Logitech diNovo Media Desktop Wireless Multimedia Control Panel, Keyboard and Mouse (967562-0102)

Boy, what an experience. I really regret writing a negative review about this product, because I like it and was hoping it would work great out of the box. But as you will see as you read on, that was not the case. Bear in mind, I do not have experience with any other wireless router, so I cannot say whether they would be any better.

(11/20/05 - I've had a chance to use two other wireless routers: a Linksys (owned by Cisco) and a Netgear. Even though the interface for the Linksys and the Netgear is not as straightforward as the D-Link, the Linksys seems to be the better choice of the three.)

My Netgear wired router failed after a problem with my cable provider, and since we have started using wireless at work, I decided to replace my wired router with a wireless. (Before I go any further, let me say that I do 2nd level computer tech support at a Fortune 500 company that has 20,000 employees world-wide, and 1000 at my location.)

After reading some reviews, comparing D-Link, Netgear and Linksys, and seeing what was on sale, I decided to go with the D-Link DI-624 "AirPlus Xtreme G" Wireless Router.

This is the Rev. C. router, which has only one antenna. It is a silver/dark-grey box that measures 1.5 x 7.5 x 4.5".
http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=6
(If you click on the "support" link and select the DI-624, you will see the different revisions of this router.)

In addition to the wireless connectivity, it is a four-port 10/100mbps switch, for four wired connections to local area network (LAN) devices.

The "Xtreme G" feature provides for a maximum 108mbps connectivity, IF you use all D-Link "Xtreme G" products. Note that D-Link makes clear that the 108mbps is a "peak" throughput, and you will more likely maintain 54mbps, and even less with non-D-Link equipment. This is okay, though, since most cable or broadband service does not exceed 10mbps. And you probably won't see any performance issues if you are accessing other computers on your network - most NICs (network interface card) are 100mbps, and 54mbps is pretty fast for wireless. Wired devices will operate a 100mbps.

Initial setup with my wired pc went very easily. The instructions are easy to follow, and the router uses a web-based setup utility accessible using the typical 192.168.0.1 address.

While the wired portion was easy to setup, the wireless was not. I also purchased a D-Link DWL-G132 wireless USB adapter to use with a laptop. http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=358

This router provides several levels of encryption, so you can secure your network from intruders, from no encryption, to WPA2, which is the most secure at the moment.

When I used the router with no encryption or WEP (just below WPA2 in strength), the router and wireless NIC worked fine. However, when trying to use the wireless adapter and the highest level of security (WPA2), the adapter would never connect, and would report interminably that it was "acquiring network address" without success.

After 3 days of emails and several hours of talking to 3rd-level D-Link tech support, it was learned that the USB adapter required a USB 2.0 port to work properly. This is contrary to the product specifications on the package. I went through substantial trouble-shooting steps, which included exchanging the router and NIC for new ones, and a clean install of the Windows XP pro OS, taking it step-by-step through the each service pack. Finally, in my last conversation with 3rd-level tech support, I said, "What about the USB port? Do I need USB 2.0?" And he said "Oh, yeah, you need USB 2.0." Duh. Why didn't you tell me that first - 3 days ago?

(8/6/05 - Miraculously, the GLW132 USB adapter DOES work with USB 1.1)

Okay, so now it connects, and connects quickly. But, new problems arose.

Before I continue, I have to say, that for the most part, D-Link has excellent technical support from a communications standpoint. They respond quickly to emails, and someone is always available by phone (you may have to wait a few minutes to talk to someone). From a technical standpoint, I would rate support as "good."

The router kept dropping both the wired and wireless connections. There was also a problem with the time set in the router.

Problem with time: Even though the router has an automatic time setting, you still have to set the time zone. Whenever I set my time zone, the time was off by an hour. After several emails and phone calls with Tech Support, and although they never suggested it, I decided to enable the "Daylight Savings Time" setting. Surprise, surprise it works! Why didn't D-Link support tell me to do that?

As far as the connections being dropped, D-Link did solve that for me. However, it detracts from the ease of use of a wireless router.

The solutions offered were to set fixed IP addresses for all devices, use MAC filtering (which allows you to create an access control list of the MAC address of the computers or network adapters you want to have access to your network (each network card has a unique "Media Access Control" (MAC) address given to it by the manufacturer), and disable a feature called UPnP, which allows the computer to open ports automatically, and "simplify" device connectivity. http://www.upnp.org

Well, after doing all that, the router and all computers work fine, and they work well. The laptop connects to the router quickly and both wired and wireless connections are stable.

So, which option was the magic bullet? I don't know - I have not begun to reverse trouble-shoot - nor should I have to.

(Update 5/26/05: Seems that all changes were required: Using a fixed IP address, disabling UPNP on the computers and router, and using MAC filtering. System has been stable and functioning well.)

The router has a lot of features to offer in terms of security and status checking, all accessible through the web-based interface. You use your internet browser to connect to 192.168.0.1 and login with the admin account name (there is no password by default, but one can easily be set once you get in).

As with most routers, it provides DHCP addressing (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) for all devices. Each device on the network must have a unique address to access the network, and DHCP automatically assigns a network address to each device.

The router provides several ways to secure it and your network. It has several encryption levels, including the highly secure WPA/WPA2, MAC and IP address filtering, disabling router name broadcasting which hides it from "site-survey" (explained below), and disabling DHCP.

Security is important because ALL wireless routers within range will show up in your "site survey." Site Survey is a wireless network utility in Windows XP and also in the software that comes with the wireless network adapter, that shows you the in-range routers. And unless the router is secured in some way, you will be able to connect to that router and use their internet connection for free! Crafty scoundrels may even be able to access your network computers.

All these features are explained in the "Help" section of the router's interface, as well as the manual and on-line help (I won't explain them here).

If you want an out-of the box router without being able to use its most advanced security, then this router should do just fine. But if you want to use its most sophisticated features, buy it only if you are willing to struggle through some problems with D-Link Tech support until you get it working.

After having it configured following much help from D-Link tech support, it is stable and working fine. Though had I not sent in the rebate forms with UPC codes, I probably would have brought them back for a refund.

I paid $39 after rebates.