Router choice: Linksys WRT110 vs D-Link DIR-655

[gazhak]

Router choice: Linksys WRT110 vs D-Link DIR-655 (and DIR-635)

I am quite new to these boards, so please excuse me if I'm posting a trivial or previously answered question.

After having looked at the Router charts and doing some research on prices in my location (Copenhagen, Denmark), I've narrowed down my choice to either Linksys WRT110 or D-Link DIR-655.

I do realize that there is quite a leap from the WRT110's performance to that of DIR-655, but it is also almost double the price.

I am interested primarily in the wired performance of these routers. Wireless performance is a very minor issue for me, as I only use wireless network for browsing the web on a laptop. I have no draft-N clients at all, so any wireless clients will be using (for the time being) 802.11b/g.

My use of internet is composed of gaming, p2p applications and web-browsing (including video streaming at times).

My main PC has a gigabit NIC (other PC's have 10/100 NIC's) and my internet connection is a fiber-based 10/10 MBit connection. My LAN to LAN usage is minor, and so-far I have been happy with the performance I got through my old 10/100 MBit switch.

A primary concern for me is stability. I would be very happy if I never had to reset my router.

Now... here comes the question:

Is it worthwhile for me to spend extra money on the D-Link DIR-655 to get a gigabit LAN connection and automatic QoS, or should I save a bit of money and settle for the WRT110?

Feel free to suggest routers other than the 2 I've mentioned if you think they provide a better solution for me. My price limit is around 75$ / 60€ and cheap is good, as long as performance is not being sacrificed.

Sorry for the wall of text, but I really wanted to describe my situation in detail, otherwise it would be pointless to ask the question here.

Thanks in advance!

 

[thiggins]

The Ubicom-based routing engine on D-Link routers is faster than the RaLink SoC in the Linksys.

If 10/100 LAN is fine, you don't need any more than 10 Mbps routing speed (plus, say 5-10% buffer). Lots of routers that will do that. Look at a D-Link DIR-615 or DIR-625.

 

[gazhak]

First off, thanks for your reply.

I did actually look at both the DIR-615 and DIR-625 in your router charts.

The 615 fell short on the max. number of simultaneous connections, so I outruled that imidiately.

The DIR-625 does not appear to be available in Europe... there is, however, a DIR-635 available (marked as "D-Link RangeBooster N 650 Router DIR-635/E"), but I couldnt find that in your charts, so I'm not too sure of its perfomance. In terms of price, it's half way between DIR-655 and WRT110, so it's definately a contender, assuming its performance is similar.

I'm thinking that what I see as DIR-635 is really a european version of the DIR-625 only with 3 antennas instead of the two on DIR-625, but I can't find confirmation of this anywhere.

For reference, here's a link to a picture of the DIR-635 that I found on the web. I couldn't find a way to include an image in a forum post, so you get a link instead.

Comments/advice is still more than welcome.

 

[thiggins]

DIR-635 should be fine. FCC pix say it has a Ubicom IP5100 CPU.

 

[gazhak]

Awesome, thanks a lot for the fast answer (once more).

I go grocery shopping, and when I return, there's already a reply. I love the internets!

A little research of my own indicates that the DIR-635 also features StreamEngine QoS, which makes it a sure winner...

Thank you, Tim and SmallNetBuilder

 

[gazhak]

Ok, I've done a bit more research, and I found this quote (taken from here):

Your DIR-635 is not directly comparable to the 655. I've seen several people suggest that a DIR-655 is just a DIR-635 with gigabit ethernet, and that is not accurate.

The DIR-635 uses the older Ubicom IP3023 found in the D-Link DGL-4300, not the next-generation Ubicom IP5160 found in the DIR-655. The DIR-655 also uses the A03 version of the Atheros AR5008-3NG 802.11n/MIMO chipset, compared to the ~16-month-old A01 version in the DIR-635 and original Buffalo Pre-N router. For ethernet, the DIR-635 uses the Realtek RTL8305SC 10/100 switch chipset, the same switch chip used in the older D-Link DI-634M, whereas the DIR-655 uses the Vitesse VSC7385 10/100/1000 switch found in a number of business-class, gigabit wired routers.

