D-Link Xtreme N Dual-Band Gigabit Router (DIR-825/RE) Wireless N600

Pros: I got version B1 and OpenWRT flashed flawlessly.

Cons: None.

Pros: no experience

Cons: Version A1 does not support openwrt and ddwrt, Version B does.

Other Thoughts: I researched the DIR-825, and knew that the B version would meet my requirements, but the A version would not.

I took a chance and ordered this refurb, hoping to receive B version. I was disappointed to receive the A version.

If others report that they received B version, I will be returning mine for replacement, hoping to receive the B version.

Pros: None

Cons: Dead on arrival, dont waste your time or money, refub has only 30 days of warrenty and calling Dlink is a joke, was on hold for 2 hours and all I got out of them was a reading from Script

Other Thoughts: Not Neweggs fault but they should see where the item is being refubrished, having an item dead out of a box should never happen.CS agent at new egg was helpfull to setup a return but I had to travel 40 miles to Albany NY to go buy a router from the other crooks...Best Buy

Pros: * Tech Service was extremely competent, helpful, patient, and knowledgeable when you can reach them.
* Once they walked me through the manual setup routines, it is pretty straightforward to configure advanced settings for things like guest networks, different passwords for different WiFi Bands, resetting the router, having multiple WiFi routers in series or as rebroadcast units.
* reliable and cool running after being run 24/7 for a couple months.
* Still a bargain price for a dual band N600 WiFi router.

Cons: * Routers come with severely outdated Firmware.
* Need to go through up to 5 iterations to get to latest firmware versions.
* Need to use Manual Setup to install firmware revisions. Software does not update the firmware automatically.
* Firmware from Rev A routers cannot be updated with firmware from Rev B or Rev C routers.
* Manual setup of two routers in "series" is not documented in any of the FAQ's or manuals. This cannot be done with the automatic "easy" setup discs that come with the routers.
* Tech service/customer service que is very long!!! I had to wait a minimum of 45 minutes, and as long as 75 minutes to reach an actual tech service person on the phone. It was worth it when I did finally reach someone but the wait was LONG.
* Firmware revisions cause the routers to need resetting or they do not work properly. Load the latest Firmware revisions Before you go through the setup/configure phase or the routers will be buggy as Heck.
* Manual Router reset on the back of the router does NOT completely reset the router configuration back to the original. You have to go into the software in the Manual Setup mode to completely reset the router and reboot it.
* Being Refurbished, you can get either a Rev A or a Rev B router which require different firmware updates. The condition of the router as received can be variable - sometimes like new, other times well used.

Other Thoughts: I am not an IT professional (I am an engineer) and I only work on my own home network. As a consequence, having spent more than 20 hours of time over the last couple days working to update, reconfigure, and get a couple of these routers to work together and communicate with my network devices. I have a much better appreciation of the tech support people at D-link.

I purchased a couple of these routers to get the dual band capability in a N600 router and because they were inexpensive. The refurbished units have variable build Revisions and conditions. If you can live with a Rev A router that is scuffed up on the outside or a new looking Rev B router then they are still a great deal.

After I studied the manuals, faq's, and other blog sites, I still could not figure out how to configure my routers to have two routers in series using the LAN ports. In the process of trial and error (mostly error), I messed up the router configuration to the point that they would not communicate with any devices on either the WiFi or Ethernet ports. I finally broke down and contacted the Tech Support people at D-Link.

The phone que for tech support is very long. Expect to wait a minimum of 45 minutes in the que before you finally reach someone. It was worth it for me since the tech support people I interacted with the two times I called and was able to reach someone were extremely helpful and walked me through the setup process. In the course of this, they were able to answer all of my questions about the manual setup, using multiple routers in series, and how to set up repeaters. My comfort level with the manual software setup grew tremendously from this. I do give the tech support 5+ stars!

If you do this for a living, I'm sure that configuring the hardware to do this is old hat and very easy. For people like myself who do it very infrequently, the tech support was invaluable.

In reading through some of the previous reviews where people could not get the routers to work right out of the box; I can now state that most of their problems were probably due to the router not being reset completely using the manual configuration software or because the router did not have the correct IP address or DNS configuration. During the course of my attempts to configure my routers I encountered all of the problems that have been stated in other reviews (except router overheating) and found that they were due to my own ignorance of how to properly reset the router and configure the system. Once I got the routers configured properly, they have performed flawlessly for me.

As an afterthought, I found that my Rev A DIR-825 router puts out about 4-5 db higher WiFi signal strength on either band than does the Rev B DIR-825 router with identical configuration. I am not sure why that is but I have repeated the tests several times with the same results. Maybe this is within the margin of error for the way they are constructed.

Pros: * Inexpensive - I paid US$49 for the first one and US$39 for a second one.
* D-Link Software is easy to use for the quick set-up.
* First Router I purchased looked Brand New.
* External Antenna are easily upgradeable.
* Stable network with Zero Problems and no Dropped Signals.
* Dual 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands really improved transfer speeds when using multiple devices.

