D-Link DI-524 dead now

*Update* Over the Christmas Holidays (December 2006) I replaced the unit that my mother purchased with a WRT54G as well. Her D-Link started exhibiting the same symptoms as did mine and was eventually too much of a nuisance to ignore. These things are junk. I highly recommend against buying them.

I’m back using my WRT54G router. The D-Link DI-524 started locking up on me more and more often. I couldn’t even get it to reset using the reset button (hold for 30 seconds and all that).

I’m pretty disappointed with the wireless routers I’ve seen in general. The technology is here to do WEP and MAC Filtering and not broadcasting SSID, but don’t try to do all that at once!

To be fair I think the D-Link was probably just a crap unit. It’s seizures were directly related to whenever I would bittorrent something for a long period of time (maybe overheated?). Anyway, in getting more and more creative in ways to “unseize” it, I eventually just physically broke the unit (the antenna isn’t as strong as I thought it was…).

8 thoughts on “D-Link DI-524 dead now”

  1. Hi,
    Thanks for putting this info regarding the DI-524. We experienced similar problems in our home with the same product. The solution was to change the channel settings (wireless ->channel 3). So far so good.
    Also there are reports of cordless phone interference.

  2. Wow, D-Link = “junk” ? I’m using the TM-G5240, which looks like D-Links rebadged DI-524 for T-Mobile. Mine’s been running fine.

    I went with D-Link after others I knew had their Linksys die, they didn’t last very long even. Actually, my DI-614+ died after 6 years of heavy usage. It outlasted several Linksys wireless routers over that duration. During that time, those others switched to D-Link and actually are more satisfied with their D-Link wireless routers.

    Not only are they happier with the D-Link product, but the setup is easier and more user friendly.

    Guess it’s a preference though ?

  3. @Jim – Hey Jim, I think if you’ll look closely you’ll find that I’m referring specifically to the DI-524. I really can’t comment on other D-Link products.
    All I can do is recount my experience which has two different D-Link units, purchased at different times (one for me and one for my mother) that went South in exactly the same way and became useless to us.

    We all know that different models within the same brand can be of markedly different quality.

    So, not so much a preference but rather a bad experience that will now drive a preference.

  4. The TM-G5240 = the DI-524. Notice that the number code “524” is in both model numbers ? Differences ? Case sticker colors, and the TM-G5240 has T-Mobiles “hot spot” support for their cellular phones.

    Here’s a review that really supports what you contend that the DI-524 can be beaten ? But let’s face it, they beat it with the 108g, DI-624, not a Linksys 54g router. The closest competitor would be the Netgear model in that review.

    I think it has more to do with how hard D-Link optimizes/puts their routers toward the threshold of each’s performance envelope. Clearly in these measurable tests, the Linksys is detuned and probably set by the firmware to run at a much slower rate, perhaps for that reliability you claim ? It’s not being stressed nearly as much for a 54g product. If the DI-524 holds up, obviously there is a significant performance gain. It’s 48-65 % faster than the Linksys in those 2 tests.

    Who knows maybe I have the same issue someday soon. All I know is a majority of everyone I know that used Linksys are now using D-Link. I can’t say whether “they’ll” ever go back, but personally, I probably won’t switch from D-Link to Linksys ever ? If the DI524/TM-G5420 turns out as bad as you say, my brother swears by his DIR-655 “n” router. And for the most part it stomps anything Linksys puts on the shelf too ?

    In a lot of the bad press I’ve read on the DI-524, too many of those people were replacing a Linksys with it.

    http://reviews.cnet.com/routers/d-link-dir-655/4505-3319_7-32145084-2.html?tag=txt;page

    http://reviews.cnet.com/routers/d-link-di-524/4505-3319_7-30839580-2.html?tag=txt;page

  5. @Jim – Hey Jim, don’t forget, my complaint isn’t any theoretical concern on my part regarding performance or throughput.

    Both of my D-Link units flat out died. All lights solidly ablaze and the units could not be reset and were completely unresponsive. They could not be reset in any way shape or form.

    As many warts as the linksys has (and it has plenty, to be sure – one of the reasons I’m using DD-WRT). But it’s still running and the D-Link, well, isn’t…

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