D-Link DIR-450 3G Ev-do 4-Port Switch 802.11G 108MBPS Mobile Router

by D-Link

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 4.6 x 1.2 inches ; 11.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000J5MZ1S
• California residents: Click here for Proposition 65 warning.
• Item model number: DIR-450
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,635 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 7, 2004

Product Description

D-Link DIR-450 3G Ev-do 4-Port Switch 802.11G 108MBPS Mobile Router

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Have to hand it to D-Link, February 13, 2007

By 

Larry "Larry" (VA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: D-Link DIR-450 3G Ev-do 4-Port Switch 802.11G 108MBPS Mobile Router (Personal Computers)

I'm one week into EVDO service and still learning new things every day in that regard. One thing I learned is that you need to choose equipment that is reliable, consistent and durable. Sadly, the D-Link DIR-450 is none of these things.

I looked into the D-Link model as they are the actual vendor for the Kyocera KR-1. The KR-1 is a highly regarded consumer grade model in what is admittedly a pretty small field. For most consumers it appears that the KR-1 is the default suggestion for those looking for a router solution for the EVDO service.

I should have been wary of the D-Link even before purchase as it did not support all of the same cards that its older sibling supported, but the most recent (and only) firmware upgrade added support for my card so I figured I was set.

Everything went well the evening I installed it and I went to bed with visions of salvation from satellite internet while stranded in rural American. Imagine my surprise when I woke up and could not enter the admin page using the password I set up. Then I could not access the router at all. I had to go into the crash firmware reinstallation mode to resurrect the box - with ~12 hours of ownership - Strike One.

Strike 2 was the painfully ill designed UI that requires arbitrary rebooting between setup steps. The rebooting process takes around 80 seconds, so even entering a small set of DHCP reservations is a time consuming chore. Half an hour later I had all my static IPs entered but on the next reboot carried out by the UI all of the settings were reset to default...

Strike 3 was today when it would reset the subnet I had setup back to the default. Doing this ate my DHCP settings, but I thought I had outsmarted the demon box and backed up the config using their UI option. Oddly, the restore seemed to only affect the wireless and basic network settings and did not include the DHCP. I spent another 30 minutes entering the reservations when it both reset the password and on the following reboot reset the subnet again.

I have little doubt that D-Link will straighten this out, but am extremely surprised that they have a relatively new product in the field that is the mirror of a well established model *that they designed and support* and it is so flaky. In a rural setting, setting up EVDO can be challenging so having unreliable equipment is one extra headache you don't need. Wait for this product to mature slightly and check out other support boards to see how others are handling it in the field.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Works great with Sprint Sierra 595, May 15, 2007

By 

Lawrence M. Cunningham "pitcher23" (Valley Stream, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: D-Link DIR-450 3G Ev-do 4-Port Switch 802.11G 108MBPS Mobile Router (Personal Computers)

I purchased this as my notebook did not have a PCMCIA slot. I had to update the firmware, which was very simple, for it to recognize the 595. Once that was done and I configured the router on my main PC it was just a matter of plugging the card in, plugging in the router and waiting about 30 seconds for it to connect and I was up and running. It has never failed and is the perfect solution for wireless access for multiple computers on one EVDO card.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars D-Link is GARBAGE, TWICE CONFIRMED GARBAGE, August 9, 2007

By 

Jason D. Summit "Computer Medix Inc" (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: D-Link DIR-450 3G Ev-do 4-Port Switch 802.11G 108MBPS Mobile Router (Personal Computers)

I purchased one of these routers after reading some good reviews and ignoring the bad reviews. The good reviews must have simply come from the lucky few who received working units.

I ordered a DIR-450 directly from a D-Link authorized distributor, Ingram Micro. (I own a small computer shop near Pittsburgh). The router I received was packaged in a DIR-450 box, the router itself was silkscreened with the DIR-450 model number on it's face and it's serial/product label also indicated that it was a DIR-450. When I tried to set up the unit, I found that it had DIR-451 firmware/hardware inside. I contacted D-link tech support. It's obvious that D-Link is a company that does not want you to speak to a real person. They make every attempt to divert you to their website or pay-support. The person I spoke to told me the router had the wrong firmware and that it was not possible for me to flash it to a DIR-450. He told me to send it in and they would repair it within 7-10 days. I find that option offensive, so I declined. I RMA'd the product and sent it back to Ingram. I ordered a second unit from a different D-Link authorized distributor, D&H. I ordered the second unit from a different distributor just in case Ingram had received an entirely bad batch of these things. The new router arrived and guess what - the exact same condition existed. DIR-451 firmware/hardware in a DIR-450 branded and packaged box.

I have now ordered a Linksys router. D-Link products will never be found on the shelves of my store and I will always advise our customers to avoid D-Link.