The DI-604 combines the latest advancements in chip technology, low-cost design, and manufacturing with new, feature-rich firewall and network management controls to give you quite possibly the most advanced yet affordable Ethernet router to date.
The DI-604 is ideal if you're creating your first home or small business network, or if you're a more advanced user looking for additional management settings. A simple yet intelligent Web-based setup wizard makes the DI-604 easy for anyone to quickly and securely connect computers to share a high-speed Internet connection, files, resources, games, or just to communicate.
The DI-604 has an integrated 4-port switch with 10/100 Ethernet ports for directly connecting up to four computers. One Ethernet cable is included with the DI-604 to get you started.
Whether you're a college student who wants to network with friends and roommates, an executive working at home or in a small office, or a concerned parent who just wants to have more control over how your children access the Internet, the D-Link Express EtherNetwork DI-604 4-port router is the networking solution for you, even if you don't know anything about networking.
The DI-604 combines the latest advancements in chip technology, low-cost design and manufacturing with new, feature-rich firewall and network management controls to give you quite possibly the most advanced, yet affordable Ethernet router to date.
The DI-604 is ideal if you’re creating your first home or small business network, or if you’re a more advanced user looking for additional management settings.
A simple, yet intelligent, web-based setup wizard makes the DI-604 easy for anyone to quickly and securely connect computers to share a high-speed Internet connection, files, resources, games or just to communicate.
The DI-604 has an integrated 4-port switch with 10/100 Ethernet ports for directly connecting up to four computers. And one Ethernet cable is included with the DI-604, just to get you started.
So, whether you’re a college student who wants to network with friends and roommates, an executive working at home or in a small office, or a concerned parent who just wants to have more control over how your children access the Internet, then the D-Link Express EtherNetwork DI-604 is the networking solution for you, even if you don’t know anything about networking.
- Advanced Firewall & Parental Control
- Built-In 4-Port Switch
- Easy Installation
1 Big Router for Small Price
I like this router and all of its added features.
I've been using it for a couple months now and it has been working great ever since.
The price is right and the size os small enough to sit on my desk and not create clutter. I kind of wish the device was little heavier so it wouldn't tilt on my desk with all the wires hanging down, but oh well. I guess the light plastic material helps with the low price.
2 Doesn't need to be set up for SBC DSL (for me at least)
Just bought this router to share a DSL connection (2Wire DSL modem) for SBC Global DSL. Plugged it in, and it seemed to be working all right, but I followed the instructions (just like a man! ;) which fouled everything up.
Spent a couple of hours trying to run the setup correctly so it would work. Finally gave up, unplugged it all, pushed the little reset button, and started over. Just connected everything again and it is now working fine.
Seems like the manual might mention that, but it doesn't. I'm now connecting with two machines using that router. 30 minutes ago I was starting to think it would never work.
3 Router Performs as it Should
I couldn't complain about this router. It works great and has been ever since I got it. There are a ton of options for such a small, physically and price wise, router. I've actually had the pleasure of moving in the past 2 months and this router worked in my new place as well as it did in my old place. From DSL to Cable, so I know I'm set with either type of ISP from now on.
I also upgrade the firmware every once and a while just so I'm with the most current features. Remeber to backup/write down your settings before upgrading.
4 Easy Setup but One Costly Mistake
I got this and the setup was very easy having never networked before. The only catch was it told me to use PPoE bc i had Dsl. The catch is if your dsl is always connected you dont use PPoE you use static IP. Not fixing this caused hours of searching and troubleshooting. Finally i did static Ip and eneter my IP and Gate IP, (dont worry aobut DnS) and now internet is througout my house. This is a great router, the only catch make sure you are sure of PPoE or not before starting.
5 Very Easy to Use Router with all the Basics and More!
I never though that in such a small package you could fit so many features. And even with all these features it still runs like a rock. It just keeps working. I've had this for a couple years now, and it has moved with me to 4 different homes, 2 different ISPs, and lots of unplugging and replugging, and each time it has worked great the first try.
I've had to set this up to work with DSL and it wasn't hard. Then I moved and got Cable based Internet access and that was even easier to setup. Then once when on of my ethernet cables went bad the router was able to tell me that the cable was bad and that I should replace it.
Overall this device had been through thick and thin and has always come out on top. I enjoyed the simplicity of the setup each time I've done it (don't forget firmware upgrades too) and each time was easier than the last.
6 Just Don't!!!!!
terribe terrible terrible service and support. Just don't do it. find a competitor product instead.............
7 Xbox Live
If you buy this router to use with xbox live make sure that if you have firmware version 3.20 you upgrade to 3.36 because even though it said on the website that 3.20 is xbox live compatible it is not and make sure you upgrade it will save you a lot of money on pills that you might have to take because of all the headaches you will have fixing it
8 Great little router!
We picked up this little router about a month and a half ago - it was one of the cheapest around, and reading around technical reviews it was also one of the highest-scoring routers I found. It's been running solidly since we got it, connecting up 4 PCs and handling some pretty heavy use. And all, apparently, without breaking a sweat - it's still working just perfectly.
It's fast to set up. 10 minutes from getting it out of the box, we had 2 PCs hooked up to it and running fine. You may need to configure the PCs to connect to it, but they give you simple instructions on how to do that. So no trouble at all.
It's simple to manage, too. The filters offered are simple, and lack some features that would be nice to have (it'd be nice to be able to use timed schedules on all the filters, for example, or to be able to apply filters to specific machines in the network), but they offer a lot of functionality for those who want to use it. You can block specific URLs, or URLs that contain a specific word (so you could, for example, block all files with of a specific type from being downloaded) - or if you want to be even MORE strict, you can limit the networked PCs to only accessing URLs from a list you set up. It's really easy to do.
The only other thing I would add is about cooling. The box has an adequate cooling system, quite enough to deal with heavy traffic across it, but it needs to be positioned correctly. Make sure that the box is given room to breathe - put its rubber feet on, if you have to stand it, and then stand it on a solid, flat surface (not carpeting, or it'll heat up a lot). Ours is sitting on a single piece of floor tile. If you can mount it with an air gap above and below, though, that would probably be the ideal solution.
Lastly - remember you'll need cables! Belkin produce great Ethernet patch cables that can do the job for you - make sure that you work out where the router will be first, though, and measure the distance that each cable will need to cover. It'll save a lot of time.
All said - this is an excellent little box, especially for the price. It'll network your machines quickly and easily - across the home, none of us even noticed much of a drop in speed compared to the single PC we had hooked up to the modem before - and it's easy to manage and set up.
Highly recommended to people who are looking to share their home connection.
9 Inexpensive and VERY feature packed.
I did a lot of surfing of reviews here on Amazon to decide whether or not to get this Di-604. I decided... what the heck, some reviews are good and it's kinda cheap. I'll take a risk. Here's what I have to say about it:
This router is unbelievably inexpensive and feature packed. It came nicely packaged with a STATIC BAG over the router, not some cheap plastic wrap. Every page of the manual is in NICE PRINTED COLOUR. I can't believe it. For a router this cheap you would expect they'd print their manual on toilet paper like other products I've bought. I think D-Link really set a goal for making the BEST 4-pt home router for the BEST price.
I'm very picky about things, and before I bought this, I was fantasizing that maybe the router firmware programmers would add the option to select the WAN speed (10 or 100mbit), which I thought was just simply asking too much cause it's such a small detail many wouldn't care about. It turns out in one of the firmware updates that they decided to INCLUDE this. After learning this, I know this was the router for me.
Here's what happened when I brought it home: I was super worried that it wouldn't work at my house with 2 mac users and 2 PC users cause of the bad reviews. Right out of the box with old firmware (3.30) it worked FLAWLESSLY, no hassle, just simply plugging all the cables in. I couldn't believe it. I was very happy. I installed the new firmware and it's just simply working beautifully with no hangups so far. So, take my review into consideration THIS WILL WORK ON MACS (they are newer iMacs).
