13 out of 13 people found this review helpful.
So Far It Is Working Fine and It Was Easy to Install
Date of Review: Jun 4, 2009
The Bottom Line: If you are hooking up your first wireless network, use this. Can't beat the price.
I really wanted to work from home occasionally so I had to get a wireless router. I found this one for a very good price (23.99 shipped free) brand new on www.buy.com. The reviews on the website were pretty good at 4.6 out of 5 stars from many reviewers, but I still asked one of our IT guys his thoughts on it. He said it was fine and the price was good, so I ordered it. I am by no means a computer expert and other than using them I do not know much about how they operate.
I was a little hesitant to hook this up. Though the D-Link website said the minimum requirements were Internet Explorer 6, the box said Internet Explorer 7 was required. I attempted to download IE 7 on my 7 year old desktop but could not even get the set up files from Microsoft. I decided to go ahead with hooking the router up and seeing what happened.
I had never installed a wireless network so I decided to use the included installation cd for Windows. This was very easy. You put the cd in the computer to which your modem is connected. You then follow the step by step instructions (and they really are step by step). You take the protective sticker off of the four Ethernet ports, unplug your modem, hook up the cable from your computer to the router, hook up the included blue cable from the modem to the WAN port on the router and then follow the on screen instructions. This allows you to change the default network name and enable other security options. Most of these default to the ones you should use, such as WPA rather than WEP (though it does also have WPA2). Of course you want to change the network name, so to prevent hackers, change it to something like "Virus Tests", "Infected", or the like. It also automatically generates a random WPA security key which should be used. There is also a space on the cd case to write down the network name and security key, so definitely write it down (we will keep it in our fireproof safe). You have the options to disable the SSID from being broadcast which is also recommended so other people cannot see your wireless network. I also had to switch my Trend Micro security software to the network setting.
After this was all done, I saw the wireless network on my laptop's list of networks. I entered the security key but it just kept attempting to connect. I rebooted the desktop and the laptop and entered the security key again and to my surprise "Connected." My laptop was only two feet away from the router so the connection was 54 Mbps. I went to change the order of preferred networks and the laptop locked up. I shut it off, started it again, went to the network list again and had to enter the security key again. After attempting to change the preferred order again, it locked up, so I again shut the laptop off and restarted it. This time not only was the network first, it automatically connected without having to enter the security key.
I have been using the connection for about three hours now. From about 15-20 feet away, I get about 48 to 54 Mbps and that is without even strategically placing the router and its antenna. The connection has not been dropped so far and I successfully logged into our VPN without any problems.
So, for the price of this modem, the ease of installation, the reliable connection so far, and the WPA security, it is a good, secure, wireless router even for those unfamiliar with computers and networks.
