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DLink DI-604 by The Big Geek on 8/4/2007 3:37:45 PM Networking

DLink DI-604The D-Link DI-604 is no longer in production or sale at retail stores.  However, this unit is still considered to be one of the best home routers available and can still be purchased used and new on Ebay and other on-line retailers. Many gamers swear by this unit as it is robust, reliable and simple to configure. Current listings on Ebay range from $15.00 to $45.00 depending on the condition of the unit.  Verizon shipped the DI-604 exclusively for many months with its FiOS service.

The D-Link DI-604 was released by D-Link with functionality specifically designed for the home market and includes functionality for DHCP and uPnP, as well as code specifically implemented for Microsoft"s XBox and XBox Live.  The D-Link  DI-604 also includes a firewall and filtering implementation for filtering un-wanted sites.  For example, you can filter any URL with the word "sex" in the URL as well as block the site www.sex.com explicitly.  Another added functionality is IP Blocking based on the time of day (or permanently if you wish).  This feature allows you to turn off your children"s Internet connection at 10:00pm if that were their bedtime.

The DI-604 is an Ethernet Broadband Router. What does that mean? It will allow you to share a single broadband internet connection among several devices.  Not just your home PC and Notebook, but XBox, Playstation and VOIP phone too for example. If it’s an Ethernet enabled device, then you can plug it into the DI-604 and access your broadband Internet connection.

Another great feature of the DI-604 is the cable test feature.  This feature is accessed via the web interface and allows you to test connectivity from the DI-604 to your devices and PCs.  If your XBox can"t connect, the first thing you should do is run a cable test to see if the DI-604 sees your XBox.  For first time users setting up their own home network, we find this feature to be invaluable.

The front of the DI-604 includes several status LEDs including Power, WAN and Link indicators for each of the four Ethernet ports (these are used for connecting your devices).  If you have more than four devices you can plug any of these four ports into a existing or new Ethernet switch.  The WAN port will be plugged into your Cable or DSL modem.

Installation of the DI-604 is simple.  In fact, probably one of the most simple installations out there.  Plug the WAN port into your ISPs modem and then all of your devices and/or computers into the four LAN ports.

 

 

 

You might be surprised, but in most cases, the DI-604 is smart enough to pick up the rest of your configuration and start serving your systems with Internet access.  The only caveat is that your ISP will need to support DHCP.  If your provider uses PPPoE or some other non-standard connectivity, just point your web browser at the DI-604"s management page (http://192.168.1.1 is the default) and select your ISP"s authentication preferences.  For PPPoE you"ll need to enter your username and password (provided by your ISP).

Overall we rate the DI-604 with 5 stars and highly recommend it for home networks, especially where gaming is involved. -MPH

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