D-Link AirPlus XtremeG 802.11g Wireless Products Review
Date : Monday, 01 November 2004
By : Stygian
Provided By : D-Link
Introduction
Home networking products comprise a large part of the networking market nowadays - and it has surely come a long way. Just 10 years ago, home networking was a fringe area, only for the enthusiasts and geeks with nothing else to do. Nowadays, it's somewhat of an essential area, with Dad having his PC, Mom having hers, and the kids having their own systems. With all these systems, comes the need to share resources such as the omnipresent Internet connection, a printer, scanner, or even storage capacity, and networks are the ideal way to do this, being able to do much more than just allow computers to communicate with one another.
Furthermore, proliferation of home networking products has created more than just widespread adoption of networks, as it has also spawned the newest generation of communication through wireless networks. Ten years ago I couldn't have imagined seeing wireless networking products lining the shelves of every major retailer - but yet here we are. Wireless networks have become ideal for most home users wanting to implement a network, as they eliminate the need for unsightly and cumbersome cables. Let's face it, unless a home has been built with CAT-5 cabling and the jacks throughout, setting up a wired network throughout your house can be difficult, as it will entail either one of two things - doing some reconstruction, or running ugly cables along the walls or in conduits. This has caused most people to just choose one room as the "computer room", and thereby confine all the system and networking cables to one messy area.
Wireless networks promise to eliminate all of that clutter, but let's face it - wireless networking cannot compete with wired networks in terms of raw speed and easy of security. I've reviewed some wireless network products in the past, namely, 802.11b and 802.11a products, and each had their shortcomings. 802.11b, even with the proprietary technologies many vendors included that doubled the theoretical speed from 11Mbps to 22Mbps, was still too slow for large file transfers and lots of network traffic in the form of streaming media to multiple clients. 802.11a, at 54Mbps, was quite a bit faster (though still not nearly as fast as 100Base-TX), but suffered from a ideal-speed operating area that was quite small, and just didn't create enough momentum for people to adopt it; after all, it was incompatible with 802.11b, the leading wireless specification at the time most 802.11a products were reaching the market. 802.11a is pretty much a no-show nowadays, with most vendors having to tie 802.11a capability into products that also support different standards.
Enter 802.11g. Promising speeds of 54Mbps, the same as 802.11a, but maintaining backwards compatibility with 802.11b by operating in the same frequency range of 2.4GHz, this specification promised to bring coherency and speed to wireless networks. This specification also offered many other benefits over 802.11b, so much so, in fact, that many vendors early last year began releasing 802.11g products based on draft specifications - that is, they began to release 802.11g-based products before the 802.11g specification was even finalized! This did create a little of confusion, but most, if not all vendors released driver and firmware updates for their products when 802.11g was finalized around June 2003.
D-Link was one of these "early adopters", and since then they have released revisions to their original 802.11g hardware, so that products bearing model numbers currently, may be slightly different from the products sold last year with the same model number. I assume this was to refine the feature set to reflect the final 802.11g spec., and to add additional features and capability that wasn't possible with just a firmware update. One of the notable features added was a Turbo mode, similar to Turbo modes features on previous products and products from other vendors. These Turbo modes use more than one wireless channel to increase the theoretical bandwidth from 54Mbps to 108Mbps - on paper, this looks very good; I mean, it's faster than 100Base-TX! However, we all know that this probably isn't the case. Today, I'll be looking at four of D-Link's products from this category: The DI-624 Router, the DWL-G810 Wireless Bridge, the DWL-G520 PCI Adapter and the DWL-G650 Cardbus Adapter. All of these products support a Turbo mode - how fast are they compared to other wireless networks, and how does the speed compare to a wired network?
Specifications
Speaking in general terms, all of the products except for the DWL-G810 Bridge support WPA (which uses 802.1x) for increased security over the faulty WEP. WPA is inherently more secure than WEP and with the use of 802.1x, which requires a RADIUS server, authentication can be better controlled. If you're serious about security, this is one step to securing your wireless network. Some tidbits on WPA can be found here and here.
Also supported on these devices is WPA-PSK or Wi-Fi Protected Access Pre-Shared Key. This is a limited form of WPA that does not require a RADIUS server to be setup, which can be a daunting task unsuitable for some users with limited resources. WPA-SPK eliminates the need for RADIUS server or 802.1x authentication and instead relies on a passphrase that must be entered into the AP (in this case, the DI-624) and any wireless device communicating with the AP. It still has advantages over WEP in that WPA uses Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) encryption, which uses dynamic keys versus WEP's usage of static keys. An interesting short read on this can be found here.