Also, I have REVISION E, the newest model of this baby. I honestly believe that the majority of the complaints here on Amazon are from people who bought it earlier and have the earlier revisions. Before you hand the money to the cashier (if you choose not to buy here), make sure you look at the back of the box, there is a sticker that says that revision it is (look for the letter). Don't get anything before the "E".
PS: It doesn't say on the box that it's 10/100mbit for LAN purposes, so I was a bit worried that it might not even go at 100mbit. Of course this is silly in this day of technlollogy. I ran the "iperf" network tester between two computers and the results were just as I hoped they'd be.
Excellent value and I'm very happy with this router. I used to run OpenBSD to do the job before the computer exploded during a vacation when I wasn't home to fix it for my roommates, and now I am using this puppy. Also, it's much easier to set up TCP/UDP port forwarding using its HTTP inferface. It even allows port forwarding ranges to make BitTorrenting setup easy. Google for the BitTorrenting FAQs on Dlink's site and they have a few interesting ways of setting it up.
Thanks for reading.
10 The D-Link Express DI-604 4-Port Ethernet Broadband Router
Product: The D-Link Express DI-604 4-Port Ethernet Broadband Router
Company Info: D-Link Systems Inc., www.dlink.com
Reviewer: Ador Charming
Date: December 30, 2004
OVERVIEW
The D-Link Express EtherNetwork DI-604 4-Port Ethernet Broadband Router is a wise choice with its no-brainer setup wizard and easily configurable features such as IP and MAC address filtering, domain and URL blocking, and a robust firewall at an extremely low price. Xbox Compatible!
Included Materials:
DI-604 Broadband Router
CAT5e Patch Cable
AC/DC Power block
Quick Installation Guide
CD w/ Quick Install Guide and Manual
4 rubber feet
If you have a high speed broadband connection to the Internet and more than one computer that needs that connection its time to get a router and venture into the world of computer networking! Fortunately it's never been easier to setup your own small network especially with intuitive products like the D-Link Express DI-604.
The D-Link Express comes in a nice retail package. Here is the D-Link manual on CD & quick start installation guide. Be sure to read the yellow insert- inside the quick start guide, this has new information on connecting your cable or DSL modem to the D-Link Express.
Setting up the D-Link Express is incredibly easy and very strait-forward. After making all the connections, your cable or DSL modem connects to the D-Link Express WAN port, and then you will connect the supplied Ethernet cable to one of the four LAN ports on the D-Link Express and the other end will connect back into your computer.
The yellow insert and the nicely done quick installation guide, it's a hard copy! Nice!
After I made all my connections I followed the start sequence in the yellow insert and I was configuring my new D-Link Express router through my browser. The D-Link setup wizard is very easy to navigate and I was pretty much ready to run in about 12 minutes and surfing the Internet with no problems at all.
Looking at the wizard interface you will see the setup and configuration options and a "Run wizard" button in the center of the screen. Start there. You will have 4 steps and they are;
Step 1. Set your new password
Step 2. Choose your time zone
Step 3. Set Internet connection
Step 4. Restart your router
That's the basic setup. After you restart you can access the wizard again and configure your advanced options such as IP and URL blocking and even MAC blocking. There is a help section in case you run into any problems. Overall the D-Link Express router has some great security and firewall features.
Parents will love the IP and URL blocking features that effectively allow them to block certain web sites from their children and even allow children to access certain web site during a specified time period. So youngsters could play games on their favorite web site from 3-4 and then after 4 time to study! This is a very nice feature that is very easy to setup.
Adding more computers to your network is just as easy. I ran a cable to my Gateway 450SX4 notebook from the D-Link Express, booted my notebook, opened my browser and my homepage loaded right up. I did not have to configure anything, although I did run the network setup wizard on both computers.
Gamers can even hook up their Xbox to the network because the D-Link is fully Xbox compatible!
After everything was up and running I proceeded over to Mcafee speed test site;
http://us.mcafee.com/root/speedometer/test_0600.asp to see what kind of performance this little router has.
With a 150.005 KB fileset; Time Elapsed: 1.781 seconds Speed: 673.84 Kbps / 84.23 KBps
With a 600KB fileset; Time Elapsed: 1.562 seconds Speed: 3.001 Mbps / 384.13 KBps
Pretty fast and very respectable!!!
After using and living with this router for two days I have not had any drops in speed or performance and it has just performed extremely well. The D-Link Express router is a small, well built, lean & mean speed machine. It is extremely affordable, around $39. on-line and very easy to setup. I have no problems recommending this router to anyone who wants an easy to use affordable networking solution.
Testing:
Test machine: SEPTIMUS
OS: Windows XP Professional - Version 2002 SP2
Processor: AMD Athlon XP 2600 2.20 GHz
Memory: 2 x 256MB PC2700 Kingston
Motherboard: SOYO KT-333 Ultra Black Dragon
Video Card: Radeon Saphire 64MB AGP
Cooling: Thermaltake Extreme Volcano 12
Power Supply: Antec 420W PSU
Case: Raidmax Scorpio
Hard Drive: Maxtor Diamondmax 120GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache
Optical drives: Sony DVD RW / LG CDRW
The DI-604 Specifications
Device Type Router
RJ-45 Ports 4
Form Factor Desktop
WAN Port(s) 1
10/100 Mbps Ports 4
Networking Standards
IEEE 802.3 10Base-T Ethernet
IEEE 802.3u 100Base-TX Fast Ethernet
IEEE 802.3 NWay Auto-Negotiation
Routing / Firewall Protoccols
NAT
Domain Blocking
IP Filtering
MAC Filtering
URL Filtering
Scheduling
Management Web Based
Ethernet
CAT3
CAT5
CAT6
Summary:
The DI-604 combines the latest advancements in chip technology, low-cost design and manufacturing with new, feature-rich firewall and network management controls to give you quite possibly the most advanced, yet affordable Ethernet router to date.
A big thank you shout-out to the kind folks at D-Link for making this review possible.
11 Great Quality for the Price
I am very impressed with this router. The instructions and setup were very simple and everything was up and running within minutes. My only complaint is that for the first day the router was reseting my cable internet connection randomly. So I emailed their tech support and received a reply very quickly and the suggested fix took care of the problem. Overall you can't go wrong with this router, especially considering the price.
12 This Is Just Another Piece of Junk!!
I bought the DI-604 to share our two computers at home. It completely died on me just days after the ridiculously short warranty period. Unless you are into disposable routers, stay away from all things D-Link!
13 Just plain works!
Recently I purchased a BEFSR41 EtherFast Cable/DSL Router from Linksys... what a piece of trash that turned out to be! After hours of frustration I returned it at bought a D-Link 604. Within 15 minutes I had a fully operational firewall that worked with my DSL cable modem from the get-go. This router costs about half the price of the Linksys junk and works!
14 It's 5 stars so far
I have had it for a month, no problems. found it on sale at the time for 10 after rebate from WhoSave dot coom, so it was a great value.
Likes:
doesn't get too hot.
easy to setup.
easy to update firmware, actually has new firmware.
Dislikes:
rubber feet fall out easily!
manual doesn't explain advanced ip filtering.
can't limit a specific computer's network usage.
if you don't need wireless, this is a great value.
15 Excellent Router!
I just purchased this router earlier this week and received it on Thursday of this week. Setup was fairly simple and only took about 15 minutes total. The speed of this router is definitely better than the last one I had and is abosolutely stable. I could not ask for more. I would highly reccomend this router to anyone!
16 15 minutes from box to internet !!!
We bought the D-link DI-604 hoping it would work well for us -- some other reviewers stated concerns that had us worried.
