D-Link introduces DIR-628 sub-$100 5GHz-capable 802.11n router

If you haven't made the leap to 802.11n (or, even better, 5GHz 802.11n), you might want to start holding on to that loose change -- you'll probably have enough by the end of the week to pick up D-Link's new DIR-628 router, which has an official MSRP of $119, but will sell at Best Buy for just $79. The dual-band router obviously isn't the most feature-packed unit out there, but in terms of straight connectivity, it'll get the job done as long as the firmware is reasonably stable -- and to be honest, that's all we really want a router to do. Should be out now -- we're telling you, 5GHz is freaking amazing.

[Via SmallNetBuilder]

[Wolfticket @ Jun 23rd 2008 9:30PM]

Wireless is slow.
Give me Gigabit Ethernet any day of the week (unless it's a sunny day, in which case I want wireless again, so I can geekout in the garden :-)

[pball_inuyaha @ Jun 23rd 2008 10:05PM]

that might be true compared to wired. One thing i'd like to state is how many people get conned into buying the fastest most expensive wireless stuff so they can surf the web which could be done with 802.11b/g with more than enough speed.

If your not networking and sharing files speed past your internet connection is useless.

[BigBirdUK @ Jun 23rd 2008 10:06PM]

But this one has wonky antenna! So it must be worth a shot.....

[Mike @ Jun 23rd 2008 11:24PM]

Honestly guys, I own the DIR-625 (the non 5ghz version) and the DWA-140 USB adapter....

I've seen a 2x better reception, zero packet loss during gaming on TF2, and setting it on channel 5 is magic.

If the post below saying that "5gz doesn't travel through walls well" is true, then pick these up for 40$ a piece like I did...best investment ever.

I've gone through 3 other G routers and 2 wireless g cards, and my draft N stuff blows them out of the water. I honestly don't care that its draft...it just needs to work.

[Serge @ Jun 24th 2008 9:37AM]

I have D-Link DIR-655 IEEE 802.11n (draft), and i use it for video streaming with my macbook pro. But seems like it have a problem, it has these lame lags, even when its wired, the stream is not stable. I wonder if this one will have the same problem, and i don't feel like upgrading for no gain. Also the funny thing is that the bios is up to date, and when i downloading form the internet using my mac, it doesn't have these lags or spikes of no data the way with streaming. I have 30mbit at home and only the streaming is effecting. MY router blows =[

[Mike @ Jun 24th 2008 10:09AM]

Actually serge, if you checked their support forum you'd realize its a problem with your macbook pro. over 1 million posts about wireless-n problems on macbook pro? haha you got screwed. the simple solution is to get a wireless n expresscard for it.

http://blogs.computerworld.com/whats_up_with_802_11n_and_macbook_pros
is where i saw all of that. yay google.

in short your router is amazing and your apple product is broken.

[Serge @ Jun 24th 2008 2:24PM]

Mike. I am sorry, but it seems like you missed, that i typed, even when its "WIRED" same problem in both cases....
thanks for the link tho.

[JoeSmack @ Jun 23rd 2008 9:36PM]

what's so big about the 5ghz part? maybe i'm getting behind on the whole wireless standards world (WiMax has caught my attention more lately too)...

[Will @ Jun 23rd 2008 9:48PM]

At least for now it benefits from less interference.

Some places have pretty bad problems with that:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn224/wal9000/wireless.png

(That's all from sitting still on a bench, not driving around picking them up)

[Reid @ Jun 23rd 2008 9:52PM]

Straight-line range should be better than the lower-freq stuff, but it won't go thru obstacles as well.

I guess I'm just happy with my ancient 802.11g technology. Oh yeah, and my place is wired for ethernet, so only the work lappy has to deal with WiFi at all.

Fast WiFi is cool and all, but they never hit the speeds promised, let alone the throughput. Go wired if you can. If not, WiFi will never be as good, so just deal with it :)

[Michael LaFramboise @ Jun 23rd 2008 10:22PM]

Holy crap Will, where do you live?


I'm lucky if I can even find wifi anywhere around these parts -- Detroit area

[maest @ Jun 25th 2008 1:16AM]

I bought this router today. A word of warning for those like me who hoped that the 5GHz feature would prevent interference with a 2.4GHz phone or other device.

You have to chose either 2.4 or 5.0 and 5.0 uses 802.11a which my laptop doesn't support. In other words I have to use 2.4GHz unless I want to buy an expensive USB network card and this doesn't cheaply fix my interference problem as I had hoped.

