Inside Story: D-Link DIR-825 vs. DIR-855

[Daniel]

[article link] wow... now I'm annoyed. After 1 month and a half I still haven't received the WRT610N so I have a chance to cancel. Should I go with the 825 or 610? I liked the USB port of the 610N to maybe share a USB key but I know it cannot handle printer. Now the 825 claim to handle both and maybe review will be better than all I am reading about the 610.

Maybe next week they will finally get 610 in stock and it will be too late. Hard decision.

 

[jdabbs]

If you rate print server capability over top wireless performance, I'd say cancel your order and wait for the 825 review. Unless you purchased the 610 for less than the prevailing rate ($155), you don't have much to lose if you choose to purchase it after all.

 

[tipstir]

Just wait and cancel your order and get the 825. I'll do the same and not purchase any N wireless access point and turn my existing DIR-655 A3 1.11 into N wireless access point. Then use the 825 as the main router take advantage of the USB and more processing speed.

 

[Daniel]

Well I don't really know what I really need. No need for wireless before but my gf have a Mac and would like that. We also have a Wii but we never play, was fun the 1st month only. And finally we have a iPod video that can use wireless. As for my PC I use it wired since I play online sometimes.

Of course I want best of both world. The one that will offer the best range. I'm not into HD streaming yet but maybe I will in 2009. My gf won't notice any difference in perf if I get one or another. It's only a matter of trying to get the best like anyone.

I like LinkSys new look but maybe internal antennas won't prove to be efficient like external ones?

We currently have a Samsung laser printer that we switch the cable from one computer to another, maybe having it plugged into the router would save us from doing this. But maybe it would not work too so it's a guess.

Yet I haven't cancelled and will look for reviews.

Thanks

 

[jdabbs]

HD streaming is a dicey proposition for any wireless solution.

As for range, effective throughput is as valid a measure as signal strength. In that respect, the 825 is at a disadvantage by having less antennas to transmit with. I wouldn't discount the Linksys unit just yet. Fortunately, the 610 was tested with the current "open air" methodology, so it should be easy to gauge ranged performance between the two.

Have you considered connecting the laser printer to your PC and just using a network share?

 

[thiggins]

If you are in a hurry, I would not wait for the 825 just yet. D-Link said they are a "couple of weeks away" from finishing testing of the product. Remember also that they have not officially announced.

 

[tipstir]

Powerline shortcoming for those who have re-wiring that don't always seem to connect with the rest of the house, just can't use powerline. Wireless SD/HD has to do so much when it works great and then when it drops oh boy! So Ethernet cable ran outside and back indoor those odd areas will do the trick then you can use 10/100/1000 gig for rigs that support gig for HD media streaming.

 

[Daniel]

Have you considered connecting the laser printer to your PC and just using a network share?

No! It may be an idea since my PC is always ON. Wonder how easy it is to share a printer from a PC then use a Mac to print... I will have to take a look.

 

[Daniel]

If you are in a hurry, I would not wait for the 825 just yet.

No hurry.. I have the 610 on order for a month now and they still haven't received it. I keep it there because I think I managed to get a good price at 161$ Canadian.

 

[jdabbs]

No! It may be an idea since my PC is always ON. Wonder how easy it is to share a printer from a PC then use a Mac to print... I will have to take a look.

I haven't done it, but it doesn't look too difficult. Biggest gotcha is keeping the printer share name short enough.

 

[FromAtoN]

4500 Replacement?

Maybe it's a replacement for the DGL-4500? There was a $20 rebate last month and another for it this month. Rebates are usually used before a price drop and a product replacement. Or maybe it is an 855 replacement since I can't find anyone that really has one in stock.

 

[thiggins]

Maybe it's a replacement for the DGL-4500?

Who knows? Since it is dual-radio, it's more likely an 855 replacement.

 

[Mr_David_David]

Dir-825 Initial thoughts.... Disapointing!

Well it is safe to say that so far I am extremely unimpressed with the Dir 825... Let me just say that I own a Dir 655 and so far the 655 has a stronger signal on the 2.4 channel and much better throughput. Now For some odd reason i can not get the appropriate upload speeds even when connected via LAN port. I am getting roughly 4oo kbps at the most when i always got 1800 at the very least wirelessly with the 655. All this was using the same legacy g/b integrated broad-com network card that my laptop has. I am going to meddle with the settings a bit more before I give up on the 825. I am a bit disappointed to be honest

 

[thiggins]

Where did you purchase the DIR-825?

 

[Flats]

SO what should I get

Looks like no definitive answers here. Just bricked my old but steady Linksys WRT54GS and am looking for a good high speed wireless router. I was only getting about 50% signal from my bedroom to my office so since I have the funds wanted to be sure I got the router with the best wireless throughput. Also, just as a side question? On speedtest.net (on my wired connection), I would get between 12 and 16 Mbps ( I expect that ). My neighbor gave me a netgear something or other (older model) and the best I can get is 6 - 8 MBps. What determines the routers throughput?

