D-Link 802.11g Wireless Range Extender D-Link, the industry pioneer in wireless networking introduces the latest product in the AirPlus Xtreme G™ family designed to enhance transfer rates and to extend the range of your wireless network – the DWL-G800AP. Using the 802.11g standard, D-Link’s DWL-G800AP offers data transfer speeds of up to 54Mbps. The D-Link DWL-G800AP is a high-speed 802.11g Wireless Range Extender capable of operating in two modes: Wireless Access Point or Wireless Repeater. In either operation mode, the DWL-G800AP added to an existing wireless network offers the convenience of eliminating cable wires while providing the same reliable broadband connection throughout your network –even through architectural obstacles such as walls and ceilings. When used as an access point, the DWL-G800AP is backwards compatible with all 802.11b devices and when used as a repeater, the same strong signal bandwidth gets repeated providing a greater range of wireless connectivity. The DWL-G800AP also features 128-bit WEP encryption and Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) offerings to increase levels of data protection for your existing network. With the provided level of security, unauthorized individuals will not be able to access your network unless granted permission.
1 Make sure you know what it is compatible with!
Make sure you know what it is compatible with! It only works with certain d-link products but they do not tell you this on the website. Make sure you know what works with it. The D-Link WRLS RANGE EXTENDER 802.11G ( DWL-G710 ) works well and with other products.
2 D-Link gets it right - encryption and all
It's now April 2005 and I have used the DWL-G800AP as both a range extender and a wireless access point - and both with 128 bit encryption. This product does exactly what it should in either mode. I use it now as a range extender at the edge of my wireless LAN with D-Link's DI-624 wireless router. Once I set the encryption key in the DWL-G800AP, it worked perfectly. Instructions are less than perfect (as a repeater, you have to set it up wired, then disconnect it, for it to work), but this product does the trick.
3 Interchangable Firmware, but...
I have a computer at the other end of the house I bought this for. I thought I read in the newsgroups that this device was (unofficially) compatible with Linksys routers, but alas, it isn't. (Which is only fair, since it said so on the package.) Actually it is the DWL-800AP+ that is "compatible" with Linksys (which is 802.11b only).
So I switched out the firmware and converted it to a bridge; now I can run an ethernet cable to my computer and place my wireless antenna in a spot where the coverage is better. However, I later tried to switch the firmware back, to see if the newer version was Linksys compatible, etc, and it gave me a checksum error. D-Link apparantly has discovered this and newer firmwares will not allow you to switch between the G800 and the G810.
4 DOES NOT WORK AS ADVERTISED
DO NOT BUY this product if you are intending to use it as a repeater. It does not support WPA or WPA-PSK in repeater mode. Their web site does not mention this, nor does their firmware upgrade documentation. I spoke with a tech who admitted this fact, but the idea that their ads were [...] did not mean much to him. This product will NOT work with their DL-624 in repeater mode if you want to have a WPA secure network.
5 Interchangable firmware
This may (or may not) void your warranty, but the firmware on this product (DWL-G800AP) and the Bridging product (DWL-G810) is interchangable. This may be more useful for people who purchase this product and find it useless in some ways (since the repeater is only compatible with a few select D-Link products). See other reviews.
I purchased a DWL-G800AP by mistake, intending to purchase the bridging product. I'm happy to say that, after switching firmware, I'm bridging my network at 54mb/sec. The web interface even says DWL-G810 on it. All thanks go to D-Link for keeping production costs low by introducting two identicle products and marketing them in different ways!
6 Please Step Away from the D-Link!
Another steller D-Link product. Works great as long as you don't want to use WEP Encryption. After going through 5 phone techs, I finally had one level with me, saying "look, this thing never works with the encryption turned on". After that, I called back and the 2nd-Tier phone tech told me the same thing. Buyer Beware, don't purchase if you want to keep your network WEP turned on!!
7 DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT BUYING THIS ONE
Being in need of this product I went to the the only retail store in my area that had them. Fry's Electronics had ten of them on the shelf, all with customer returned stickers on them. The salesman assured me that they were ok & were probably bought to use with an incompatable router. Since I knew that my router a DI-624 had to be revision C to work with this item I reluctantly went ahead & got it.
After 4 calls & many hours spent on the phone w/ tech support I finally took mine back...
I would say there is probably a problem with this model... too many returned ones on the shelf & I would imagine the majority of them didn't work too.
8 D-Link?? Should be D-STINK
I am very disappointed in this unit, especially since they make such a great router. It has NEVER worked right despite all the tech support calls and e-mail I have made and sent. Don't waste your money. Get a high range 2.4 GHz antenna instead.
9 Terrible product
I tried to use this as an extender for a D-Link 624 router. It works fine for around a half hour, then loses the connection to the router, disabling the internet connection of all computers on the wireless network. Repeated hard resets and rerunning of the setup utility are required to get it to work for another half hour before it dies again. Updating the firmware had no effect, and I don't have time to mess with tech support, so I returned it to Amazon. Instead, I bought a Hawking HAI15S directional antenna for my D-Link router, which improved my signal significantly, obviating the need for this range extender. It's also much cheaper.
