Jack Szwergold's comment on May 9, 2004 before installation (thanks Jack!). I happen to have read his comment on the cable speed setting (10Mbps) before installation, otherwise would probably have spent hours trying to figure out why Internet Explorer is not working after installation.
83 Thank you, Jack Szwergold . . .
. . . for the tip on resetting the WAN from 100 to 10. I spent an evening tearing my hair out trying to get one of these units to connect to my DSL, and was just about to return it when it occurred to me to check the Amazon.com customer reviews. It's unbelievably dumb that they ship these things this way.
84 Great and Small Router! And a tip for those with WAN issues.
I purchased this router to replace my D-Link DI-614+ and it works great! The first thing I noticed immediately out of the box was the size. The DI-524 is VERY small. About 1/3rd the size of the DI-614+. But it still has all of the same great features. Antenna signal strength is stronger and I am very pleased with this unit.
And here's a quick note regarding the problems some people seem to have connecting this device to the Internet via their Cable or DSL modem. It seems that the WAN port is configured out of the box to be locked in at 100 Mbps. This is where the problem comes from. The vast majority of Cable and DSL modems out there operate at 10Mbps per second only. Uh-oh! Bad move D-Link! Because if you plug the router into the modem out of the box and you have a 10Mbps modem you won't be able to connect the devices and you won't be able to go online. Very dumb move D-Link. I bet tons of routers have been returned for service just because of this simple and fixable issue.
This is easily corrected by logging into the router and going to the "Tools" menu and then choosing "Misc". Scroll to the middle of the page and find "WAN select to 10/100 Mbps" and select 10Mbps and click APPLY. Once the router reboots, your router and Cable or DSL modem will be working happily together and all is good. But there really is no reason that this device should be shipping with 100Mbps switched on by default. I hope that future firmware revisions will correct this issue so more novice users can easily setup this great router without issue.
Otherwise, a very good purchase and very good piece of equipment for anyone who is looking for an affordable and reliable WiFi router. Highly recommended.
85 Excelent product - Excelent support
The router itself is excelent, easy to install and works perfectly.
I had some problems with my internet connection because my dsl modem is also a router, I called D-LINK support and their service quality amazed me. After they easily handled the Internet connection, I called them again to setup the firewall and put one PC in a DMZ.
They were great, besides having log of everything they did to solve my problems and following me step by step till I have the issue solved, at the end they send me a report of the entire procedure, so if I need to do it again I can do it myself.
