(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 1_ Netgear WNDR3700 RangeMax Dual Band Wireless Router :

The new Netgear WNDR3700 RangeMax is a great upgrade from the Netgear WNDR3300. It now supports true dual bands, offering simultaneous Wireless-N performance in both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands. The router also offers a decent network storage feature when coupled with a USB external hard drive. It includes a traffic meter feature, which is the first to be seen in wireless routers that we've reviewed. Like other high-end wireless routers, the WNDR3700 supports Gigabit Ethernet and guest networking, which means that you can create separate wireless networks for security purposes.



Price at Amazon.com $189.99

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2_D-Link DIR-655 Xtreme N Gigabit Router :

The DIR-655 looks like a typical wireless router with a square shape and three detachable antennas sticking up from its back, cluttering the network ports. The router's ports include four Gigabit LAN ports (for wired clients), one WAN port (to be hooked to an Internet source, such as a broadband router), and a USB port. This USB port can be used to host a USB device or to support Windows Connect Now (WCN). WCN is an old but handy technology that allows you to transfer the router's encryption key from the router to a Windows computer using a USB key, sparing you from having to remember the encryption key.

On the side, the router has a Wi-Fi Protected Setup button, which is another convenient way to let wireless clients enter the encrypted wireless network. Press this button and you open a 2-minute time window that other WPS-enabled devices can join the network without you having to enter the encryption key manually.

On the front, like most routers, the DIR-655 has an array of blue LED lights showing the status of the router, the LAN ports, the wireless network, the USB port, and the connection to the Internet.

We didn't experience any problems setting up the DIR-655. The router comes with a CD that contains the D-Link Router Quick Setup desktop software. Following the wizard, we were able to get everything up and running, including connecting to the Internet and other wireless clients; we were also able to set up an SSID for each frequency. Alternatively, you can use the Web-based interface, which is well-thought-out, responsive, and more comprehensive than the desktop application.

Like most D-Link routers, the DIR-655 is wall-mountable and also comes with a detachable base for it to work in the vertical position.

Features
D-Link regularly releases new firmware for its routers, which, apart from fixing bugs, sometimes dramatically changes the feature set of the router. We tested the router with its latest firmware, version 1.34NA. Initially, its USB port was designed just to host a USB printer, but starting with firmware version 1.21, the router has a new feature called SharePort. This enables the router's USB port to work as a networked USB port.

SharePort comes with a software application called SharePort Network USB (SNU) that you'll need to install on your network computers. The software allows the computer to recognize a USB device plugged into the router as if it were plugged directly into the computer's USB port. For this reason, unlike other USB-equipped routers that support only printers and external hard drives, SharePort allows the DIR-655 to share virtually any USB device over your network.

SharePort does have a big drawback, however. By making the router's USB port work the same way as a computer, only one PC can access a USB device plugged into the router at a time. So, if one person is using a printer that's plugged into the router, others won't have access to it until it is released using the SharePort Network USB software. This makes it a little less appealing than the old print-serving feature, where the printer could be accessed by multiple computers at a time.

We tried the SharePort USB port with multiple devices, including printers and external hard drives, and it worked as intended. We found that you can still share the attached USB device with multiple computers if you just share it from the one computer that has control over it, the same way you would share a folder or a computer on that computer. This seems to be a workaround to spare you from having to install SNU on multiple computers. However, this also means the host computer has to be on for the device to be available to the rest of the network.

Price at Amazon.com $110.99

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3_D-Link DGL-4500 Xtreme N Gaming Wireless Router :

The D-Link DGL-4500 GamerLounge Xtreme N Gaming Router offers decent performance and a long list of features for home wireless networking and hardcore gamers. However, it lacks support for simultaneous 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands along with random resets during heavy loads. You may want to wait for a successor to the DGL-4500, or at least a firmware update, before buying it. With the hefty price tag of about $180, we expected better stability. Unless you plan to take advantage of the DGL-4500's GameFuel feature for prioritizing bandwidth for games, we still recommend D-Link's DIR-655 Xtreme N router for its superior performance or the Netgear WNR854T RangeMax for its speed, stability, and price.

• Device type: Wireless router
• Network standard: 802.11n (draft), 802.11b/g
• Bandwidth: 2.4GHz and 5Ghz (not simultaneous)
• Operating systems supported: Windows Vista, Windows XP SP2, or Mac OS X (v10.4)
• Security options: 64/128-bit WEP; WPA; WPA2
• Features: Four Gigabit LAN ports; One Gigabit WAN port; DHCP support; VPN Pass-through / Multi-sessions PPTP / L2TP / IPSec; NAT; SPI; DDNS; USB Port (for Windows Connect Now)
• Notable design features: Distinctive look with Network Activity Display
• Support: One-year warranty


The D-Link DGL-4500 is a MIMO router with three antennas attached to its back. We would prefer that they resided on the side of the unit where they wouldn't crowd the ports. Like most D-Link routers, the DGL-4500 is wall mountable and also ships with a base to position it vertically. The DGL-4500 features a Network Activity Display that shows more than only the network's connection status. Using the two display navigation buttons, you can access various WAN, LAN, and wireless information via this little blue screen. While most of the information is just general information--current throughput, number of connected clients--it is a bit more useful than the typical status LEDs found on other routers. While somewhat convenient, we found it this display frustrating because it turns on only when you press one of the navigation buttons, it turns itself off after about a minute, and there's no option to change the length of time it stays on. Why not just keep the display lit at all times by default, showing you your network connection status? It's not so bright as to be a distraction, even in a darkened room.

The DGL-4500 supports Microsoft's Windows Connect Now technology, which lets you add new wireless devices to the network without having to type in the encryption key. All you need to do is stick a USB drive in the USB port at the back of the router and then stick that drive into the USB port of a WCN-enabled devices, such as a PC (running Windows XP SP2 or later) or a printer such as the HP Deskjet 6840. Though it's faster and proved more stable in testing, the D-Link DIR-655 does not feature a USB port.

As a router designed specifically for gaming, the DGL-4500 features D-Link's proprietary GameFuel technology that identifies network traffic created by games and prioritizes Internet bandwidth to accommodate it. The router comes preset with settings optimized for popular games such as World of Warcraft, Quake, and Unreal Tournament, along with special services including virtual servers and remote desktop. These presets basically specify the port required to be open for each application and make sure it's open when required.

The DGL-4500 is a dual-band draft 802.11n router, meaning it supports both 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz frequencies. Unfortunately, it can only operate in one frequency at a time, which means you're forced to use one or the other. So, you'll be stuck on the crowded 2.4GHz band if you have other wireless devices that are 2.4GHz only. If you are looking for something that can do both simultaneously, you will have to wait for the D-Link's Xtreme N Duo Media Router, which is still available only as a preorder.

Other than this shortcoming, the DGL-4500 has everything you could want in the realm of home networking, be it security (all WEP, WPA, and WPA2 available) or virtual private networking (VPN pass-through, multisessions PPT, L2TP, and IPSec) as well as many other popular and advanced networking features. The D-Link's state-of-the-art Web interface is among the best we've used, it's intuitive and responsive and most changes can be applied instantly without a restart.

Price at Amazon.com $208.99

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Well actually ,i have D_link Dir655 and it is really awesom!

I have the d link too, got it for free too =D it's awesome would really recomend it, any way nice thread. will thank tomorrow