The DI-604 was delivered just 2 days after we ordered it using Super Saver Shipping. We followed the instructions exactly and had it up and operating in just 15 minutes. The only complication we ran into was to change a network setting on our iMac DV from PPPoE which we used with our DSL modem to DHCP. This change allows your network to use DHCP but the router uses PPPoE when connecting with the DSL system. It actually makes the entire system perform much faster!!!
Now we are stringing cables to 2 other rooms to connect 2 more computers and our XBOX to the router. If all of the installation keps going so well this will be a very easy project indeed, (...)
17 The Perfect Little Secure Router
This router has turned out to be free after rebates, and it has enabled my Internet connection to not only be secure, but to be shared between multiple PCs in my house. I know this is a simple device, and rather common these days, but I can't get over how reliable and easy to use this router is. I am by far no computer wizard let alone a network guru so this may not be good for the hardcore crowd. But I am an average consumer with enough knowledge to know that my Internet connection isn't secure with just a cable modem and a PC.
Overall I am impressed to say the least and I applaud D-Link for their inexpensive, yet reliable and secure router. Thank You.
18 A Solid, Yet Tiny Router, That's Worth More Than It;s Looks
This router was smaller than I thought it would be by looking at the box. But it does have 4 ports, plus WAN port for modem, makes the setup easy, and seems to block everything someone can try to get into our personal network.
I was impressed with the ease of use this router provided us. From the moment I opened the box to when the PCs could get online was probably a max of 10 minutes. Very painless.
This router has been running for about a month now and I don't see any problems with it in it's day to day use. Very much worth the small price tag.
19 Rock Solid for Me
Just to let Mac users know: I've been using my DI-604 router for over a year now with absolutely no trouble whatever. I found the manual just informative enough and have never had to look at it or the router again, after intial set-up. It just works, even through several power outages. By now they're no doubt cheap as dirt, too. My wireless access point is also D-Link and the two play together perfectly.
20 Very hard to install w/ PS2
OK so I was tired of having to sign off PS2 Online in order to chat with friends so I made what I perceived to be an investment in order to get the best of both worlds. I went along with advice from others and abstained from the wireless routers and I noticed that a particular router, the D-LINK DI-604 was on sale. I went ahead and bought it and tried installing it on my computer. Now the hassle that I needed software installed and everything. I assumed that I just needed to plug in the Cat5 cables into the router, connect a few other cables and BAM, i'm done. But no, in addition to that, I must install software onto my computer which turned out to be a nightmare. I needed to figure out the IP address of my PS2 which took hours and I had to search through at least 10 website forums in order to get advice because D-LINK's advice proved useless. Alhough I must say that the D-LINK customer service is very fast and attentive, they simply couldn't solve my problems. So I FINALLY managed to install it and worked correctly after about 5-6 hours of constant work. But I must say it works like a charm now and I'd hate to see what hassles a wireless router bring. Please follow my advice and have a computer expert install this for you. If you're simply using it for multiple computers, it shouldn't be too hard though. Just be careful.
Thank You
21 It doesn't get much easier than this...
I bought this router for my sister as a wedding gift (say it with me...geek! What can I say, I'm a network admin.) and configured her cable modem setup for her and her husband's computers. This thing is like a R0nc0 Rotisserie--set it and forget it! The configuration wizard is especially user-friendly. I changed the administrative password, made sure it couldn't be logged into remotely, and turned on MAC address filtering to boot. They've been using it for over a year now and it's needed no intervention from me. I wouldn't hesitate at all in recommending this router to anyone at any level of technical expertise.
22 Overheats, then fails
I have had two DLink routers and both have died from overheating. I use my router every day, about 3-5 hours altogether, only doing normal web surfing and minimal to moderate downloading. The first router completely failed, had lasted about 2 years so I thought it had a good run. Bought another Dlink, because hey they *are* cheap. It's been a little over a year and the thing is overheating just like the first one. You can feel the heat just rising off the cheap plastic box. It works intermittenly and will probably fail completely soon. Besides spending money twice on something that died so easily, I had ALWAYS had trouble with the advanced features such as opening up ports and even using the DMZ feature. I could never get my router to open up correctly to outside traffic. I'm going to go with a Linksys, hoping it will last me a little longer and will perform more reliably.
23 d-link more like d-junk
I got this little router some time ago, from an online store to set up a home network for the family. I got it because it was cheap and its 4-ports and 100Mbps speed would be adequate for our needs. We have a Ameritech DSL connection, which works just great by itself to my mom's PC. Now, I am an experienced and trained computer technician, and know how to set up networks. However, once I set up our three-computer network a day ago and put this router in it, it has been a real nightmare from the first second. I cannot share files or access other computers on my home network. The firewall is tricky and a nightmare--it blocks access for file sharing.The web-based configuration is nice, but it could be a little bit more streamlined, plus better and more documentation for it would help. Now for the big bummer---about every hour to 2 hours, my computer's connection to the router will freeze up. Yesterday evening it happened 4 TIMES and I had to restart the router each time. (Finally after the last lockup, only having used it for less than 24 hrs I just yanked the power plug out and unplugged all my cables) I had first thought it was my cables, I redid them to make sure they were perfect but the problem still happened even when I tested and certified the cables. I then realized it is not my computer, my modem, or my cables, it is that little box they labeled a "router"! I am very unsatisified with this cheap plastic and silicon box. Also the D-Link sticker on the bottom appears to be counterfeit--it showed only the D-link & FCC logos and model number, but NO serial number,MAC number, or Firmware number! It has the look of having been quickly put together by some dumb schmuck who just wanted to make a fast buck, as I found out later it was a "refurbished" model!! I am also appalled at the lack of print manuals and no paper proof of guarantee or warranty was issued with it. Also I applied for the rebates given AND NEVER got it! Plus the weird thing is that the Acrobat manual showed the newer version (the Rev. E, which is gray and blue) of the DI-604 while the one I had was the older all-gray model (Rev. A,B, or C--take your pick I don't know mine because of that blank sticker!)! Also, it overheats really good and i could feel the heat on the plastic cover! There is no heatsink on the processor inside. Now, my DSL modem does not ever feel like that, even in the midst of running both an AIM session, a huge 50MB download, and browsing a webpage. I am going to toss this defective router, and will NEVER EVER again buy computer parts and equipment from online "stores" (this is the second time in my life I have been ripped off by vendors) or from D-Junk, er D-Link! From now on I will go with Linksys, which all my tech friends say is best for home networking.
24 Best non-wireless router ever
I originally bought this sucker because it came with a free ethernet cable. Eventually, I liked it so much that I bought another one at my local electronics store. This product totally exceeded my original expectations. I thought it was just a vanilla router - it was certainly cheaper than a lot of others. However, this baby is VERY configurable.
It's also a must if you're running an internet or ftp server. It allows you to have some computers be accessible to the outside while keeping your other computers safe with its firewall software. This is also great for online gaming as router firewalls can sometimes be a problem.
As a bonus, this baby has the software for connecting XBoxes if you want to have an Xbox lan party or use the XBox Live Software. I haven't used this aspect of it, but it does mention that it's compatible.
25 Options Galore
The D-Link 604 is a nice piece of hardware. Whether for cable/dsl connection, you'll get an easy connection. My network was setup using a D-link within a D-link and everything still worked fine.
Update the firmware, and you'll notice a lot more options opened up. The only problem I have with it is that AIM's direct connect doesn't seem to work.
26 Problems running a webserver behind firewall
After my Linksys BEFSR41 v2 died an unexpected death after 2 years of flawless performance, I contacted their tech support and was told repeatedly to try and reset / power cycle the unit. After this didn't work, I was then told that 2 years was about the expected lifespan for the unit, and that I should contact them again in the future if I had anymore difficulties with one of their other products. Yeah right, I told myself. So I went out and bought the DI-604 vE.
