D-Link Xtreme N Dual Band Gigabit Router DIR-825
Manufacturer: D-Link Systems Inc. Part number: DIR-825
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The D-Link Xtreme N Dual Band Gigabit Router DIR-825 is a stable performer with great features and an excellent Web interface. The outdated and bulky design, relatively short range, and merely average throughput, however, lessen its appeal.
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CNET editors' review
D-Link Xtreme N Dual Band Gigabit Router DIR-825 price range: $123.22 - $172.99
- Reviewed by: Dong Ngo
- Edited by: Matthew Elliott
- Reviewed on: 10/27/2008
The good: Virtual networked USB port; mobile router capability; true dual-band; intuitive and responsive browser interface; gigabit LAN and WAN; easy to set up; support separate wireless networks for guests; convenient preset settings.
The bad: Slow mixed mode performance; range could be better; bulky design.
The bottom line: The D-Link Xtreme N Dual Band Gigabit Router DIR-825 is a stable performer with great features and an excellent Web interface. The outdated and bulky design, relatively short range, and merely average throughput, however, lessen its appeal.
The Xtreme N Dual Band Gigabit Router DIR-825 is D-Link's latest router on the market. We view it as a worthy successor to the DIR-655 for the addition of true dual-band capability (simultaneously supporting 5GHz and 2.4GHz frequencies) and SharePort technology that turns the router's USB port into a networked port that supports virtually any USB device. Its performance is merely acceptable and its range is poor compared with other Wireless-N routers, including other D-Link units, but we nonetheless recommend the DIR-825 for its stability, SharePort feature, ease of use, and the fact that you can get it for about $140--a very good deal for a true dual-band router.
Setup and design
We didn't experience any problems setting up the D-Link DIR-825. The router comes with a CD that contains the D-Link Router Quick Setup desktop software. Dutifully following the wizard, we were able, with minimal mouse clicks, to get everything up and running, including connecting to the Internet and other wireless clients, as well as setting up an SSID for each frequency. Alternatively, you can use the Web-based interface, which we found to be well-thought-out, responsive, and more comprehensive than the desktop application.
The DIR-825 looks just like the DIR-655, minus the third antenna. The two antennae, however, are still attached to the back of the router where all the ports reside. This is a cluttering and long-standing design trait found in all D-Link's Wireless-N routers. Nonetheless, with the omission of the middle antenna, it's much easier to get to the DIR-825's ports than the DIR-655's.
Like most D-Link routers, the DIR-825 is wall-mountable and also comes with a detachable base for it to work in the vertical position.
The router has an array of LED lights on the front that show the status of the network port on the back as well as that of the wireless and Internet connection. On one of its sides, there's a Wi-Fi Protected Setup button that helps quickly connect WPS-enabled clients to the wireless network.
Features
Despite similarities in appearance, the DIR-825 is much more advanced than the DIR-655. It's the second router from D-Link that supports true Wireless-N dual-band, capable of broadcasting simultaneously in 5GHz and 2.4GHz frequencies. (The first was the DIR-855, which we reviewed earlier this year). The DIR-825 is the first, however, to feature the SharePort technology that allows the router's USB port to work as a networked USB port. SharePort comes with a software application called SharePort Network USB that you'll need to install on your networked computers. The software lets the computer recognize a USB device plugged into the router as if it were plugged directly into the computer's USB port. Unlike other USB-equipped routers that support only printers and external hard drives, SharePort lets the DIR-825 share virtually any USB device over your network.
SharePort does have a drawback. By making the router's USB port work the same way as one of a computer, only one PC can access a USB device plugged into the router at a time. So, if one person is using an external hard drive that's plugged into the router, others won't have access to it. This makes it a bit less appealing than the NAS feature (as found in the Linksys WRT610N), where a hard drive can simultaneously be accessed by multiple computers.
We tried the Seagate FreeAgent Xtreme external hard drive with the DIR-825's USB port and the moment we plugged it in, the SNU utility in all the computers in the network prompted that a new device has been plugged in and asked if it should connect to it. Once we selected the computer and connected to the drive, the utility on other computers showed that the hard drive had been taken and gave an option to message the host computer to release it, which would happen if the user at the host computer agreed. We were also able to share that hard drive (as though it was connected to the computer directly) and made it available for the rest of the network to access at the same time, the same way you would share a folder on that computer. This seems to be a workaround for the above-mentioned weakness.
