| D-Link DI-524 Wireless 54 Mbps High Speed Router (802.11g) |
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Model: DI-524
Brand: D-Link
Manufacturer: D-Link Systems, Inc.
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 253
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
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| Features: |
Share your Internet connection with built-in 4-Port switch
Compatible with 802.11g and 802.11b networks
Advanced Firewall and Security Controls
Built-in 4-Port SwitchOperating range of up to 328 feet indoors, up to 1,312 feet outdoors
Quick and easy set-up |
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| Description: |
| D-Link AirPlus G 802.11g Wireless Router - The DI-524 from D-Link can handle all of your networking needs. Utilizing the built-in 4-port 10/100 Ethernet switch, you can wire your computers together in the standard fashion, or you can go wireless with 802.11g technology. Transferring data through the air at up to 54Mbps! The router and built-in firewall portion of the DI-524 allows for easy & safe broadband Internet sharing. Advanced Firewall Features - NAT with VPN Pass-through (Network Address Translation) MAC Filtering IP Filtering URL Filtering Domain Blocking Scheduling Dimensions - 5.6 (l) x 4.3 (w) x 1.2 (h) Weight - 7.8 oz. |
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| User Reviews (253 total): |
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Extremely Poor Wireless Connection, August 8, 2005
By M. Donnelly (San Jose, CA)
The reason people install wireless networks in their homes is to provide access to their broadband connection throughout the home. While this router has a nice form factor (very small) and fairly easy installation, the wireless link is terrible. I installed this in my office. I tried to access the wireless link in my living room--through 1 wall and less than 30 feet away. NO signal. Only when I was in line of sight of the router was I able to get a link. My old, cheap Linksys router provides much greater wireless coverage. Don't buy this wireless AP/router--it is a useless piece of junk.
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UPDATE:Terrific Value and Great User Interface, But Reboots, July 30, 2005
By C. Kissner (San Jose, CA)
UPDATE: I have now installed 10 of these routers for various people. Normally, it works fine, but if there are issues such as a poor DSL line or certain kinds of radio interference (nearby 2.4 GHz cordless phone), the DI-524 reacts by rebooting to clear errors, I guess. People who have Cable seem to have fewer problems. In a couple of cases, the rebooting required me to change to a different router. So, check the router log carefully in the first few days of operation to ensure you will not have an issue.
Prior review from June 2005:
I have purchased several of these units for friends because they seem to be rock-solid and very well priced. I don't think a lot of people realize that to get the higher speed (beyond 802.11g 54 Mbps) advertised with higher priced routers that the terminal equipment has to match the router, which of course is almost never the case. Besides, 54Mbps, even de-rated for real world conditions, is way beyond almost all consumer-grade broadband connections. The combination of a 4-port wired router with a solid wireless access point at this price is hard to beat. If you need to do port forwarding for games or remote access, this router is one of the easiest I have seen to set up. Rather than requiring you to set up the target computer with a fixed IP address, the router allows you to easily assign the MAC address for that computer to a reseved IP assignment on the DHCP server.
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Solid product, July 28, 2005
By Gary X (New Jersey)
Took me about 5 minutes to install and set up. Gives me a slightly better range than my last Netgear 802.11b router. It's been running smoothly for 2 weeks since I had it - no dropoffs, fade outs. 5 Stars for my experience so far.
Haven't really used DLink support (didn't need it) or read the product documentation (again no need), so I can't really comment on those.
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Works great..., July 25, 2005
By Michael O (Chicago, IL USA)
Worked correctly as soon as I plugged the cable modem into it. My main computer had access to the internet without touching anything and so did all the wireless stuff. Running the Automatic setup did mess up the routers connection to the cable modem somehow, so I had to reset it and configure network keys manually. It was really easy though, and I get great speeds and signals. The router is in my basement almost against the ceiling (where it's actually under a few pipes and lights), and I get full signal and speed up on the 2nd floor. Works on my patio (where the signal is traveling partially through cement) and in the yard. Best of all, after rebates it was like $15. Very glad I didn't listen to most of these reviews and went ahead and got it. It has never dropped out and lost my connection!
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Total frustration, July 20, 2005
By R. Gale (Los Angeles, CA United States)
After an hour of trying to get this to work, I gave up. Although I got a signal, I couldn't get on the internet. So I returned it and got Netgear's version instead (WGR614). I had the Netgear product up and running in less than 10 minutes. Don't waste your money on the D-Link product unless you have a degree in computer science. If you want plug and play simplicity, go with Netgear.
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Rock Solid, July 18, 2005
By Analyst (Carlisle, Pennsylvania)
I wanted to upgrade my entire home network from "b" to "g" and WPA encryption. I initially bought a Netgear 54 MB router and four cards. It was a disaster--couldn't get one of the remove systems online and Netgear's tech support was worthless. The system I did get online had dropped signals. Took the whole thing back for equivalent D-Link. It's been rock solid. Good range, no dropped signals. Installation was fairly easy. The control interface isn't great, but is eacceptable. Lots of bang for the buck.
