D-Link DGL-4500 GamerLounge Xtreme N Gaming Router
Manufacturer: D-Link Systems Inc. Part number: DGL-4500
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The D-Link DGL-4500 GamerLounge Xtreme N Gaming Router almost succeeds for home networking and hardcore gamers. It bears a few flaws, among which is a random reset during heavy load that might be the deal breaker.
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CNET editors' review
D-Link DGL-4500 GamerLounge Xtreme N Gaming Router price range: $148.95 - $202.99
- Reviewed by: Dong Ngo
- Edited by: Matthew Elliott
- Reviewed on: 02/26/2008
- Released on: 10/30/2007
The good: Intuitive and responsive browser interface; Gigabit LAN and WAN; excellent range; easy to setup; Network Activity Display offers quick access to a variety of network information; preset with a lot of settings for special services and applications, including games.
The bad: Random reset during heavy load.
The bottom line: The D-Link DGL-4500 GamerLounge Xtreme N Gaming Router almost succeeds for home networking and hardcore gamers. It bears a few flaws, among which is a random reset during heavy load that might be the deal breaker.
The D-Link DGL-4500 GamerLounge Xtreme N Gaming Router offers decent performance and a long list of features for home wireless networking and hardcore gamers. However, it lacks support for simultaneous 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands along with random resets during heavy loads. You may want to wait for a successor to the DGL-4500, or at least a firmware update, before buying it. With the hefty price tag of about $180, we expected better stability. Unless you plan to take advantage of the DGL-4500's GameFuel feature for prioritizing bandwidth for games, we still recommend D-Link's DIR-655 Xtreme N router for its superior performance or the Netgear WNR854T RangeMax for its speed, stability, and price.
• Device type: Wireless router
• Network standard: 802.11n (draft), 802.11b/g
• Bandwidth: 2.4GHz and 5Ghz (not simultaneous)
• Operating systems supported: Windows Vista, Windows XP SP2, or Mac OS X (v10.4)
• Security options: 64/128-bit WEP; WPA; WPA2
• Features: Four Gigabit LAN ports; One Gigabit WAN port; DHCP support; VPN Pass-through / Multi-sessions PPTP / L2TP / IPSec; NAT; SPI; DDNS; USB Port (for Windows Connect Now)
• Notable design features: Distinctive look with Network Activity Display
• Support: One-year warranty
The D-Link DGL-4500 is a MIMO router with three antennas attached to its back. We would prefer that they resided on the side of the unit where they wouldn't crowd the ports. Like most D-Link routers, the DGL-4500 is wall mountable and also ships with a base to position it vertically. The DGL-4500 features a Network Activity Display that shows more than only the network's connection status. Using the two display navigation buttons, you can access various WAN, LAN, and wireless information via this little blue screen. While most of the information is just general information--current throughput, number of connected clients--it is a bit more useful than the typical status LEDs found on other routers. While somewhat convenient, we found it this display frustrating because it turns on only when you press one of the navigation buttons, it turns itself off after about a minute, and there's no option to change the length of time it stays on. Why not just keep the display lit at all times by default, showing you your network connection status? It's not so bright as to be a distraction, even in a darkened room.
The DGL-4500 supports Microsoft's Windows Connect Now technology, which lets you add new wireless devices to the network without having to type in the encryption key. All you need to do is stick a USB drive in the USB port at the back of the router and then stick that drive into the USB port of a WCN-enabled devices, such as a PC (running Windows XP SP2 or later) or a printer such as the
As a router designed specifically for gaming, the DGL-4500 features D-Link's proprietary GameFuel technology that identifies network traffic created by games and prioritizes Internet bandwidth to accommodate it. The router comes preset with settings optimized for popular games such as World of Warcraft, Quake, and Unreal Tournament, along with special services including virtual servers and remote desktop. These presets basically specify the port required to be open for each application and make sure it's open when required.