Like other D-Link's USB wireless routers, the DIR-825's USB port supports Windows Connect Now, another quick way to connect wireless client to the network by using a USB thumbdrive to transfer the encryption key. Last but not least, the USB port can also support a 3G USB adapter to provide access to the Internet using an EV-DO cellular signal. This allows for the DIR-825 to work as a mobile router as well as a regular broadband router.
Other than that, the DIR-825 offers numerous network features found in other Wireless-N routers from D-Link and a very well-organized Web interface. You can set up manual port forwarding--where you map information coming to a certain port to a certain computer in the network--or use the router's preset settings for different applications and services such as instant messengers, BitTorrent, IP phone software, virtual servers, and so on. It also offers a comprehensive set of parental control tools including Network Filter, Access Control, Web site Filter, and Inbound Control. These tools allow you to control the network and limit access to the Internet by specific criteria, such as you can set a computer to only allow access to instant-messenger services during a certain period of time. The router also lets you customize its firewall to allow some services but not others.
Like the DIR-855, the DIR-825 also comes with an interesting and useful feature called Guest Zone. Guest Zone lets you create up to two separate wireless networks (one in 2.4GHz, one in 5GHz) to be used by guests or the open public. Any wireless client connected to these guest networks get access to the Internet, but not your local LAN resources.
Performance
We tested the DIR-825 in both frequencies that it supports and found mixed performance. On our maximum throughput test, the router did well for itself in registering 102.4Mbps and 70.2Mbps for 5GHz and 2.4GHz frequencies, respectively. Both scores are above the average we've seen for Draft N routers and on par with the DIR-855.
On our range test, however, the DIR-825 trailed significantly behind the DIR-855 and finished behind the competing Linksys WRT610n. Still, the DIR-825's scores were above the average among dual-band routers we've tested.
What disappointed us the most was the router's mixed-mode score. We conducted this test only in the 2.4GHz (there is no mixed mode for the 5GHz frequency), and the router was set to support all Wi-Fi standards, including 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n. At 39.8Mbps, it was the slowest among Wireless-N routers we've reviewed this year. To put this in context, the 2.4GHz-only Linksys WRT31N more than doubled the DIR-825 throughput with a 95.3Mbps. To the DIR-825's defense, it was tested with both frequencies being supported at the same time.
Nonetheless, the DIR-855 proved to be a stable and smooth performer throughout testing. It offers the range of about 270 feet for the 2.4GHz frequency and about 230 feet for the 5GHz frequency. In our test environment (which is not optimal for range), some other routers can offer range up to 300 feet or further.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
Service and support
D-Link backs the DIR-825 with a one-year warranty that is a short, albeit increasingly popular, warranty for a home router. At the company's Web site, you will find a wealth of support information including downloads, FAQs, and a searchable knowledgebase. You can also seek help through the company's toll-free technical support phone line, which is available 24-7. We tried the number listed on the Web site and, within less than 10 minutes, were able to get a hold of a support representative, who was friendly and seemed to know the product well.
User reviews
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Dlinks's DIR655 performs significantly better, cheaper
by neosynthesis on February 16, 2009
Pros: Compared to other dual radio routers on the market currently, the most feature rich out of the box router
Most security minded features in home grade routers (Dlink offer the same features on cheaper models)Cons: Same features as cheaper Dlink Models
5GHz performance not as good nor as stable as Dlink's own DIR 655
5GHz has dramatically poor range compared to its own 2.4GHz
2.4GHz performance significantly worse compared to DIR655
USB port Windoze onlySummary: DLink's own DIR 655 has set such a high standard in performance (basically the best 2.4GHz draft N router to date), the 825 simply could not top.
I ...Summary: DLink's own DIR 655 has set such a high standard in performance (basically the best 2.4GHz draft N router to date), the 825 simply could not top.
I have been eagerly trying to upgrade to any dual band radio (2 radios and single radio routers) I could get my hands on, Linksys, Apple's very well received Airport Extreme, and this DIR825 and have always come back to the DIR655 because the performance has always been worse off.