[William Curtis @ Jun 23rd 2008 9:36PM]

same ol, same ol. D*ink, Lyks*s and Netge*r. I have tried them all and will never again. I actually had Lynks*s support tell me once that my problem was a known bug with XP, AND there were no plans to fix it!?! Nice! I have at least 7 friends (yes, don't worry, I actually have more than 7 friends...) who have had similar experiences to verify that it is not me. I vote with my dollars and I decided to try the Apple N router. Wow what a difference. I have not had ONE single time where I had to reset the router. In 8 months!! Mind you, I used to have to rest my router at least 2-3 times a week, no matter which brand other than my Apple. The Apple router works the way you would think it would after spending the $$$$. I will never go back.

[PsychOfMSE @ Jun 23rd 2008 9:48PM]

I beg to differ. I pre-ordered the Apple N router for use with my macbook pro (don't flame me too bad, I'm not a fanboy...I just can't live without Logic Pro for music production) and I couldn't have been more disappointed with it. It was blazing fast when it decided to work. I'm not a noob when it comes to networking so it wasn't a setup problem. I had to reset that thing at least 2-3 times a week which may not sound like a huge problem but compared to my WRT54G running DD-WRT it's just ridiculous. I'll wait a little while before purchasing a new router unless someone can point me towards a decent 802.11n router with 5ghz capabilities that can run DD-WRT.

[Striker @ Jun 23rd 2008 9:47PM]

You do realize that the Apple routers are made of the exact same parts as any other router, right? All you are paying for is the Apple Tax and what you think is better because it is Apple.

[sinjinn @ Jun 23rd 2008 9:47PM]

it slices , it dices,yes , with the apple router i lost 50lb in 2 weeks , take two routers in to the shower? not me , i use an apple router , i liked it so much a bought a share in the company.

[Frankie @ Jun 23rd 2008 10:00PM]

@sinjinn yes it slices , it dices

but does it play crysis?

[KEROLiUKAS @ Jun 23rd 2008 10:04PM]

Linksys ftw..throw some DD-WRT on it, or some other nice third party firmware..Linksys firmware sucks compared to others out there...I was amazed when i upgraded my router's firmware..

[BigBirdUK @ Jun 23rd 2008 10:04PM]

@Frankie - here's hoping your wireless rig needs rebooting......NOW!

[suhag @ Jun 23rd 2008 10:05PM]

i use a linksys router, and its been on and running for the past 4 years or so. i got the wrt54g model when it first came out. its worked flawlessly. the only reason i even mess with it is to occasionally change the wpa password or something.

[CraigJ @ Jun 23rd 2008 10:55PM]

Striker,

That is true, to a point. Linksys, D-Link, Netgear, etc have a large number of models ranging from super cheap to expensive business class models. Apple generally ranks in the upper part of the mid-range as far as performance and capabilities go.

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/component/option,com_chart/Itemid,189/chart,119/

So, it may be true that the Apple router uses the same components as a linksys router, but it certainly isn't the bottom of the barrel linksys.

The WRT54G models are the most populate Linksys routers (what I have running WW-DRT), and the Apple Airport Extreme handily beats it in all the throughput tests.

[maxamatosis @ Jun 23rd 2008 11:30PM]

I don't know what everyone is complaining about saying that their consumer routers don't work. I've been using the Netgear DG834 and the wireless variant DG834G in various situations for years without any problems, from ADSL 512k on an old noisy phone line right up to Naked ADSL2+ on a brand new phone line. I've got friends using generic crap like the OpenNetworks iConnect 634 up to the higher-end Billion 7400 modem/router combos and they all work fine. I've had to reset the routers about once every 6 months, if that. The last time I reset a router it was only because I lost the password to the administrative interface.

I think before you start ragging out EVERY networking company's consumer routers you should probably check out your ISP, phone line and line filtering first since y'all have obviously gone wrong there somewhere. Either that or you're beating your routers against rocks because you think if it gets scared it will push packets faster.

[Striker @ Jun 23rd 2008 11:36PM]

@CraigJ

I agree with what you say, but a WRT54G is hardly comparable to an Airport Extreme, for these reasons:
1) Price difference: a new WRT54G costs $49.99 off of NewEgg, whereas an Airport Extreme runs a hefty $179.99.
2) Technology difference: the Airport Extreme has the advantage of not running technology from late 2002, and supports Wireless-N and most likely is leaps and bounds better in terms of CPU and RAM capabilities.
3) Software: It is undisputed that 3rd-Party firmware like DD-WRT enhances the performance and capabilities of the WRT54G, but most users of the router just buy it, plug it in, and connect, and have no knowledge of things like "network throughput", ping, wireless spec, and firmware flashes. The average user is DEFINITELY not going to be using DD-WRT and have probably never gone to 192.168.1.1 and configured their router via the IWS (Integrated Web Server).

