Expert’s Rating
Pros
- Remote monitoring and control via iPad or Android
- Inexpensive
- Option to hide geeky networking options
Cons
- Still a bit buggy
- Limited to 2×2 antenna array (300 mbps max)
- No support for 5GHz band
- Switch is 10/100 ethernet only
Our Verdict
The D-Link Cloud Router may not win performance contests, but it’s inexpensive and it lets you monitor and control network activity remotely via iPhone and Android apps.
Street-priced at a modest $40 (as of May 1, 2012), the Cloud Router supports iPhone and Android apps that let you log in over the Internet and see what devices are connected and what websites they’re accessing. If you don’t like what you see, you can also use the apps to block connected devices from getting online.
These kinds of remote access features aren’t new, but the Cloud Router and its mobile apps make them exceptionally easy for even the most nontechnical folks to set up and use. In my tests, the features worked, though with a few annoying glitches.
The setup wizard detects broadband type and guides you through creating a Wi-Fi encryption key. To use the remote access features, however, you must also register with the free Mydlink service, which involves creating a user ID and a password. Mydlink started out as a service designed to allow people with D-Link Internet-connected webcams to see images beamed by the cameras, but it is now expanding to add the Cloud Router’s networking features.
In my tests, I ran into two difficulties: First, the date and time stamps on the Web-browsing history were off, indicating that the activity had occurred in November 2011. D-Link told me that this happened because the router’s internal clock hadn’t been adjusted during setup, but I couldn’t remember being advised to set the router clock at that time. Once I made the adjustment (by going into the advanced manual setup interface), the date and time discrepancies disappeared (though only for browsing that took place after I changed the router’s internal clock).
Asked whether having the ability to access network information might also expose a user’s devices to intruders, D-Link officials pointed out that all of the information comes from the router itself: It doesn’t log in to your machines to collect browsing information, for example.
Overall, I would recommend the DIR-605L to people who are willing to sacrifice some performance for the ability to monitor network activity from afar. The router’s lack of 5GHz support, in particular, is disappointing for city dwellers, who often knock each other off the narrow 2.4GHz band that the Cloud Router supports, and the 2×2 antenna array supports theoretical top speeds of only 300 mbps (new routers with a larger number of antennas are rated at up to 600 mbps). Also, some business users who want a fast wired network for backups or large file transfers will be put off by the lack of gigabit ethernet support.
That said, the DIR-605L is probably speedy enough for most general tasks that don’t involve a lot of streaming media, and its remote access features will likely appeal to certain small-business owners, parents, and others who want to keep tabs on network activity. The relatively low price should clinch the deal.