D-Link DI-524 Wireless 54 Mbps High Speed Router (802.11g)

Other products by D-Link

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6 x 4 x 1 inches ; 2.6 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0001PFQ08
• Item model number: DI-524
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (263 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 16, 2004

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

D-Link, the industry leader in wireless networking, introduces another breakthrough in wireless connectivity. The D-Link AirPlus G DI-524 Wireless Router which is capable of transferring data at rates of up to 54 Mbps in the 2.4 GHz frequency -- the same wireless frequency as 802.11b. The D-Link DI-524 Wireless Router also offers four Ethernet ports to support multiple computers.

The advanced wireless technology built into the DI-524 Wireless Router offers data transfer speeds up to 54 Mbps through its wireless channels allowing streaming videos and other high bandwidth applications, such as online gaming events, to operate without the hassle of Ethernet cables. The ability to use high bandwidth applications also makes streaming real-time programs more enjoyable and more efficient.

With the DI-524 Wireless Router's built-in advanced firewall, threats of hackers penetrating your network are minimized. Some firewall features include functions that allow or disallow certain ports to be open for certain applications. Time scheduling can be established as a firewall rule so that specific ports will be open at certain times and be closed at other times. Features like content filtering, MAC filtering, URL blocking, and domain blocking are useful tools to prevent other unwanted intruders from connecting to your network or browsing restricted sites.

The easy-to-use configuration wizard takes only minutes to setup and guides users step-by-step through configuring the DI-524. With all the versatile features and an user-friendly utility, the DI-524 Wireless Router provides an enhanced networking experience.

Product Description

The advanced wireless technology built into the DI-524 now offers up to 54Mbps through its wireless channels, allowing streaming videos and other high bandwidth applications, such as online gaming events to operate without the hassle of Ethernet cables. The ability to transfer high bandwidth also makes streaming real time programs more enjoyable and more efficient. Network Security is a precautionary threat and with the built-in advanced firewall, these threats are minimized, making it more difficult for hackers to penetrate through the DI-524. Features like content filtering, MAC filtering, URL blocking, and Domain blocking are useful tools to prevent other unwanted intruders to connect to your network.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice little wireless router, July 18, 2004

By	Eugene Mah "physics geek" (Charleston, SC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm not sure if the other reviewers have problems reading instructions or if they just skipped steps. Had no problems at all getting this unit set up and establishing connections between my desktop and Inspiron 5150. Take it out of the box, connect an ethernet cable between the desktop and router and plug it in. Use your favourite browser to connect to 198.168.1.1 and run through the setup wizard. Then once you've got everything set up, read through the manual, go through the various setup options and tweak as desired. I opted to go with the WPA-PSK authentication protocol because its supposed to be more secure, but if you have other devices that don't support it, you'll probably have to stick with WEP.

It can be laid flat on the desk, or propped up on end vertically using the little rubber feet that are supplied. There are 4 ethernet ports that allow you to connect via 10/100 Ethernet and the WAN port to connect to cable, DSL or LAN. The antenna is on a swivel and can be rotated to just about any convenient orientation.

The only thing I don't like about the router is that it doesn't have an internal clock, so every time it is powered off the router's system time goes back to it's default start value. It can be configured to set the time from an NTP server, but only if it's connected to a WAN network (via DSL, cable or LAN). It's only a minor inconvenience though. The other thing is that the router's web interface only seems to work properly if you use IE. Using Netscape/Mozilla/Firefox sort of works for most things, but not everything.

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great and Small Router! And a tip for those with WAN issues., May 9, 2004

By	Jack Szwergold (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

I purchased this router to replace my D-Link DI-614+ and it works great! The first thing I noticed immediately out of the box was the size. The DI-524 is VERY small. About 1/3rd the size of the DI-614+. But it still has all of the same great features. Antenna signal strength is stronger and I am very pleased with this unit.

And here's a quick note regarding the problems some people seem to have connecting this device to the Internet via their Cable or DSL modem. It seems that the WAN port is configured out of the box to be locked in at 100 Mbps. This is where the problem comes from. The vast majority of Cable and DSL modems out there operate at 10Mbps per second only. Uh-oh! Bad move D-Link! Because if you plug the router into the modem out of the box and you have a 10Mbps modem you won't be able to connect the devices and you won't be able to go online. Very dumb move D-Link. I bet tons of routers have been returned for service just because of this simple and fixable issue.

This is easily corrected by logging into the router and going to the "Tools" menu and then choosing "Misc". Scroll to the middle of the page and find "WAN select to 10/100 Mbps" and select 10Mbps and click APPLY. Once the router reboots, your router and Cable or DSL modem will be working happily together and all is good. But there really is no reason that this device should be shipping with 100Mbps switched on by default. I hope that future firmware revisions will correct this issue so more novice users can easily setup this great router without issue.

Otherwise, a very good purchase and very good piece of equipment for anyone who is looking for an affordable and reliable WiFi router. Highly recommended.

39 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Does the job, June 1, 2005

By	N. Caine (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've recently had the opportunity to set up two wireless networks for my friend's and now my home, all on WinXP systems. For my friend, I picked up a Buffalo Airstation on advice of the head of the tech department (not the floor salesguy) at a computer retailer, and it installed flawlessly in minutes, including a firewall, valuable 128-bit WEP security, plus --what is even more important to me to prevent hacking-- MAC filtering. For my own home, I went with a sale and got the Hawking 54M wireless G, and I couldn't get it to work. Even with tweaking (I've been doing non-networking IT for fifteen years), I couldn't get the router to connect with my ISP through my DSL connection. I went out and bought a D-Link (also 54M wireless G) on heavy discount at a different retailer, and like the Buffalo, it went up and running right away, and I easily set up the firewall, 128 bit WEP, and MAC filtering. [MAC filtering, for those of you who don't know, allows you to specify exactly which machines are allowed to connect to the router, and all other ones are shut out. This keeps the neighbors and others from hacking into your network, since WEP passwords aren't foolproof.] I like the D-Link.