D-Link DI-624 AirPlus Xtreme G

D-Link’s new DI-624 AirPlus Xtreme G wireless broadband router is compact and fast. It also comes with a quick-installation guide, a comprehensive manual, strong security features and an excellent support package that includes a long, three-year warranty. If you're looking for a fast router with excellent range and plenty of features -- such as a configurable firewall, parental controls, top-notch wireless security and VPN pass-through support -- then look no further. With a current street price of about £75 (ex. VAT), the DI-624 is a great buy for both home and small office networks.

Setup & ease of use
For a router with such an advanced feature set, the D-Link DI-624 is easy to set up. The package includes everything you'll need: the router itself; a CD-ROM containing a manual and warranty info; an Ethernet cable; and a 5V DC power adapter. The DI-624 is compact -- about the size of a medium-size paperback -- and its bottom panel doubles as a mounting bracket, making it easy to attach to a wall or the ceiling. Unfortunately, it doesn't come with a stand for vertical positioning, which is a feature we like in Netgear’s WGT624. The hardware setup is a snap -- literally. Connect the DI-624 to your broadband modem with the cable that came with your modem, use the Ethernet cable in the package to connect the router to your computer, and you're done. Although D-Link doesn't offer an automated configuration routine, the DI-624's network setup is about as easy as it gets -- it's one of the smoothest setup routines we've seen. The printed quick-installation guide walks you through every step of the installation process, with screenshots and instructions for both Mac OS X and Windows XP that show you how to connect to the DI-624's browser-based configuration tool. The browser-based tool itself includes a five-step setup wizard that automatically detects your Internet connection and configures security for your wireless network. The explanations and instructions in the printed quick-installation guide seamlessly complement the wizard, addressing each step in the process.

Features & security
The D-Link DI-624 router is chock-full of features for both homes and small offices. Auto MDI/MDIX ports in the router's Ethernet switch eliminate the need for costly crossover cables and make the DI-624 easy to connect to other hubs and switches. The router also comes with a removable antenna, so you can expand your coverage area by adding a D-Link antenna. The router also features parental controls that include URL filtering, domain blocking and access scheduling by day of the week and time of day. If you play games over the Internet, you can use the DI-624's special gaming mode, which adjusts the firewall to allow for network entertainment. For connections that demand even less restrictive access, such as videoconferencing, you can use the router's DMZ feature, which lets you place a single computer outside the router's firewall. If you telecommute, the DI-624 also supports VPN pass-through for both PPTP and IPSec. With a firewall that’s more configurable than most we've seen, the DI-624's security is top-notch for a home/small business router. You can turn the firewall on and off, a feature that can be important for troubleshooting and allowing certain types of connections. You can also create a list of rules that let you allow or deny specific types of traffic between your internal network and the Internet. For example, you can block UDP traffic from the Internet targeted for a specific port on one of your computers. The DI-624 heaps on wireless security features. The router supports not only 64- and 128-bit WEP encryption, but also WPA and iron-clad 802.1x authentication via a RADIUS server.

Performance
The D-Link DI-624 is one of the best-performing routers we've seen. Like the Netgear WGT624, the D-Link DI-624 comes equipped with an Atheros AR5002 chipset -- the secret to its blazing throughput and great range. If you already have a DI-624, you can upgrade the router's firmware to the latest version to take advantage of the new performance enhancements. The so-called ‘108Mbps’ firmware is currently available only for DI-624s with a label on the bottom that reads ‘H/W Ver.:C1’. At close range, the DI-624 clocked in at 44.4Mbps. That's about twice as fast as a typical 802.11g router and just under the Netgear WGT624's speed of 47.1Mbps. The DI-624 also matched the WGT624 in range, surpassing other 802.11g performers with a record-setting 68.6 metres. We were less impressed with the DI-624's performance in a mixed environment with 802.11b devices. Here, the router was able to eke out only 11.6Mbps at close range.

Service & support
D-Link offers a long, three-year warranty for the DI-624 AirPlus Xtreme G router --much longer than the one year Netgear offers on its WGT624. In addition, D-Link offers freephone support for the life of the product. We're also impressed by the wealth of resources for the router on the D-Link Web site, including free firmware upgrades, an installation guide, a manual and warranty information.