Customer Reviews

D-Link DI-704P 4-port 10BaseT/100BaseTX Broadband Gateway with Print Server

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I purchased a refurbished model for around [$$$] and everything was in perfect order. The old admin password had already been removed so there was no problem accessing configuration.

The D-Link DI-704P is very easy to hook up. I especially like the idea of having all the wiring in back and the LED's in front. As far as documentation; it is all included on the cd in pdf format. I suppose this keeps the cost down.

Getting things up and running took about half an hour, mostly because of one small undocumented glitch. It just would not connect. The problem was easily solved after reviewing the FAQ's on D-Link's web site. All I had to do was run winipcfg and release the current settings, then renew. After that just power down everything (computer, router, cablemodem). Then power the cablemodem back up and let it cycle through its procedures; power on the router; then the computer. All works perfect.

One of the main reason for choosing this unit was the print server feature. The software installed flawlessly, and reconfiguring my printer to direct it towards the D-Link print server was easy (HP DeskJet 420). Printing functions normally, so now my computer does not have to be on 24/7 to act as the print server.

I rate this product 5 stars for value and performance, but minus one star because the faq answer should have been included in the original documentation. So maybe a 4 1/2 star rating is more appropriate.

I compared the Linksys, Netgear and D-Link products ... and bought the D-Link 704-P because it had the lowest price. Given my experience ... I would do the same again. I might tell a non-technical person to stay away from this but from what I've heard the other products that compete with this one are not that much better in terms of their documentation and ease of use. I'm a Computer Consultant, very familiar with networking, securiy, TCP/IP, etc. Overall I've been happy ... however there are some areas that need improvement, mostly around documentation.

DOCUMENTATION/SUPPORT - The Quick Reference Guide (the only written documentation) needs some work. It is not very intuitive and I think difficult to understand for a non-technical person. The User Guide (on the CD or Website) goes one step further ... but still leaves me starving for more technical details. Their support web site doesn't help much more than the User Guide to answer my questions. I haven't tried to call their tech support yet as my router is working fine and I only have questions to satisfy my curiosity at this point.

ROUTER/SWITCH - This works fine. I basically plugged it in to my cable modem (AOL Cable Service provided by Road Runner) and it worked fine. I didn't have to clone the MAC address although that functionality is available if needed. DSL (PPPoE) compatibility is also available. The 10/100 LED for each port, shows if you have a 10mbit or a 100mbit connection (if it's lit you have 100mbit, if it's not lit you have a 10mbit). I haven't found this documented anywhere clearly, but verified after experimenting.

PRINT SERVER - My multifunction printer is not compatible .. no big deal for me. Check the compatibility list (on their website) before buying if this is important to you.

SECURITY - No security system is 100% fool-proof, however that is no excuse for not having security. If you have Cablemodem/DSL and no other security, get a Router with NAT or at least some firewall software to protect your PC. The NAT feature on this router requires no configuration ... most people don't even need to understand it. It provides a good base level of security although I recommend using something like Zone Alarm (free download off web) as well. The combination of those two things should provide sufficient security for most people, assuming you have a clean system to start (i.e. no viruses or trojan horses). It would be nice if this router had some logging capability both to provide auditability (for better security) and also to aid troubleshooting those applications that require complex TCP/IP connections. What I really wanted was a Router with NAT, Stateful Inspection and Intrusion Detection .. but I couldn't justify spending another $100 for that.

RELIABILITY - No problems (keep in mind this is my only experience with D-Link and I've only had the device for about 1 month).

DESIGN - Nice design, aesthetically pleasing. No moving parts, just keep it away from heat and any interference.

We bought this router because it was well rated on other sites, and one of the few in this price range with an integral print server. Network installation & configuration was fairly easy, but only because Tech Support is now available 24/7. The manual left out a key step, but Tech walked us through it. Neither of our printers would work through the print server... a major disappointment. Tech Support said they are not on their "Compatible" list, and although there are going to be firmware updates, they will not address these incompatabilities. One of our printers is an HP DeskJet 970... how can such a popular printer be incompatible? ADVICE: Call first to check if yours is compatible: 1-800-758-5489

The DI-704P does everything that is promised. Port forwarding works with AIM and MSN file transfers. You can play online games right out of the box without any configuring, and you can also host matches as a server with such games as Unreal Tournament 2003, Nascar 2002, and Medal of Honor without exposing yourself in the DMZ, as long as you forward the appropriate port ranges. I run Kerio firewall on all the client machines and allow those forwarded port ranges to only be accessed by the game executables. This gives me full stealth reports from grc, sygate, and pcflank, even when hosting games or doing file transfers. Out of the box, port 113 (Ident) does not stealth. This is easily fixed by forwarding this port to an unused IP address on your LAN, or to a computer with a firewall, such as Kerio, that will stealth it. The most recent firmware (version 2.70) is flexible, easily configured, and stable. The only thing that I find odd with the 704P (silver case) is the seemingly poor arrangement of ventilation holes on the case. The unit gets pretty warm to the touch. It hasn't complained, but it makes me wonder why they didn't provide for more air flow through the case. I found that by moving the provided rubber feet to one of the side ends, and standing it up, a lot more air flows through the case. So, to make it short, it looks good and it works great, and the price is right!