The DGL-4500 is a dual-band draft 802.11n router, meaning it supports both 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz frequencies. Unfortunately, it can only operate in one frequency at a time, which means you're forced to use one or the other. So, you'll be stuck on the crowded 2.4GHz band if you have other wireless devices that are 2.4GHz only. If you are looking for something that can do both simultaneously, you will have to wait for the D-Link's Xtreme N Duo Media Router, which is still available only as a preorder.
Other than this shortcoming, the DGL-4500 has everything you could want in the realm of home networking, be it security (all WEP, WPA, and WPA2 available) or virtual private networking (VPN pass-through, multisessions PPT, L2TP, and IPSec) as well as many other popular and advanced networking features. The D-Link's state-of-the-art Web interface is among the best we've used, it's intuitive and responsive and most changes can be applied instantly without a restart.
We tested the DGL-4500 with D-Link's Xtreme N Notebook adapter (DWA-652) and were very happy with its showing on our maximum throughput (N-only) benchmark. Its score of 81.9 Mbps is among the highest we've seen, though still nowhere close to the theoretical max of 300Mbps the 802.11n specification or the old D-Link DIR-655's score of 112.6 Mbps. On our mixed mode test, where the router is forced to work with 802.11n and legacy 802.11b/g devices, the score was reduced to 50.9 Mbps, which is about on par with others. In our range test, the score was further reduced to 27.0 Mbps, more than acceptable when you compare it with the competition.
We tested the range of the D-Link by gradually increasing the range until the signal dropped. In our admittedly cluttered test environment, we were able to get a steady signal at 300 feet. While we were generally happy with the throughput and the range, we were a little concerned about the D-Link's reliability, even at shorter ranges. In our anecdotal test simulating a heavy load, the router randomly reset on more than one occasion. Even though it took only a second or two for the signal to get back on, this could easily frustrate gamers. Though chances most of the time routers are not used with heavy loads, we hope that this problem was only with the test unit or will be fixed with in the next firmware update. (The router was tested with its 1.02 firmware, the latest at the time of testing.)
D-Link ships the DGL-4500 with a standard one-year warranty, which is average for a home router. Its Web site offers very good support information including downloads, FAQs, and a searchable knowledgebase. The technical support phone line is available 24-7. We tried the number listed on the Web site and after having to go through many layers of automated options we were put on hold for about 7 minutes before reaching a representative who was very helpful and knowledgeable.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Throughput in Mbps (TCP) |
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Throughput in Mbps (TCP) |
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Find out more about how we test networking gear.
User reviews
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Don't believe the hype. Spend your money elsewhere.
by ggguy77 on May 18, 2008
Pros: Works great....when it works
Cons: Constantly disconnects every 30 seconds to 2 minutes
Summary: This was touted as the best wireless router to get for gaming. However, I even find browsing the internet a challenge. The router disconnects every 30 seconds to 2 minutes. ...
Summary: This was touted as the best wireless router to get for gaming. However, I even find browsing the internet a challenge. The router disconnects every 30 seconds to 2 minutes. It then takes about a minute to restart. I rarely go more than 20 minutes without a disconnect. I tried switching frequencies, channels, and even turned off the extra features like GameFuel. Absolutely no difference at all. The D-link customer service is nonexistent. I have submitted two requests in the last two weeks and have not received a response. Please don't make the same mistake I did. I don't know how such an unreliable product got such a good review on Cnet. It certainly led me, as well as many others in the wrong direction.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Best router I've ever owned
by davisdl69 on December 3, 2007
Pros: Set up and performance!
Cons: Haven't found one yet.
Summary: I just brought the DGL-4500 and I swear by it. My previous routers were a Linksys WRT54G and WRT55AG. Total pieces of junk. I was on their website for the ...
