| D-Link DWL-800AP+ Wireless Range Extender, 802.11b, 22Mbps |
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Model: DWL-800AP+
Brand: D-Link
Manufacturer: D-Link
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 41
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: IEEE 802.11b
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| Features: |
Two different modes--Access Point and wireless range extender (repeating the signal of other compatible routers and access points)
Up to 22 Mbps with D-Link AirPlus products
Works with other 802.11b-compatible devices when used as an Access Point
Provides 64-,128- and 256-bit WEP encryption for added security
Fast and easy setup |
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| Description: |
| D-Link, the industry pioneer in wireless networking, now offers an easy and affordable way to extend the range of your wireless network. The DWL-800AP+ is another great addition to the D-Link Air Plus series of high-speed wireless networking products also capable transfer rates up to 22Mbps. The D-Link Air Plus DWL-800AP+ is an enhanced 802.11b Wireless Range Extender that can operate as a Wireless Access Point or Wireless Repeater. It features advanced silicon chip design from Texas Instruments, utilizing their patented Digital Signal Processing technology.The DWL-800AP+can be configured to perform as a wireless access point or as a repeater to another wireless access point or wireless router. Adding the DWL-800AP+to your existing wireless network enables you to extend the wireless signal - particularly useful when obstacles like walls, ceilings or other architectural obstacles inhibit the wireless signal from reaching its desired destination. The DWL-800AP+also features 256-bit WEP encryption for a higher level of security for your communication. When used as an access point, the DWL-800AP+is fully compatible with the IEEE 802.11b standard, so it works with existing 802.11b-compliant devices. And in repeating mode, because it's a D-Link Air Plus product, more signal bandwidth is preserved and passed on than other brands of wireless repeaters are capable. |
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| User Reviews (41 total): |
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This works amazingly!, January 23, 2005
By Douglas C. Cromwell (NC)
I ordered this item (refurbished from another website for $30.00) because I was having connection issues using my neighbor's wireless connection. My laptop (Dell Inspiron 1150 with Dell's 1450 Internal a/b/g card) could pick up the signal with no problem but my desktop (with a Linksys WMP55AG) would barely pick up the signal and disconnected all the time. I talked with Linksys's "Technical Support" (my neighbor uses the Linksys wireless router mentioned in the previous post) and they told me their repeater would not work with the version of router my neighbor has (I bet it would but I didn't want to spend $80 bucks to find out). I did some research and found this D-Link product. The post below convinced me to get it.
Armed with the D-Link, my neighbor's LAN MAC address, and the instructions in the previous post, I set out to configure the D-Link Repeater. The version I received (B) required no firmware upgrade, as it has the latest version available. I also had no router to hook this up to so I hooked it up directly to my laptop.
When I typed in the IP address of the router 192.168.0.30) I was presented with a login screen. The refurbished D-Link comes with no paper work. I tried the common admin/admin and it didn't work. I then discovered that the username was admin with no password (which of course I immediately changed). I then went into the wireless tab. I found that when I used it in the repeater method, I could not change the default channel, so I clicked the Access Point button and set the channel to 11 (the channel my neighbor uses). I then clicked the Repeater button and it kept channel 11. I then typed in the LAN MAC address of her wireless router. After the router rebooted, I disconnected the network cable from the D-Link and my laptop. I was suprised to see the light on the Repeater dim greatly but saw it flashing. I then rebooted my laptop and turned on my desktop. I know have an excellent signal strength on my desktop.
My laptop is acting kinda funny though. It actually sees two networks from Lauren, both on channel 11. The laptop's wireless card seems to be super sensitive. I think it gets kinda confused sometimes, but that is a different topic.
This is a great product and I highly recommend it!!!!
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I like it, but understand why some would not., December 20, 2004
By Jeffrey A. Groves (Raleigh, NC USA)
This item is not easy to set up -- even for someone who has experience with such equipment. I bought two of these to use as additional APs in my house and I'm glad that I did. Although their functionality as an AP is not as full-featured as the full-blown AP models, these little boxes pull their weight.
If you want to make your wireless LAN as "silent running, stealthy" network that only you and your closest friends know about, then this product is not for you. It does support 64, 128, and 256 WEP; however, it does not support disabling SSID broadcast nor does it support WPA.
The difficulty that I had setting up these little monsters is that, out of the box, they require you to have a network that is in the 192.168.0 address space. If you are like I was on the 192.168.1 address space that Linksys prefers, you have to disconnect one of your machines, readdress it for the D-Link preferred address space (192.168.0) and then cajole the little box to respond to you. The first one that I installed finally responded to my web browser and I was able to re-address it to the 192.168.1 address space and get it set up with 64bit WEP without much trouble.
