Does adding the hard drive require opening it up, or does it have a standard plug setup so you can just slide it in? Is it hot-swappable? And just to verify, I can also use the USB ports to hook up additional external drives, instead of buying a 2.5" drive??

Also, it says I can hook up my printer. Does it have a built-in print server? Will it take ANY USB printer, or is there a list of supported models somewhere?

This is a very feature full device if your in the market. Gigabit, network share for gaming, bittorrent, and media steaming for xbox. Just to name a few. Not a bad starting price for new and you are looking at $99 for a brand in Dlink or linksys.

Ranish wrote:I am sorry to inform you but you are not correct. 2.4GHz is a Radio frequency and not a speed.

The Reason you see 2.4GHz and 5Ghz is not a speed factor but an option that is given to the consumer. The idea is that 2.4GHz is a frequency that is used by alot more devices in the house other than things that connect wifi, which can create interference. So 5.0Ghz was introduced to help alleviate the problem, because it is a less common frequency. Dual band routers exist for the sole purpose of giving your devices the freedom of choosing which is the best signal in the current enviroment the devices are in. So that you have the least interference possible thus the best signal possible.

Actually, there are other advantages of dual-band. Since 2.4Ghz has such limited bandwidth, there can be interference problems if you run more than one router. Also, N performance takes a significant hit if you're also running older b and/or g hardware. By putting N-draft hardware on the 5Ghz bandwidth (and the older stuff on 2.4Ghz), you can maximize performance.

glazedfaith wrote:Does adding the hard drive require opening it up, or does it have a standard plug setup so you can just slide it in? Is it hot-swappable? And just to verify, I can also use the USB ports to hook up additional external drives, instead of buying a 2.5" drive??

A 2.5" SATA drive slides right into the port (see photo on item page, or the review I linked to a few posts earlier). Or you can indeed use an external USB drive.

Various prices around: $229 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4824188&CatId=2668

http://www.buy.com/prod/d-link-dir-685-xtreme-n-storage-router/q/loc/101/211348939.html

http://www.amazon.com/D-Link-DIR-685-Xtreme-Storage-Router/dp/B002COJEOU

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM240809657P?ci_sku=SPM240809657&ci_src=14110944&i_cntr=1301118559859&sid=IDx20101019x00001a

From the Specs list in the Description, Windows 7 is NOT listed:

Minimum System Requirements

Computer with:

Windows Vista, Windows XP SP2 or Mac OS X (v10.4)

Microsoft Windows 7 Compatibility Check with D-Link DIR-685

Yes, D-Link DIR-685 is compatible with 32-bit & 64-bit Windows 7.

VeloSteve wrote:Does anyone know if there's an easy way to connect a 3.5" drive to this thing? I wouldn't mind having to run a short cable or two, and I have several 3.5" drives sitting around.

This would probably work:

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/sata-7-15p-data-power-extension-cable-54cm-length-13067

NightGhost wrote:A 2.5" SATA drive slides right into the port (see photo on item page, or the review I linked to a few posts earlier). Or you can indeed use an external USB drive.

Oops, missed that picture. Thanks

I thought I was interetsed until I read the following items in reviews...


"It would also be useful to drown out the DIR-685′s most frustrating feature, its extremely loud fan. "

"the bad news is that there’s neither WiFi A nor 5GHz on offer....but leaving out 5GHz support seems a clueless decision for a flagship router"

Can you set the router up with a regular pc and log onto it wirelessly with a mac?

Don't do it! IME Dlink is complete crap.

ackersa wrote:Can you set the router up with a regular pc and log onto it wirelessly with a mac?

In general, yes - since wireless protocols are not specific to Mac or PC. If you're looking to share files between the two types, there's some know-how involved, e.g.:

Mac Connect - networking Mac and PC

But if all you want to do is share a web connection and a printer ("SharePort™ is Mac compatible"), there should be no trouble.

NightGhost wrote:In general, yes - since wireless protocols are not specific to Mac or PC. If you're looking to share files between the two types, there's some know-how involved, e.g.:

Mac Connect - networking Mac and PC

But if all you want to do is share a web connection and a printer ("SharePort™ is Mac compatible"), there should be no trouble.

Ah thank you, I did buy two lol and i own a mac

With the LCD screen, you might want to be *very* careful what files you store on this thing. :-)

gnarf wrote:anyone know if this will take DD-WRT firmware?

It might take OpenWRT though. Felix put OpenWRT on a D-Link DIR-825 and then tipstr pointed out that D-Link's DIR-685 uses the same NPU as the DIR-825.

D-Link DIR-685 Xtreme N Storage Gigabit Router Awards & Accolades

Awards:

CRN
D-Link All-In-One Router Wins Test Center Recommended Award from CRN Magazine
"The combination of two common networking appliances gives it a unique functionality that no other device has yet to deliver."