Summary: I just brought the DGL-4500 and I swear by it. My previous routers were a Linksys WRT54G and WRT55AG. Total pieces of junk. I was on their website for the last 2 months trying to get someone, anyone to help me configure port forwarding on the WRT55AG so I could put my voip box behind the router. The voip was placed between the router and modem and causing my internet to go up and down. After 2 months of hearing, ?this problem is beyond my expertise? from Linksys tech support, I bought the DGL-4500 and all my problems are a thing of the past. Extremely easy setup. The DGL-4500 configured automatically in minutes what Linksys technical support couldn't do in months. You non tech types will have the DGL-4500 up and running in a matter of minutes. I use it for gaming, voip and surfing with no lag. I couldn't be happier! I only wish I had found D-Link sooner. I wasted years with inferior Linksys products. I wouldn't recommend anyone buying anything from Cisco or Linksys. Their tech support is absolutely worthless and the products are inferior.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Fast but problem router-I am putting it out of service
by hbofinger on August 2, 2009
Pros: Very fast when it works, many features
Cons: 1. - Randomly resets or drops out unless you disable auto channel search in wireless configuration
2. - Requires static IP address for port forwarding - i.e. services such as no-ip.com will not work, unlike with the DIR 655Summary: My first issue with this router is a stability problem that does not seem to be resolved by the latest firmware upgrade. Research I did today, however, has shown that ...
Summary: My first issue with this router is a stability problem that does not seem to be resolved by the latest firmware upgrade. Research I did today, however, has shown that there is a fix by turning auto channel search off in the wireless configuration. As I was happy to have found that solution, I got very dismayed when I found out that for Remote Desktop to work reliably, the router needs a static IP address. Having very successfully used no-ip.com with the DIR-655 for remoted access without a static IP address, this finally put me over the edge in terms of writing this router, as cool as it may be, off as a loss and unwise investment, and going back to the DIR-655.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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You get what you pay for! AMAZING ROUTER!
by jamesrosenbergii on September 25, 2008
Pros: Greatly improved speeds via WiFi
Gigabit LAN ports work great for moving those huge files in between PC's and network drives.
Improved range w wifi G / N
Advanced features and web interface are very well done and no lag while navigating menus.Cons: LCD status screen turns itself off and thus far I can not find an option to keep it on all the time.
Summary: I am a wireless technician for a small internet provider in the Des Moines. I have seen my share of routers and know that buy expensive does not always mean ...
Summary: I am a wireless technician for a small internet provider in the Des Moines. I have seen my share of routers and know that buy expensive does not always mean you are buying the best (Belkin N1 cough cough) I took a chance on this device and have pushed it to its limits with heavy file transfers and torrent traffic and have had no problems. The device does run a bit warm so make sure it is in a well ventilated area and you should be fine. So to wrap this up, if you actually NEED the performance and have the money to spend, this router will surely do the trick.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Not good with Windows Media Center - unreliable
by cyberjamin9 on February 2, 2008
Pros: It looks nice on my desk
Cons: Very unreliable
Summary: I have 5 computers in my house trying to connect to this router. 3 have been on/off every 2 mins. After working with Dlink levels 1,2, and 3 ...
Summary: I have 5 computers in my house trying to connect to this router. 3 have been on/off every 2 mins. After working with Dlink levels 1,2, and 3 support and replacing my first router. The second router still had the same issues.
Errors in log:
The DHCP server address xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx was released by the network device - the network device no longer wants to use it. Followed by Wireless system with MAC address xxxxxx disconnected for reason: Received Deauthentication. This occurs every 2 mins.
Level 3 support told me there is a known issue with MCE changing the device configuration on it's own. We uncovered a bug in the device that is supposed to bypass this known issue, but didn't, which is now being reported to Product Mgrs.
We finally got all computers but 1 connected, at 54ghz...when we have N cards. The other device gets an error message saying the DHCP server cannot assign an IP address because it is already in use...which is not correct.
Dlink support was for the most part good until Level 3 when I got a person that was more interested in going home on a fri than helping me.