The second one was a little more trouble. I actually had to power-cycle the box while pushing the reset button in the back to bring it up in firmware update mode, install the latest firmware that I downloaded from the d-link web site, and only then was able to configure this little beast for normal operation.
The plus side of these little beasts is that they are more powerful and reliable than my version 1 WAP-11s Linksys WAPs that I bought back in 2001 and they work better with the D-link DCS-900W Securicams that I also recently purchased (imagine that).
These boxes don't have all the features that the Version 1 Linksys WAPs have, but they definately hold on to a signal much better.
My wish list for the DWL-800AP+ is that they add the ability to disable SSID broadcast and make the configuration a little more forgiving out of the box. WPA support would be a "nice to have" feature.
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Very Disappointed with DWL-800AP and Dlink Technical Support, November 5, 2004
By Jackson Browne (Seattle)
I purchased this product to repeat the signal of a non-Dlink brand access point. As you may know by now, this doesnt work and was not mentioned in any sales information I found from Dlink before I purchased.
Also, their technical support staff was completely rude and out of line. This product is being returned. This is my first and LAST experience purchasing a Dlink product.
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Know What you are buying!, September 9, 2004
By maqito (Saint Charles)
I bought two of these to replace an existing Home Phone network that I had. I thought that they would also function as wireless access points/Ethernet bridge just like the DWL810+. I was wrong. If you are looking to use this as a range extender it will work. You might also try purchasing an antenna booster. I had problems getting a signal in my basement. This product worked OK but you can get an antenna for less than half the price. Otherwise you are much better off with the DWL810+ which I had purchased before.
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Easy set up, works with a Netgear router., August 14, 2004
By M. Kukuljan (Santiago, Chile)
I bought the DWL-800AP+ to be used as a range extender with a Netgear MR814v2 wireless router. The enclosed quick guide was enough for setting it up in few minutes; I run the set up with a Mac PowerBook, using Safari and Explorer; both worked smoothly. I upgraded to firmware version 2.0 before testing the network. The signal strength from the DWL-800AP+ is comparable to the one from the router; together they increased the coverage from 30% to 100% of my apartment, which is built in concrete walls. It required a bit of trial and error to play with the placement of the router and the range extender to obtain the full coverage, but with the easy plug and work design of the extender, it wasn't much of a fuzz; moreover, the small footprint of the DWL-800AP+ and its very unobtrussive look make very easy to place it anywhere. For a modest price it solved all my home wireless networking problems with full compatibility with the MR814v2.
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The right tool for the job, June 29, 2004
By unknown
I purchased this for a few reasons:#1 - it's cheap
#2 - it's a wireless device only (in other words, it's not a router/w wireless) I have used it with three different network routers: - with a NetGear RP614v2, it worked with no problems
- with a homebuilt Soekris based firewall, it worked with no problems
- with a Nokia IP Security platform, I had to use static IPs There's no real problem with this product that a bit of cluefullness won't fix. I've used it with various PDAs - a Dell X5 using a Hawking Tech CF wireless card; an IPAQ 5550 and 4150 using their built-in wireless; a Sony UX-50 with their built-in wireless. I've also used it on my laptop with an Enterasys RoamAbout a/b/g card. All worked perfectly.
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Great but check the compatability list, June 17, 2004
By mtffp (Black Eagle, MT United States)
I bought one, set it up in just minutes, did a firmware upgrade and was all set to go, but ONE major problem ... My d-link router and ranger extender do not communicate. I checked the product support page and found out that they are not compatable. So, I'll sell mine and get the right one.CHECK THE LABELS BEFORE PURCHASE, but this is an AWESOME TOOL
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Inexpensive solution to problem, June 2, 2004
By www.tarrani.com (Deltona, FL USA)
My need for this device was to extend signal strength in my new home. I recently moved from California where houses are basically wood framed, to a new, larger home in Florida where houses use blocks for outside and load bearing walls. This heavier construction, combined with the distance between my wireless router and where I use my computer, severely degraded my signal and throughput. I purchased this device to rectify that problem - which it did.Installation, including putting it in wireless range extender mode, took mere minutes after unpacking it. I was communicating with an incredible 100% signal strength in practically no time after setting it up, which was a dramatic difference from the 20% strength before it was installed. I did an experiment by walking outside with my laptop and was still connected to my home network with 80% or better signal all the way to the end of my property. I like the fact that this device seems to interoperate flawlessly with other vendor products. One of my systems has an SMC wireless card, and another uses a Linksys. My wireless router is an SMC. Installation instructions were a bit sparse. I am a highly technical user, so I didn't need them, but a novice may have problems. Since I have not needed to use technical support I cannot comment on the quality of D-Link's support. Since I have not used this device as an access point I also cannot comment on how well it works in that mode. However, if you are seeking a simple and cost-effective solution to extending the range of your existing wireless LAN, and have some technical skills this may be the solution you are looking for. Even though I am pleased with this product I rated it at four stars because I have not used all of the features or D-Link's technical support, and do not think the documentation is novice-friendly.
