Everyone has something that fights them in their lives — something that relentlessly antagonizes them.  For me, one of those things are network routers.  That may sound silly, but since the majority of my work is conducted over the internet, a router is a very important part of my daily work.  So why are they such a problem?  To put it bluntly, they are all junk.

I remember purchasing my very first router, the original Linksys 4-port wired-only router that became the start of what would be a router revolution of sorts.  When these things first started appearing in homes, broadband providers hated them.  The thought of their customers sharing a single broadband connection rather than shelling out extra cash for an additional line irked them, yet the conscious of the customers remained crystal clear.  When home network routers became mainstream, ISPs accepted that everyone was going to own one, and so they became the norm.  But there’s one problem - so few of them seem to be 100% reliable.

My data connection at home here is very fast.  I have Business Class cable, and it screams.  I use my computer for everything possible, from large file transfers to gaming, and all of this depends on my router maintaining a rock-solid throughput of data. My first Linksys router was great - I never had any issues with it.  Then I replaced it for a wired unit and the troubles began.  Reboots, lockups requiring power cycles, and eventually, death.  The Linksys unit I replaced it with did the same, so I was finished with Linksys.

So I gave D-Link a try, first using the DGL-4300 Gamer Lounge unit.  It was perfect - a 100% reliable router than ran fast and never scoffed during heavy network traffic.  The unit ran hot though, and died after about a year of use.  I replaced it with a D-Link DGL-4500 - another gaming router.  Again, a stellar performer that lived for about a year, then it refused to connect to the internet.  And so it went into the garbage.

When the DGL-4500 died, I needed a replacement immediately, and the only unit I could locate locally was the D-Link DIR-655, which is essentially the same router as the DGL-4500, but it’s white and does not have the fancy OLED display on top.

:: My D-Link DIR-655 gigabit wireless-N router - click image to enlarge ::

It’s been a few weeks now and so far the DIR-655 has been fantastic.  What are my expectations?  I think it will continue to work great for about a year, then die — which is why I am prepared, having ordered a new DGL-4500 that is kept in reserve.

Can anybody design a reliable home router that does what it’s supposed to and lasts longer than a year?