D-Link RangeBooster DIR-655

While some of the routers on test look like props from a sci-fi show, D-Link's design is more sedate. The DIR-655 is fairly compact and its flashing blue LEDs are more discreet than others, which practically light up the room. A wall-mounting kit is bundled, along with a stand for mounting the router vertically.

The DIR-655 is also crammed with features, not least of which is a four-port Gigabit hub. This gives it an edge over those with only 10/100 ports and allows for much faster transfers if all your connected computers support Gigabit Ethernet. Next to these are a WAN port (there's no integrated ADSL modem) and a USB port for Wi-Fi Protected Setup. Here, the SSID and encryption keys are copied onto a USB flash drive, which you then plug into each device that needs to connect wirelessly.

Setting up the router is simple, too, thanks to a CD utility that takes you through connecting cables and entering your ISP details. The web interface is mainly wizard based as well, with buttons for WLAN and LAN settings, but there's also an Advanced tab that provides access to the main options.

Everything you'd expect is here, including MAC address filtering, port forwarding, application and website filtering, VPN passthrough and UPnP support. It's also certified for 802.11n draft 2.0 (meaning, in theory, it will offer better compatibility with all draft 2.0 devices), and is Xbox Live and Vista compatible - only DMZ is missing.

The DIR-655 uses Ubicom's StreamEngine to prioritise certain types of data for both wired and wireless transfers. It means VoIP data is given priority over downloads or uploads on the LAN and WAN, while video and music are prioritised on the WLAN.

In our testing, we found speed was respectable using a standard Centrino Wi-Fi radio, especially at long range: we saw 6.2Mb/sec at 25m. Speed was no better with the £55 DWA-645 PC Card, though, so don't waste any money equipping your laptops with these.

The DIR-655 can't compete with the Buffalo for speed, but offers a great deal of features for its £85 price. Add the 11-year warranty, decent coverage and speed with Centrino 802.11g, and it earns its place on the A List.

Author: Jim Martin