D-Link 4-port Broadband VPN Router ( DI-804HV )

by D-Link

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 9.5 x 2.5 inches ; 1.9 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00008W9B3
• Item model number: DI-804HV
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,880 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 17, 2003

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

D-Link, the worldwide leader in innovative home and business networking, sets a new standard for broadband router performance with the Express EtherNetwork DI-804HV. The DI-804HV is a 4-port Ethernet Broadband Router with VPN (Virtual Private Network) capabilities. The VPN feature allows users to securely connect multiple computers over the Internet. It also features 10/100 Mbps Auto MDIX Ethernet ports allowing CAT 5 cable (straight-through or crossover) to work with the DI-804HV.

The DI-804HV is ideal if you're creating your home or small business network, or if you're a more advanced user looking for additional management settings.

The DI-804HV includes a new setup wizard and D-Link's easy-to-use web-based graphical user interface (GUI) to help users configure network settings with a few simple clicks. With its built-in firewall protection, this router will also help to prevent unwanted Internet intruders from accessing your private network.

So, whether you're a college student who wants to network with friends and roommates, an executive working at home or in a small office, or a concerned parent who just wants to have more control over how your children access the Internet, the D-Link Express EtherNetwork DI-804HV is the networking solution for you.

Product Description

D-Link DI-804HV EtherNetwork 4-Port Broadband VPN Router - This broadband router lets you share high-speed Internet connections among computers in your home or business, as well joining them in a network for file & peripheral sharing. And with the inclusion of VPN technology, you can securely access your network remotely using the Internet! A perfect solution for easily transferring highly sensitive data! IPSec (40 IPSec Tunnels) IP Authentication Header (AH) IP Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP) Internet Key Exchange (IKE) Authentication (MD5 / SHA-1) Main & Aggressive Modes External Power Supply

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent value, great functionality, December 21, 2004

By 

Router Guy - See all my reviews

This review is from: D-Link 4-port Broadband VPN Router ( DI-804HV ) (Personal Computers)

I have deployed close to a hundred VPN routers for my clients, and have done so primarily with Linksys BEFVP41 routers. They are cheap, but they have done the job - until lately, that is. Many of them are failing (crypto sub-system failure), so replacements are beginning to occur on a regular basis.

I have used several other brands (3com, Netgear, etc.), but have not seen anything at this price point ($52). I picked one up from my distributor to test, and have not been disappointed.

This unit will accept inbound PPTP and LT2P connections, something most VPN routers do not offer. I think the limit is five. I usually don't need this, as most of my clients already have PPTP running on their servers. It also claims to allow up to 40 IPSEC tunnels. That is less than the BEFVP41, but more than most people will ever need (I currently have 40 on my Netgear FVS328).

You should plan on upgrading the firmware right away. I just upgraded to 1.40, which has been solid. The previous version (1.39) allows MPPE encryption on PPTP connections, and adds IPSEC keep-alive functionality. Mine was shipped with 1.36.

The netbios functionality works excellent. The only thing keeping me from giving it five stars is the inability to specify Netbios by tunnel. I have clients that need Netbios (network neighborhood computer browsing), and others that do not. The problem is between my network and my client's networks. I want Netbios on some, and definitely not others. The Dlink offers it to all or none.

If you have two or more offices with broadband connections, and wish to get them connected for sharing of network resources, this is the only way to go. As a matter of fact, you can connect a modem to the serial port on this unit and configure it to use Dial-up or ISDN, instead of cable, dsl, or T-1. I kept looking for a fallback configuration, i.e. dial the connection if the broadband connection fails, but I didn't see it. I rarely need this, but it really could be useful for branch office connections to host systems (telnet, AS400, unix POS systems, etc.). Perhaps a later firmware release will add this capability.

If you are new to IPSEC, this might all seem daunting. If you have done it before, it shouldn't be a problem. I got a tunnel up and running on the first try, without referring to any documentation. Linksys router users will balk at having to set up the IKE and IPSEC options on different screens. Anyone who has experience with Netscreen, checkpoint, watchguard, netgear, and the bulk of the existing VPN routers out there should get it on the first try.

For $52.00 (give or take), this is a steal. For my typical branch office clients, this will be my first choice. The Netgear FVS318 is a good router, but at nearly twice the price. Sorry guys, the Dlink gets the nod here.

Don't even consider Linksys anymore. The only thing worse than the quality of their products (since the Cisco take-over) is the appalling tech support. It's sad to see Linksys decline as they have. I haven't purchased anything from Linksys in a year.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great VPN interop with Netscreen, September 15, 2003

By 

"dburkes" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: D-Link 4-port Broadband VPN Router ( DI-804HV ) (Personal Computers)

Unlike the last reviewer, I was able to establish IKE-based VPN between the DI-804HV and a Netscreen 25. This is a great router for telecommuters who need IPSEC VPN capability back to a main office. I have measured throughput up to 1.8Mbps for both VPN and non-VPN traffic (1.8Mbps was the line rate, not the limit of this device)- this is plenty for the average home DSL line. The price point sure beats existing VPN telecommuting solutions like the Netscreen 5 or SonicWall SOHO.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Works great for VoIP but VPN is extremely slow, March 8, 2006

By 

Aegis (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: D-Link 4-port Broadband VPN Router ( DI-804HV ) (Personal Computers)

I bought this router to replace a desktop that I use as an internet router (cable internet) and to use to to put a Cisco VoIP gateway behind the router. For VoIP and general internet use, it works great but if you use VPN (L2TP in my case), the speed is excrutiatingly slow through this router. This is consistent with other users' experiences. When I put my desktop (which is an old and slow machine) back as the router, VPN speed is at least 20 times faster. This is after all my troubleshooting and I'm a networks engineer. If you need VPN, don't get this router.