The DIR-635 firmware is also missing some features found in the 655, such as WISH. Ubicom introduced several new features with their IP50xx firmware, and those enhancements are not available for products using the older IP30xx generation chip. Perhaps more importantly, the firmware on the DIR-635 was not upgraded to increase its connection limit; it's still stuck at 96(?) connections compared to 400 for the DIR-655. D-Link must not want people buying the 635, because I can't see another reason why they haven't updated the connection limit on the 635 firmware.

This is inconsistent with what you posted or it has been changed in some revision, but after a quick look at the router charts, if the performance is similar to that of the DGL-4300, that will work fine for my needs.

I've found a really nice offer on a DIR-635 bundled with a DWA-140, so I think I'll order that unless someone posts arguing against it.

Anyway... confirmation of chip / performance on the DIR-635 would be sweet if anyone has it readily available

stay tuned?!

 

[jdabbs]

This is inconsistent with what you posted or it has been changed in some revision, but after a quick look at the router charts, if the performance is similar to that of the DGL-4300, that will work fine for my needs.

Revision B1 was introduced a month after the quoted post. Both B1 and B3 DIR-635 revisions have a 5100U, so routing performance should be similar to the DIR-625.

 

[gazhak]

Thanks for the post, jdabbs.

Your post confirms that the DIR-635 will be a perfect choice for me. I'll order one later today!

I'm really amazed at the replies in this thread. I can't remember the last time I posted on a new forum with so many relevant answers all within a few hours.
This won't be the last time I come here looking for geeky details (the best kind, mind you) at SmallNetBuilder.

Thumbs up!

NB: I tried changing the title of this thread to include DIR-635 since it kinda derailed from the original question. I only managed to change the title internally in the thread and not the name of it, as seen in the forum overwiev. Am I not allowed to?

 

[tipstir]

http://support.dlink.com/emulators/dir635/login.html

DIR-635 EMULATOR of the Web Admin here you can try it before it comes home.

 

[gazhak]

My new router has now arrived, and it's up and running!

Setup was a breeze, and everything seems to be working as it should.

However, It looks like I have gotten an older revision. The web management interface says:

Hardware Version: A1
Firmware Version: 1.09W

Should I worry at all about this?

 

[jdabbs]

I'd also check the underside label to determine the hardware revision. If it is an A revision, then you probably did get one with a IP3k series CPU like the previously quoted post. It's not as good as the 5k, but the loss of enhancements may not be that big of a deal. Since you are primarily interested in wired performance, the lack of wireless QoS (WISH) is likely tolerable. Comparing the IP5100U DIR-625 to the IP3023 DGL-4300 shows that you lose about 10% in total throughput, but both are well above 100 Mbps. I am hesitant to compare the number of connections since that does depend on firmware as well as CPU; my recommendation is for you to test with your P2P app of choice to determine whether you are getting an acceptable level of performance.

 

[Gew]

The DIR-635 firmware is also missing some features found in the 655, such as WISH. Ubicom introduced several new features with their IP50xx firmware, and those enhancements are not available for products using the older IP30xx generation chip. Perhaps more importantly, the firmware on the DIR-635 was not upgraded to increase its connection limit; it's still stuck at 96(?) connections compared to 400 for the DIR-655. D-Link must not want people buying the 635, because I can't see another reason why they haven't updated the connection limit on the 635 firmware.

Just out of curiosity, how can DIR-655 handle 400 connections? Multiple subnets? I mean, the router (by default) operates on 192.168.0.0/24 (192.168.0.1-254), right? The router itself occupies one host (.1), leaving 252 hosts for connections. What piece am I missing out on here?

PS. The DIR-635 can handle WISH with recent firmware!

 

[jdabbs]

Connections are port-level, not IP.