Cons: * Second Purchase was scratched up.
* Stock Antennas not as strong signal as I would Like.
* Difficult to Configure if you don't use easy setup software.
* Indicator Lights are very bright.
* Does not switch devices automatically between 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands as it should.
* Easy Software does not allow WPA2-PSK encryption, only WPA-PSK or WEP encryption.
* Manual setup is difficult but is necessary to set up a guest network or screen multiple users.
* Difficult for me to setup for multiple routers in series.

Other Thoughts: I saw this Refurbished D-Link DIR-825 on sale for US$49 which was under half what comparable new dual band "N600" routers were going for. I gave it a shot.

The first one of these I purchased looked brand new in the box. Setup using the enclosed software disc and the Easy Setup software was straight forward and "easy".

Throughput speeds increased over my old D-Link 525 "g" router and, with the dual bands, I was able to setup some devices to run on the 2.4GHz bands and other devices that could detect it to run on the 5GHz band. This also increased the transfer speeds significantly; especially when my wife wanted to stream her shows at the same time I was downloading stuff.

My WiFi Router is at one end of the house and it is approximately 20 meters to the other end of the home through 5 walls with insulation, pipe conduit, romex, and various metal objects in the way. The stock antenna on the DIR-825 were insufficient to give me good signal strength at the furthest distance away with the 2.4GHz band. The 5GHz signal was barely detectable. I purchased a couple High Gain Antenna from Newegg (reviewed at those items site). The High Gain Antenna did wonders for signal strength in both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. I found the TPLink 8db High Gain antenna worked the best for my configuration.

I did a download test of a 300 Mb file directly from my modem through an ethernet connection to my laptop. I then connected the modem to the WiFi router and downloaded the same test file through the WiFi. Download speed at the maximum distance away in my house was decreased by less than 5% using the WiFi connection vs. the hardwired ethernet connection. I consider that to be excellent. I then repeated the download test with the laptop approximate 1.8 meters away from the router. The download speed by WiFi was within experimental error of the download speed when the laptop was connected directly to the modem by ethernet connection. your results may vary from mine.

I have had the first of these dual band WiFi routers working 24/7 for a couple months now. Once setup, I have had zero (0) problems with dropped signal or any other problem I could attribute to the router. It has been flawless.

I liked it so much that when I saw that Newegg had dropped the price and was selling them for US$39, I bought another one for backup and to see if I could configure a "guest network" from that.

My biggest complaint is with the software to do a "manual setup". I don't do it often and it too difficult to use when trying to set up a guest network, individual passwords, multiple routers in series or any of the more advanced features. Solve that and I will give this router a 10 star rating.

Bottom Line: This router is a great value at US$49 and a steal at $39. The ones I got were Version B routers so I can't speak to the experiences of others who got the Version A devices.

Pros: None

Cons: After researching the DIR-825 Rev A1 on the internet, I discovered Newegg, sold me, a piece of $40.00 junk. I am not happy about this. This Router overheats and constantly drops internet connections, according to other reviews on the internet, it ain't never going to get better.

Other Thoughts: The DIR-825 Rev A1, is not DD-WRT compatible. If one happens to buy a DIR-825 Revision B, or C, you may have a usable Router

Pros: Cheep

Cons: Update to "Steal at 50 bucks" review

Discovered this router has Multicast Issues that cannot be resolved. Networked TiVos cannot maintain a connection to each other. Connection must be refreshed to get Multicast working again, drops after just a few minutes. Tried all various configurations nothing works, My old DIR-628 works fine with Multicast between devices.

Pros: ok when it worked

Cons: overheats and quit working after being plugged in for approximately 8 hours. very hot to the touch. I had it setting where my Linksys WRT160N sets.

Other Thoughts: I recommend buying another product

Pros: Decent throughput, like new. Signal a bit weaker than e3000 same placement but throughput is better. No connection issues so far.

Cons: Came with older firmware 2.02NA, hate the verification code nonsense,

Flashing to 2.05 requires 2 flashes (separate bins). Later FW requires prior versions so you can't just skip to the latest.

Other Thoughts: Contrary to misinformation supplied by prev posters. DD-WRT is supported, including C1 revision. Also firmware is easily found at D-Link, you do have to click "show discontinued products" on their support page.

Pros: i got this for christmas i couldnt get to the 1.192.168.0.1 cuz the 1 i had got was DD-WRT in i aint no what that was until i google it so i said forget all that i sent it back got a replacement and now i like it i see seem dont but hey i like refurbish stuff u save alots of money ya no but um it do what i need it to do now its stable for my 4g razr m on wifi and for my 2 ps3's and my laptops and its good for gaming and web chats and its fast for me and the stuff i do plus i do music. but hey some products not for every body

Cons: watch out this can be DD-WRT 3rd party or d-link i sent the first 1 i got as a gift back cuz i dont no bout DD-WRT so me i like to stick to what i no. so when i sent it back for my replacement it was what i want d-link cuz its what i paid for