Red Dot Award
D-Link Wins Prestigious Red Dot 2009 Product Design Award
"It was created with convenience and functionality in mind, making it a stylish enhancement for any modern home."



CNET
D-Link's new DIR-685 All-in-One Router Was a Finalist in the Best of CES 2009 Awards Competition Sponsored by CNET


AND

Hardware Geeks 5 Star Gold Editors Choice Award

Overall the D-Link DIR-685 is an amazing product, great for streaming HD content wirelessly around your home, easy to set up NAS device (HDD not included ) and being able to view different channels via Frame Channel is pretty cool as well. So we award it our 5 Star Gold Editors Choice Award for the month of December and it will also make our Holiday Gift Guide “Ten Things To Get your Geek”.

craigf wrote:This is a 2.4GHz router only, so you won't get the fastest possible 802.11n speeds (which require 5GHz).

Exactly! Not worth it IMO

WoW there are really going for $230+ on eBay.

Good Woot deal but I'm really worried about it not having dual band 2.4GHz and 5GHz. I have been meaning to buy a gigabit wireless router for the last 4 months. I got RR lightning 40/5mb internet and need something better then the locked down cable modem/router.

I have an older house with wire mesh in the walls and my house is a near perfect Faraday cage. I wonder if I will really need the 5Ghz to work better in my house.

I know many people buy different routers and have problems with the NAS and print server working 100% of the time. How well does it work on here? and can I use one port for the printer and the other at the same time for a mass storage device? I know some routers only allow multiple storage devices or a printer, not mixed.

Also can you use the screen to see statuses of the connection like speed and other fun info?

VeloSteve wrote:Does anyone know if there's an easy way to connect a 3.5" drive to this thing? I wouldn't mind having to run a short cable or two, and I have several 3.5" drives sitting around.

The easiest way is to put the 3.5" drive(s) in an external USB enclosure ($10-$30) and plug it into the USB port. Some enclosures will even allow two hard drives that you can access as two distinct drives or one large drive.

From the description:
"With two USB 2.0 ports, you can connect a printer and an external storage device to share throughout your network. You can even share a multifunction printer. SharePort™ is Mac compatible"

Here it is on Tom's it says it works with 3G USB adapters

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/802.11n-wireless-router-access-point,2605-4.html

"Fortunately, there’s a lot more to the DIR-685 than being a quarter-sized photo frame. While there’s no external switch for an easy short-cut, you can still configure the router’s options to turn it into an access point. There are menu options for configuring Internet access via a 3G USB adapter, as well as QoS support for specifically optimizing VoIP and streaming traffic.

mikeymac wrote:As of this writing, it appears that two WOOTERs have pulled the trigger on this. One of the two bought THREE OF THEM! I want to hear his story. What's he gonna do with these?

EBAY!!!

what they really need to do is cross the whole thing with a roomba!

cherman1 wrote:Router + Harddrive + Photo frame is just silly, Why not Router + Toaster + Airfreshener

If only it made coffee....

glazedfaith wrote:Does adding the hard drive require opening it up, or does it have a standard plug setup so you can just slide it in? Is it hot-swappable? And just to verify, I can also use the USB ports to hook up additional external drives, instead of buying a 2.5" drive??

According to the Amazon.com description, "...It has the ability to hold a compact 2.5-inch hard drive. Simply pop open the cover and slide in the drive (sold separately), and the router's built-in NAS functionality will do the rest."

Sounds pretty easy. No screws to deal with. If you have a 3.5" drive, you'll need to buy an external enclosure for $10-$30 and plug it via the USB port. Too bad there is no eSATA port.

NightGhost wrote:Actually, there are other advantages of dual-band. Since 2.4Ghz has such limited bandwidth, there can be interference problems if you run more than one router. Also, N performance takes a significant hit if you're also running older b and/or g hardware. By putting N-draft hardware on the 5Ghz bandwidth (and the older stuff on 2.4Ghz), you can maximize performance.

Right on, but if I may expand a bit...

Not only is the 2.4GHz band crowded with more uses (bluetooth, most WiFi networks, microwave ovens, cordless phones, and more) sharing a narrower bandwitth, it also has 5MHz channel spacing, so nearby channels will overlap. This means it's easy for someone to set their router to an intermediate channel and deteriorate performance on two adjacent networks.

The 5GHz band, OTOH, is (in the US) restricted to channels on 20MHz spacing (completely interference-free on 802.11a), and there's enough of them that you can almost always move 40 or 60 MHz from any other networks in range, getting complete non-interference on the highest-bandwidth 802.11n modes).