Thanks

 

[tipstir]

http://www.techonweb.com/products/productdetail.aspx?id=A02RBB
That link as it for $141 cheaper than the rest. Should we all buy it or not? The good neighbor feature might put off some of use who don't want to lose our signal strength so our neighbor can have a great signal where as we won't be so lucky. For those who have this unit already.

 

[InToGraphics]

D-Link DIR-855 Router recall

Hi All,

On 24th November my current ADSL subscription ends.
I'll probably subscribe to the fastest of these 2 cable subscriptions : UPC Fiber Power Internet
It's regular cable (everywhere where there's telly), but with the name they are stabbing at all the starting glass fiber (limited availability) and established DSL IPs (much slower).
I'm looking to buy 2 routers :
3 desktops, 3 notebooks (5 days 1, on weekends +2 guest notebooks) : wireless N, 5Ghz
Wii, PS3, PSP, N98 8GB, iPod Touch : wireless G, 2.4 Ghz
So I thought DIR-855 (@5Ghz) and DIR-655 (@2.4Ghz), or maybe 2 x Linksys WRT610N (one @5Ghz and one at 2.4Ghz).
I also want to be able to fall back to one modem if one dies on me.

So I was reading and comparing the DIR-855 and the WRT600N reviews, and bump into the last page of the DIR-855 review.
I thought, what an eye opener : WRT600N/WRT610N is cheaper and faster.
But investigating the speed issue a bit further, I bumped into this news article : D-Link DIR-855 recall (see last paragraph)
With the news article date of 27-03-2008, and the review date of 12-06-2008, I would assume that the reviewed router was not affected anymore.
But I'm looking for confirmation, before I pull the trigger.

BTW, any suggestions for 2 routers purposed as described above, and matching the (Down/Up) 60/6Mbps 120/10Mbps speeds of the cable subscriptions are welcomed.

Robert

 

[jdabbs]

"I also want to be able to fall back to one modem if one dies on me."

Do you plan a multiple WAN setup, or did you mean routers?

A WRT610N may not be adequate for the 120d/10u connection. The WAN->LAN router chart has it benchmarked at ~135Mbps, but other factors (NAT load, QoS, LAN<>WLAN traffic, etc) may reduce its field performance to the point it becomes the connection bottleneck.

The DIR-825 has lower performance than the 855, but similar capabilities and a much better price/performance ratio. You may wish to additionally consider it.

 

[tipstir]

All this new wireless gear seems to not ready for prime as of yet. Quality control is very poor on netgear side and Dlink DIR-655 seems to be the last one that was designed and made well. So many users have so much problem with the latest firmware update. I though the DIR-825 would be better bet, but seems to be the same as the 855 woes.

 

[InToGraphics]

"I also want to be able to fall back to one modem if one dies on me."

Do you plan a multiple WAN setup, or did you mean routers?

A WRT610N may not be adequate for the 120d/10u connection. The WAN->LAN router chart has it benchmarked at ~135Mbps, but other factors (NAT load, QoS, LAN<>WLAN traffic, etc) may reduce its field performance to the point it becomes the connection bottleneck.

The DIR-825 has lower performance than the 855, but similar capabilities and a much better price/performance ratio. You may wish to additionally consider it.

Yes! My bad. I meant routers, not modems. No multiple WAN, just one IP. No second IP.
Basically I want the "G" and "N" devices completely separated (i.e. on different routers). Also, the "G" devices (gadgets, consoles) @2.4Ghz and the "N" devices (PCs, laptops) @5Ghz. But because I want to be able to fall back to one router when one dies on me, both routers should be capable of "G" and "N" @2.4Ghz (maybe also 5Ghz).
And indeed the WAN to LAN throughput of the WRT610N looks terrible. Thanks for pointing that one out. Also, I just noticed that the WRT610N has a 100Mbit WAN port, whereas DIR-655 and DIR-855 have a 1Gbps WAN port. I don't know if it matters much, but the down speed of the 120Mbps subscription is real and proven (approximately -8Mbps = 112Mbps net). And with a 100Mbps WAN port, I would be capping the incoming connection with 12Mbps already. Unless I miss something, that would be bad with so many devices connecting.

All this new wireless gear seems to not ready for prime as of yet. Quality control is very poor on netgear side and Dlink DIR-655 seems to be the last one that was designed and made well. So many users have so much problem with the latest firmware update. I though the DIR-825 would be better bet, but seems to be the same as the 855 woes.

I'm with you on the DIR-655, but it has only the 2.4Ghz radio.
And in the area of our house, there are already many 2.4 Ghz networks.
Are the 825 and 855 really still struggling ?
If so, what are they still struggling with ?


The cable company UPC offers the WPN824 & WNR3500 wireless routers : with their subscriptions.
Click the tab "Wat heb ik nodig?" = "What do I need?".

Also I need to pull the trigger because the 24th is nearing. Still plenty of time, but because there is no perfect router, I'm forced to keep jumping around.


EDIT:
I want one router to be able to stream HD content. I'll forfeit this capability in case the router with this capability goes south.
It's not getting easier.