Some background on my usage:
Wired connections: 2 PCs for torrent and media serving, VOIP phone.
Wireless connections:
- 1 PC for work via VPN
- 2 Macs
- Wii
- Apple TV for streaming divx/h264 content from the media server
- 1 Win Mobile, 1 iPhone
I live in a modest sized 2 story house of roughly 3000 ft^2. There are more than 3 other wireless networks here in my neighbourhood.
Using wireless sniffing tools, I could easily tell that the DIR825 signal on the 2.4GHz band drops by 50% on average even going to the next room. The noise level is at roughly 20% at the same distance.
On the 5GHz freq. even using wide band the signal drops to 40% in the same room, just next door, but the noise is held steadily at 8% (I was the only network using 5GHz).
The numbers in real world terms means that I was seeing the "Buffering Video" message when I'm streaming videos from the web more than actually watching the videos. In both 2.4 and 5GHz frequencies!
With the awesome DIR655, after the initial buffering of a few seconds, I almost never experienced another buffering for watching a hour long show.
Keep in mind other than the addition of the 5GHz radio, there is absolutely no difference in terms of the router settings I've testing between the DIR 655 vs 825.
In fact, the DIR 655's performance was so stellar, it even beat the video streaming performance of the Airport Extreme on 5GHz wide band. The only advantage of the Airport Extreme over the DIR 655 (speaking only for my use) was that the USB port on the Airport Extreme could be shared by PCs and Macs, whereas DLinks are made for Windows fan boys.
Save yourself some money and get more performance out of the DIR 655.
BUT get the hardware version A4 (currently the latest) as they have made quite a few improvements on the DIR655. I know because I've own every single version from A1 and have tried every single firmware on the 655. The latest version has the ability to turn off unused ports to save power, and it would detect wire length to adjust and send just enough power to keep your connections happy (I'm talking about wired connections obviously). I've own A1 and A2 versions and they all got burned out due to my heavy usage.
There is a DNS relay issue with the latest firmware that affects both DIR655 and 825, may be others in the same line as well. So far there is no fix, just turn the feature off and you won't notice a difference in performance as it was questionable that it would even add to performance in the first place.7 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Excellent upgrade; stable router with many options
by petej88 on October 31, 2008
Pros: Wow, this router is really nice compared to my half decade old wired only Linksys router (althouogh it worked well). Really good price for such a high quality, many featured router.
Cons: I bought it within 1 week of the first shipment. Dlink should have waited a little bit longer to include the shareport driver and docs to support it, since they advertised this ability. I'm sure the newer shipments will include it.
Summary: I'm really happy with this router. It runs fairly cool (I still put some spacers under it for good air flow though). The router appears to be very stable ...
Summary: I'm really happy with this router. It runs fairly cool (I still put some spacers under it for good air flow though). The router appears to be very stable and I have not gotten any drops. I evne have the antennas pointing horizontally back to have the router looks more streamline. Several indication lights in the front that are useful.
For the low cost of a newly shipped router of $139, it's a good deal. And the price is dopping. This will be the new dir 655 with similar pricing under $100 soon most likely.
The browser menu works very well and is easy to navigate. This proved useful since Comcast messed me up and switched my static ip to a dynamic ip within a week after I registered my new sb 5101 cable modem. (Apparently for 5 years they mistakingly let me use a static ip -- oh well). I can't complain since I have received speeds over 16 Mbps into the router.
I tested the 5ghz connection with my work laptop and it works beautifully. I even walked about 70 yars from my house and it was still pretty happy.
I really like the guest nets that can be created so one can access the net without having access to my local home pc's. Dlink gives pretty good info of how to protect your wireless net from intruders.
The shareport ability is nice although I don't plan on using it right now. As mentioned above, you currently have to go to the site to download the firmware and get the docs. I'm sure this will change with their next lot.
bottom line: very stable, cool running router that works great. I am using a wired connection to my ps3 playstation (with Playon software on my pc) to do high quality streaming downloads from Netflix. I haven't tested the wireless streaming but am sure it would work since my streaming was working ok when I just had my old wired 10/100 mbps router.
cheers4 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great concept, bad execution
by kwdog on December 31, 2008
Pros: Very customizable, lots of advanced features, easy to configure
Cons: terrible antenna coverage, frequently drops, slow compared to airport extreme
Summary: I was pretty excited about this router when I bought it, but am really disappointed. I have never had as many problems with a router as I have had with ...
