D-Link DIR-330 NetDefend SOHO Wireless G VPN Router 4-Port 10/100 Switch

Pros: good looking box. wireless signal is good so far, better than my previous wireless router.

Cons: 1) bad firmware. The latest firmware from DLINK USA website is full of defect. e.g. MAC to IP address mapping can only accept MAC addresses that start with 00. I have to get the BETA firmware from DLINK RUSSIA in order to workaround the MAC address problem.

2) The only VPN that works is PPTP, and PPTP is known of its security weakness.

Other Thoughts: I think newegg should remove this router from the USA product listing until DLINK USA makes the latest and defect free firmware available.

Pros: It was cheap. It's supported by DD-WRT.

Cons: IPSec, L2TP, and L2TP/IPSec don't work. Period. Despite meticulously following the GreenBow setup instructions, it won't work with that client. L2TP and L2TP/IPSec don't work with Android or iPhone (they disconnect 5 seconds after connecting). PPTP seems to work, but I can get that with DD-WRT.

No recent firmware.

Other Thoughts: I suppose if you're looking for a basic wireless router, this is OK. But there are cheaper solutions - a Linksys WRT-54 is far cheaper and will take DD-WRT as this one will.

I bought this to use as an L2TP/IPSec endpoint for a couple of smartphones. Didn't work quite right, so tried to test with straight IPSec using Greenbow - after all, there's a Greenbow setup description written by D-Link. Didn't work - always dropped during Phase 2. Could get L2TP/IPSec to connect briefly, but would always drop after 5 seconds.

I've got Netgear & Zyxel gear running IPSec - they work fine. I've got DD-WRT on an Asus box running OpenVPN. They all work great. Even tested PPTP on the Asus box - it runs fine with simultaneous PPTP & OpenVPN sessions.

Despite the claim of certification, this D-Link box is one of the worst pieces of junk I've bought.

Pros: Easy setup, cheap VPN solution, built-in wireless. Works great, at least with Windows XP.

Cons: PPTP VPN worked fine with XP with minimal setup, but could not get it working with Windows 7 (did not try it in Vista yet). Also had some problems with DDNS geting updated, would have to manually go into the router and refresh it for it to update. Tech support had me try flashing it with the 1.20 beta firmware, which failed at 99% and crashed the device, now have to pay shipping back to DLink to fix. They had no other fix... meaning no VPN Client software to use (instead of the built-in Windows VPN dialer).

Other Thoughts: The Feature set on this device for its price is unmatched, and I can't say for certain the DDNS wouldn't work. It was just that when I would reboot power to the router (and hence pull a new IP from the ISP) it would not update in real time. I put the DDNS timeout setting to the minimum 1 hour, so maybe after an hour it would update? I didn't have time to wait an hour though when trying to set up the VPN. I was using the free DDNS service from DLink. (But again, the problem in was the router not connecting to the DDNS server until going into the router DDNS Config and clicking "Save Settings")

Pros: Reliable VPNs. Decent firewall and LAN/WAN throughput. CHEAP.

Cons: CHEAP. Poor early firmware releases (this has become a pretty common issue with all consumer targeted network systems recently). DC Inverters fail in 2-3 years almost 100% of the time. Config files saved from any earlier firmware bricks the unit (will not pass packets to/from WAN).

Other Thoughts: I had several sites connected via DLINK 814s that were stable if a bit slower than the DIR 330s and more likely to lose the power supply. When I could no longer get 814s, I switched to the DIR 330 due to it's support for the same type of VPN configs used in the 814s. All boxes had to be flashed before configuration and config backups from any other firmware revision bricks the unit, so a purely manual config is the only option for anyone deploying these over time. There are plenty of faster and easier to setup units out there, but nothing with this stability (flashed and properly configured) and functionality in this price range. Not for flexible firewall rule sets, more of a configure and forget it type of thing.