The feature set looked great, setup was simple, and the download speeds were the same as those of the Linksys. Then came the sadness. I then tried to access a web-server I was running from home behind the firewall on port 8080. The "virtual server" settings were easy enough to configure, and in a few minutes I was able to access my web-server from outside the firewall. HOWEVER, many of my pages were hanging, or only loading part of the content. I flashed the router with the latest firmware. No luck. I then turned on the debugging and dropped-packets options on the DI-604's logging screen (nice feature), and found that I was repeatedly getting an error saying that the "do_nat[1] buffer was too small". I also noticed that the router was dropping packets from the LAN to the WAN on port 8080, which was weird since some pages being served on 8080 weren't having any problems. I then set the port for the web-server in DMZ mode as a sanity check, and the pages then worked, but were VERY slow. I tried adding new IP filtering rules to open up the router, but nothing worked. So then I called D-Link's 24/7 tech hotline. The wait was short and I had high hopes, however, I was promptly told that the "virtual server" options on the router were an "unsupported feature" and that there was nothing he could do to help me.
On a side note, I tested my DI-604 with Gibson Research's ShieldsUP! port scanning service, and noticed that two of the ports I had left open (22, 443) were showing up as being closed. I never had this problem with my old Linksys.
Besides my difficulties with port forwarding, I really liked the DI-604. I liked the logging capability, and stateful packet inspection (though this might have been what was causing my difficulties with the web server). I would recommend the DI-604 for anyone doing simple web-surfing, but I wasn't impressed with some of the "advanced features" that never worked right for me.
So, now I'm in the market for a new router. The linksys is looking better every minute.
(06/21/04) Update: I later found some documentation that mentioned that there are problems accessing websites behind the firewall from machines also behind the firewall when going out the WAN and back in. This was never an issue with my old Linksys, which is why I finally ended up buying another. I've had no problems with the Linksys so far. We'll see if it lasts longer than the first.
27 DI-604
I bought this router from Amazon and selected Super Saver Shipping. It arrived in only 3 days. The router was very easy to install using its web GUI and setup wizard. It also includes a firewall and now I can block ping requests coming in from the WAN interface whereas my Westell DSL modem couldn't do that. The Linksys EtherFast PCMCIA ethernet card on my KNOPPIX linux laptop couldn't talk to my 4-port Linksys switch (might be due to an auto-sensing problem) but it works perfectly with this router. This router has plenty of features for a very reasonable price.
28 Worked Great Before it DIED
Well, I bought this router about 5 months ago, and it was super easy to set up and and worked great. The internal firewall, when combined with a decent software firewall, makes your computer practically invisble, and it was easy to set it up so that certain programs could bypass the firewall when needed. I hooked up two computers on a cable modem with this thing, and got a really fast connection on both PCs (routing the Internet to two computers was my primary reason for purchasing the D-Link). And it was the cheapest and best-rated router I could find after a longish search. But THEN, after 5 months, the WAN light suddenly turned off, never to turn on again. Essentially, this means I can no longer route the cable internet connection anywhere. Not to four computers, two computers, or even one computer. It's useless with a defunct WAN, even though the four LANs still seem to work fine. I've tried rebooting it, I've tried using new ethernet cables, I've tried resetting it to it's factory defaults... all to no avail. After doing a quick google search, I found that there are quite a few others that have had the exact same problem with this router -- after about 5 months to a year, the WAN just stops working. Kaput. I may reorder the same router, in hopes that I can't be unlucky twice (since so many people on Amazon have given this router a good review, there must be a lot of good ones out there, although some people may not be following up with bad reviews after the router fails, a few people on here claim to have been using the router for a long time without any problems). But If my second one breaks, it's gonna really hurt (my pocket book, my trust of the D-Link router company and of Amazon, etc.). Amazon should have a warning on this thing -- it's cheap 'cause it may not work for more than 5 months. Heck, they should make it even cheaper since this is a known problem being reported on all over the Internet. Still, it worked really great while it was actually working, and it's much easier to set up and configure than many of the other routers out there. At this low price (and with glorious free shipping), I guess you have to expect the product to be somewhat kinda expendable. Oh well.
UPDATE: I ended up buying the same exact router a second time, but this time it's lasted for almost a year and is still running GREAT. Top notch. If it dies, I'll be sure to leave another complaint here....
29 (...)
Good product. Very easy to use and set up. I haven't had any trouble since I turned it on. It tells you to run a setup program, I didn't even have to do that with any of the computers in my house. I've had three computers (ME, 98 and XP) set up with no troubles at all. Just plugged it in and they all worked immediately. (...)
30 Flawless!
Right out of the box this thing works great. Runnning Windows XP, 98, and ME on three pc's and I didn't have to do a thing to get all of the features to perform. Can't say why anyone would have a problem with this router. 100% success at sharing my connection. Followed the instructions and I had my pc's connected in less than 5 minutes! It's been 4 weeks and I have yet to experience a single glitch. Current speed reports show zero loss in speed. Very satisfied with the DI-604!
31 Great Product
I've been using this router for about 6 months now and have had no problems. Although it lacks features that more expensive routers include, it is fine for the average user. The setup was simple as was upgrading the firmware. This is a great router at a very affordable price!
32 Noice
I'm burning a cd across the LAN while surfing the WAN and writing this review. The router has no problems routing and a pretty good intuitive personal firewall.
33 Outstanding Tech. support!
I purchased this router to allow my son to share my Verizon DSL connection. The setup seemed to be pretty easy at first , however, not being a verry experienced computer person ( I know enough to be dangerous) I could not finish the process and establish a connection. I placed a call to the D-Link Tech. support and was amazed that I was quickly connected with a real live human. The Technician had me up and running in about 15 minutes. The router seems to working fine.
Five stars for Outstanding customer service.
34 Worked out of the box...still working a month later
Bought after looking at the reviews. Works great with my Mac G3 running OS9.2 and SBC DSL. No problems setting up the DSL connection and the onboard firewall setup wizard had me up and running within 30 minutes. Have had my Windows laptop on a second port and saw no noticable slowing on either computer with average websurfing. Flawlessly ran a VPN connection through the firewall to my office's network. Highly recommended. The only reason for 4-stars is if you want to run any more extensive firewall rules, D-Link needs way better manuals to help. If you know as little about firewalls as I did, I also recommend the "Absolute Beginners' Guide to Firewalls" book by Jerry Ford.
35 Very Easy Setup for Me
I purchased this unit a month or so ago, and everything worked as advertised. The setup was very fast and easy on a standalone Windows XP Pro system, and the end result is a very stable DSL connection. Although I'm technically proficient, I'm ignorant about a lot of networking procedures. Despite that, the documentation provided was easy to understand and use.
I use Earthlink DSL and had been using the WinPoET software to make my connection. This router has negated the need to run WinPoET (woot!), and the connection is no longer dropped at random times.
The firewall functionality also seems to be doing the trick quite well. I run Zone Alarm Pro, and since the addition of this router, ZA has recorded no incoming connection attempts. (Prior to adding the router, ZA was stopping 100 to 200 connection attempts daily.) My only complaint is that I've not yet found where (or if) the router is keeping a log showing the specifics of any blocked connection attempts. This data might be there, but I've not found it.
All in all, I'm very happy with this piece of equiipment, and recommend it to others.
36 Its No Cisco, But...
Let's face it, this is bargain bin along with Linksys, Netgear, SMC, Belkin, and etc., but among the cheap brands, this D-Link has suited me the best. This wired router is just as good as the wireless routers D-Link sells.
37 Looks great-Works great!
I purchased the DI-604 about a month ago and I love it. I'm not very computer literate, but it was an ease to set up and get running. The instructions were easy to follow, I'd say it took about 10 minutes from taking it out of the box to where I was surfing the net. The set-up wizard is short and detailed. Opening ports for gamming is explained well in the manual which is included in the CD. When I needed an explaination about a networking term, the D-Link website provided it in easy to understand terms. I was expecting a nightmare, but it turned out to be a breeze. The delivery by Amazon was also incredable--it came in about two days!
