In the race for speed over data transfer in Wi-Fi networks, many router manufacturers forget about supporting old technologies. And for owners of laptops and mobile equipment manufactured 5-6 years ago, this causes a lot of problems. The focus of this article is the DIR-825 router from the well-known manufacturer D-Link, which supports simultaneous operation in two bands and, accordingly, is able to provide communication for both new devices and morally obsolete ones. Review, configuration, specifications, owner reviews and expert recommendations will help the reader to get acquainted with an interesting product.
First meeting
The leader in the production of network equipment has once again proved that its products are completed at the highest level. The D-Link DIR-825 router has informative packaging on which not only the basic characteristics of the device are indicated, but also a detailed description of the additional functionality. The box itself is cardboard, with a glossy finish.
Inside, the user will find: a router, a power supply to it (pulse), a patchcord cable, two removable antennas and an instruction manual. Also in the box there is a large volume of advertising brochures that do not cause owners, judging by their reviews, any interest. The equipment is standard, nothing more, but the length of the patchcord cable is confusing - only one meter. It’s enough to configure the router , but it’s impossible to use it if you install the router far from a personal computer.
Appearance and build quality
The router, the price of which does not exceed 4,000 rubles in the domestic market, has a high-quality assembly. As a result of the review, no owner was able to detect any flaws in the device. Plastic is durable and high quality. All panels are perfectly matched to each other, and the ports and interfaces are superbly centered. There are holes for mounting on the wall on the router case, and there are also rubber feet that allow you to place the router on smooth surfaces.
Amplification antennas are made in a simple style and have a rubberized base. The buttons on the case of the DIR-825 / AC router, although small, are pressed easily and do not warp. As for the LED indicators, they are quite large, visible even in bright sunny colors and have signatures. True, in the dark, their brightness is a little annoying if the router is installed near the workplace. Users prefer to cover them with a sheet of paper.
Cooling system
Quite conflicting reviews on the D-Link DIR-825 router regarding continuous operation. Users have prerequisites that the device is capable of overheating, and, accordingly, freezing. However, tests conducted by enthusiasts show that there are no problems with passive ventilation. The manufacturer placed the holes of the cooling system not only on the bottom of the router, but also ensured their presence on the side faces. The measurements taken show that the heating of the Wi-Fi controller does not exceed the room temperature by more than 2-3 degrees Celsius.
As for the freezing, many experts found the problem in the chip responsible for data transmission in 802.11n networks - the maximum wireless channel load at a speed of over 150 megabits per second leads to spontaneous disconnection of the Wi-Fi module. After 20-30 seconds, the problem resolves itself. You can eliminate it with a hardware “shape” - reducing the bandwidth of the wireless line to 140 megabits per second.
Interfaces & Connectors
The standard four-port hub for all D-Link devices can work with gigabit networks. All owners of this network equipment are happy about this, judging by their reviews. Basically, a router has such functionality, the price of which exceeds 5,000 rubles. The only drawback that some users have noticed is the lack of colorization of the LAN ports themselves. True, this is not a big deal, since the WAN interface for connecting the provider's cable is yellow. It is impossible to mix ports.
Customers will also enjoy the USB interface present in the network equipment. The router can work with 3G modems, flash drives, portable hard drives and NAS systems, and also supports a “print server”. Accordingly, such an extensive functionality is useful not only for home use, but it can also cope with the organization of a network in a small office.
Wireless interfaces
The DIR-825 A / D1A router supports the simultaneous operation of two wireless access points due to the presence of a pair of controllers that operate in different frequency ranges. So, the RTL8812AR chip, which operates at 5 GHz and provides data transfer up to 800 megabits per second, is responsible for supporting the old standard. The RTL8192ER chip operates at a frequency of 2.4 GHz and provides operability at speeds up to 300 Mb / s to the new 802.11n interface.
At the hardware level, the network device supports WPS technology, allowing you to connect mobile devices without authorization to wireless networks. In the settings, the user has the opportunity to specify which controller will be used for this technology.
Router control panel
For many users who prefer the DIR-825, configuring wireless networks can be difficult. The fact is that the manufacturer in the operating instructions described only the algorithm for connecting the router to the computer and the authorization process for accessing the control menu. Experts in the field of network equipment recommend that owners do not rush to conclusions and download a detailed guide for the router from the manufacturer's official website.
It is worth noting that the DIR-825 in the domestic market is very popular, and accordingly, it hit the list of recommended products of many providers due to its huge functionality. Before proceeding to manual settings, users need to visit the official website of their provider and find ready-made firmware for the router on it. The device firmware process is described in the complete user manual.
You can’t do without a master
Network equipment D-Link DIR-825, like other routers from the manufacturer, has an intelligent system built into the control panel that helps users quickly configure the device. The assistant is really convenient - it acts sequentially, as described in the full manual, and also provides a detailed description of the custom functionality.
If the user has a desire to get acquainted with the settings of the wireless device, then it is better to start working with the wizard. Having studied the connection process step by step and reading the description of the functional, it will be very easy to know the operation of the router. Experts recommend that the owners of the router not be afraid of the process, because the device can always be reset to the factory settings and begin the learning procedure again. It is also possible to save the settings file to the local computer or to removable media. This solution is convenient when using a router with different providers.
In detail about multimedia
Many users are unhappy with the work of the Transmission torrent client, however, the DIR-825 router is equipped with a fairly stable version of this software. The client works on its own, is perfectly “friendly” with all media connected to the network device via USB. Owners have no complaints about the work of the torrent, judging by their reviews in the media.
The manufacturer also announced support for HD IPTV. Interestingly, the router can work with Smart-TV and DLNA. This versatility opens up many multimedia opportunities for the user. In fact, all mobile devices of the owner will be able to freely communicate with each other.
Fans of network toys may need a port forwarding function , because very often the provider closes the necessary ports. This functionality is described in great detail not only in the complete user manual - there are convenient explanations with examples on the manufacturer’s official website in the Help section.
Data security
The fact that the DIR-825 / AC router supports secure IPv6 is good. But the manufacturer forgot to mention that this functionality only works with the new network interface. The router can connect to all existing types of networks, including private virtual networks. Wireless interfaces have a standard encryption system (WEP, WPA / WPA2) with a 256-bit key. In addition, at the hardware level, the device is equipped with a firewall that protects the user's local network from intruders.
Confuses only the built-in content filtering service Yandex-DNS. It is logical to assume that the DIR-825 router wraps all the provider’s traffic through a well-known Russian host, and this can reduce the speed of the Internet for the user if he lives at a great distance from Moscow. Then the owner has to decide what is more important to him: speed or security (do not forget about the provider's network screens).
Finally
Quite an interesting product was obtained from the company D-Link. In fact, in terms of functionality, the DIR-825 router has no competitors in the budget price class. Two Wi-Fi access points, a USB interface, gigabit ports, IPTV, torrent client - what else does an ordinary user need? For 4,000 rubles - by the criterion of "price-quality" - even the most demanding buyer of the best router on the market simply can not find.