WiFi Range Extender Which Actually Works
Pros:
Good performance and relative ease of set-up.
Cons:
"Virtually" all WiFi supported means there will be some incompatibilities.
The Bottom Line:
A range extender adds a layer of complexity to any WiFi network but the G710 seems a fair compromise of all considerations, offering good performance and price.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
The D-Link DLW-G710 is a major improvement on previous D-Link range extenders. This one uses a built-in wizard to locate a WiFi network and guide the user into setting it up correctly. That said, there are some caveats with this product.
When first released for sale, this was sold as being "only" compatible with a handful of D-Link wireless routers such as the DI-624 series. D-Link was very specific about this, going so far as to specify the router firmware version that this extender would support. Today, this is being sold as a "Works with virtually all 802.11g wireless devices." It's the "virtually" which means it may not be totally compatible with all routers from all makers available today. That said, if it works with the router, it should work with the rest of the wireless network in terms of computers, printers, etc.
The setup wizard is a major improvement over previous D-Link offerings. Setup was easy and fast. It recognized my DI-624 router and prompted me to enter additional information. You will need to know your router's SSID, authentication type (open system or shared key), WEP level (64 or 128 bit), whether you are using a HEX or ASCII key and the key itself. Once those boxes are filled in correctly, it should come up, connect and replicate the router's signal.
The G710 has been relatively well-behaved, only losing its mind during an occasional power glitsch. Simply unplugging the power cable and plugging it back in clears this.
I have noticed that the signal range of the extender is even better than that of the router. In fact, one problem I encountered was that a fixed-location PC kept trying to connect to the extender rather than the router. The problem here was that the computer was seeing an IP conflict of the router and the extender but I suspect this is a WiFi card problem in that particular PC. Three different laptops by three different manufacturers have no trouble handing off between the G710 and the router without interpreting any conflicts.
Speed is excellent. Although this device is repeating a signal, only a very small speed drop has been observed. Wireless printers connect back to the router easily just as PCs do.
Any device logged onto the extender will NOT appear in the router's status list of devices logged-on, but those devices will appear in the router's access log.
Repeating a signal on a wireless network is a task filled with compromises and this exender does a better job than most and is a huge improvement over the DWL-G800 which preceded it to the marketplace.
Like other D-Link products, one can change antennas on this extender to add a directional or boosted antenna.