38 Cross Platform Perfect, No Network Software =(
I bought this Router for one purpose. Network and Internet sharing with my iMac DV SE.
At first I had trouble getting my mac to connect but realize I had to update the ethernet extensions. Once I did that, it worked perfectly.
My iMac was using Mac OS 9.2.2.
Overall, I like this router, cheap and works great. I think my internet connection got more stable ever since because of the firewall.
One thing I wish they included was networking software.
39 Mac compatible... If they say so...
I bought the DI-604 router (rev. E) to connect my iMac 350 (running OS 9.1) and my iBook (running Jaguar) together into a network for simultaneous Internet access.
According to the box, it's Mac-compatible. Despite my best efforts, I could never get the router to connect online properly. First, the manual never specifies that the browser installation also applies to the Mac. Secondly, even after I got everything connected together and finally managed to make the wizard appear in my browser, the installation would jam at the WAN autodetection.
Even my father, a former electronician and an advanced Mac user for nearly 15 years, could not get the router to work correctly on my computers.
I have no use for a router that pretends to be Mac-compatible when it fact it fits the Mac as well as my left shoe into my right foot.
Maybe that router is great on Windows. But if you're a Mac user, skip over this router and opt for a real Mac-friendly brand, like Belkin.
40 AOL for Broadband user AVOID this product!
In the world of liars, there use to be liars, damn liars and statistics. Now add on Computer sales people and harware manufactures to the list. I recently acquired a AOL for Broadband account and would like to add a network so my desktop and laptop can use the same connection and share printers. I purchased this modem with the assurance that is compatible with AOL! NOT!!!! After 3 three attempts at D-links technical support hotline--I got three different solutions, only one of which had the router acting as a router! For the public's sake, do not tell people you support a product only to be told after hours invested into installing it that it does not. I am returning the product and will no longer support d-link with my money--I will invest with other companies who chose to be HONEST when representing their products
41 Amazing...Simply Amazing
This router by far is the best I have used in the home. I do a lot of home networking side work. I recommend to the customers that this is the best router for the price. For 30 bucks you get a 4 port switch, and a dedicated firewall for your home network. I have never had one issue with any that I have setup. Having a total web browser interface makes it work with any platform. The DHCP server allows 200+ simultaneous connections, for the home is plenty.
42 Catastrophe
The DI-604 that I purchased ended up to be a nightmare. All it did was destroy the internet connection so it could not be used by any computer. We ended up having to have CableOne reset our account. Even then, we could not get the DI-604 to work.
43 Great Bargain
Great router, at a great price! All my network hardware is from D-Link and they've never disappointed. It passed all the tests that I threw at it with flying colors. My DSL download speed is completely unaffected also. And it's DHCP IP assignment worked flawlessly.
I used to use the freeware ZoneAlarm just prior to installing this. My hard-drive used to churn a few times every minute, as it used to log all the pass-thru traffic, now dead silence. This NAT router effectively filters out most of the junk. Now my system is back to normal activity. I can even block ICMP pings.
I've already tried online gaming. For that you certainly will need to familiarize yourself with the advanced features, ie opening the appropriate ports. Thankfully there is plenty of info for that both on the D-Link support site, and the practicallynetworked.com site.
My sense is that this is a slightly older router, bugs squashed and enhancements already in place, so I definitely recommend it. Mine is version E, which comes with an updated processor from the earlier models.
44 Couldn't be more pleased
I got this router around a year ago and I'm more then happy. One of the best things about D-link is they stay on top of getting updates done. There are quite a few firmware upgrades for this available. The newest updates even add a few features that were previously only available with the more expensive routers.
45 defective unit
my 604 arrived without the plastic spacer required to hold the cat 5 cable in the connector. after a few dropped connections i realized the unit was defective.
46 Works Perfect
Nothing bad I can say about it.. it is light, and the wires do move it around a little, but so is my cable modem. Even if they built it out of nothing but concrete, it'd still move around a little. But really, don't let that change your mind!
47 5 stars to balance out that guy's VERY UNFAIR 3 stars
I'm hoping my 5 stars will help balance out that guy's VERY UNFAIR 3 stars. The blind fellow is very unfair to knock this incredible product just because they didn't take his disability into consideration. I'm disabled too - but I understand that a company can't cover every disability.
This firewall router is a necessary piece of equipment for the new online world of crackers and script kiddies. I used this to replace my OpenBSD firewall so my wife can configure it if something were to happen to me. This product seems to protect our network just as good as my unix-style OpenBSD firewall, a dedicated system put in place to protect us.
The product is easy to configure, great protection right out of the box - even Shields Up says we are invisible to the world. We all need this kind of protection in the dangerous online world.
Buy it, replace your hub or switch, share your online access to the net, install it in about a half-hour, and don't look back. What an awesome product at a great price.
48 Awesome Low Priced Router
For the price I expected much less, but I got MORE! YAY!
With this router my Internet connection is shared easily, secured automatically, and doesn't need any daily check ups, it is just always working.
Now I can play with my PS2 online and my PC can still be online with zero cable swapping. Plus now I don't need to run the WinXP firewall on my PC to protect myself.
49 Simple Install & Setup
In order to share my high speed connection I needed to upgrade my router since I had an older hub that did not support PPPoE. I shopped around for the least expensive, minimal bells/whistles router to share my DSL connection between my home pc and my laptop for work which uses a VPN. I had read a few reviews on various products about configuration with PPPoE connections and that they were sometimes problematic. I was prepared for the worst when I opened the box and within 10 minutes everything was connected and working without a problem. The instructions could not have been easier to follow and with the built-in connection wizard it is virtually idiot proof. All I needed to know was my ISP user id and password and the D-Link software took care of the rest. I was immediately able to connect my laptop, share the high speed connection, tunnel through the VPN for work and continue surfing happily along the web. Although I have not been using it extensively yet this product has exceeded my expectations. I would highly recommend this product, and for less then $30 (with the $10 rebate) you can't go wrong!
50 Perfect for Home Use
With the low price tag and the simple and easy to use interface it makes this router perfect for home use. I bought this expecting nothing more than a simple router with 4 port switch. I didn't ask for Parental Controls, a built in cable tester, elaborate firewall rules and options, or insanely easy setup.
We have cable internet so setup was literally plug it in and you are done. Then I started playing with the different options and found this to be extremely easy. The speeds are no different than without the router and I feel much more safe behind a firewall.
51 Great for internet sharing between computers + game systems
If your prospective home or small business network setup doesn't require wireless connectivity and has an existing broadband connection, then the DI-604 is for you. I've had no less than three computers and a Playstation 2 gaming system hooked up to the DI-604 since I purchased it a few months ago and the internet sharing between the devices has worked flawlessly. As with most routers, the DI-604 occasionally requires some extra configuration for use with certain programs; I've had to do a few such configurations with this router and found them to be exceptionally easy to perform. The only downside to this router is the fact that it requires an existing internet connection to work properly. (You won't be able to configure the device if an internet connection is not present.) In all, though, the DI-604 is probably worth much more than its listed cost. If your prospective network can operate within the confines of ethernet cabling, this is definetely the router for you.
52 A very good router, you won't go wrong with this purchase.
I have had this router for about 9 months; I never had a problem. It is very reliable and very easy to setup. If you're looking for an inexpensive and reliable router, you can't go wrong.
I highly recommend it.
53 Easy
This router is easy to use and takes little to no effort to keep up. In fact I don't need to access the configuration pages ever anymore. It took me one time to upgrade firmware and set my internet settings and then I was done.
Very simple and straight forward.
54 Uncommonly Easy to Use
This is very easy to implement into your home network setup. We bought a new PC recently and wanted to share our Cable Internet connection. So we were told we needed a router with a firewall to do that safely and easily. We then asked what the least expensive solution is without comprimising our safetly and making if difficult. Well the young gentlemen we asked let us know that this D-Link router would probably be our best bet.