I have listed the product pages for each item below, as I do not want to copy the list of specs just for copying's sake.
If you intend to use security on your network, you will need to make sure that all devices support the same security you're using; if the DWL-G810 is part of your network that means the best you can support is WEP. (The DWL-G810 currently doesn't support WPA in its shipping firmware but a beta firmware upgrade does add this functionality.)
Additionally, all the products, except for the DWL-G810 again, use Atheros' Super G chip to provide 802.11g compatibility and the additional speeds in the Turbo modes. This chip is used in other products, and their FAQ provides ample information. Of particular interest was the partial increase in speed, even if only the AP is Super G enabled.
Lastly, it is worthy to note that both adapters can function in Ad-hoc mode, that is, without an AP, but this method of wireless networking is a bit outdated and not really viable; the 802.11g spec doesn't require ad-hoc speeds to be anything over 11Mbps, so the adapters will only work at 11Mbps in ad-hoc mode. Ad-hoc mode is also not ideal for larger networks or ones being used to share an Internet connection, so I won't really discuss it.
All of these products support Super G, a set of technologies aimed and increasing wireless network speeds. These features are enabled by the Atheros chip used in the D-Link products and this chip has also been used in some products from other companies. The D-Link products can operate in one of four different modes, which I'll outline briefly.
Since I don't want to turn this into a technical white paper sort of thing, here are some links about these technologies, straight from D-Link and Atheros, the manufacturers. Most interesting is the claim that the Super G mode can produce up to a 20% increase in performance over standard speeds when only the AP is Super G enabled.
DI-624The DI-624 will function as the centerpiece of your wireless and wired network. At a basic level, it is a home router and an Access Point (AP) combined into one device. It houses both the wireless components and a 4-port switch for regular wired Ethernet access, and is housed in the typical D-Link grey/blue plastic covering. As you can see below, the package comes with not only the router but also an AC adapter, manual, CD, a CAT-5 cable, feet for standing the router sideways, wall-mounting hardware and "feet" so that this router can be made part of a D-Link stack. The CD contains nothing more than a Manual and an Install Guide, so it's not needed. It was nice to see the inclusion of a CAT-5 cable, considering that you'll need it to use the router.
At first appearance, the router is fairly small, or maybe about average for a home router's size nowadays. It's maybe close to three times the size of a pack of cards, and is quite light weight. As always, I would've preferred a metal housing, but hardly any home network devices are built like that, so I cannot hold this against D-Link. Another thing to note is that this is the latest version of the DI-624, marked as Revision C, and has only one antenna, and also sports some changes under the hood such as a faster processor. It also features Xbox Live compatibility.
 The DI-624. |
 Size comparison. |
 Accessories. |
Since you'll probably have some wired clients, a 4-port switch is built into the DI-624, as is the case with many home routers. The ports feature MDI/MDIX Auto Cross so that you won't need to worry about the type of cable you're using to connect an endstation or other network device to the DI-624; with this feature, the ports will automatically adjust for whatever cable or device is being connected, a very handy feature for the quick set up of a network. You'll also note that the antenna is removeable, either for transportation or should you want to install another one. The WAN port is also at the back, and is fully 10/100Mbps capable; this is where you'll plug your DSL or cable modem into.
The included feet can be made to stand up the router in a sideways position, which is good for if you don't have a lot of horizontal space. Furthermore, the included mounting hardware can either securely attach the router to a surface or a wall.
The front features many status LEDs: Power, Status, WAN, WLAN, and one for each of the ports in the switch. Most are self explanatory - the WAN, WLAN and port lights blink during data transfer; however the Status LED blinks to indicate that router is okay. To me, this behaviour is counter-intuitive; when something is blinking, it usually attracts attentions and thus should indicate that something is wrong rather than indicating everything is okay.
 Back. |
|
 Can be stood up sideways. |
 Front. |
The quick install guide uses screenshots to clearly show you how to get the router up and running, and set up your computers with it. It's very well-written and even if you're new to the whole networking thing, you shouldn't have any trouble following it, and furthermore, the web-based interface used to configure the DI-624 is very easy to use as well, and includes its own useful Help section.
