DLink Wireless 22MBPS Broadband Enhanced Router

The D-Link AirPlus DI-614+ Wireless Router's claim to fame is its 22-mbps "Plus" mode, ostensibly twice as fast as the usual (11-mbps) 802.11b wireless connection and made possible by a new Texas Instruments chip set found in products from U.S. Robotics and others.

In our testing, the D-Link was indeed the speed champ, posting the fastest throughput when clients were in close range and signal strength was high. Even 11-mpbs clients ran a little faster when used with the D-Link router. When we moved clients about 40 feet away from the router, with intervening wall and floor obstructions, however, signal strength dropped to about 50 percent, and speeds dropped slightly below those of the top-rated 11-mbps units. Even at 50 percent strength, though, the D-Link performed better than most gateways.

The AirPlus DI-614+ has other advantages besides speed. It offers 256-bit encryption--the strongest available--extensive parental control features, and deep firewall configuration options. Router setup was simple, and a handy quick installation guide led us through the procedure in just a few minutes. Installing client drivers went less smoothly. We had to backtrack through a couple uninstalls and restarts to get each adapter working properly, despite following the very specific setup instructions.

The router's firewall features are excellent and easy to implement if you use the examples in the manual. For example, you can designate particular computers as Web or FTP servers, which are visible to the Internet. You can even set a schedule for access. Home users will probably make the greatest use of the special application support (such as enabling particular ports for games), parental control options (such as URL and domain blocking), and MAC filtering. MAC filtering allows you to block Web access to a specific device on a network by using its unique hardware identifier or MAC (for Media Access Control). The AirPlus DI-614+ can be managed from a remote location, and network managers will appreciate its extensive logging and traffic statistics functions.

UPSHOT: The D-Link AirPlus DI-614+ offers advanced features such as a 22-mbps mode, 256-bit encryption, and deep firewall configuration options. It also offers a three-year warranty and a four-port ethernet switch. Combined with its excellent performance, these features make D-Link's gateway a great value.

SUMMARY

D-Link AirPlus DI-614+ Web-based setup, up to 256-bit encryption, four LAN ethernet ports, IP/content filters and parental control features, virtual server feature with configurable ports, 22-mbps mode; three-year parts and labor warranty; toll-call phone support, free e-mail support. $125 800/326-1688 www.dlink.com