Well he was right about it all. All we had to do was plug this in and access the setup screens as stated in the quick install guide and in minutes both computers were connected to the Internet behind a firewall safe from the outside world.
I didn't think this whole situation would be this easy, but now I've been proven wrong. I appreciate the effort D-Link took in making this small and inexpensive router easy to use and not time consuming at all. I also appreciate the young fellow who helped us at the store for making this suggestion. So I wrote this all down to let others know how simple this actually is to use and setup.
55 One Awesome Router
This router is awesome, with it's easy to use web based configuration and its small size it makes my old router all jealous. Making this work has been very easy from the moment I opened the box. I just took the time to read through and follow instructions in the manual that came with it. Now I can share my Internet connection with my old PC that used to get zero use.
56 Good Experience
My dad got me this for when I moved out and told me it's pretty easy to setup and call him if I needed help. So the day of my DSL kit arriving I went on the journy to install this router so I would have a firewall and share the Internet with my roomies.
It was much easier than I expected. I didn't even have to call my dad. In about 30 minutes I had my DSL modem plugged in, the router plugged into that, and my roomies and I were plugged into this DI-604. We were all able to access the Internet with no prblems at all. I felt very proud of myself.
We've been using this for a couple months now and this router has never froze or rebooted on us. We've been opening ports, playing games, and transfering lots of files over out little network and I can't believe I set it all up myself. I am no networking guru, but I am the network guy as far as my roomies are concerned.
I hope all D-link products are this easy.
57 Stable and reliable
I purchased this router after 2 failed attempts to get a netgear FVS318 working. The DI-604 was easy to setup and has been working flawlessly for over a week. This is amazing since the FVS318 would disconnect every few hours. I am not a big fan of the interface since it is more graphical and geared to the home user, I prefer a cleaner text interface. All of the routers features can be accessed through a web interface and then by selecting various tabs. Overall a very good product, I just wish it came in 8 ports.
58 Great for Online Games
My 2 brothers and I play online games all the time and we each have our own computers attached to this D-Link router. We've opened up many ports so that our games will work, and with this router it's very simple to do just that. This router can handle when all 3 of us are playing an online game plus we are hosting the game on a game server we have behind this 604. Plus 10+ other people are playing on the game server with us at any given time.
This D-Link router can hold up under all that, plus it is one of the most inexpensive, if not THE most inexpensive router out there.
Recommended for gamers, by myself and my brothers.
59 Inexpensive router makes easy home network, plus firewall !
We had been wanting to network our two home PCs, and since we are "ever on" the Internet by virtue of our cable-modem service, felt like a firewall would be a good protection as well. Based on its good reputation, features, and economic cost, we selected the DLink and were glad we did. Its excellent instruction manual walked us through the installation process in minutes, with appropriate lighted indicators on the router itself letting us know where we stood each step of the way.
Our only quibble might be that the firewall features are not as straightforward to "program", but we soon set some parameters that provide us the modest protection from inbound traffic that we wanted. Our home network is now up to three PCs, all of which work well through the DLink device. We would highly recommend this router for its effectiveness, simplicity, and value !
60 Buy it, Take it home, Install it < 1 hour
I picked this up at one of the major electronic chains on sale and brought it home and had it installed and blazing my internet connection to 3 computers in less than an hour. This thing is so easy to use, setup, and so inexpensive that it should almost be an impulse buy at the register.
I impressed myself with how quickly and easily I could set this router up. Heck it is even a firewall, which we all need, in addition to being a 4 port switch and router for the internet. I have a feeling this will last a good while to, thanks to it's solid construction.
61 Good Value
This router was the most inexpensive, even without rebate, of all the competition. I set it up in 10 minutes and it works fine. It has more features than I can use and it's still the best buy. When setting up, be sure to follow the simple instructions.
62 Easy to use Parental Controls
This was a simple to use and install DSL router. I have earthlink DSL and this router was able to keep my connection up all the time. The parental controls for this router were easy to setup and enable. I can block whatever sites I want so my kids wont see them when they go online. The price is low also.
63 Superb Firewall Control
Configuring the firewall for certain applications is a breeze with the way this is set up. I just log in, click twice, and start entering in my info, click apply and I am done. The firewall I used to have made me click like 5 times, enter info, click apply, go to a different screen, enter in my info again, and click apply. very tedious.
I know this isn't a huge thing, but this is what I remember most about the older firewall I had before this. It used to be a pain to add a user to my firewall, but no it isn't.
I also like how small and compact it is in size. The price doesn't break the bank, and that is another thing I admire most about this product.
64 I have it at home and it works wonders
I thought setting up my own home network would have been hard, but this was very easy to use and setup. It has been rather a more of a setup and forget about it kind of device. I really don;t have to do any tweaking, upadating or any monitoring of my network with this installed.
I like it, my wife likes how I don't spend to much time with my network and more with her, and I am glad I don't have to learn much more just to make this work.
65 works well, install was difficult
In the end, this has turned out to be a very good product. I would estimate, however, that it took perhaps 12-15 hours to get this router working in a mixed PC/Mac environment, due to some bugs in the firmware. It has excellent features, such as offering a solid firewall and DHCP server, and password-protected admin features. The documentation is atrocious -- they might as well have not included it.
66 I have one and it works like a charm
I am not really sure how a charm works, but I know this works like one. :)
I was able to get online rather quickly thanks to the quick install guide that came with this router. I have been running this router for about 4 months now and it hasn't had any hiccups since. I configured it for my cable connection, it connected, and I've been connected to the Internet from then on. I've expereinced no downtime, and can share files, Internet access, and printers with great ease. This router is the most inexpensive out there and performs just as well as any other. i don't see why you wouldn't get it.
67 As a newbie to networking, I am satisfied.
I feel like I made a good purchase decision because this router was so easy to learn with. I bought it about 6 months ago. I had 2 computers that had network cards in them, but only had one online because my DSL modem only had one port for a computer. Well this little D-Link box makes that one port into 4 ports, plus more. It also adds a firewall for security, which everyone online should have, makes the web based settings available for every computer in your home, and you can even filter out the bad sites you don't want your childrens computer to see on the internet. Bascially it has a standard parental control feature where you can weed out a lot of XXX sites bvy using certain keywords and filters. For the price, you can't beat it.
68 Well Thought Out Router/Firewall
They thought of everything when they made this.
Parental Controls, Extensive Firewall Settings, Cable Tester, 4 Auto Sensing Ports, UPnP, and more. I didn't know this router could have this many features and still be at such a low price. I guess D-Link really know how to make them now.
Getting this up and running took almost no time at all, getting it configured the way I want is an ongoing project. Only because everytime I get a new game, or new software, I just set my firewall settings accordingly.
It all works great and I see no downgrade in speed, or problems arrising in the future.
69 Reliable Hardware Firewall with features ...
We bought this to basically protect ourselves from the outside world. But we also want to be able to play online games and download some stuff with WinMX. This firewall/router has the options to where you can open up certain ports so that you can do all of these things and still be protected. They call it Port Forwarding. Just specify what PC you want to have access and what ports to open, plus you can even schedule it so that you only allow this program to work during specific hours.
Speaking of scheduleing, you can set parental controls in a way. You can schedule certain PCs to have internet access all together during specific times. (example: I set my kids' computers to only have internet access until 9pm on school nights. Very handy. Thus 5 stars.
70 OMG this thing is Awesome!!
This little inexpensive router comes with what they call a Virtual Cable Tester. Basically it can tell you if there is something wrong with the ethernet cables you plug in to it. This is simply amazing that something this low costing has this. The few times I had a bad cable it took me hours to troubleshoot because I thought it had to be something else. But now if I have something wrong I can check to see if it is the cable or not, by just pressing a button. The best part is i didn't even know it had this 'till I brought it home.