I will now be selling this on ebay and going with someone else. Dlink does not give refunds on bad devices, they just keep sending you replacements.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Best router I've ever used
by mjoyce91 on December 31, 2007
Pros: Long range, 5GHz, OLED screen, Gamefuel
Cons: None I can think of
Summary: This may be the best router on the market right now. With our old wireless router, the D-Link WBR-1310, we could not connect either of our laptops from our basement ...
Summary: This may be the best router on the market right now. With our old wireless router, the D-Link WBR-1310, we could not connect either of our laptops from our basement to our top floor in our 3 story town house, but it maybe got 1 bar, but then would drop out within a few hours. With this laptop, we get the full amount of bars. The router even says it has a 100% connection, and i think it got to maybe 88% at the lowest, but it's at 100% for the most part. I don't think there's any house that this router wouldn't work in. I would be confident that you could get atleast a 30% signal from the basement to the top floor of a 5 story house.
I play Xbox 360 pretty often, and with my old router, I had my 360 hard wired to it and I would ALWAYS lag during games. I have not lagged once with this router, even when I use the wireless.
The OLED screen is really nice. It shows current bandwidth usage, date and time, ect. Basic stuff going on with the router, pretty much. Some people complain about the fact that it turns off after 20 seconds or some thing, but if it didn't, it would burn out after about 6-10 months.
This router has the option of a 2.4GHz or a 5GHz frequency. The only problem is that you can only use one or the other, not a mix of the two. It's not a big deal though because you get such a strong signal you probably won't need the 5GHz, but if all of your wireless devices have 5GHz wifi, you might as well use it.
Some people have said that following the instructions from the CD don't work. I just used the pamphlet and I didn't have any problems. I also read about some one's router constantly resetting because his Nintendo Wii controller was too close to the router, and the bluetooth transmission was screwing with the router, so if you have a wii controller and your router is resetting, take the batteries from the controller out, and then try using the router again.
This has game connection boosting built in. I think my connection is so fast that I'm not really seeing a big difference. If you have DSL you'll probably see a bigger difference. Remember that the connection speed depends on the host of the game's connection, along with your's.
It looks like the price of this is dropping pretty fast. I got mine on December 24th for $179.99 from circuit city, and it looks like circuit city now has it for $159.99, so this is a pretty good deal for a top of the line router, considering some this router's competitors are selling from 180-220.
Definately recommended if you have a large home and are having trouble connecting to your wireless router from far away, or you're lagging in games. If you live in a smaller home or don't use any wireless devices, or don't play many games, go with some thing cheaper.1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Very good performance so far
by B_F_G_ on October 19, 2009
Pros: The router is all around a good buy at this time. I haven't had any problems like all the other listed reviews, that's why I decided to review it myself.
Cons: I do wish the display had a setting that would allow you to keep the display on at all times. It's very bright at night, in the dark. So maybe they took that into consideration...
Summary: I really like this router and all the features. The range is great, and performance has been exeptional.
Summary: I really like this router and all the features. The range is great, and performance has been exeptional.
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Worst router
by WannaRip2278 on September 14, 2009
Pros: Their is nothing good about this router it simply doesnt work
Cons: Lockups, does nothing as advertised, online gaming has alot of lag. LCD screen stays on for 30 seconds and is useless. Dlink can not fix FW issues. Its been a year. Has to be reset constantly for PS3 and home comp. Runs hot
Summary: This router is horrible. It kicks your modem offline, locksup and does absolutely nothing as advertised. DLink has been trying to fix it for a year and they cannot fix ...
Summary: This router is horrible. It kicks your modem offline, locksup and does absolutely nothing as advertised. DLink has been trying to fix it for a year and they cannot fix it. Go to DGL4500 forum and see for yourself. I spent 200 on this router and I am very dissapointed. DLINK banned me in their forum yesterday because I asked for advice on the new netgear wndr3700 router. They have banned or deleted members for speaking their mind. The range on this router is also terrible. My other computer is right next door and it couldnt reach. Do yourself a favor and read through the Dlink DGL4500 forums and see for yourself how their are no happy customers at all. Their are many more issues that I have not mentioned also. Bottom line this router is a waste of money, its flawed and their are much better routers available for 200.00
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Best router for home office I have ever used
by ap2002ca on August 20, 2009
Pros: Everything works and works reliably with this router, including multiple VPN connections from multiple virtual machines running on the same computer. Those who reported poor stability most likely never upgraded from the default firmware level.