Pros: For those of you not concerned with built-in firmware (which appears to be what most people complain about with this router), this is a GREAT DD-WRT v24 platform! It flashes via its GUI, just like the old Linksys', and supports the Mega releases of DD-WRT (it has 32mb RAM and 8mb flash). It's Broadcom CPU runs at 264mhz. I have had 0 issues with it hanging or needing daily reboots due to connections handling performance (DD-WRT v24 Mega will default to 4096 max IP connections on this thing...that's amazing!). As for the wireless, on my old Linksys routers I could not get past 11mbps down and 6mbps up on bandwidth tests (SpeakEasy). With this one I get 19mbps down and 9mbps up on the same machines. Wired I get 24 down and 9.2 mbps up!!

Cons: At its price point, it could've included additional functionality, such as gigabit switch (instead of 100mbps). However, this is not to undermine its performance, just that in this day and age and at $100 it should definitely offer gigabit. Other than that, there's no other cons that I can think of.

Other Thoughts: If you're buying this modem as an "out of the box" solution, the VPN features in its factory firmware might appeal to you. However, for those trying to find the perfect platform for a great performer running DD-WRT, this is it! For the price you can't get any better. I've owned several Linksys WRT54G's, all running DD-WRT (micro, standard, and mega), and all had problems after a certain number of connections was reached. Their performance was just poor and they required often reboots. The DIR-330 not only outperforms them, but it has also been extremely stable and reliable with DD-WRT v24 Mega. It hasn't required a single reboot and it's been running happily for a couple of weeks now.

Pros: Easy to configure.

Cons: All web sites load much slower than normal; this is even before turning on VPN; have to reboot the router at least once a day. Unstable.

Other Thoughts: If you dont need dedicated VPN, do yourself a favor and buy DIR-655; i bought it and it is much faster.

Pros: -PPTP VPN works like a charm
-remote management works like a charm
-dynamic DNS is a lifesaver !

Cons: -IPSec between two of these units is unstable (I have returned 1 unit - purchased 2 originally), however happy that I was able to fall down on client PPTP to this router.
-DSL's PPOe doesn't automatically reconnect after it looses conection.

Other Thoughts: I have tryed few other VPN routers, they are all ok...If you need VPN & Wireless you can't go wrong with this router.

Pros: Well built, good feature set for the price. I like the real firewall in addition to port forwarding.

Cons: Extremely buggy and unreliable. Almost every configuration change required a reboot by pulling the power cord. Slow interface. The interface is also not intuitive or clean looking, and has badly translated error messages. Firmware upgrade does not work with Javascript turned on.
It's not like routers are a new idea. Why can't any company make a stable one? Going to try a Netgear FWG114P next.

Other Thoughts: NewEgg rocks. I had the unit in my hands 24 hours after ordering.
The router has an unlabeled mystery button on the side. Since I've returned the unit I didn't look up what it was for, but I'm surprised that there was no label or icon for it.

Pros: The DIR-330 is loaded with features when they work.

Cons: I bought the router to alow me to remote into my office at home when I am on the road. I set up a PPTP VPN and a IPSEC VPN. Some location I work from block port 1723 which kills PPTP. However port 500 and 4500 are open on most networks and allows a IPSEC VPN to work. The first problem I encountered with the router is it can not reconnect to the DSL modem. I use Bellsouth DSL and have a Westell modem set to bridge mode. If Bellsouth drops the connection the DIR-330 is stuck. My old router was a DI-614 and it worked well with the Westell modem (Same Settings) because it has a auto-reconnect feature.

I talked with D-Link business support and they were not able to offer any solution under firware version 110. There is no software in the DIR-330 under the current firware that can reconnect. You basically have to be on the local network and push the connect button on the status page to reconnect.

Other Thoughts: The DIR-330 is a good concept, however someone needs to write some software to fix the bugs in the design. Maybe in later firmware releases they will improve the product.

Pros: Great product. It has an easy to use interface. It has tons of options to customize the configuration to your specific needs.The best part is the VPN. I have a need to VPN Macs and PC's. The VPN works great! I have only seen VPN stability this good on Cisco Pix firewalls. The best part is no proprietary VPN Client to install or purchase.

Cons: You need to upgrade firmware before you begin.