Reliability of DLink

  • Thread starter Thread starter Michael Culley
  • Start date Start date
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Michael Culley

I've purchased a few dlink routers for myself and customers. So far I've had

DI-624+ keeps resetting itself, did this straight out of the box.
DI-614+ won't power up, power supply ok.
DI-614+ powers up but can't get to web interface, have done a recovery but
no good.
DI-something+ Wireless access point, scrambled setting when new, had to do a
factory reset to use.
DI-604+ waiting for customer to return, sounds like it is dead.

So far I've only sold 9 of them! If you count the wireless access point as
working I've managed to get a bit over 50% of them to work. Three of the
working ones are the older DI-804V and the other is a DI-604+ which I only
sold a few weeks ago so hasn't had time to break down, but I'm sure it will.

Has anyone else had the same problems with DLink? I think I'll start selling
billion routers....

Cheers,
Michael Culley
 
I find that surprising. I have 2 here (604 and 614+) with no problems and
have installed at least a dozen for clients including these models, DWL900+
APs, and a few others without ever running into a defective unit.
 
Michael Culley said:
I've purchased a few dlink routers for myself and customers. So far I've had

DI-624+ keeps resetting itself, did this straight out of the box.
DI-614+ won't power up, power supply ok.
DI-614+ powers up but can't get to web interface, have done a recovery but
no good.
DI-something+ Wireless access point, scrambled setting when new, had to do a
factory reset to use.
DI-604+ waiting for customer to return, sounds like it is dead.

So far I've only sold 9 of them! If you count the wireless access point as
working I've managed to get a bit over 50% of them to work. Three of the
working ones are the older DI-804V and the other is a DI-604+ which I only
sold a few weeks ago so hasn't had time to break down, but I'm sure it will.

Has anyone else had the same problems with DLink? I think I'll start selling
billion routers....

Cheers,
Michael Culley
Click to expand...

I've got a DSL-504 and it seems to work well, I've never had any
problems. It seems to be better than what a lot of people I know
have. At first I had a billion one, but it wouldn't work with BT for
some reason. The shop changed it to a DLink for me because somebody
else had the same problem with the billion one.
 
I've purchased a few dlink routers for myself and customers. So far I've had

DI-624+ keeps resetting itself, did this straight out of the box.
DI-614+ won't power up, power supply ok.
DI-614+ powers up but can't get to web interface, have done a recovery but
no good.
DI-something+ Wireless access point, scrambled setting when new, had to do a
factory reset to use.
DI-604+ waiting for customer to return, sounds like it is dead.

So far I've only sold 9 of them! If you count the wireless access point as
working I've managed to get a bit over 50% of them to work. Three of the
working ones are the older DI-804V and the other is a DI-604+ which I only
sold a few weeks ago so hasn't had time to break down, but I'm sure it will.

Has anyone else had the same problems with DLink? I think I'll start selling
billion routers....

Cheers,
Michael Culley
Click to expand...

I had the power supply on a DLink ethernet switch melt down. I've never
had a problem with Linksys, you might want to swithc to them.
 
I've purchased a few dlink routers for myself and customers. So far I've had

DI-624+ keeps resetting itself, did this straight out of the box.
Click to expand...

Keeps resetting?
DI-614+ won't power up, power supply ok.
DI-614+ powers up but can't get to web interface, have done a recovery but
no good.
Recovery?

DI-something+ Wireless access point, scrambled setting when new, had to do a
factory reset to use.
DI-604+ waiting for customer to return, sounds like it is dead.
Click to expand...

But initially worked...so could easily be the fault of the customer.

Did you purchase all these from the same supplier? Are you sure that
they'd never been used?
So far I've only sold 9 of them! If you count the wireless access point as
working I've managed to get a bit over 50% of them to work. Three of the
working ones are the older DI-804V and the other is a DI-604+ which I only
sold a few weeks ago so hasn't had time to break down, but I'm sure it will.

Has anyone else had the same problems with DLink? I think I'll start selling
billion routers....
Click to expand...

Never had a problem with D-link, Michael...and I found their customer
support to be outstanding.


Have a nice week...

Trent©

Follow Joan Rivers' example --- get pre-embalmed!
 