Also, since a 40MHz channel takes up so much of the 2.4GHz band (you can only run two networks without interfering), some 2.4GHz 802.11n implementations only permit a 20MHz channel, i.e. 144Mb/s instead of 300Mb/s.

IMO, that last bit's probably what CraigF was referring to, but as it happens this router does support 40MHz, so on Mars away from other 2.4GHz devices, it's theoretically capable of the same performance as any 5GHz unit. It's just in the wireless-crowded portions of Earth most of us live in that 2.4 GHz becomes a major handicap.

cherman1 wrote:Ok - Router + Harddrive makes sense.

Router + Harddrive + Photo frame is just silly, Why not Router + Toaster + Airfreshener

A router and air freshener would make a lot of sense in many geek lairs. The toaster might make a good place to sanitize 2.5 drives...

ivioo wrote:I have an older house with wire mesh in the walls and my house is a near perfect Faraday cage. I wonder if I will really need the 5Ghz to work better in my house.

No, you don't wanna do that!

Shorter wavelengths are _worse_ at penetrating obstacles. And if your house is really a near-perfect Faraday cage, then you should have the whole 2.4GHz band to yourself, so interference is largely a non-issue, or rather an issue entirely under your own control.

If you can't cover your house with one router due to wall blockage, what you'll need is multiple access points connected with wired ethernet. (You can use either stand-alone access points, or wireless routers configured that way -- access points should be cheaper, but any router you can load DD-WRT on will work, and many will do it with stock firmware.) Probably set them to 20MHz channel width and run three on channels 1, 6, and 11. If you need four to get complete coverage, set the ones most isolated from each other (by signal attenuation, not necessarily the farthest geographically) on the same channel.

pierre4list wrote:And if you stick a whiskbroom up its rear, it will sweep the floor?

Mom...Dad...don't fight.

HERE is the manual (.pdf).

You know, it does seem kinda cool...but, after buying an LG Blu-Ray player with Wi-Fi And 250 GB of storage...I guess I don't really Need this. Especially since I have a 12" digital frame still sitting at my feet, in its box!
But...I AM thrilled with my First Bag O'Crap!!

iyahfyah wrote:Exactly! Not worth it IMO

Actually, one point I think a lot of you are missing is that unless your wireless adapter supports dual-band, you cannot use the 5GHz band anyway. In practical terms, it means that you need to specifically buy dual-band wireless adapters to reap the benefits of dual-band, since most laptops and devices with 802.11n built only support 2.4GHz anyway. The tipoff is that a compatible adapter will also support 802.11a(which uses the 5GHz band). So, the fact that this only supports 2.4GHz(as do many 802.11n routers) isn't as big a deal as you think it is.

I'm thinking about picking one of these up mainly just for having 802.11n and gigabit.

NightGhost wrote:It is not on the list of supported devices at the DD-WRT site.

link

Sadly, I don't think DD-WRT(or Tomato, my preference) is compatible with any 802.11n routers... *sigh*

cherman1 wrote:Ok - Router + Harddrive makes sense.

Router + Harddrive + Photo frame is just silly, Why not Router + Toaster + Airfreshener

Now that you've said it, it will show up in the next woot-off! (As a woot-off killer, no less - it has a toaster!)

Crud - I only need a new WAP as mine is dying a prolonged, painful death. Unfortunately the router lives far away from the family desktops, but it IS close to the Wii..... Why couldn't this have been a nice WAP and I'd have jumped right on it?!?! Curse you, Woot!

pamtha wrote:Crud - I only need a new WAP as mine is dying a prolonged, painful death. Unfortunately the router lives far away from the family desktops, but it IS close to the Wii..... Why couldn't this have been a nice WAP and I'd have jumped right on it?!?! Curse you, Woot!

I think it can be used as a wireless access point

cherman1 wrote:Ok - Router + Harddrive makes sense.

Router + Harddrive + Photo frame is just silly, Why not Router + Toaster + Airfreshener

Possibly the funniest posting I've seen in years. Thanks for starting my day off with a good laugh.

ThunderThighs wrote:I WARNED YOU!

That's no lady narrator, that's my wife. Thank you...

NightGhost wrote:Actually, there are other advantages of dual-band. Since 2.4Ghz has such limited bandwidth, there can be interference problems if you run more than one router. Also, N performance takes a significant hit if you're also running older b and/or g hardware. By putting N-draft hardware on the 5Ghz bandwidth (and the older stuff on 2.4Ghz), you can maximize performance.

You can also accomplish the same thing with any router that supports multiple SSIDs. I have two SSID's configured on my DIR-655 router, one is for 802.11n devices and the other is for 802.11g devices.

Any feedbck fron Linux users?

todaresq wrote:Here is the answer

I don't get it. Your link doesn't answer his question, it just goes to Google. How will that answer his question?