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Excellent equipment, June 12, 2005
By J. A. Rivera (San Juan, PR USA)
I bought the DI-524 with a DWL-G122 USB adapter (bundle kit). I was thinking if a USB adapter will be working fine as a wireless card. It's great, excellent, with an USB extension cable you may put the USB adapter in a better place near to the laptop for a better recepcion. I have signal in all areas of my house, and after two weeks of the installation, I don't needed to restart the router at any time. I prefer Linksys equipment, but if you want a good equipment with lower price, you have to consider D-Link. I give four star, because the installation guide should have more information. Make sure to read the manual in the installation CD or the Internet. After you read the instalation instruction, the process is very easy and quickly. Remember that WEP encryption if not activate by default.
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D-Link DI-524 - revision A, B, or C ?, June 5, 2005
By OliveOyl (Chicago, IL)
with the rev.C being the newest one, it would be nice to know if the seller is offering the older revision A & B .. or if they are selling the rev C ! Had good success with all the revisions whether installing it on a xDSL or cable broadband Internet, but the older ones usually tend to have more unfixed vulnerability issues. In response to the WEP & MAC filtering messages below, c'mon be real! WEP and WPA have been dead for a few years now.. they are not real security measures (just a deterrent factor.) Same with MAC filtering - any MAC can be easily impersonated on the fly. Tight security does not exist especially with Wireless.
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Does the job, June 2, 2005
By N. Caine (Los Angeles, CA)
I've recently had the opportunity to set up two wireless networks for my friend's and now my home, all on WinXP systems. For my friend, I picked up a Buffalo Airstation on advice of the head of the tech department (not the floor salesguy) at a computer retailer, and it installed flawlessly in minutes, including a firewall, valuable 128-bit WEP security, plus --what is even more important to me to prevent hacking-- MAC filtering. For my own home, I went with a sale and got the Hawking 54M wireless G, and I couldn't get it to work. Even with tweaking (I've been doing non-networking IT for fifteen years), I couldn't get the router to connect with my ISP through my DSL connection. I went out and bought a D-Link (also 54M wireless G) on heavy discount at a different retailer, and like the Buffalo, it went up and running right away, and I easily set up the firewall, 128 bit WEP, and MAC filtering. [MAC filtering, for those of you who don't know, allows you to specify exactly which machines are allowed to connect to the router, and all other ones are shut out. This keeps the neighbors and others from hacking into your network, since WEP passwords aren't foolproof.] I like the D-Link.
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I like my little router friend, May 26, 2005
By Chris Clad (Atlanta, Georgia)
I was pleased to find out that this wireless router has some decent range with it's wireless capabilities. My wireless coverage is pretty much throughout my entire house. I say pretty much because there are some spots where the time of day seems to affect the wireless signal. weird, but it's true. But those spots aren't places I frequent, so it doesn't matter.
I've had this thing for a while now and I am pleased with its performance overall. Fast enough for internet and some file transfers, wide enough range to be anywhere* in my home, and hasn't given me any major problems that weren't fixed with a firmware upgrade or slight tweak. This is why I have to give it 5 stars. Recommended for others.
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I agree with the 100Mbps WAN port "issue", May 23, 2005
By Bill Westland (Dayton, Ohio)
You should definitely, if having problems, change your WAN port to be 10Mbps by default rather than 100Mbps. It helped me as well. I understand why D-Link make the port 100Mbps available since that is the standard now and someday all modems will have 100Mbps ports, but for now there are just some modems that can't handle it. Besides your internet connection isn't any faster than 10Mbps, well most people's aren't.
For me this router has been working great and I am in love with the low price for such good features. 802.11g wireless, good range, advanced firewall, easy to use, 4 LAN ports, Parental Controls, and some other stuff I can't think of right now. Either way, I like this router and would recommend it to others.
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Troublesome, May 20, 2005
By Jojobone (Austin, TX USA)
Firmware is troublesome. I have an older D-Link wireless router that is excellent, but this one is sharply worse.
I was trying to use some of the advanced features (filters, for example) and found the firmware very buggy. I decided to stop wasting time fighting through the problems and return the unit.
If you're not going to do anything but run the basic setup and use no advanced features it might work fine for you.
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Keeps in Chuggin' Away for me, May 17, 2005
By Big Hal (Richardson, Texas)
I've had this router for about 5 months or so now and it has been working just like the day I bought it and never gives me any problems. I've never even upgraded the firmware on it, or shanged any settings. It just keeps working so I see no need to fool with it. It's actually collected some dust on the case and I don't see a need to move it or brush off the dust.
Everything went smoothly the day I installed it. It's been so long so I don't remember every detail, but I do remember feeling pretty calm after setting it up. I'd recommend others to get one if it is what they are looking for in a router. Small, cheap, works, wireless, stable connection.
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Works like a Charm, May 13, 2005
By Dean (Southern California)
I've had this router for over 6 months and have not had one single problem. I use it with the DWL-G510 PCI Adapter and both work perfectly together. If you want an affordable and reliable router, this is the one to get. Great job again D-Link!