I am amazed at how well this little box handles everything. I play games, stream video & audio, voice chat, netmeeting, everything. And all of it works on this box. I love it.
71 Di-604 low cost, works just fine
After a solid months performace from the router I ran into a few problems with loosing connection and having to restart the routers. But after upgrading the firmware all seems to be working just fine now.
72 very good
i bought this router to hook up my laptop to the dsl service. it give fast and stable speed for my two computers. i like it. and the most important, the price is the lowest, compared with some other stores, such as bestbuy.
73 It simply works.
Extremely easy to setup, I set it up on a home network involving a Win 98, a Win XP, and a Mac OS X machine. It was virtually automatic to setup internet access to the three machines. VPN and port forwarding was also very nice for when I was running Overnet/Edonkey or running a FTP server to have certain files available for friends.
74 Wish it had a support and warranty
To D-link management: have enough decency not to have customers hang on phone for 6+ hours and have them listen to "we will be with you as soon as possible".
75 What A Piece Of Junk
If you want a basic DHCP server and want to handle DOS attacks, then spend the money on this device. If you want to use the firewall feature, forget it! Keep looking. The firewall feature and the IP filter features do not work, period. Yes, even with the latest firmware (2.18) this device defies the documentation that comes along with it. Did you call support, you ask? Just try. The D-link telephone support line is answered in what seems like a sweatshop in some remote location where the background noises indicate that they're also slaughtering chickens between calls. Once you convince the ill-trained level-one support staff that all of their canned scripts don't have any impact on the firewall issues, they'll pass you onto another support level where they have to call you back. If you're not at the telephone number at the momment they call for follow up, your support issue seems to be automatically sent to the black hole of issues. Try the headquarters or use the handy e-mail addresses on the web site you ask? They provide no response and no relief either. I'd have a better chance of getting a response from my kitchen sink. I am a information technology professional with 25 years of experience and I've invested about 20 hours of troubleshooting time on the DI-604, the firewall and IP scheduling features just don't cut it. I paid $$ for this matchbox and I am regreting every penny of it.
Good luck to any of you using D-Link products.
76 Great Router For The Price!
The DI-604 is a great home router. It has a built in SPI firewall, and that is important in this age of the internet. the router also has some options that you would usualy only find in much more expensive routers like the port forwarding options and filtering. This would be a solid purchase for any novice or avid internet user. If you also want wireless check out the DI-614, it's the same as this router - but has built in wireless.
77 Works for me
I am an admitted newbie to the networking world. I only recently got cable internet, so a router was a pretty big leap. Having limited technical knowledge, the router was setup in a matter of 20 minutes. I was surfing on 3 computers with no problems at all!
78 Good product ..D-LINK rebates offers are shams
I bought this router and the DMC-200 to go along with it. They worked right off the bat after installation and re-registering the modem with my cable service. In got these specific items for the $10 and $20 rebates that DLINK had in March 2003. They say they never got my submission which is bunk ... I am very careful about rebates .. I sent my Tax software rebate in at the same time and got the check in 3 weeks. Not with DLINK. Good Product .. bad service and customer satisfaction. Buy from Linksys or Belkin next time!
79 Randomly Disconnects/Reboots/Won't hold the Time
I purchased this router about 6 months ago. Setup was extremely easy. I immediately upgraded to the newest firmware version. after a week or so, the router started to randomly reboot. I reverted back to the old firmware (factory specs) and the problem went away. Later, dlink released a new firmware that addressed this issue. For about a month, everything went fine. But....I have another issue now.... Every now and then, the router's date and time will go to random values. I can reset them back to the correct date and time, but it ends up reoccuring eventually. ANOTHER firmware upgrade fixed this for the most part..... I say most part, because the date stays correct, but the time is always 1 hour behind. I have even tried setting it 1-2 hours ahead, but it always ends up being 1 hour behind. I dont have it configured to get time from a time server, so I am clueless to why this is happening.
80 good product but drops valid high value traffic
I had connected this router to two of my PC's (WinME and WinXP). It was acting with no problems in the ME PC, but on the XP PC, where I had downloaded using Emule and Imesh, it drops connections due to what the logs of the router call SYN Flood. I didn't see any way of telling it to ignore many connections/sec peaks, so I had to disconnect the XP PC from the router for the time being.
81 impressed with this little box
very impressed with the features of this box for a "budget" router. dropped right in and started working in my network right away. has a lot of configuration options, which is good. but the esoteric options are are hard to use and there is essentially no documentation for them so that could be a little better. if you have simple requirements this is a great router.
82 my rebate taken away
Although the router is good, I have rated it * because they have declined my "mail in rebate". I had purchased and applied within the stipulated dates. Inspite of this dlink have declined, why? I do not know. I am sorry to hear that. Very bad.
83 Works great out of the box!
I needed a router to use XBOX Live while my wife surfed the web. The D-Link DI-604 does the job right out of the box. My PC is running Windows XP, all I had to do was plug it in and play.
84 Seemingly easy to use, FAILS
I bought the D-link DI-604 just because it was [less]than a comparable Linsys DSL router. I always knew that Linksys is the better network equipment maker.
The router was extremely easy to set up. It truely was. I have never set up a router in my life but these things usually come easy for me.
The thing about the router that I absolutely hate is where you plug in cables. The cables do not stay put. You constantly have to plug them back in. I have multiple brands of cables and none of them stay in. The router was not even moved. I'm wondering if the router just loses the link to the cable and not lose the cable physically.
And another thing, the router constantly disconnects from the DSL modem and does not reconnect to it. I have to restart the router 5 times per day. Sometimes, it has nothing to do with the modem. It seems that the router is incompetent.
Not recommended.
Steve
85 Great Router, it worked as promised
After installing the D-Link 604, my network was up and running in minutes. It could not have been easier and everything worked perfectly. A great router at an incredible price.
86 Great Value
Performed well beyond expectations. I'm a first time home networker, with some computer background and this router could not have been simpler to use. I use this router to share an Earthlink Cable connection and have been satisfied with the results. I have checked my network protection of several online sites that test for weaknesses in my firewall and such and have gotten very positive results. I enabled the built-in firewall in Windows XP just to add another layer of protection.
I have had 2 incidents where the router didn't give my computer a new IP address after the previous one expired. I just had to restart the router to solve the problem. This hasn't happened in a week or so.
87 Be sure to reset to factory settings
I bought this router so I could restrict internet access from my kids computers during certain periods of time (like after 9:00 PM) Even after upgrading to the latest firmware it will not hold the system time. What they needed to tell you is after upgrading you need to perform the "Reset to factory settings" routine. After doing that it has held perfect time. Over all it is a great little router/switch and can't be beat for the money. I would give it 5 stars if they would have better firmware updating instructions.
88 Great Little Router
I bought an older version of this router (it only looks different than the new ones) and it works great. I am fairly new to home networking and wanted to share my cable internet connection between my two computers.
I had this router hooked up and working in less than 10 minutes. That was about 2 months ago and I have not had one problem with it since. It is easy to configure and works great with my cable modem. There appears to be no slowing of the internet as I cannot even tell when my kids are on the other computer.
I would highly recommend this router to anyone who is looking for one. The price is reasonable and it works like a dream.
89 Excellent product and cheap
I share a DSL connection with my two computers (Win ME or Knoppix and Win 98), and works great in all cases. I also share files and printers, so what else can you ask for the price ??
For the sharing, check the FAQs in the web site. The WinME wizard didn't work for me ....
Buy it even if you have just one PC, the firewall is worth the price.