Trent© said:
Keeps resetting?
Click to expand...

Yeah, it was a real pain in the butt, all the lights would go out and it
would startup again as if it had just been plugged in. It did this straight
out of the box after I used it to replace another dead dlink router. :-)
Recovery?
Click to expand...

If the router cannot be accessed through the web interface you take out the
power, hold in the reset button and power it up while holding in the reset
button for 5 seconds. It goes into recovery mode where the only thing you
can do with it is flash the bios.
But initially worked...so could easily be the fault of the customer.
Click to expand...

Maybe but his description was almost word for word the same as the problem I
had with mine. At first it worked but after a period of time the web
interface couldn't be accessed. Tried a factory reset but web interface
still not working. Tried recovery but that didn't work (in my case it worked
at first but then stopped working).
Did you purchase all these from the same supplier? Are you sure that
they'd never been used?
Click to expand...

2 different suppliers, one was Compaq/HP, the other a large Australia
wholesaler, I didn't buy these from some tax dodger at the market :-)
Never had a problem with D-link, Michael...and I found their customer
support to be outstanding.
Click to expand...

Their customer support was pretty good and I'm prepared to accept that i
might have been unlucky, but how many have you bought Trent, 1?

Michael Culley
 
Yeah, it was a real pain in the butt, all the lights would go out and it
would startup again as if it had just been plugged in. It did this straight
out of the box after I used it to replace another dead dlink router. :-)


If the router cannot be accessed through the web interface you take out the
power, hold in the reset button and power it up while holding in the reset
button for 5 seconds. It goes into recovery mode where the only thing you
can do with it is flash the bios.


Maybe but his description was almost word for word the same as the problem I
had with mine. At first it worked but after a period of time the web
interface couldn't be accessed. Tried a factory reset but web interface
still not working. Tried recovery but that didn't work (in my case it worked
at first but then stopped working).


2 different suppliers, one was Compaq/HP, the other a large Australia
wholesaler, I didn't buy these from some tax dodger at the market :-)


Their customer support was pretty good and I'm prepared to accept that i
might have been unlucky, but how many have you bought Trent, 1?
Click to expand...

Probably a few dozen...but I haven't used one in a long time...except
for my bench setup. I got a good deal on some 2-port Siemen's...and I
set them up and give them to my customers as a freebie.

Most of what you've written could easily be a configuration
problem...especially if the customer has first installed connectivity
software given to them by their ISP. This can often cause conflicts.

Don't forget...

If the customer is bringing the router back to you, yer NOT gonna be
duplicating the exact same conditions. He could easily have a modem
or other sporadic connectivity problem. If possible, its always best
to troubleshoot this kind of problem at the customer's site.

Good luck.


Have a nice week...

Trent©

Follow Joan Rivers' example --- get pre-embalmed!
 
Trent© said:
Probably a few dozen...but I haven't used one in a long time...except
for my bench setup. I got a good deal on some 2-port Siemen's...and I
set them up and give them to my customers as a freebie.
Click to expand...

I suspect the quality may have dropped with the prices. The 614+ had a power supply with it that was amazingly light, it felt like
it just had a resistor inside it. Certainly, it wasn't heavy enough to be a real transformer.
Most of what you've written could easily be a configuration
problem...especially if the customer has first installed connectivity
software given to them by their ISP. This can often cause conflicts.
Click to expand...

I don't see how, I've done a factory reset and recovery and that didn't solve the problems. :-)

I posted this question to determine if I was unlucky or if DLink are unreliable. As no-one has come back and said they've had
similar problems to such a degree I guess I've been unlucky. Still, I'm going to look at other brands. :-)
 
I suspect the quality may have dropped with the prices. The 614+ had a power supply with it that was amazingly light, it felt like
it just had a resistor inside it. Certainly, it wasn't heavy enough to be a real transformer.
Click to expand...

Most of the current generations of gear are using very similar switching
power supplies, they're all moving towards them instead of the
"transformer" type you're referring to. It's not just D-Link. I have a
couple of D-Link products with similar power supply and other Linksys and
Belkin that do as well... all work fine except the Belkin crashes (though
other Belkins with similar if not same power supply don't).

