If you have been fallowing our articles and news updates over the past few weeks, you might have gotten a closer overview of D-Links latest networking offerings in our CES 2007 report. Their new networking line has received some very interesting attention at this year’s consumer’s electronics event. 

As with every year’s show, D-Link always managed to stand out with their full-size display booth along with the friendly representatives showing off their newest and upcoming innovations. This year was not different; their Draft 802.11n wireless powered products generated a lot of talk among attendees. Their latest product’s options and features are ever improving.

In this article we will be taking a closer look at their top of the line DIR-655 Xtreme N Gigabit router. This specific line was designed for larger homes and offices sharing high speed internet over multiple PCs, game consoles and digital home devices such as streaming high definition media players.

The product 

Whether you currently own a D-Link or a different brand router, you would automatically notice D-Link’s fresh new look. It stands out from its competition and even from D-Link’s current line. It’s based on a white glossy finish surrounded by a black trim that wraps around the casing; giving you that unique and clean Apple touch.

The DIR-655 router is a draft 802.11n compliant device featuring Gigabit local area network (LAN) and Gigabit wide area network (WAN) ports. Its 4-port 10/100/1000 Gigabit switch will ensure optimal wired transfer speeds.

In order to get a slight overview of the Gigabit advantage, we moved around a 3.4gb video file from computer to computer and were very satisfied to find out the average time was set at 3 minutes and 22 seconds.

Near the router, we achieved speeds of 120 Mpbs and more using the DWA-652 Xtreme N PC card. At a distance of 400 feet, speeds stabilize at around 60 Mpbs. Operating range on the 802.11n standard is improved, however, don’t expect a signal past 1,000 feet. The optimal connection range is 300-600 feet. Note: It’s vital to use the D-Link Xtreme N line of cards to achieve these numbers. Keep in mind that the unit remains fully compatible with 802.11g and 802.11b standards.

A strong addition on the DIR-655 is its intelligent wireless quality of service (QoS) powered by the Stream Engine technology from Ubicom. Many of today’s routers on the market pass all wired and wireless traffic into a single data stream resulting in slower transfers. QoS technology analyzes and separates data into multiple streams which are then categorized by sensitivity and delay in order to give priority to applications that require more bandwidth such as VoIP over traditional web browsing.

The installation process of the DIR-655 was easy. The package includes an installation CD. All ports on the back are labeled and are color coded in order to facilitate the installation. The installation software is an easy to use step by step wizard that will help you go through the basic configuration of the router. Your first step is choosing whether you are upgrading from a current router or installing the DIR-655 as a new device. The rest of the wizard offers animated explanations demonstrating how to connect all the cables. Once the wizard is completed, the unit will automatically reboot and your wireless network is ready. We found the internal management interface to be very straight forward; it’s easy and detailed.

Summation