90 Junk
I purchased this router thinking that d-link is reliable. (chuckling) Well I was wrong. I have had problems since day one. To begin with it would take anywhere from 3 seconds to over 3 days for it to connect to the WAN port when it booted. So to resolve this I called D-Link support figuring I just missed a step or something. I waited for twenty minutes for a rep to answer the phone. (Yes I updated the firmware prior to this call). Once I get on the phone the support rep was about unhelpful as you can possibly be and basically said send it back. So I exchange it for a new one, and stil have the same problem only now it randomally disconnects and still takes along time to reconnect (if it does) to the modem. I one bad device, OK....but two and I would say you have an issue with the product.
I would stay away from this product. I purchased a 3com 4 port router to replace it, and it works great. All I can say is you get what you pay for and stay away from d-link for the time being.
91 Simple, Reliable, and above all else. . . Cheap!
The DI-604 is a great little router. Though I would never recommend that someone who knows nothing about configuring a router to try it on their own, this may be an exception. It has effective wizards and a remarkably user friendly interface that is accessed through your favorite web browser. The firewall seems to be effective, though my single complaint does come from that part of the device. I am yet to figure out how to shut it off when I would need to. . . But, it can be done.
I share a DSL connection over this router. I also file share and print share through the device. It has done a great job at all of the above. I have recommended this product to countless people since I purchased it in September.
epc
92 D-Link Support is terrible
I wanted to learn more about information about the advanced firewall features on the DI-604. I spoke to Chris Hernandez in Live Tech Support. From the moment I spoke to him, he wanted to get me off the phone. He told me that the advanced fire wall features would be too complicated to explain, and directed me to an FAQ on the web site. I thought this was very entertaining since my educational background is in computers. I again asked him if he could walk me through it. He again reiterated that he provided me the web site and basically was ready to terminate the phone call. At this point, I asked to speak to someone else or possibly his supervisor and he told me that no supervisors were working. He didn't even provide me a name of anyone to follow up with. At this point I was losing my patience and asked him again if he could help me, and informed his customer service skills were lacking. He then hung up on me. I plan to return this router and give Linksys a try. From other reviews I have read regarding D-Link, I would highly suggest others think twice about purchasing anything from D-Link.
93 No problems here
I wonder if not all DI-604's are the same thing. The picture of it here on Amazon[.com] looks nothing like mine, although the model number is the same.
I have bought and installed two of these little puppies, one at work and one at home, and two of my coworkers have the exact same thing at their house, and we haven't had anything but good, reliable fast connections.
For the money, I was expecting bare-bones, minimally-configurable NAT. This thing costs about as much as most plain old passive hubs, so I was very surprised at how many features, such as firewall pass-through rules, were supported. I'm even more impressed that they have all worked properly on the very first try.
By the way, nothing requires you to use its DHCP server. If you want a static IP address, go ahead and take one. Just make it one that's outside the range of the IPs it will lease (which is easy to configure, too), just in case. DHCP service is optional. That said, its DHCP server works just fine too, without any delays that I can tell. In fact, it makes my Hitachi cable-modem look like a slacking flunky that falls asleep on the job all the time.
If you have full-time broadband Internet service at home and you are connected with no protection and your OS is a Microsoft product, you won't be doing it for long, take my word for it. Spare yourself the aggravation of having to rebuild your machine after yet another worm attack and buy this little guy. It's ... insurance, and a minimally-trained monkey could set it up in five minutes.
94 Solid Router for a Home Network
Bought this router for my home network that runs on our Road Runner account. The router provides fast networking between the two machines, I have transferred a 600 MB file in under 2 minutes on our local network.
I had a small problem with the install that was fixed by installing the newest firmware. Follow this advice in the instructions and do this step first. I get both fast upload and downloads without any problems.
I like the light weight aspect because the router is hanging in mid-air between the printer and monitor. The mid-air positioning may be preventing some of the other errors that have been reported due to overheating. I have been using the router since mid-Decemember and have not experienced overheating or slow downs in data transfer.
I had one problem when the setup software in the internet explorer would display the main screen but no links. I fixed this problem without resetting the router, but unplugging it from its power supply.
Pete
95 Avoid D-Link DI-604
This is a cheap product. It only worked ONE day for me! When I have to reconfigure my network the second day, it just died. It took me more than half an hour to get a technical support guy on phone. We spent another 40 or 50 minutes in going through all the trouble shooting ideas he can thought of. The technical guy agreed that the router is defective and said level-two support would contact me in 48 hours. They never did. I contact them again, they made me go through the same so-called level-one support, and, again, promised me a level-two support. Of course they did not call me afterwards. And when I tried to return this piece of junk, I get to know the webpage of the company that I have to get some Return Material Authorization number by writing first. I know that this would probably take forever and tried to call them, but the calls never went through. By now my roommate and I have lived without LAN for over a month. Only one of us can enjoy DSL at a given time, thanks to D-Link.
Avoid this junk, choose something more decent.
96 Excellent product, excellent support.
Since I got this router, I've been trying to set up my computer as an FTP server during the day. I had no luck, until last night. Of course, I had to break it to make it work(Note for ATT Broadband users: don't disable DHCP). So, after tech support with ISP, I called D-Link. The rep was very helpful. He got me connected again, and then helped me set up my router and machine so it could act as an FTP server. Everything works perfectly now, and I am very satisfied.
97 very helpful tech support
d-link's tech support was very helpful in explaining to me how to link all my computers (a PC with Windows ME, a PC w/ Windows XP and a Mac) on the network to each other so that we could share hardware and files. in my experience (two phone calls) the wait time was less than five minutes and the tech support people were knowledgable and friendly.
98 The good, the bad.
Research and reviews lead me to purchase the DI-604 over three months ago. There have been good weeks, and bad moments.
The good is that the product exceeded my expectations of a router that was under $..., let alone $... Very powerful and configurable. Fully Universal Plug-n-play compliant and the web interface is well designed, straight-forward, and easy to understand without looking at the built-in help interface. All of this would have taken 5-stars.
The bad are the lockups. When the going gets tough, and the data's flowing, OR things just plain-ol' heat-up, the router can fail. It could be something simple, in the form of the web interface returning the dreaded little pieces of paper with a red "X", indicating that the HTML couldn't find the picture. Worse trouble stops all incoming/outgoing data, yet allow data to flow on the LAN. At that point the router doesn't even respond to a ping.
I recently took the two screws out that held the clam-shell together to find that there is only one, non-active, heat-sink on the processor. When I first touched the top of the fins I was startled at the heat this little thing was producing, and it was idle! I'm convinced this little unit has a bad case of heat-prostration, due maily to the lack of airflow from a poorly designed shell. I'm going to run a fan on the heat sink and perform some further testing to prove my point. Wish me luck.
Would I recommend it? In it's current design...that depends. If my father were to buy this, definately NO. If a friend who knew at least what a heatsink was, I'd certainly warn him/her first. The catch here is the absolutely great price and performance the DI-604 has, and for this, it does shine.
99 Great Router!
I purchased one of these a few weeks ago and its been working like a champ. I have cable service and those guys were charging me a large premium every month for my extra computers. This little box took care of that problem.
The setup was amazingly simple. I think it took all of 1 minute to setup and I had all 3 of my computers browsing the internet. It will even clone your mac address so you provider can't tell its not your main computer! I love the web page interface used in setup as well.
After I had it a little while, I went to the dlink webpage and found updated firmware. This had one confusing step (the fact that you don't extract the bin file, you must leave it as that despite what they say), but after i figured that out it went smoothly. It was nice that the router protected me from loading the wrongly encoded file (this would have really messed up the unit).
I'm using it now, and playing DAOC, surfing the web and other games and so far, no problems. I also went to a security website and had it do a portscan on my network, and it classified me as a "hard target" due to the firewall features of the DI-604. It wouldn't let any intruders initiate contact with my system. Neato!
100 WoW !
SO easy ! one computer windows 98 & the other windows xp home , I didn't even load the cd , hooked up cables ( one cable is 25 feet long ) , few clicks through the setup wizard and up and running in just a very few minutes , no change in cable modem speed , just as fast . Wish I had bought one of these sooner .
