Life without access to the Internet is hardly anyone today can imagine. We communicate with friends on the network, work and have fun, using unique services available to every inhabitant of the planet who has a computer and Internet access. Of course, it is with the latter that problems most often arise.
And it's not just about the providers, but also about your own equipment. Take, for example, the company D-Link. It produces a lot of cheap and rather convenient routers, which are affordable for almost every consumer. But sometimes it’s extremely difficult to figure out their internal settings, and you won’t be able to get a stable and fast Internet without it.
In this article we will consider the D-Link DIR-300 model. Setting up a router of this type is an enduring headache for many of its owners, and therefore this topic is worthy of more detailed consideration. Immediately, we note that in all other respects this equipment is simply excellent for organizing a home network. The disadvantages with regard to its configuration relate to software problems, and therefore do not affect the reliability of the router.
Why exactly this model?
Our choice is far from accidental: this equipment belongs to the budget category, and therefore it is offered to users by almost every second provider company. Various modifications of this router support a reception speed of up to 150 Mbps. Please note that there are old and new D-Link DIR-300 models (firmware of different years), in which the web interface looks completely different.
In general, there are so many routers of this model on the market today that there are several dozen modifications. Most often they differ only in the color of the case, and the internal layout is almost always the same.
Appearance and stuff
Suppose you just removed a router from a packing box. There are 4 LAN ports on the rear panel, as well as 1 WAN port to which you will connect the cable from your provider. Thus, through a wired connection to this router, you can connect four computers at once. Important! D-Link DIR-300 connection should only be made using a working cable with clean channels. You can’t imagine how many nerves were spoiled due to dirt or common dust adhering to metal contacts!
Do not forget that you still have a Wi-Fi channel. Important! For older XP (without the SP3 package), you may need the D-Link DIR-300 driver, since without it the likelihood that some functions of the equipment will work incorrectly is very high. For example, you probably won’t be able to create a local home wireless network. But it is so convenient!
Initial settings
So, what needs to be done in order to enter the D-Link DIR-300 settings panel? Setting up the router begins with the most commonplace: connect the power source to it, connect the Ethernet cable to the connector on the network card, and attach the “cord” from the provider to the corresponding port on the rear panel. Next, you need
to change the IP of the network controller so that it can automatically receive all the necessary data.
Windows XP
In this system, you first need to click on "Start", go there to the "Control Panel", find in the list "Local Area Connection". Choose the one you need, then click on its icon with the right mouse button, and in the pop-up context menu, left-click on the “Properties”. There should be a line “Protocol (TCP / IP)”. D-Link DIR-300 will not be able to connect to the Internet without this, so this setting must be completed!
Windows 7
Click on the "Start" button, go to the "Control Panel", click on the link "Control Center ...". In the upper left part of the working window there is an item “Change ... adapter”. Click on it with the left mouse button, you get into the same working connection window. You are also looking for TCP / IP, right-click, select "Properties" in the context menu.
After that you need to set the checkboxes in the item "Automatically get ... IP for this computer." After that, your system will independently determine its address on the network, as well as receive some other parameters for automatically setting up a network connection.
We can say that this particular system is the most friendly to this router model. As a rule, the OS finds all the necessary drivers by itself, so users only need to connect and configure the equipment.
Update firmware
So that all further actions will succeed, we strongly recommend updating the firmware to the latest version! This is done through the menu items Maintenance / Firmware update. To do this, in the input field of your browser address, type: 192.168.1.1, then press Enter. You will need to enter a username and password. As a rule, this is admin / admin, but it is better to clarify in the instructions that came with the D-Link DIR-300 router. The instruction is most often found on the CD-ROM that comes with the equipment.
Then go to the manufacturer’s website, and then download the latest version. Then follow the path above (if you have not done so already), click on the "Browse" button, and then in the "Explorer" find the downloaded file. Double-click on it with the mouse.
By the way, on the same site you can also find the D-Link DIR-300 driver, which is often required for its correct operation with outdated operating systems.
