D-Link's DGL-4500 Gaming Router breezes by the FCC

D-Link and friends have been cashing in on "Xtreme" gamers and their lust for hardware for quite a few years now, and all that 802.11n floating around just means another shot at dipping into those pockets with aggressively styled hardware that works about as well as your mom's router does. Luckily the D-Link DGL-4500 Gaming Router breaks that mold slightly, offering a convenient OLED display to for checking out the status of your network -- a feature only found in a select few routers at the moment -- alongside the usual "Xtreme N" hyperbole. There's a USB port in back for sharing your flash drive with the network, along with "GameFuel engine" tech for improving gaming network performance, and some assorted security and range enhancements. Unfortunately, the DGL-4500 hasn't been announced just yet, but with an FCC approval under its belt, store shelves shouldn't be far off. And just in time for the holidays, imagine that. Check out an OLED closeup and a picture of the back after the break.

[agentblue @ Sep 24th 2007 5:02PM]

1st yay!

[Altervarks @ Sep 24th 2007 5:05PM]

Would this USB port in the back also allow you to share an external hard drive on the network....that could be interesting

[AJ @ Sep 24th 2007 6:58PM]

Nah, it's just for transferring settings to other PCs. I called D-Link about the same thing on a different router and they said no, you can't connect a USB hard drive for sharing.

I can see why, as doing that will pretty much eliminate the need to buy their NAS.

[Mohamed @ Sep 24th 2007 5:06PM]

I wonder how a router like this would function with say, Xbox 360s set up on it, as opposed to PCs. Would a flash drive be shareable in the same way, and would the performance and speed be equivocably worth the price tag when used for console gaming LANs? Anyone know for sure?

[Eric @ Oct 10th 2007 7:44PM]

im sure flash/hard drive are universal - something that you can just plug in without needing external drivers..

on that note, it would have been nice to see them include support for a network printer.

[Otakuon @ Sep 24th 2007 5:41PM]

I have the current Generation D-Link Game Router and it works perfectly with XBOX...in fact, it has built in rules to handle the 360 and XBOX LIVE (i.e., it automatically detects the XBOX and opens up the neccessary ports for connectiong to XBOX Live. And I have multiple 360s on my LAN and it hanldes all of them without any lag or drops...before I had a Linksys wireless router, and as soon as we had three people online at the same time, the lag would cause all games to become unplayable...

[DickHardknocks @ Sep 24th 2007 5:19PM]

Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii do not feature 802.11n

So it is safe to say, I wouldn't be able to get full bandwidth if I purchased this and used it with my systems?

cosidering 360 has an attachment wifi adapter, when will MS be releasing an 802.11n adapter?

Furthermore, when will they release it in BLACK and Halo GREEN for the special 360's?

White looks stupid when you put it on a colored system.

[rickane58 @ Sep 24th 2007 7:03PM]

well, you could get a wireless ethernet bridge (which work better anyway) that goes up to wireless N.

[Ethereal_Dragon @ Oct 20th 2007 10:38PM]

You COULD always paint the adaptor yourself.......



I have a D-Link WBR-2310, and the only thing I regret is that it is only 10/100, but that is fine for the time being....

[Ted Brown @ Sep 24th 2007 5:33PM]

Anyone who buys this deserves to have their wallet stolen.

[Metal Wolf @ Sep 24th 2007 6:42PM]

so whats your problem? If i had the cash I would buy this (just bought a new modem, took a bit out of this teens paycheck). Lets see if your wrists still work after trying to steel my wallet, eh pal? :3

[beyond vision @ Sep 24th 2007 10:28PM]

how about it will cost upwards of $200 and is a piece of shit, but oooo its shiny

for that money you might as well buy cisco equipment on ebay

[Erwos @ Sep 24th 2007 5:40PM]

Please, G-d, let them come out with a wired-only version. I love my DGL-4100, but use a discrete 802.11abg AP that doesn't need replacing until the final 802.11n spec gets released.

The biggest problem with the DGL-4100/DGL-4300 is that their switches don't support jumbo frames. This will hopefully correct that.

I'm meh on the USB port, but only because I don't ever store stuff without RAID these days. Could be helpful for sharing documents with guests or such, I suppose.

[CL @ Sep 24th 2007 7:14PM]

I read from tomshardware (or may be it was another hardware site) the 4100/4300 actually supported Jumbo frame, but the feature wasn't enabled in the firmware.

[JDizzle @ Sep 24th 2007 5:44PM]

That OLED is so insanely unnecessary, but so are a lot of things gamers buy... But still all this "gaming" oriented hardware is so mehhh. I think I'll stick with my WRT54G until, 1. Wireless-N becomes mainstream, and 2. Wireless + Gaming = no lag. But that's not going to happen anytime soon. So WRT54G + Wire FTW!

[David @ Sep 24th 2007 7:50PM]

I've been gaming on WRT54G wirelessly for over a year now(Using SBC Pro). No lag issues at all for me. I have used Dell wifi card and currently use the onboard Asus Wifi. My pings are averaging 23-69 during all game play.
BF2 BF2142 ET:QW Quake

[JDizzle @ Sep 24th 2007 9:42PM]

Well, my experiences with wireless have been different :P. I'll just stick with wired :).

[yoshi @ Sep 24th 2007 5:47PM]

What's the atttraction of getting a wireless gaming router? If I'm that into gaming (which I'm not), and speed is that important to me, why wouldn't I just plug myself in to a gigawhop port instead?