It might be as likely an overheating problem as power. I have/had several
older network equipments that had heatsinks but many of the newer ones
don't and seemed to be getting pretty hot for placing in a "stack" or
confined area without a lot of airflow. On the other hand, I added a
heatsink to an aforementioned Belkin unit that was crashing and that
didn't help, nor did replacing (using completely different) power supply.
I'd hoped for a firmware update for it but it was so inexpensive and with
wireless gear dropping in price at the time, I just gave up on it.
I don't see how, I've done a factory reset and recovery and that didn't solve the problems. :-)

I posted this question to determine if I was unlucky or if DLink are unreliable. As no-one has come back and said they've had
similar problems to such a degree I guess I've been unlucky. Still, I'm going to look at other brands. :-)
Click to expand...

So did you do the factory reset but NOT the bios flash? I might be wrong
but I though you could hold in power switch while powering on for "n"
number of seconds and it'd just clear the CMOS (restore factory defaults)
without any need to flash bios.
 
kony said:
Most of the current generations of gear are using very similar switching
power supplies, they're all moving towards them instead of the
"transformer" type you're referring to. It's not just D-Link. I have a
couple of D-Link products with similar power supply and other Linksys and
Belkin that do as well... all work fine except the Belkin crashes (though
other Belkins with similar if not same power supply don't).
Click to expand...

I don't buy belkin because the first belkin product I bought (a 10/100
switch) gave me trouble on a network with a mix of 10 and 100 network cards.
I also don't like anything that is not a square box :-)
So did you do the factory reset but NOT the bios flash? I might be wrong
but I though you could hold in power switch while powering on for "n"
number of seconds and it'd just clear the CMOS (restore factory defaults)
without any need to flash bios.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I did both. If you push the button on the back while it's on you get
the factory presets. If you hold it, power the unit up and continue holding
it for 5 to 10 seconds it goes into recovery mode. Neither did any good on
the latest unit.

Michael Culley
 
I've purchased a few dlink routers for myself and customers. So far I've had

DI-624+ keeps resetting itself, did this straight out of the box.
DI-614+ won't power up, power supply ok.
DI-614+ powers up but can't get to web interface, have done a recovery but
no good.
DI-something+ Wireless access point, scrambled setting when new, had to do a
factory reset to use.
DI-604+ waiting for customer to return, sounds like it is dead.

So far I've only sold 9 of them! If you count the wireless access point as
working I've managed to get a bit over 50% of them to work. Three of the
working ones are the older DI-804V and the other is a DI-604+ which I only
sold a few weeks ago so hasn't had time to break down, but I'm sure it will.

Has anyone else had the same problems with DLink? I think I'll start selling
billion routers....
Click to expand...

My friend purchased a non-wireless D-link router after watching Tech
Tv & them giving their go-ahead for the brand. He linked 3 computers
on a home network & hooked up to cable Internet. His download speed
without the router is around 2000 K bps. With the router, with any
computer, his download speed is... 250 - 300 K bps!! After a month
and a half of screwing around with some settings, convincing himself
it is a setting he is messing up, he finally did a little checking
around, & he sees others having problems. It should just about be
plug & play, I kept telling him. He has finally thrown in the towel
and chucking the damned thing and buying another brand. (Internet
bought, lost receipt).

Big Mac
 
Big Mac said:
My friend purchased a non-wireless D-link router after watching Tech
Tv & them giving their go-ahead for the brand. He linked 3 computers
on a home network & hooked up to cable Internet. His download speed
without the router is around 2000 K bps. With the router, with any
computer, his download speed is... 250 - 300 K bps!! After a month
and a half of screwing around with some settings, convincing himself
it is a setting he is messing up, he finally did a little checking
around, & he sees others having problems. It should just about be
plug & play, I kept telling him. He has finally thrown in the towel
and chucking the damned thing and buying another brand. (Internet
bought, lost receipt).
Click to expand...