InstallationTo setup the router, you'll probably want to use a wired connection at first, since you may want to change the default wireless settings and not lose connectivity as a result. The computer you're working at should be set to use DHCP to get an IP address; D-Link's manual shows you how to do this. After that, you should point your web browser to the default IP of the router, which is 192.168.0.1, a pretty common IP for home routers.
The "Wizard" allows you to setup the router in an easy step-by-step fashion. It prompts you to change basic things like the password, SSID, set your ISP's login information, and clone your PC's MAC addy, which may be necessary for some ISPs. However, if you want to configure advanced functionality, this has obviously been left out for brevity. It does get the job done of getting the router up and running, though. By default, the router is set to also be a DHCP server, assigning IPs from the range of .100 to .199 of whatever subnet it's on. (It doesn't assign IPs lower than 100, since some other D-Link products are set up to use a static IP from this range.)
For more options, you have to dig into the configuration pages. The wireless settings allow you to set the SSID, channel, and authentication/encryption options. Note that the screenshot below was taken with firmware v2.42; when I updated to the beta 2.45 firmware, the Super G/Turbo options were moved to here, where they are better suited to be. I'd recommend using some form of WPA over the other authentication options plus WEP. Since you're not likely to have a RADIUS server setup at home to be able to use the 802.1x features of full WPA, you'll likely want to use WPA-PSK, which uses a shared password (that you must provide to the router and each client) as the authentication method, but after that uses TKIP for generating the keys for encryption, which is much more secure than the static keys used with WEP.
If however, you must use WEP since not all of your clients support WPA, use Open Authentication rather than Shared Key, since the latter greatly increases the risk of your WEP keys being discovered. WPA is good, but all of this mess will hopefully be sorted out when 802.11i is finalized - but this will probably require new hardware. (WPA is an interim standard by the Wi-fi Alliance, brought into being since 802.11i couldn't arrive fast enough to take over the duty of WEP.)
 Wireless options. |
 WAN/ISP settings. |
 DHCP settings. |
 Virtual Server Settings. |
The WAN or ISP section has options for almost any broadband ISP out there. Cable, DSL, and PPPoE for some DSL users are all supported, and you shouldn't have trouble connecting to your ISP. You can even have the DI-624 "clone" a MAC address of one of your computers, in case your ISP checks for that. The DHCP section allows you configure or enable/disable DHCP. You can also setup "Static DHCP", which seems like an oxymoron, but basically it works by creating a list of IPs to MAC addresses; from this table, you can make sure that a certain computer always receives the same IP address from the DHCP server. This can be useful if you need to forward a certain port to a computer based on its IP address; with static DHCP you won't need to set up the computer with a static IP as you can do that within the router's interface. I found this feature pretty useful.
The Virtual Server page is where you can do that port forwarding. For example, if you are running an FTP server on one of your computers you'll need to set that up here. You can set the public/private port as well as the protocol (TCP/UDP or both) and you can also set a schedule based on the time of day and day of week, for the rule to be active.
 Special Applications. |
 Filters page. |
 Firewall rules. |
 Wireless Performance page. |
The Special Applications page is somewhat similar to the Virtual Server page, in that this time you are opening/forwarding ports based on a trigger, and usually to a client application. This feature was implemented in order to open ports based on certain applications being used. For example, without the use of passive mode, when you connect to an FTP server, you usually connect to port 21 of that server; however, the server must also connect to a port on your computer to send data; I believe this port is known as ftp-data and is usually port 20. The router normally blocks all inbound connections, so as a result you wouldn't be able to properly use the FTP server.
The Special Applications page allows you fix that. You set up a trigger port or port range, the protocol type, and the public port/port range that needs to have inbound access set up for. In our example, the trigger would be port 21, and the public port would be ftp-data, which is 20, I believe. This works for all clients on your private LAN, and can be used for a variety of programs, such as file-sharing applications or the like.
The filters page can be used to deny access to the Internet based on IP address. It's not too useful if you do it on a per-IP address basis, since a user might be able to change their IP address with ease. However, you can block all IP addresses from connecting to certain ports, say, if you don't want them using FTP servers that run on port 21.
You can also set up MAC filters; this is a bit more useful. Here, you can create either an allowed or a blocked list of MAC addresses; clients with a MAC addy in the list will either be allowed or blocked. Thus, if you have a limited list of wireless clients, you can set this up to only allow them to connect. However, this can be circumvented since it's possible to change how your MAC address looks to the rest of the world.
