D-Link AirPlus DI-614+ review

As dozens of cookie-cutter products continue to crowd the Wi-Fi market, D-Link differentiates itself with its new, inexpensive AirPlus DI-614+ wireless router. Underneath its sleek, silver-and-gray styling, the unit houses an enhanced Texas Instruments 802.11b chip that claims to boost throughput by as much as 20 percent. Aimed at SOHO users, the DI-614+ delivers ease of use, good performance, and exceptional security. Unfortunately, we found its range and warranty disappointing. As dozens of cookie-cutter products continue to crowd the Wi-Fi market, D-Link differentiates itself with its new, inexpensive AirPlus DI-614+ wireless router. Underneath its sleek, silver-and-gray styling, the unit houses an enhanced Texas Instruments 802.11b chip that claims to boost throughput by as much as 20 percent. Aimed at SOHO users, the DI-614+ delivers ease of use, good performance, and exceptional security. Unfortunately, we found its range and warranty disappointing.

It's all in there
The $150 DI-614+ offers a lot for the price. The unit sports four Ethernet ports and one WAN port for connecting a cable/DSL modem or an existing wired network. The device comes complete with a six-foot Ethernet cable, an AC adapter, and gray, snap-in rubber feet that let you position the router vertically or horizontally. Unfortunately, the unit ships without any wall-mounting hardware. An illustrated Quick Installation Guide clearly explains how to set up the router, and the included CD contains a thorough, 71-page electronic manual with step-by-step help for networking printers. Additionally, the product's two antennae rotate 360 degrees.

The easy-to-use, Web-based setup wizard holds the user's hand through configuration of the router. After you add the type of IP connection (static, dynamic, or PPPoE), the SSID info, and the WEP encryption level, the router restarts and does the rest. Like other products, the DI-614+ comes with WEP security turned off, with an SSID of default, and with DHCP activated; we suggest you immediately change these parameters to more secure ones.

Security-conscious
The Advanced screen of the Configuration Utility offers a host of security options. For example, you can create a virtual server for remote operations; restrict network access using MAC addresses; filter or block specific domains, URLs, or keywords such as XXX or sex; and set firewall rules for allowing or denying entry to your network. The DI-614+ also supports ultrasecure 256-bit WEP encryption, although you'll need D-Link hardware to take advantage of it.

As an added bonus, D-Link incorporates Zero-Knowledge Systems' Freedom tools, including Ad Blocker, Keyword Alert, Cookie Manager, Secure Form Filler, and Secure Password Manager. You also can subscribe to the company's entire Freedom security suite for an introductory rate of $49.95.

In CNET Labs' tests, the DI-614+ performed very well overall. It peaked at a strong 4.8Mbps in standard mode, trailing the Belkin wireless cable/DSL gateway router and the SMC Barricade wireless broadband router by just 100Kbps. In its proprietary, 22Mbps mode, bandwidth jumped to 6.3Mbps. However, you have to use a D-Link AirPlus DWL-650+ wireless CardBus adapter or AirPlus DWL-520+ wireless PCI adapter for the scheme to work. In wired mode, it sent data at 91.5Mbps--the leader in its class. Despite being able to pump the bits, however, the DI-614+ had a shorter range than a typical Wi-Fi router in hands-on testing.