The D-Link DGL-4300 Wireless Router: Speed and Reliability!

After experiencing some issues with our wireless connection being slow at home, I decided to order a new router. We had the cable company take a look at our internet connection and re-wire everything, so I knew it wasn’t the cable company. My profession requires most of my time spent online, so internet speed is crucial. I decided to upgrade our Netgear wireless router to the D-Link DGL-4300. I chose it because of the “GameFuel” technology which reduces latency.

I bought this item on Amazon.com, and it cost $141.99. Anything over $25 on Amazon qualifies for “super saver shipping”, so I didn’t have to pay anything for shipping.

▪ What You Get ▪

There are several accessories that come with the DGL-4300. The main unit itself has an attractive sleek black exterior, with bright blue LED’s. This is a unique-looking router, and does not look like our previous typical routers. I use the vertical stand with the router, so that it stands sideways.

- Detachable antenna, which boosts your signal.
- CAT5 ethernet cable, to connect to the internet.
- 5V power adapter
- Mounting kit – should you want to mount this item to the wall
- Vertical stand – for saving space
- CD-Rom, manual, installation guide

▪ Setup & Security ▪

This router was pretty easy to set up, and there are lots of different configuration options. I plugged in the Ethernet cable in, and configured the router through the built-in web server. The web interface is very easy to use, and is user-friendly, including a setup wizard. This included the security features, and I set up WPA security. Although the process is simplified, there are also many advanced settings that you can configure. No worries about unauthorized users or access to our network.

There are two types of security built into this router. There’s Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), as well as 128-bit Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP). To protect from hackers, etc., there’s firewall protection- Integrated Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI), and Network Address Translation (NAT).

▪ Performance ▪

After issues with previous routers – slow performance, hang-ups, losing a signal – this router has not let me down. Prior frustrations with routers slowing down and having to be restarted are no longer an issue. This saves quite a bit of time, having to check the internet connection and the router, and trying to figure out where the problem is coming from. The router supports speeds up to 108 Mbps, 802.11g wireless connectivity.

The signal strength on this router is pretty strong, and it comes with a 5dBi high-gain antenna. Both my wife and I rely solely on wireless connections with our laptops, including wireless printing. We’re moving into a larger house shortly, and I this was an important factor in my decision. The range is supposed to be up to 200 feet.

We don’t use the DGL-4300 for gaming, but performance in general is wonderful. This router was designed with gamers in mind, and although it doesn’t get used for gaming, we have plenty of other wireless traffic in our household, from downloads, to uploads, to general web surfing. I cannot attest to the gaming features built into this router, but the GameFuel technology does a good job – it is essentially a packet prioritizing technology, which sorts and prioritizes packets.

▪ Cons ▪

One of the things that can be annoying about this wireless router are the LED’s. There is a row of bright blue LED’s on the front of the router, which blink regularly. This is fine in the daytime, but it can be annoying at night, especially if you were to have it in your bedroom or where you were trying to watch TV. The lights look nice, but otherwise, there is no need for them to be that bright.

A big con is the price – this is definitely an expensive router. Our previous routers were easily less than half the price.

▪ The Verdict ▪

This is a great router which well outperforms our previous routers. I have no complaints about it other than the price. I feel that I can really rely on this router.


http://www.dlink.com/