Summary: I was pretty excited about this router when I bought it, but am really disappointed. I have never had as many problems with a router as I have had with this one. the coverage on the 5ghz antenna is terrible. It frequently goes from full to no coverage. It was very unstable. overall, I would not recommend it.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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good router but no support on shareport feature
by picorosan on October 12, 2008
Pros: easy to set up. very fast connection speed
Cons: no documentation on shareport in box.
documentation on line has no troubleshooting dealing with shareport.Summary: basically its is a great wireless router. but the shareport software was no included i had to search online for. and to top it off it doesn't seem to ...
Summary: basically its is a great wireless router. but the shareport software was no included i had to search online for. and to top it off it doesn't seem to recognize my cannon mx310 printer or my onebook 500gb hard drive, which leads me to believe that this is false advertising. and when you call for tech support they state that they do not troubleshoot the software for shareport.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Terrible router.
by dloofa on October 16, 2009
Pros: None, unless you like to reboot your router very frequently.
Cons: **** poor reliability. Read the remarks about D-link's firmware issues and how they could care less about fixing their firmware bugs at the "D-Link Beta Forum" - Google for it.
Summary: Pass on this router and save yourself some grief.
Summary: Pass on this router and save yourself some grief.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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DO NOT PURCHASE: Horribly buggy firmware + corp denial
by lsemprini on October 8, 2009
Pros: It has a lot of features. You don't want that. You want one that works.
Cons: Unit drops LAN, Wireless, and WAN connections randomly. Firmware revs make it worse. Company does not care at all. See:
http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?topic=7791.15
http://www.ispgeeks.com/wild/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=11508Summary: The various (cnet, pcmag, ... ) reviewers must not have had the same hardware because actual customers are finding this unit unusable. The problem is hopelessly buggy firmware that gets worse with ...
Summary: The various (cnet, pcmag, ... ) reviewers must not have had the same hardware because actual customers are finding this unit unusable. The problem is hopelessly buggy firmware that gets worse with each rev.
Return immediately if accidentally purchased.
See also dlink's own forum:
http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?board=218.201 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Unstble without firmware update/shareport doesnt work
by paulvieth on September 1, 2009
Pros: Range is very good . I have a wireless connection to a squeezebox boombox in the backyard and it connects great. Performace is good, now that the connection has stablize.
Cons: Connection was totally unstable until downloaded the 2.02 firmware update . Customer support was terrible , had to go thru 4 sessions of hell to do and undo suggested fixes. Shareport SW to share an HP printer doesnt work and L3 support admits it
Summary: Would recommend you look for something else. Dlink charges a premium for the shareport USB port and it flat doesnt work and they have no date to fix it. Once ...
Summary: Would recommend you look for something else. Dlink charges a premium for the shareport USB port and it flat doesnt work and they have no date to fix it. Once you get it set up , it works as well as any regular G router, but why pay the premium to go thru all the support headaches to get it to work.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Extremely Buggy
by lconly on July 23, 2009
Pros: 1. Device seems promising; I've had good luck with d-link in the past
Cons: - Firmware is very buggy
- Many features DO NOT work
- WPA2 auto disables
- Horrible speed/range
- Bad form factor; difficult to keep upright with Ethernet cables attached
- LED's are way too bright; cannot integrate into an open AV setupSummary: Strongly suggest avoiding this device. Software is buggy and device often turns off WPA2 security leaving itself open for anybody to attach to it.
Summary: Strongly suggest avoiding this device. Software is buggy and device often turns off WPA2 security leaving itself open for anybody to attach to it.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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All the bells and whistles of a more expensive router!
by jack5578 on May 14, 2009
Pros: Dual band, great User Interface, lots of bells and whistles, lots of functionality. This router has all the functionality of a more expensive "gaming router" at a much better price.
Cons: Kind of bulky looking design.
Summary: This router is a great value for the price. It has all the current bells and whistles. 2.4 and 5.0 Mhz, simultaneous dual band, gigabyte ethernet ports, USB ...