[rickane58 @ Sep 24th 2007 7:02PM]

well, if your like me and dont want a cable going across your living room, or you have another device (like your friend brings his over) you can set it up in a different room. Also, with a direct line of sight, WiFi is technically just as fast.

[james @ Sep 24th 2007 5:56PM]

The wireless addin for the 360 currently doesn't, but that doesn't say they couldn't come out with a new wirless adaptor that supports 802.11 n ?

[David @ Sep 24th 2007 7:36PM]

The Last router I will buy for the next 8 years will be this one. Unless an all 10g copper port gaming router comes out.
The company support and community support for the dlink gaming routers is killer.

I'm waiting!

[Captain Lumpy Dog @ Sep 24th 2007 7:55PM]

I'm currently accessing this site on a DGL-4300, and I can tell you, it r0x0rs my s0x0rs. Blazing fast, and that beautiful gigabit Ethernet switch on the back kicks more ass than my grandmother. And Bubbe sure kicks a lot of ass.

[Pastry Chef @ Sep 24th 2007 8:01PM]

What do they mean when they say, "Select to display the and data LAN, WAN, and wireless connection."

I find the USB port quite useless. I wish they really did use it for sharing storage devices...

[Clinton Christian @ Sep 24th 2007 8:57PM]

I don't see the point in the wireless-N since the current-gen gaming platforms don't support it... but if you want a new, shiny, OLED enabled router for your system this is the one to get... although I think the antennas aren't too attractive.

[Grodesh @ Sep 24th 2007 11:07PM]

The "Gaming" name is just marketing. It's just a very good home router. Maybe a little bit overpriced, but you can bet it's more reliable than those sub-100$ ones.

I switched from a whole lot of cheap routers (Lynksys, cheaper D-Links and another one I don't remember) to a DGL-4300 and I never had a single problem with it since I got it. I didn't buy it for it's gaming features even though I game a lot (I don't even use these features) but mainly for its Gigabit ports as it was the only one I could find with them. And I don't regret that purchase at all. I didn't realize the other routers were that shitty until I got my DGL-4300. If I really needed 802.11n, I would probably consider getting the DGL-4500.

[Spudge_Boy @ Sep 25th 2007 1:58PM]

I didn't buy it for it's gaming features even though I game a lot (I don't even use these features)

That is the nice thing about the DGL series of routers. You don't think you are using the gaming features, but you are using the most important one without knowing it. The QoS feature of the gaming router is enabled by default and automatically prioritizes your traffic.

So, in fact you are using the features. :)

[Grodesh @ Sep 25th 2007 7:56PM]

ah! yeah you are right. At first I thought that since I didn't have any Gamefuel rules, I wasn't really using it. But it seems that it automatically does most of the stuff and the rules are really only for fine-tuning.

Thanks for the heads-up!

[Panathas17 @ Sep 25th 2007 1:33AM]

If anyone can answer this please do...
Could I make a Hotspot with one of these in the house with a wep?

[tb101 @ Sep 25th 2007 7:48AM]

hotspot?!?!?! why in the world would you need a hotspot in your house... your not trying to run a starbukcs in there are you???

[Panathas17 @ Sep 25th 2007 11:10AM]

no, just 4 connecting my ps3 and psp and so on!

[Spudge_Boy @ Sep 25th 2007 2:12PM]

I think the problem is that you are confusing terms.

A "hotspot" is what a business installs to provide a service to its customers for a fee, such as Starbucks.

An "access point" or "wireless router" is what a consumer installs in their home to provide their wireless devices with network and Internet connectivity.

What you are looking for is an access point or wireless router. The DGL-4500 is a wireless router and will provide you with the connectivity you need for your computer, PS3 and PSP.

[Panathas17 @ Sep 26th 2007 1:39AM]

Thanks Spudge_Boy and sorry 4 the misunderstanding!

[Kamokazi @ Sep 25th 2007 2:03PM]

If you've read up on D-Link's other gaming routers or their higher-end models with QOS, you will see they actually DO make a difference. It's mostly just QOS, but you can get some nice ping improvments if you are doing other network activity, like downloading torrents or hosting a webserver. Now if you aren't doing anything else in the background, then you will see very little (if any) improvement.

So yes, there is a lot of premium on this puppy, and if you're after bang-for-the-buck, you'd be better off with the DIR-655. But If you like flashy hardware *whistles innocently* then this is probably worth it.

[JBDragon @ Sep 26th 2007 3:33AM]

My DGL-4300 works great, and has been problem free. Unlike others I've own like Linksys that I would have to unplug to reset it every few days for example. This DLINK is 100% reliable, with lots of features the other cheaper garbage ones don't have. I don't use the wireless part for GAMING as WIRED is better, but the wireless comes in handy for other things. I'll never go back to one of them cheap Routers ever again. Not worth it to me to save a few bucks.

[nojak @ Sep 26th 2007 2:51PM]

Finally, they added n to the router. It's about time. Guess I'll hold off on the previous version.

[breezyleaf @ Sep 29th 2007 11:04AM]

my little brother is a hardcore 360 gamer....i messed up and turned in his router to the cable company and now he gets kicked off all the time.....with the release of Halo 3 i feel reaaaalllllllllyyyy bad....will this dlink "gaming" router solve his problem?????