The firewall settings page can be used to setup more broad-based rules than the other pages. The settings here are bit more fundamental, so you have to know what you're doing. As with other pages, you can specify the protocol for a rule, as well as a schedule for when it's effective. IP ranges for start/destination locations and port ranges can be configured to allow or deny certain types of traffic. While the settings here are more powerful than what you can do using the other pages, for most applications, configuration of the Virtual Server or Special Applications page can get things working, and you won't have to work with the settings here.
There's also a parental controls page that allows you block URLs by keyword ("sex", "georgebush", "johnkerry") or create a list of allowed or blocked domains. This is of limited usage, IMO, since it'd be hard to create a good list this way without getting a lot of false positives. A DMZ option is also provided, allowing you to place a single computer based on IP address in a zone that exposes it to all inbound traffic. You shouldn't need to use this option with proper configuration, but it is provided nonetheless. It's not recommended as then this PC loses all of the security provided by the DI-624.
The Wireless Performance page allows you to set certain wireless parameters, but you shouldn't need to adjust many of these. In the latest firmware, the options of SSID Broadcast, 802.11g Only Mode, and Super G mode have been moved to the more general Wireless Section, beside options such as SSID, and encryption. This change is for the better as it consolidates the commonly-used settings better.
 Misc. options. |
 Virtual Cable tester. |
 Log page. |
The Misc. options allow you to block WAN side pings, a nice feature, and allow you to enable or disable UPNP. If you don't need to use UPNP (if you don't have any programs that use UPNP) then it'd probably be best to disable it. Gaming, when enabled, probably allows more types of inbound packets (such as UDP packets, typically used for real-time applications such as gaming or streaming media) so that certain online games will work better. It's typically needed for Xbox Live or some multiplayer PC games, though it may not be required, and you should probably only enable it if you're having troubles.
The cable tester feature is something new, and it's useful for diagnosing rudimentary physical network problems such as bad cables. Other features include a Dynamic DNS client; this service allows you to connect to either Dyndns.org, EasyDns.com, or No-IP.com and update your IP address with them. This is a feature I'll be using, and it's easier than having to download a software client and configure it. You can also set the time on the router (used for log purposes) or setup an NTP server so that the router will automatically update/set its time.
Administration options allow you to update the firmware from within the web browser, or save the settings to your HDD for loading them later. You can also set up remote administration so that you can log in to the web-based configuration from a PC on the WAN/Internet side. Unless you absolutely need this, I wouldn't enable it, even though it's password-protected. It's disabled by default.
On the whole, setup was fairly easy; though there are a lot of configuration options and many things you can change, the basic setup was fairly easy and was completed within 10 minutes. D-Link's easy to use interface and excellent Help section, along with their well-written install guide aided in this respect.
DWL-G810The DWL-G810 can be used with most any wired Ethernet device to allow it to connect to a wireless network. It's a fairly small device, and so it won't take up much space. As you can see, it's maybe twice the size of a deck of cards. It comes with a manual, CD, AC adapter, wall mounting hardware and a needed CAT-5 cable. It's ideal for use with console gaming systems, but you can use with an existing PC that has an Ethernet connection; in this case it's useful since you won't have to open up the PC and physically install a new adapter, nor worry about new drivers or anything like that.
 DWL-G810 package. |
 Accessories. |
 Size. |
 Front. |
The front of the unit is fairly basic, and has two LEDs, one for power and one for activity. The back has an RJ-45 connection that will be connected to your wired Ethernet device, a reset button (in case something goes screwy) and the antenna. The bottom shows that the unit can be mounted with the included hardware.
 Back. |
 Bottom with mounting hardware. |
Installation
Installation was very straightforward and easy with the DWL-G810. As with the DI-624, configuration is done through a web browser, and you'll need to make sure that your computer is on the same subnet as the unit, which is 192.168.0.* by default. You'll probably want to connect the DWL-G810 directly to a computer for first time configuration, or connect it to a switch hub and then configure it from a computer on your network. The quick install guide again does a good job of showing you how to do this, and walks you through it step-by-step. It also shows you how to connect it to your Xbox or PS2.