Attention! In no case, during the next two minutes, do not turn off the power or do not affect the router in any other way! During the operation, a timer with the remaining time will be displayed on the monitor. When the process is completed successfully, the corresponding message will also appear on the monitor.
If you unplug the power cord at this moment, then the D-Link DIR-300 router, the firmware of which we have described, may well completely fail. Only a service center can bring it back to life, and even then not in all cases. The fact is that with a sharp power outage at the time of software replacement, NAND-memory is often damaged, and without it, the router will not be able to boot corny.
Customize the connection
What needs to be done to enter the network through the D-Link DIR-300? Setting up the router starts with the Internet Setup option. It is best to select the manual setting option.
First, we will be interested in the DHCP option. The advantage of this mode is that all the necessary data from the provider will be received automatically. Go to the Internet Connection Type field, and then set the value to Dynamic IP (DHCP) there.
Other settings
If there is such a need, you can enter the appropriate value of your equipment in the MAC Address field. This may be necessary if the provider requires binding of the MAC address to the client address. In particular, technical support can instantly find out all your data, and you don’t have to dictate it for half an hour, scouring the apartment in search of documents to connect your D-Link DIR-300. In this case, you will also not need instructions for its operation, as specialists will be able to remotely find out the specific router model.
Especially for this, at the bottom of the working window there is an extremely convenient Clone MAC option, after clicking which the address will be automatically picked up by the router. And our work continues: we enter the parameters of your DNS connection in the DNS Address field. These data should be clarified in the office of the provider or in your contract with him.
Access point
Using Point Mode, you can turn your D-Link DIR-300 router into an access point. Configuring the router in this case leads to the fact that LAN ports are completely disabled, and the equipment only connects devices to the Internet via a wireless channel. To activate the access point, just check the Point Mode checkbox.
Click on the Save Settings button, after which all your settings will be saved in the internal memory of the router. As you can see, setting up the D-Link DIR-300 in this mode is extremely simple, so even a completely inexperienced user can handle it.
Configure PPTP VPN mode
Alas, in this case, you will need many more manipulations with the parameters than was the case with DHCP. Again, go to the manual setting item.
The option My Internet Connection is set to Dual Access. Let’s explain. In this mode, the router can maintain a connection with the internal resources of the provider, while successfully working on the Internet. The fact is that VPN ports of domestic companies are very often located in completely different subnets, which makes it impossible for the equipment to work correctly if standard settings are set.
It is very important to correctly fill out the routing table. This is extremely important, because otherwise you will not be able to connect to the internal resources of the provider if there is no VPN connection. However, if these resources are deeply uninteresting to you, you can skip this configuration step with a clear conscience. If you need FTP or DC ++ services, we suggest moving along the Advanced / Routing path.
Configure the routing menu
In this field there are exactly 32 positions for entering in them all the necessary parameters. Which of the routes you need to configure in your case, again, you should find out from your technical support. If you are connecting to a network in Dual Access, be sure to select the WAN connection (Physical Port), and for the Destination value, you need to specify the address of a specific destination of the route. Do not forget to correctly specify the subnet mask of your provider in the Subnet Mask item, and in the Gateway field - specify the local gateway address without errors.
As in the previous case, to complete the configuration, click on the "Save" button. After that, the D-Link DIR-300 B7 will save all the changes you made.
Wireless network
As we said, this equipment supports the connection at a speed of 150 Mbps. To configure everything properly, go to Setup / Wireless Setup.
As in all other cases, we strongly recommend using manual tuning, as it will allow you to adjust dozens of parameters that will be bypassed during the “Setup Wizard”. This mode also exists, but it is only suitable for very inexperienced users. Now consider all the options available in this section. And almost all of them are quite important:
- Enable Wireless. This option allows you to enable or disable the very possibility of wireless communication. Using the New Shelude button, you can manually set the time period during which you can connect to the router via a wireless network.
- Wireless Network Name. Here you can set a meaningful name for your wireless network. This is very convenient if the neighboring apartments have the same WiFi routers. A dozen D-Link DIR-300s can confuse anyone.