Summary: This router is a great value for the price. It has all the current bells and whistles. 2.4 and 5.0 Mhz, simultaneous dual band, gigabyte ethernet ports, USB port to plug in any USB device to share. The user interface is really nice and has a lot of features to set your router up any way you want. This router has all the features of the more expensive "gaming routers". I'm using this router for everything; web surfing, gaming, voip phone, video streaming, media server with PS3, and file and print sharing. This router doesn't miss a beat. I have experienced no shuttering or slowdowns. Video streaming is smooth and steady, and voip calls are as clear as a landline.
If you buy this router, download the latest firmware for the router on the dlink website. I struggled for two days trying to get the shared printer to work. But once I downloaded the latest firmware it worked immediately. There is a little button in the user interface that says "check for latest firmware version" or something like that. When you click it, it says you already have the latest version. That was the first thing I checked when I had problems with the printer. Two days of struggle later, I went to the dlink website and saw there was a much newer version of the firmware. So, don't believe the little status button in the user interface, go to the dlink website and look for yourself, download and update to the latest firmware.
Looking through all the older reviews, it seems all those problems have been corrected in the current version of the firmware. I think the problem is that d-link released this router before the firmware was ready for prime-time. Now the problems appear to be fixed in the newest version of the firmware.
I love this router! So many features! A big upgrade from my three year old wireless G router.
The only real negative I read on reviews from other websites concerning this router was the signal range. I live in a two story concrete house. The router is in the second floor in the far front of the house. I can go outside all the way to the back of my back yard and still get "excellent" signal with all bars showing. That's got to be a total distance of 200 feet through about four drywall walls and an exterior concrete wall. So the latest firmware might have solved that issue that was reported with the first versions that came out in late 2008 and early 2009.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Very poor coverage! I sent it back....
by swillason on April 22, 2009
Pros: Customer service was quick and helpful.
Cons: Poor coverage, especially in a mixed n and g network.
Summary: Maybe I'm stupid but this router had worse coverage than my Linksys WRT54G router which I was trying to replace. I tried everything, including calling customer service, but the ...
Summary: Maybe I'm stupid but this router had worse coverage than my Linksys WRT54G router which I was trying to replace. I tried everything, including calling customer service, but the coverage and signal strength were not acceptable. I thought (again maybe I'm just naive) that an "n" router was suppose to have better coverage (ALL our computers have n cards). Even in "n" only mode the coverage and signal strength were below par. The 5GHZ band was useless - you had to be in the same room as the router to get coverage - why have a wireless router then? I really can't imagine what the positive reviews are talking about - I just don't see this as a good product.
I returned the D-Link and went back to using my old Linksys. This has been my only experience with an 'n" router and I won't try again for quite a while.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: D-Link Systems Inc.
- Part number: DIR-825
- Description: The D-Link Xtreme N Dual Band Gigabit Router (DIR-825) is the addition to the award-winning Xtreme N product family. The dual band technology in the DIR-825 supports 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless signals at the same time. This allows you to check e-mail and browse the Internet using the 2.4GHz band while simultaneously streaming High-Definition (HD) movies and other media on the 5GHz band. The DIR-825 is designed for users looking to get a true HD wireless connection that can handle multiple HD video streams throughout the house, while being backward compatible with existing 802.11g and 802.11a products.
General
- Device Type Wireless router
- Form Factor External
- Width 7.6 in
- Depth 4.6 in
- Height 1.2 in
- Weight 11.2 oz
Networking
- Connectivity Technology Wired, Wireless
- Integrated Switch 4-port switch
- 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, Quality of Service (QoS), Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), 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 2
Communications
- Type None
Expansion / Connectivity
- Interfaces 4 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T - RJ-45, 1 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T - RJ-45 ( WAN ), 1 x USB
Miscellaneous
- Cables (Details) 1 x Network cable
- Encryption Algorithm WPA, WPA2
- Microsoft Certifications Compatible with Windows 7
- Compliant Standards IC, FCC Class B certified
Power
- Power Device Power adapter - External
Software / System Requirements
- OS Required Apple MacOS X 10.4, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows XP SP2
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 1 year warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 1 year
Accessories
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
