switched to DLink DIR-655 router

Update- I reported earlier on my difficulty with a new Linksys WRT110 router. I could not get it to connect even wired, testing it at 2 different locations with 4 different computers. I was replacing my old Linksys 802.11b router because it was way too slow with new Vista computers.

I took the WRT110 back and after some research I bought the DLink DIR-655. The DLink connected basically right out of the box. Either there was something I didn't understand about the Linksys (unlikely), or there was just something wrong with it.

I have an old Dell desktop (wired), an old Dell laptop (802.11b), and an old desktop (802.11b), the 802.11b machines are about to be replaced. I have 2 new laptops (802.11n), and will get a new desktop soon (wired). Everything seems to work fine with the new router, except for the old Dell Inspiron 8600 laptop.

 

I also just purchased the 655. I connected it with minimal difficulty, however am having trouble with my 2 laptops recognizing each other over the network. I suspect this is a firewall issue, however, being a total newbie to networking, I have no idea how to resolve this. I really wish that D-Link gave us newbies some type of tool to resolve this. Their included solution under Network Magic is useless. Also, what kind of download and upload speeds are you seeing wirelessly?

 

I did a quick check with my new Dell laptop to see that it was running faster than on the old router. I downloaded a PDF file that I had received by email from hotmail.com and got download speed of over 150kb/s.

 

I generally recommend never installing Network Magic or similar applications that come with routers or networking equipment, often times they do more harm than good.

Are both laptops Vista? Is one XP and one Vista? Are they both XP? XP actually requires an update to network optimally with Vista, though I assume the update is included with Service Pack 3.

Do you have another computer that is capable of accessing both laptops that the laptops are both capable of accessing back? You might try completely disabling the firewalls on both laptops and testing connectivity. If you are using Vista just press the Start button and type firewall, choose the one WITHOUT advanced settings and turn it off using the button next to "Windows Firewall is on." In XP this is accessible somewhere in the control panel.

 

Actually the old Dell laptop has its own problem- it won't boot and/or crashes in the presence of some networks. I'm updating its drivers to see if that helps, otherwise I'll have to refrain from using it at home wirelessly.

 

Well regarding Network Magic..hindsight is 20:20. I did finally get my 2 Vista personal laptops to communicate and play nicely over the network. I simply had to change windows firewall settings to "allow wireless devices" and "allow file sharing". I also have to be able to connect with the internet with my companies laptop which is running XP. I can't even get this thing to connect to the internet through a wired ethernet connection! This is going to be a huge pain because I dont even have admin. rights to this computer and theres all sorts of security on it being I work for a Pharmaceutical company. As for my transfer speeds, I'm getting between 7500 and 9500 Kbps downloads and around 1500Kbps uploads. Am I mistaken thinking this is really bad for an N router? All the reviews I read were citing speeds around 100 to 200 Mbps!! Am I missing something? I just noticed ...Im horrible at being a thread hijacker..to the OP...I apologize..

 

Did you configure your DIR-655 correctly? You should check out the D-Link Beta forum, and look at the DIR-655 board. Review the sticky posts.

http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?board=129.0

 

maybe your internet speed is the limiting factor. what are your rates on desktop? also, you're comparing the same units right? (bits for router vs. bytes for reading internet speeds) did you check your wireless connection? what is the speed of it?

 

I have standard Time Warner Cable internet coming into the house....my direct hardwired ethernet -plugged -into- my- laptop connection was 9800 Kbps and 1400 Kbps for downloads and uploads respectively. When I'm wireless, these numbers are pretty close to the same. This Dir 655 is an extreme N gigabit router, but is backwards compatible with G. I have 2 laptops with an internal N card and one with an internal G card. I need to be able to access the router with all 3. Does this mean that because of my one laptop that is G, I cannot take advantage of faster N technology with my other 2 ?? Can I set the router to operate in N mode for the 2 laptops and G for the 3rd?? ....I never knew there was so much trouble involved in setting up a network! lol

 

I have G and N on my network with the DIR-655 and I can connect at around 270Mbps with my N notebook and 54Mbps with my G computers/hardware. If wired and wireless have the same download/upload speeds, I would guess the problem isn't with the router. Did you visit the D-Link forums yet, and verified the router is configured correctly? Have you disabled the DNS relay?

 

I haven't had much time to play with my DIR-655 yet. I installed it and connected at 130M with my new laptop and the normal 11M with my old 802.11b desktop. I'm also using Roadrunner cable. Download speeds are affected by a lot of factors, including the server that the download is coming from, the ISP that the download is coming through, your own ISP, and your own network. My laptop connected at 130M downloads just a little bit faster, maybe 30-40% in the quick test that I did, compared to the old 802.11b machine connected at 11M. So high connection speeds are one thing, but they don't guarantee that much of an increase in internet performance.

Now communication between machines on the same network is an entirely different story. Higher connection speeds are definitely worthwhile.

 

Now I'm more confused lol. I just got off the phone with D-link technical support. I called 2 seperate times and got the same answer. The first guy was miserable and told me that you absolutely cannot have the router set to work in both G and N at the same time as it is a single band router. The second guy was nicer, but confirmed this. He said that in the presence of a G or a B wireless card or adapter, the DIR 655 will default to the lowest possible mode, in my case G. He said the only way to rememdy this is to buy a dual band router. I thought dual band just meant 2.4GHz and 5GHz..I didnt think it had anything to do with N or G. What the heck is the use of having backward compatibility from N to G if the presence of a G or B device will cause EVERYTHING to drop to those speeds?? Who is correct? Any advice is much appreciated as I have to act fast and see if NewEgg will exchange this for me All I want to do is be able to take advantage of N downloading speeds but still be able to access my work website with my G company computer..

 

I haven't done any file transfer tests while N and G are on at the same time, but I can tell you that the router shows my actual connection speed for all wireless devices, and my N laptop always connects higher than 108Mbps. I have also read that you need a dual band router for both to connect at the same time, so the posted speed might show higher than 108, but in reality my file transfer speeds are probably capped at 54. Swing by the D-Link forum and post that in the DIR-655 board, and see what kind of responses you get!

 

Uhhh....according to NewEgg's website, they wont do item exchanges....looks like my new DIR 655 with exactly 1 day of use is going to hit Ebay I'm sure to take a hit....