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Works good ..., May 12, 2005
By Louis Vern (Seattle, WA)
... and I like the way it is super easy to use. duh. Web based interfaces rule the school and I hope that most D-Link products are the same as this, or better. :)
When installing it I would go for the setup wizard thingy and make sure to set your security settings. Especially if you don't know what you are doing. and if you think you might not know what you are doing, you probably aren't doing it right. :)
I bet most people that are looking for a wireless router that has 802.11g speeds (54Mbps) would enjoy this router. It is easy to use, small in size, and makes little to no dent on your pocketbook. Do people use poketbooks anymore? eh.
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An Easy to Use Basic Wireless Router, May 9, 2005
By Major LAN (Wyoming)
I don't have any gripes about the "lack" of features this wireless router has. It has everything a novice wireless user needs. WPA, 802.11g, web interface, 4 wired ports, DHCP, Firewall, easy to edit firewall rules, MAC filtering, and some more.
This wireless router works great in my home and provides good wireless coverage throughout my home. I don't have a massive house, but I do find this router to be well enough to cover what I do have in my 2 bedroom town home.
I would strongly suggest using the installation wizard that you first see when you login to the router via a web browser as this is straight forward and easy to understand.
I personally didn't have any problems setting this up, but if you do it looks like their FAQ on their support site ( support.dlink.com ) has some good answers. I'd also suggest browsing through the "emulator" on this product page on dlink.com.
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Doesn't work with personal firewalls???!, May 2, 2005
By Kisco Mike (Mount Kisco, NY)
I bought this router to replace an SMC router that I love for its built-in print server, but the switch seems to be failing and SMC does not seem to make one with a parallel printer port anymore. I bought this one because of its very low price after rebate. I figured even if it does not work perfectly and I kept it as a backup, it would be fine (the way people yell when the broadband goes down around here, you'd think they're doing mission critical government national security work). At the same time, I bought a Linksys 802.11b router, which I was sure would give me the distance I needed. Unfortunately the dLink router is not even good enough in my circumstance to be a backup and is going back.
The installation was fine and the web management interface was simple and very complete in the information and control it provided. That's why I'm giving this 2 stars and not fewer. Four PCs I tried connected without a hitch and worked great, but that fifth PC....
My fifth PC is the one I have from work. It's a ThinkPad T41 with a built in WiFi adapter and it could not get an IP address from the DHCP server in the router. I called D-Link tech support and got a really nice technician who seemed pretty much resigned to my configuration not working. He said my problem was likely specific to that PC and it could be either the WiFi card (which it can't be, as I further explained to him that the wired Ethernet card in the machine also could not get an IP address) or the Cyber Armor firewall my company loaded on it. He instructed me to disable the firewall and try it, because there is a known issue with certain personal firewalls, but he had no specific information as to known issues with this firewall or with ThinkPad T41s. I asked him why this router would have problems with this firewall when my SMC and Linksys did not. He said that different routers used different chips and left it at that.
With all the focus on security these days, I find it very odd that they would release a product that requires you to disable such a vital piece of software.
I had further problems because even with a static address to avoid the DCHP issue, my Nortel Contivity VPN did not work. THere's a FAQ on this on their web site, but following the instructions did not fix the problem and the odds of me calling my IS department and finding out how authentication is configured (as the FAQ said to do) is nil. And if authetication is configured a certain way, the router won't work anyway.
I've used other D-Link products and have been pretty happy with them. I won't hold a grudge - unless I have trouble returning it!
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Forget all the Rest D-Link Rules!, April 30, 2005
By Fast Eddy (Ecuador)
This router has saved me from my bad router-itus. I've had other brands, and I see no need to mention their names, but lets just say they all had thier own quirks to get working. The last one I tried was this little router guy. Finally something that works!
It was easy to setup, I didn't have to read a 20 page manual to figure it out, I don't have to keep resetting it or upgrading firmware constantly, and the wireless range is pretty good. I was purchasing other inexpensive routers as I don't see my router justifing a $100 of my hard earned money. Everyone should have one and it shouldn't cost a days work to have one.
Basically this router does everything I need, and at a good price, and easy to use interface. I have no complaints about this one.
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A Good First Time Wireless Router, April 26, 2005
By Gary Snopes
If you are new to wireless routers, or never had one of your won that you've had to take care of (not much care). Then this router is for you. It's real easy to use thanks to the wizards that walk you through things and the included documentation seems to be good enough for beginners. You do have to know some things about computers, as this isn't for the absolute newbie.
Overall this router packs a punch for such a low price. There is good wireless performance, good wired performance and the router seems to be stable with constant flows of traffic running through it. I haven't had any trouble with this router since I got it. I expect the same for others.
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Good Wireless and Wired Connections, April 23, 2005
By Little Donny (Enormous Peanuts)
I'm not the brightest bulb in the tulip patch, but I was able to figure this thing out with minimal hassle. The instructions and online material really help.
I've had this installed for about 4 months and its always been good to me. I can get a strong wireless signal from anywhere in my apartment even in my bedroom behind walls and closed doors.
The wired portion works just fine, as it should, and the setup was rather simple. Overall this wireless router is a well priced home router.
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