10 What More Can I Do For D-Link
At this point, about 5 days after receiving the range extender, I have spent more time on the phone with tech support than I have with my family. And it still doesn't work. The config is easy, but it still doesn't work. Power up, power down, reset. And it still doesn't work. The first level techs say they don't understand (with an accent). The second level can never be found. The third level only works M-F 9-5. Well, so do I, and I can't dedicate my entire life to making myself available at D-Link's convenience so that I can make their product work.
If they hadn't sucked the life out of me, it would have been funny. But my 624 router performance is fine if you are within 20 feet and no obstructions. As the D-link tech told me, "well, are there walls in your house?" Yes, I have one of those funny houses with walls. D-Link never figured on that. What a total, unmitigated disaster this piece of useless junk is. And I want D-Link to give me back the hours of my life lost to making its junk work.
Added 6/29/04: D-link tech finally tells me that this repeater is defective (duh). But their RMA mechanism is worse than their wares. It's a 32 step procedure that ends up costing even more money even though you've already paid for their defective equipment. If you should happen to be interrupted in the middle, you can't finish. The qualifications are ridiculous. And, as I've now found out, the defect rate on repeaters is extraordinarily high. Don't expect to get one that works on the first 3 tries.
11 Works well, however...
After three hours and getting to the second level of Tech-Support, we were able to get this extender to work. It works very well and, really, there is NO OTHER option if you need to expand your wireless network.
12 A Good Wireless Repeater
The DWL-800AP+ isn't officially supported by D-Link for repeating other brands of wireless access points. It's best to use this with D-Link APs only. I've heard of some working, but it's pretty random.
I use the DWL-G800AP as a wireless repeater repeating the signal of my DI-624 (wireless router). This repeats the 54Mbps 802.11g speeds and I find it very easy to use.
You don't need this repeater to be plugged into the network via wired connection for it to work, but you will need to when you are configuring it to work with your WLAN. Basically you plug it in, configure it, and unplug and set it in the optimum place for best repeating of the signal.
I hide mine behind a picture frame on the mantle and it works great and isn't seen.
13 A Wireless Repeater for the DI-624 Wireless Router Only
After purchasing a DI-624 and having that one raouter cover so much ground (air?) with a wireless signal I wanted to cover the rest of my expansive house with wireless internet coverage. This little box is just what I needed. First you plug this box into one of the router's open LAN ports, then access it via web browser and configure it (about 2 mins) to work with your wireless network.
This box will see the DI-624 and you just need to set it in wireless repeater mode. Then go put the little box at about the edge of where you get no more signal from the DI-624. I used my laptop for this. If the 624 reached out say 100 feet from it's base with wireless signal I set this little repeater at about the 75 foot mark to make sure it got a strong enough signal yet still add adequate coverage for the rest of my home.
It's simple enough and it works reliably. After setting up as a repeater you don't need to worry about it anymore.
14 Excellent, but...
I have a D-Link DI-624. I just have to plug the Range Extender and then I have a better signal. Thats it. It works for me. The problem is that apparently this device only works with this kind of router.
15 Don't Buy This, You will regret it!
I had the worst time working with my D-Link wireless router. After talking on the phone with several different customer service representatives, I was told that I should purchase this 800AP to extend my wireless range. I went ahead and bought it. After hours trying to get this thing to work, I called the customer service number, and got some help. After working with them on the phone for a couple more hours, I was then told I did not need the range extender. I was very furious because I kept getting different answers.
If you are thinking of improving your wireless router, just upgrade to Wireless G, from a different vendor!
If you really want this range extender, let me know, Ill send you mine!
16 This Product Should Never Have Been Released to the Public
Avoid this product at all costs. It does not work as a repeater, and, apparently, has never worked. Proof of this is readily available, just search with Google on "DWL-800AP problem" (without the quotes). It would appear that this item was never tested by D-Link before it was released. It seems to have multiple problems, and to date, D-Link has only released one firmware upgrade which fixed one problem, but not the others. I am waiting for D-Link tech support to get back to me, but based on the reported experiences of others that I have read online, I am not hopeful that they will be able to make this work. I wish I had checked the tech support forums before I bought this. Buy this thing at your own risk -- better yet, take my advice and don't buy it.
17 Just go with a different company!!
I had the worst time working with my D-Link wireless router. After talking on the phone with several different customer service representatives, I was told that I should purchase this 800AP to extend my wireless range. I went ahead and bought it. After hours trying to get this thing to work, I called the customer service number, and got some help. After working with them on the phone for a couple more hours, I was then told I did not need the range extender. I was very furious because I kept getting different answers.
If you are thinking of improving your wireless router, just upgrade to Wireless G, from a different vendor!
If you really want this range extender, let me know, Ill send you mine!