Cons: Hard to come up with. If possible I would like to disable blue light on the front surface.
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Excellent Performance !!
by ananthvap on February 22, 2009
Pros: I am getting the most speed out of my ISP even in wireless. Unbelievable speeds than my dlink G router.
Cons: I have just used for three days so as of now I dont have one.
Summary: Excellent Performance !! I am getting the most speed out of my ISP even in wireless. Unbelievable speeds than my dlink G router.
Summary: Excellent Performance !! I am getting the most speed out of my ISP even in wireless. Unbelievable speeds than my dlink G router.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: D-Link Systems Inc.
- Part number: DGL-4500
- Description: It's not everyday you come across a device designed solely with the gamer in mind. The D-Link Xtreme N Gaming Router (DGL-4500) is one of those few devices built especially for gamers. Experience the power of the Xtreme N Duo wireless technology for data transfer rates of up to 300Mbps and Gigabit LAN and WAN Ports to get your game on faster than ever before. D-Link has also added an updated version of award-winning GameFuel technology to get your game going smoother. To top it off, D-Link has thrown in a high-performance CPU and a Network Activity Display to give you a serious gaming router.
General
- Device Type Wireless router
- Form Factor External
- Width 4.6 in
- Depth 7.6 in
- Height 1.2 in
- Form Factor External
- Weight 11.2 oz
- Built-in Devices Status LCD
Networking
- Integrated Switch 4-port switch
- Data Transfer Rate 300 Mbps
- Connectivity Technology Wired, Wireless
- Data Link Protocol Ethernet, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 802.11n (draft 2.0)
- Switching Protocol Ethernet
- Network / Transport Protocol L2TP, PPTP, IPSec
- Remote Management Protocol HTTP
- Features NAT support, VPN passthrough, Firewall protection, Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI)
- Compliant Standards IEEE 802.3, IEEE 802.3u, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, Wi-Fi CERTIFIED, IEEE 802.11n (draft 2.0)
Antenna
- Antenna External detachable
- Antenna Qty 3
- Directivity Omni-directional
Communications
- Type None
Expansion / Connectivity
- Interfaces 1 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T - RJ-45 ( WAN ), 4 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T - RJ-45, 1 x USB
- Port(s) Total (Free) / Connector Type 1 Network Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T:RJ-45, 4 Network Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T:RJ-45, 1 USB
Cable(s) / Peripheral(s)
- Cable(s) included 1 Network cable External
Modem
- Modem Type None
Miscellaneous
- Cables (Details) 1 x Network cable
- Compliant Standards IC, FCC Class B certified
- Encryption Algorithm WPA, WPA2, 64-bit WEP, 128-bit WEP
- Microsoft Certifications Compatible with Windows 7
Power
- Power Supply / Device Power adapter External
- Power Device Power adapter - External
Software / System Requirements
- Software Included Drivers & Utilities
- OS Required Apple MacOS X 10.4, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows XP SP2
- Peripheral / Interface Devices CD-ROM, Network adapter
CNET Labs' Benchmarks
- CNET Labs long-range tests (in Mbps) 49.7
- CNET Labs maximum throughput tests (at 15 feet, in Mbps) 116.13
- CNET Labs maximum throughput tests with mixed 802.11b/g and draft N, MIMO clients (at 15 feet, in Mbps) 49.7
Manufacturer info
- D-Link Systems Inc.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse D-Link Systems Inc. products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.dlink.com/
- Address:
17595 Mt. Herrmann, Fountain Valley, CA 92708 - Phone: 1.877.453.5465
- Email: tech@dlink.com