I agree that an Airport Extreme is a good router, but many people, and even Apple can be oblivious to the fact that it is the same hardware as any other comparable router, just in a shiny white case.

[Brandon @ Jun 24th 2008 12:08AM]

It slices, it dices, but will it blend???

[Jaime @ Jul 15th 2008 3:01PM]

Seriously? You've done something wrong if you're needing to reboot every router 2-3 times a week. Either poor setup, or if you really have that high demand circumstances, don't expect the base model to handle it.

My guess is that you DON'T have that high demands, just poor setup. In which case, Apple is an easy fix. They tend to oversimplify things because 95% of people don't want to change the defaults anyway. So if that's the kind of user you are, spend the nominal extra for Apple products with worry-free defaults.

Just don't bitch that everything else is crap.

[Frankie @ Jun 23rd 2008 9:58PM]

But you need to set the Flux Capacitor to 22 Jigahertz...

[True_Darknight @ Jun 24th 2008 12:03PM]

You hear that on Euphon's album??? hahah love that song!

[Reid @ Jun 23rd 2008 9:58PM]

When I bought my first Mac in 02, I also bought my first wireless router, back when 802.11b was the tech to have.. and yes, I paid close to double what a generic wireless router cost, because it was just so easy to buy the Apple kit when I was buying my laptop anyway, and have it covered under the same Applecare warranty.

The Airport Base Station (ABS) worked flawlessly for about 3 years, at which point it puked entirely. I took it apart and noticed it had a WiFi card just like my laptop's internal (under the keyboard) card. So I swapped them; the bad card worked great in my laptop, and the laptop card worked flawlessly in the ABS until I sold it a bit later.

Ever since then I've bought Linksys and Netgear routers. I just have a hard time paying more than double for the Apple wifi router. I'll probably never buy another Apple router again, but they really do work as advertised. I've never seen a consumer D-Link/Netgear/Linksys setup that didn't need to be rebooted at least once a week.

They may be built of the same h/w, but it seems that, on average, the Apple kit just works better. I don't care enough to pay for it, but if you do care about constant router resets (or if you are afraid of the oh-so-complicated web-based GUI installs that the other companies provide), it might be worth the money to you.

[KEROLiUKAS @ Jun 23rd 2008 10:06PM]

When i had Linksys original firmware i would experience this once in a while, a reset once in a few months, but when i threw DD-WRT on there, rock stable ever since, even better signal for wifi...

[William Curtis @ Jun 23rd 2008 10:12PM]

Thank you Reid! My main issue is having to explain to my non techie wife and 11 year old son why the "internet is not working". So let's do the math. I would pay $5 for every time I do not have to deal with that. If you disagree with this figure, what is your time worth? Based on $5 per event, and I have had NONE in 8 months, where I used to have 2 to 3 per WEEK, that is a savings of $172.00!!! If it were just myself, I could probably deal with it and save the cash. However, the fact that the other brands NEVER worked as they should have always pissed me off. They were stealing my hard earned $$$$$$$$$$$$$. So now I have pocketed $172 of my time (which the savings will only grow as we move forward) and I do not have to deal with the marriage wrecking problems of being the family IT guy. Am I the only guy who gets this?

[BigBirdUK @ Jun 23rd 2008 10:14PM]

Sit down, write an article about a new 5Ghz router in the "affordable" price bracket.

Post.

Sit down and wait for the usual flame wars, manufacturing grievances and the like.

Hope that the click revenue from datingdirect and the like pays for your retirement.

[PeterF @ Jun 23rd 2008 10:57PM]

HAH a minute of your time is worth $5? Thats how long it took to reset a router last time I checked.
Anyways, I never reset my buffalo router which I paid just $40 for.

[CraigJ @ Jun 23rd 2008 11:00PM]

Your laptop might see a better signal (I have mine boosted to 100, and I can see the router two houses away) but generally the TX signal of you laptop is the limiting feature.

RDP into your desktop and monitor the signal strength of you laptop as you walk up the street...

[t3_slider @ Jun 23rd 2008 11:07PM]

I once had an old D-Link router that was absolute hell. It needed to be rebooted constantly because the wireless kept going down. That being said, it was really easy to configure and aside from the rebooting, it was reliable. I bought another D-Link router more recently and never have to reboot it. It has more options, it's still easy to setup, and it never needs to be rebooted. I changed the password on it recently and was upset when my 93 day uptime was reset to zero (93 days before that there must have been a power out or a reset of the DHCP connection). To bash a brand based on one bad experience is foolish. To buy an overpriced router because it has an Apple stamp and to claim that it's perfect and every other router is absolute crap is downright stupid. There are some good routers and some lemons out there. I have had bad experiences with Linksys routers (two of them), so I will kind of avoid them in the future -- that is, unless it can be flashed with DD-WRT. But I'm sure there are some nice Linksys routers out there that would change my mind.

