We tested the DGL-4500 with D-Link's Xtreme N Notebook adapter (DWA-652) and were very happy with its showing on our maximum throughput (N-only) benchmark. Its score of 81.9 Mbps is among the highest we've seen, though still nowhere close to the theoretical max of 300Mbps the 802.11n specification or the old D-Link DIR-655's score of 112.6 Mbps. On our mixed mode test, where the router is forced to work with 802.11n and legacy 802.11b/g devices, the score was reduced to 50.9 Mbps, which is about on par with others. In our range test, the score was further reduced to 27.0 Mbps, more than acceptable when you compare it with the competition.
We tested the range of the D-Link by gradually increasing the range until the signal dropped. In our admittedly cluttered test environment, we were able to get a steady signal at 300 feet. While we were generally happy with the throughput and the range, we were a little concerned about the D-Link's reliability, even at shorter ranges. In our anecdotal test simulating a heavy load, the router randomly reset on more than one occasion. Even though it took only a second or two for the signal to get back on, this could easily frustrate gamers. Though chances most of the time routers are not used with heavy loads, we hope that this problem was only with the test unit or will be fixed with in the next firmware update. (The router was tested with its 1.02 firmware, the latest at the time of testing.)
D-Link ships the DGL-4500 with a standard one-year warranty, which is average for a home router. Its Web site offers very good support information including downloads, FAQs, and a searchable knowledgebase. The technical support phone line is available 24-7. We tried the number listed on the Web site and after having to go through many layers of automated options we were put on hold for about 7 minutes before reaching a representative who was very helpful and knowledgeable.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Throughput in Mbps (TCP) |
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Throughput in Mbps (TCP) |
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Throughput in Mbps (TCP) |
Find out more about how we test networking gear.