The wizard guides you though setting up all the basic options, such as the unit's password, SSID, channel and WEP. By default, the unit is set to use a static IP address of 192.168.0.30, and will work perfectly with the DI-624 router's default settings, even if DHCP is enabled. You can, however, set the DWL-G810 to retrieve an IP address via DHCP. (The DI-624 by default doesn't assign DHCP IP addresses below 192.168.0.100.) You may need to point the DWL-G810 at the DI-624 by setting the gateway IP to 192.168.0.1.
 Wizard setup. |
 IP Addy settings. |
 Wireless Settings. |
 Admin settings. |
The wireless settings allow you to set the DWL-G810 to connect to a wireless network, and allow you to specific WEP encryption settings. So far, WPA is not supported but beta firmware v2.13 does support this feature, along with WPA-PSK. (The firmware used was v2.12) You can also set the Super G mode here. On the Admin page you can set the password and also save settings to your HDD and update firmware, very similar to how you'd do these things in the DI-624's configuration.
Overall, the setup was completed with ease; with the excellent manual and good web configuration interface, you shouldn't take more than five minutes to get this wireless bridge setup. Installation was definitely easier than say, installing an adapter into a computer.
The DWL-G520 and DWL-G650 wireless network adaptersThe DWL-G520 is a PCI adapter meant to be used in a desktop computer; in that respect it's somewhat less useful since typically a desktop computer doesn't need a wireless connection since that won't improve its portability - it's already tied down by other cables. However, there may be situations where you cannot run CAT-5 cable to an endstation, and in these cases, a wireless PCI adapter makes sense.
The PCI adapter comes with a driver CD, quick install guide, and a half-height adapter bracket. The smaller bracket allows you to use the card in smaller enclosures, typically micro-ATX cases that are slimmer and need the half-height brackets. The included guide does a good job of explaining installation and configuration. And, in case you're wondering, the antenna can be rotated straight so that you can install the PCI card into your computer.
 The DWL-G520. |
 What's included. |
 Expansion bracket. |
The DWL-G650 is a Cardbus adapter, meant to be used with a laptop or notebook. It is thus ideal for mobile users who have laptops that don't already have wireless connectivity and want to be freed. It supports all the features that the PCI adapter does, but just puts it in a smaller package with an integrated antenna.
 DWL-G650. |
 Status LEDs. |
 Works with Type II slots. |
 |
The drivers for the DWL-G650 include some extra features, such as different power saving modes if you want to conserve battery levels on your notebook. As usual, the guide D-Link provides easily guides you through setup.
InstallationD-Link's guide advises you to first install the software/drivers off of the CD and then shutdown the computer and physically install the adapters. I followed these instructions and had no problems; upon boot up, the drivers were found for the new adapters and installation went off without a hitch. D-Link's software provides a nice configuration interface for the adapters, and can be used as an alternative to Windows XP's built in wireless configuration interface. You must uncheck "Use Windows to Configure my Wireless Settings" if you want to use the D-Link utility. It allows for monitoring of Link Quality and Signal Strength, as well as Transmission rates, and is quite handy in diagnosing problems.
 Connection established. |
 D-Link's utility. |
 Wireless Network settings. |
 Encryption settings. |
You can also adjust basic network settings like encryption, authentication, SSID, channel, among other things. For the DWL-G650 Cardbus adapter, you can also adjust the power saving mode here as well. Overall, I didn't notice any driver or software issues during installation, and everything went along as normal.
TestingThe DI-624 Router was tested not only with D-Link's PCI and Cardbus adapters, but also with a Dell TrueMobile 1300 mini-PCI wireless card, which is 802.11b and 802.11g compatible. The systems that the adapters were tested on all used Windows XP, and during tested sources of interference were minimized in order to isolate performance. Testing was done at a close range of 3-5m with the PCI adapter and at a somewhat more distant range of 15m (with a single wall in between the router and adapter) with the Cardbus and Dell adapters. Since the speed tests often varied quite a bit, as is the case with performance in wireless networks, a 20 tests were done in each scenario and an average was obtained which should be indicative of overall performance.
With both the PCI and Cardbus Adapters, I ran into some issues when using one of the Super G Turbo modes. While both adapters were able to establish a connection listed as 108Mbps with the router, the connection was erratic, to say the least. Because the Turbo modes use two 802.11g channels via bonding, you cannot select what channel to use in the DI-624's configuration options. It instead is stuck at channel 6, or most likely, channel 6 and another one. This could lead to interference with other 802.11b or 802.11g networks, though I was running none during these tests.