The Apple fanboyism is really sad, and comes through in EVERY article. D-Link is a nice company, and you can apparently get a 5 GHz n router for $79. Not bad.

[maxamatosis @ Jun 23rd 2008 11:35PM]

>I've never seen a consumer D-Link/Netgear/Linksys setup that didn't need
>to be rebooted at least once a week.

Now that's just an outright lie. Either that or none of your friends actually have a broadband connection and they just leave the box there blinking, not even plugged into the wall.

[William Curtis @ Jun 23rd 2008 10:17PM]

datingdirect? wtf??

[BigBirdUK @ Jun 23rd 2008 10:26PM]

one of the many sites advertised on engadget.

not one i frequent i hasten to add!

[Cactus @ Jun 24th 2008 3:47PM]

The ads you see on Engadget reflect your surfing habits elsewhere on the Web, thanks to all those cookies you acquire along the way.

In other words, I see mostly Apple ads on Engadget while surfing at work. (Which is often kind of redundant.)

And on my home computer which I share with my wife, I see Levis ads, sometimes Victoria's Secret...

Odds are someone who sees DatingDirect ads is someone who visits those sites. I've never seen any dating site ads on Engadget.

[The Angry Intern @ Jun 23rd 2008 10:20PM]

didn't they already try this 5GHz thing with 802.11a? yeah, that went over well, as I remember /sarcasm

[Michael LaFramboise @ Jun 23rd 2008 10:26PM]

So... what exactly do you suggest? That we just keep using 2.4GHz till hell freezes over?

Hell, why not go back to 802.11g, or b for that matter?

[Benson @ Jun 23rd 2008 10:35PM]

What part of "dual-band" don't you understand? And yes, it went over well; I have an a/b/g/n NIC in my notebook to prove it.

[phanbouy @ Jun 24th 2008 12:26AM]

i remember way back when someone called you Michael LaFanboy. that was funny.

[Michael LaFramboise @ Jun 24th 2008 3:20AM]

phaunboy,

this the one you talking about; http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/28/apple-macbook-pro-with-penryn-and-multi-touch-unboxing/ ?

Took me like 30 minutes to find it :p

[Rob @ Jun 23rd 2008 10:24PM]

Buffalo routers FTW. I have three of those puppies setup throughout my house using WDS and it's beautiful. The only downfall to that is that it uses WEP. Other than that, it rocks. I don't do any resets at all.

[BigBirdUK @ Jun 23rd 2008 10:27PM]

@Rob

WEP is crackable in 5 minutes. I'm not digging your photo collection at all!!!!!

[Rob @ Jun 23rd 2008 10:30PM]

@BigBirdUK
Unfortunately that's the case. However, I'd be moving up to http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-BL-PA100KTA-Ethernet-Definition-Communication/dp/B000FZXHGO/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1214274620&sr=8-1 as soon as the price comes down a bit.

[michas_pi @ Jun 23rd 2008 10:35PM]

Buffalo routers are incredible; too bad they can't manufacture them anymore.

http://www.buffalotech.com/products/wireless/

[BigBirdUK @ Jun 23rd 2008 10:36PM]

@Rob

In which case, worth buying the following from Amazon at the same time.

http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AKDL1-Dedicated-Link-Cable/dp/tech-data/B000I1X6PM/ref=de_a_smtd

Well worth reading the reader reviews.

[Rob @ Jun 23rd 2008 10:38PM]

@michas_pi
I heard about this a while and ago and was disappointed to say the least. Hopefully they can bypass this and come out with something new in the "n" protocol. Their routers are great. I'd buy another one without a second thought.

[Rob @ Jun 23rd 2008 10:47PM]

@BigBirdUK.
What's the point of your reply. I think a $500 Cat-5 cable is plenty foolish. That's creative that not even Monster Cables has manage to come up with. So, I'd laugh along with the silly reviews. On the other hand, the Panasonic unit I've mentioned seems to have pretty good reviews and worth the try. Other than running wire throughout my house, which is not an easy task considering the distance I'd have to cover and the PCs being in opposite corners of the house. Well, I'd be a nightmare to go that route. And, my PCI wireless cards are capable of picking up the signal, but not strong enough to send signal back to the router's location in my basement.