- Automatic channel selection. In this case, the communication channel is selected by the equipment in a fully automatic mode.
- Wireless Channel On the contrary, when setting this option, you can select a specific channel in fully manual mode. We strongly recommend not using the sixth channel, since it is at this frequency that most of the equipment that uses the wireless channel works. It is best to choose 1/12 in order to reduce the amount of interference from neighboring networks.
- Transmission Rate. You don’t need to touch anything here: this parameter controls the speed. Leave the value Best (automatic).
- Enable Hidden Wireless. Again, if your home has a lot of networks, it is better to enable this option. In this case, your equipment will be hidden, which will not tempt home-grown hackers to test the strength of your password.
Finally, let's talk about the Security Mode field. In the Security Mode field, you need to select the type of encryption with which your network will be protected from unauthorized data interception. We strongly recommend using only (!) WPA / WPA2. All other modes have many known vulnerabilities that can be detected by other users. In general, the D-Link DIR-300 network password is extremely reliable, but it is better to play it safe.
And the point here is not only that someone can get a great opportunity to use your Internet connection for free. What is more dangerous is that a potential attacker will go online under your IP. Imagine the consequences if he breaks into some important resource! Most likely, you can’t prove anything to law enforcement agencies.
Advanced Encryption Options
In the same WPA / WPA2 field, you can try advanced encryption settings, the use of which will make your wireless network as secure as possible from outside attacks.
So, setting Cipher Type allows you to specify a specific type of WPA encryption. We recommend setting Auto (TKIP / AES) in this field, since this option provides maximum compatibility with all household equipment that uses a wireless network to access the Internet. However, you can leave only AES mode, since it provides maximum network resistance to hacking. But before that, we strongly recommend that you make sure that your devices support this option.
If you set the value of PSK / EAP, you can choose the option Personal Mode (intended for home networks), or Infrastructure (the mode is used in industrial enterprises).
In the "Password" field, you can specify your preferred character set to protect the network. We recommend using passwords with a length of at least eight characters. It is advisable to use alternating lowercase and capital letters, various characters and numbers. This will greatly increase the resilience of your network. However, inventing such passwords with a length of 12 characters is not recommended, since the information is already protected in any case, but you can get confused or forget your identification code. As usual, after completing the work, click on Save Settings, saving all the changes you made.
By the way, if you wish, you can even use your home wireless network to organize continuous video surveillance of your home. The transmission speed of this router model is quite enough.
What is the reason for negative reviews?
You can find a fairly large number of reviews, the tonality of which can hardly be called particularly benevolent. What is the reason for this? Oddly enough, but not so rarely the users themselves are to blame for this.
So, often they say that the transmission speed is bad. Allegedly, after 10-15 meters, the Internet speed is such that it is impossible to load a single (even the simplest) site. But users often forget that a couple of concrete walls are often located on these few meters. Note that the radio signal is extremely sensitive to this kind of obstacle.
There are two ways out: either you transfer the router to a more free place, or (as we have already said) extend the cable. It is inexpensive, so you won’t spend a lot of money on it. However, you can try to use a specialized antenna to improve the power of the transmitter. That's just this model of the router does not have a connector for its connection, so you have to work with a soldering iron. If you have no idea even about the correct connection, you should not undertake it.
In addition, in the case of power surges, it is not so rare that the settings of the router fly off. To protect yourself from these troubles, we recommend purchasing UPS.
In conclusion
In the end, I need to say what users usually say about the D-Link DIR-300 router. Testimonials indicate that in front of us is a high-quality and inexpensive device. Most buyers note that no problems were observed throughout the operation.
Some “plugs” occur only with a large number of wireless networks in the house: speed can be dramatically reduced. All this is "treated" by manually setting the channel for communication. If this measure does not help, you will have to forward a regular cable.
In general, the D-Link DIR-300 modem is distinguished by its rare unpretentiousness and adaptability to our realities. As a rule, it automatically picks up the settings of many providers.