I had the same problem with a DLink. Cable speed should give a download of up to 600kbyte/sec but was giving something like 5. I had
to downgrade the bios to get it to work but then the older bios had a problem that it kept knocking me off ftp because it thought
the packets coming back were from an intruder. This was quite a while ago and I'd forgotten all about it. After my 2 dead dlinks in
a row I put back my old dlink, since then I've been having trouble with ftp and have just realised why :-)

The other problem I have is that it won't hold a connection open. I have a machine with no kb/mouse/monitor and the only way I can
use it is through terminal services. With a hub I can connect to it and leave it running for days with no problem. But with the
dlink router it drops the connection after a few minutes of no activity. For this reason I need to use a hub with the router. I've
also found network performance to quite bad without the hub.
 
Big Mac said:
My friend purchased a non-wireless D-link router after watching Tech
Tv & them giving their go-ahead for the brand. He linked 3 computers
on a home network & hooked up to cable Internet. His download speed
without the router is around 2000 K bps. With the router, with any
computer, his download speed is... 250 - 300 K bps!! After a month
and a half of screwing around with some settings, convincing himself
it is a setting he is messing up, he finally did a little checking
around, & he sees others having problems. It should just about be
plug & play, I kept telling him. He has finally thrown in the towel
and chucking the damned thing and buying another brand. (Internet
bought, lost receipt).

Big Mac
Click to expand...

Well, I'm in the market for another access point (see my previous posting in
this thread). So, what's reliable that everyone is going to? Netgear?
Don't say Linksys...their stuff is too flaky (reported online and my
experience, too).

George
 
Well, I'm in the market for another access point (see my previous posting in
this thread). So, what's reliable that everyone is going to? Netgear?
Don't say Linksys...their stuff is too flaky (reported online and my
experience, too).
Click to expand...

The more I hear about these low-end routers the more convinced i am that
there really isn't much difference. They all seem to have moderate
failure rates, not surprising for such low-cost gear, and all of them seem
to have users reporting problems. A router i have and can't get to work
properly is working fine for others, and vice-versa, D-Link and Linksys
routers are working fine. My advise is to buy the cheapest one from your
preferred vendor who has a fair return policy... odds are it'll work fine
no matter which you choose, though IMHO the Belkins have a cheap/flimsy
case, look and feel like junk compared to Netgear, Linksys, D-Link, 3Com,
etc, etc, etc.
 
Billion are getting good reviews but this doesn't mean they are reliable and
it doesn't mean they won't be troublesome but it is some sort of indication
that they have good features.
 
Apologies!
I've purchased a few dlink routers for myself and customers.
So far I've only sold 9 of them! If you count the wireless access point
[snip]
Has anyone else had the same problems with DLink? I think I'll start
selling billion routers....
Click to expand...
My friend purchased a non-wireless D-link router after watching Tech
Tv & them giving their go-ahead for the brand. He linked 3 computers
on a home network & hooked up to cable Internet. His download speed
without the router is around 2000 K bps. With the router, with any
computer, his download speed is... 250 - 300 K bps!! After a month
[snip]
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
George said:
Well, I'm in the market for another access point (see my previous posting in
this thread). So, what's reliable that everyone is going to? Netgear?
Don't say Linksys...their stuff is too flaky (reported online and my
experience, too).
Click to expand...

I am VERY sorry. I have blamed the wrong company! His was a Linksys
router! Not a DLink! Apologies! Linksys=crap! DLink=good!
([probably). & he did check it out on a couple of other sites, with
Linksys what he said seem an abnormally high amount of Linksys owners
experiencing problems. (he only got 300 Kbps d-load speed no matter
what he tried).

He bought a Netgear just the other day (wired), and plugged his 3
computers in, and BOOM, worked just great. And this is weird - his
reported download speed for a networked computer is now around 2800
Kbps - his ISP only is supposed to be giving him around 2000 Kbps!
And that was the speed he got with a single computer non networked
before (same testing site, www.dslreports.com). The cable ISP does
offer a higher tiered faster speed connection. But I do not know if a
switch has to be flipped at the cable company for him to be able to
steal some of that higher speed or not. Netgear=good!

Big Mac
 
I've been having trouble getting WOL to work with one machine. After all
sorts of stuffing around I pulled it out and found the problem immediately.
It had the words "D-Link" printed on it. As soon as I replaced it everything
worked fine.

Michael Culley
 
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