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The DWL-810+ bridge w/ a DI-624 router works better..., May 7, 2004
By unknown
I found that the DWL-800AP has some inherent problems with re-broadcasting a wireless link. If you have a signal/link quality of 30% with a DI-614 router, you can still get about a 1000 kbps on a bandwidth meter test on a 1.5 Mbps DSL line. Not the case with the the DWL-800AP! The connection speed will drop to 100 kbps if you move a laptop 300 ft. away from the unit.If you want to stay with the DLink brand and want to extend your wireless range, my suggestion is to consider using a DWL-810+ bridge with an additional DI-614/DI-624 router. You connect the DWL-810+ bridge to the LAN port of the router, and configure both the bridge and router with IP addresses on the same LAN subnet as the other router (i.e. 192.168.0.30 and 192.168.0.31) The setup works far better and more reliably, but you're obviously going to have to spend more money than just buying this unit. Just stay away from the DWL-800AP+! Even with the latest firmware upgrade, I think the repeater simply does not do the job.
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Great gadget with lousy documentation, May 3, 2004
By R. Barton (Wilmington, DE USA)
Just to add to the comments here, which are very useful and key to my eventually getting this gizmo to work, I have this set up as part of my network with a D-Link DI-713P (which D-Link does not officially support) and an Apple iBook (also unsupported). While it took me a while to tinker with it at first, it's an invisible part of my network, eradicates the deadspots that used to vex us, and has been unnoticed by the rest of my family. It supports WEP, but not WAP, so it's not as cutting edge as it could be.
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Repeater mode doesn't work, support is garbage, April 24, 2004
By bill_cs_student (Buffalo Grove, IL United States)
The repeater mode fails to connect after one day and requires resetting. Technical support gave me the runaround, making many suggestions that did not apply to the problem. It took three telephone calls to obtain an RMA.I will NEVER EVER EVER buy a D-Link product for the REST OF MY LIFE!! Garbage. Don't buy. They are morons, and their 800AP+ is a peice of garbage.
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Macintosh compatability, April 22, 2004
By unknown
Under Mac OS X 10.2.8, I coulnd't get Internet Explorer to run the device wizard, but Safari handled it like a charm. D-Link may not say Mac compatible, but it works fine for me.
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Works great, even with a Netgear router, April 2, 2004
By Tokyo Jim (San Diego, USA & Tokyo, JP)
I first bought this along with a D-Link DI-614+ router, but the D-Link router had so many bugs that I gave up and decided to just use my old standby Netgear MR814 that I've always been happy with in other installations.Well, to my surprise, the DWL-800AP+ worked great with the Netgear MR814 (v2).
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Does not work with DI-624, March 26, 2004
By unknown
D-Link has the worst documentation and tech support of them all. I was told that this product would work as an AP with my D-link DI-624 wireless router by tech support. It works with my LAN but does not connect to the Internet. From manual to web site to tech support email to tech support live, they all contradict each other. Tech says it is compatible, some areas of the web site say it is, some say it isn't, some docs say it is but only as a repeater. May be a good product with other dlink routers but not the DI-624. If you buy it, you are on your own. Tech support (if you happen to need them) is useless.
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Not for the Faint of Heart but Nice to Have, March 18, 2004
By vikmurthy (Brookline, MA)
Despite what some folks may tell you, this product will definitely work (and work well) with the Linksys BEFW11S4 wireless 802.11b router. Thus, I echo the comments of poster "PC Hardware Fan" from South Carolina. Here are the steps I took to make the Range Extender work: 1. D-Link customer support is 1-877-453-5465 (they're actually pretty nice and patient with novices like me) 2. Type http://192.168.1.1 into your Internet Explorer address bar and look for the LAN Mac Address for your Linksys router (do not write down the Wireless Mac Address; the LAN Mac Address is the first of the two on the Linksys set up page). While you're at it, also retrieve your WEP encryption key (if applicable). You'll need this info to configure your D-Link range extender. 3. Go to the D-Link website, go to Support and download the version 1.9 firmware for the DWL-800AP+ onto your computer's Desktop. 4. Plug in the D-Link wireless extender into a power outlet and connect an ethernet cable between it and the Linksys router. 5. Plug your laptop/desktop computer into the Linksys router (when configuring the D-Link, you'll need to use a "wired" connection, not a wireless connection. 6. In the Network Connections page (under Control Panel) of your computer, change the properties of your Ethernet connection (right-click on Properties, then click on TCP/IP and click on Properties) to have the same IP address range as the D-Link (I used 192.168.0.5). This involves changing the default from finding IP address automatically to the manual option (then, type in IP address indicated above). 7. Open Internet Explorer (you'll get an error page) and type in http://192.168.0.30. You'll get the D-Link setup page. 8. Under the Wireless Tab, input the Linksys LAN Mac address and WEP encryption key. Save your changes by clicking Apply. 9. Under the Admin tab, upload the version 1.9 firmware. Save your changes by clicking Apply. 10. Unplug D-Link from power outlet and from router. Keep unplugged for 30 seconds. 11. Go back into the Network Connections page (under Control Panel) and reset the configuration of your TCP/IP connection to find IP address automatically. Unplug your computer from router. 12. Move D-Link and computer to where you want to set them up (I suggest 50 feet away). Plug in D-Link into power outlet (discard ethernet cable). 13. On your computer, open up your wireless configuration utility and remove any pre-existing preferred wireless connections. Hit refresh 4-5 times. Go into wireless tab and uncheck WEP encryption key automatically saved and retype your WEP encryption key manually. 14. Enjoy your dramtically-improved wireless range.