Performance was very much varied during this test. With the PCI Adapter close test, I would sometimes see speeds of just over 50Mbps, but often it dropped below 30Mbps and sometimes lower. The average was just around 25Mbps - much lower than the theoretical max of 108Mbps and lower than the indicated stats on Atheros' Super G site. The response times were also a little erratic, varying from 1ms all the way to 15ms.
Performance with D-Link's DWL-G650 Cardbus adapter was even more varied. I could not get this adapter to work with any of the Turbo modes of the DI-624 router. I upgraded the firmware from 2.42 to the beta 2.45 firmware and downloaded the latest drivers without any success. I could establish a connection with the router using the adapter under these conditions, but the speeds would often drop to under 1Mbps, and response times were all over the place, sometimes in the 100ms range. I also noticed via D-link's software, that the Link Quality and Signal Strength values would vary greatly during data transmission, often dropping 20% during the tests, and then rising up again. Additionally, the connection would often drop unexpectedly, and it would be hard to re-establish another connection.
When I disabled Turbo mode, but stayed on Channel 6, things improved a little, and I was able to get speed results of around 21Mbps, but this didn't last for long as the connection seemed to drop-off after a while, and soon the speeds were below 1Mbps again, with similar response times.
However, once I changed the channel from 6 to 5, or 9, 10, or 11, things began working as they should. (Turbo mode would not work because you can't have Turbo mode in anything but channel 6.) I was able to consistently get speeds of 23Mbps, and response times were either 1ms or 2ms. Speeds of 23Mbps are consistent with a 54Mbps wireless connection, so I was pleased by these results. Such speeds are typically about four times faster than an 802.11b connection.
With the Dell TrueMobile 1300, results were similar. When the DI-624 was placed on channel 6, with any Turbo mode disabled, the connection and speeds were erratic, so I could not get reliable results. With the router on another channel, I was able to get similar speeds of 22Mbps with low response times of <= 2ms.
The DWL-G810 worked great for me, as I was able get transfer rates of around 19Mbps when it was connected to a wired computer for testing. It worked great with the Xbox, and I had no trouble in using it. It was pretty hassle-free in setup, testing and usage. The only tricky part, perhaps, is the initial setup using a computer, but this is one-time deal.
The results I could reliable obtain repeatedly
are summarized in Figure 1-1.
Figure 1-1: Speed test results
Testing was a very hard job for me - I could not find any explanation as to why the Turbo modes would not work with the DWL-G650, nor why performance was so erratic while on channel 6 irrespective of other factors or settings. My suggestion would be to switch to a different channel, one where a stable connection can be established without erratic behaviour, despite the loss of the use of Turbo mode. I hope to be able to look into this situation in the future, perhaps if new firmware or drivers are released - and I will reserve judgment until then.
For the DI-624's router capabilities, I had no problems using it. Internet connectivity worked great, and the few rules I set up in the Special Applications page worked great as well. Inbound ports are by default blocked and "stealthed", so I felt secure being behind the DI-624. I was also able to play games online without any problem. About the only thing I would've liked would be a setting to allow the DI-624 to use a syslog server for logging - but most people wouldn't use this feature.
ConclusionThe Xtreme G line of products are loaded with features, especially the DI-624, which is a remarkably adept router with loads of useful features, a solid 4-port switch and access point. However, the problems I noted with the Super G modes cannot be overlooked - for me, and for some reason they just did not work all that well. I have yet to find a solution, but there may be one out there.
However, standing back from it all, and taking a look at the overall picture, these products do perform well in comparison to 802.11b, the standard that 802.11g is to succeed. A sustained transfer rate of 20+ Mbps is clearly superior to 802.11b; in fact, it is pretty much four times the speed of 802.11b. This is no small achievement. The addition of WPA and WPA-PSK both add better security than WEP, and WPA-PSK adds more security than WEP without making configuration and set up harder. Additionally, all of these products featured excellent manuals that made installation a snap, and guided you along the way.
The DI-624 serves nicely as the center of your network as all the features will allow you to configure applications to work with it in almost any situation. The port-forwarding and special application settings worked well, and did they job. The online help available in the web configuration screens did a good job of explaining everything to you, to make sure that you understood each setting and its configuration.
In the end, I was disappointed at the lack of connection stability when using the Super G modes. I hope to be able to get back to these in the future when new firmware is released, which will hopefully remedy the situation.
ProsThank you very much to D-Link for making this review possible.