I just purchased my D-Link DI-704P rounter from Amazon and I have to say I love it. Installing the hardware is very easy and setting the unit up is easy as well following the instructions provided. This also comes with a print server (which I don't use since I only have 1 PC that I want to print from) which is handy if you have multiple PC's and only one printer. The LED display on the front of the untit shows activity that happens over the WAN (outside the router), the LAN (the PC's connected to the router) as well as the 10/100 indicators for each of the four ports. With a router hub, you can connect over 200 PC's to this unit.

The only negative I've found is that when I use Peer-2-Peer (P2P) software like Limewire or KaZaA, I can download but when others download from me, it doesn't take long for the PC to stop communicating with the router. I've tried many things to set my PC outside of the hardware firewall, but with limited success. While I don't like that I can't share my files with others, I do like the fact that my PC is fairly secure! And since I could download to my heart's content, I guess I can't complain.

All in all, I'm very pleased with this purchase!

I didn't have much luck the first time around. This is my first router and I have no idea what to do with it. I tried following the instructions, but I still couldn't make the router work with my DSL and I was ready to send the product back to Frys and buy a simple hub instead.

But I called tech support the next day and these guys were great. The first one helped me solve my connection issue. I called again since I couldn't get my Mac to work on the router and the second tech support specialist was most patient and helpful.

Now everything works and I'm one happy customer. I didn't have to go through a maze of phone options before being ROUTED to the right person, I didn't have to wait long before I get to speak to someone and both guys I spoke to very professional, friendly and very patient.

So for all those router newbies out there like me, this product works great and if you need tech support, you know you can rely on them.

I was thrilled when I first installed my DI-704P last summer. Internet connection sharing is a breeze, and the print server was a great feature. I soon found, however, that Windows (98, 2000 and XP) would often fail when trying to print to either of my Canon printers (BJC-2100 and S750) using the print server. I had to reconfigure Windows to print directly to the printer, which causes the program doing the printing to hang until the printing is complete. Even at this setting, the print job will often fail, requiring a re-boot of the PC. I have better luck when I cycle the power on the printer JUST before sending the print job, but that really shouldn't be necessary.

The firewall has recently began to give me problems, following a firmware update to version 2.70. I use Lotus Notes and an IBM AS400 Client emulator to access my company's VPN from home. Both programs worked flawlessly through the DI-704P until recently. Now, I have to physically bypass the router by re-plugging ethernet cables to get onto the VPN. I tried to configure the DMZ (which supposedly bypasses the firewall for one computer), but found that when I set a static IP address for the computer (as required by DMZ), I was unable to access the internet. Firewall settings are VERY spartan, and some seem to be completely ineffective even after several re-boots of the firewall and all client PCs. Overall, the management software for the DI-704P is severely lacking.

Technical support is limited (almost non-existant), but that's par for the course these days. Their web site offers firmware downloads and a FAQ section, which is very sparse on meaningful information.

I've set up several SMC and Netgear routers for my clients, and currently plan to replace this DI-704 with an SMC "SMC7008BR Cable/DSL Router with 8 Port Switch" (Amazon has a great price!).

My recommendation? Bah - skip this product and look for comparable products from SMC or Netgear.

Installation:
Was quick and easy using the browser interface. This was my first ever encounter with a router and I could connect, configure and go online in less than 20 minutes (including opening the package etc.)
I have ATT broadband cable internet and I was able to configure a Win98 and a Win2k machine with ease.

Documentation:
This is the reason for this product to get 4 stars instead of five. It could do with improved documentation.

I'm very happy with this product so far. I got it for [the low cost] with mail-in rebate and I think its very much worth the price.

I owned this item before. It used to work correctly and at some point started crashing every day. When I recover it the next day it will crash again. Eventually it stopped working one day and ended up in the dumpster. That prompted me to move to the DI-704UP. I don't recommend it.

I'm on my third D-Link 704P. Why did I come back for a third beating? Great question! The first 704P I had -- revision A (brown case) -- was incredibly reliable, was one of the very few routers with a parellel port print server, and had much higher than average throughput. It lasted me 4 years of solid use. So when it died, I had no problems replacing it with another 704P, this time revision C (silver case). After 1 month of use, it stopped working. Assuming I had a lemon, I replaced the replacement. Here I am another month later with a non-working router again. I can only conclude that the newer models aren't nearly as reliable as the old. Time to drop my trusty printer with the parallel port, and move on to a different brand of router. *sniff*