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once configured properly, works great, March 9, 2004
By thekingb (Glendale, Wisconsin United States)
What a pain to configure! The reviews here helped a lot more than D-Link's manual and literature. Follow the LAN MAC address advice in these reviews, make sure you have a compatible router/access point, and THEN DOWNLOAD the v1.9 firmware, which made all the difference in the world. Without it, the device barely boosted my signal. With it, a room that was previously unavailable now gets a "very good" at 11 mbps. Pretty amazing extension of range. Use trial and error in placing the product in your house. For me, it worked best around 1/2 way between my router and the room that had been unavailable.
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Bugs, Bugs, Bugs!, February 28, 2004
By unknown
For those trying and failing to get it set up, it should work. The problem? Bugs. It shows one MAC address for Wireless and another for Ethernet. If you run a WEP router, protecting your network by only allowing specific MAC addresses, DO NOT use the Wireless MAC address. In fact, I can't see where it's used. When I checked it through reverse lookup, both the ethernet port and a wireless connection registered as the Ethernet MAC address. Go figure.My figuring is that D-Link may have wanted to make it tough on people not wanting to repurchase a router (a D-LINK router) just to get such a device to work. They did a good job.
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Does all it should and more., February 11, 2004
By unknown
In spite of the claims made by the manufacturer of my broadband router and wireless acess point I found it transmits about as far as I can throw a bowling ball thus leaving a large portion of my home without a useable signal to connect with my notebook pc. There was no placement that would get me a signal everywhere I needed it so I figured somebody must make a repeater. Alas, D-Link makes this little jewel. But, I'm using Linksys equipment and D-link says the repeater mode only works with other D-Link devices. In fact everything I could find to read about this device claimed it only worked with other D-Link components. Now, here's what I know.It works perfectly boosting the signal from my Linksys BEFW11S4 wireless acess point and router at one end of my house to my Linksys PC Card wireless adapter equipped notebook at the furthest reaches of my sprawling ranch house and outside. What other equipment it works with I don't know. A salesman at Best-Buy told me in his experience it works with any 802.11 devices and promised me if it didn't work for me I could bring it back. Other reviews I've read complained about sparce documentation and difficulty in setting up this device. Wrong again. I can't even reset my digital watch for daylight savings time but I had this thing up and running in about 30 minutes. It comes with a small quick set-up booklet but has an in depth manual on CD if one needs any further instructions. The signal from this repeater appears to be much stronger than that of my Linksys transmitter. My notebook latches on to the stronger signal from the repeater until I get within the same room as the Linksys router. Another cool feature is since this device is completely wireless I can plug it in wherever I want and it captures the signal and boosts it allowing me to customize my coverage area or even hide the device wherever I want. I can even add another repeater to expand my network furhter if I wanted. It isn't often I can say I'm 100% satisfied with a product but this is one of those times. Why D-link undersells it's capabilities is a mystery to me.
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Great Access Point for the Home, November 12, 2003
By Mickey
This has a small footprint thats good for the home. I don't even notice it on my desk anymore. The configuration is super easy, it works great and the range is very impressive. I've heard of people only getting signal in the room the AP is in, but this covers my whole house.
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What a Great Compact Access Point - Very Mobile, October 29, 2003
By Oh Boy
This AP has worked flawlessly since I bought it. I can virtually plug it into any ethernet jack and provide wireless access to whatever network that cable is connected to. I've used this for school rooms, hotspots, friends' homes, at work, and anywhere else I can find an ethernet cable and a power socket. After configuring it correctly, I can connect to it with my laptop and be able to roam around, or not have people trip over the cable, etc.128-bit WEP and MAC filters is all I need to keep others out.
This also looks good painted a different color. I painted mine all black as to look extra incognito.
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