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[drpbx911]

Hi, it turns out my DIR655 used to be a real router, one that you could actually configure to route packets.  After talking to tech support this evening it turns out that people were having too many problems with this feature so it has been removed from the current firmware versions and he doesn't think there's any plans to bring it back. If I want those types of features I should look at the Business Class routers. If you want to see this for yourself go to Advanced, Routing, and look under the Interface columns at the drop down window with only ONE option, hmm - where's the LAN option. After searching the web I found a post from another user with a similar complaint that found an old firmware version 1.03 that still had the LAN option in it.

Does anyone here possibly have a copy of this older firmware version 1.03 for the DIR655 ?  If not I'll probably replace the DIR655 with a Cisco router and use the neutered DIR655 as an access point / switch. Does anyone know if there are any plans to of returning the router function to the DIR655?  Kinda like buying a car with AC and the manufacturer having problems with the AC so they just removed it - Hey! didn't I pay for that, wasn't that part of the deal....  Nope, sorry, it's gone - we had to many problems with it...

Part of this is venting, part is tongue in cheek. Thanks for listening and any help would be appreciated.

 

[KevTech]

DIR655 Firmware

[drpbx911]

Yes, DIR655 firmware version 1.03 is suppose to support routing traffic to either the WAN port or the LAN port. Thanks for the reply.

I have found a work around. I am using NAT in the second router. This will work but every time I expand the network behind this second router it requires another entry to the access-list in the second Cisco router. This wouldn't be that big of a deal to most users but I happen to be working on Cisco certifications and my network, both real and virtual, is growing.

Thanks for inquiring.

Still looking for that old dusty copy of firmware lurking on someones hard drive just waiting to unlock the router locked inside the DIR655......

 

[WildSioux]

Yes, DIR655 firmware version 1.03 is suppose to support routing traffic to either the WAN port or the LAN port. Thanks for the reply.

Still looking for that old dusty copy of firmware lurking on someones hard drive just waiting to unlock the router locked inside the DIR655......

What revision DIR655 do you have?  i have read that the older firmwares wont work on rev 3 but will on 1 and 2.

Anyways.. 1.03 is on the dlink ftp found here.. ftp://ftp.dlink.com/Gateway/dir655/Firmware/

Also, not sure if you knew.  But 1.03 also has bridging!  But only on rev 1 & 2

[Classicman]

I think I have nailed it down to my DIR-655 Extreme N Wireless router (rather switch).  While the Dlink device has worked fairly well I have to admit for everything I've tried to date, It has one gross shortcoming.  It can't route.

While the device still gets lots of positive press in Cnet and other places, nowhere in these supposed literate comparisons of SOHO routers is the comment made that it doesn't actually work as a router.  In digging through the Dlink forums, I find mostly negative comments about the DIR-655 relating to devolution of the firmware.  The laundry list:

    * Firmware versions later than 1.21 (10/2008) began degrading the device capabilities with each firmware release. I tend to load the new firmware.  Thank goodness I didn't in this case.  I would have destroyed what good there was in the device;
    * Earlier versions apparently would route, this capability seems to have been abandoned in the name of pushing higher-end product;
    * The DIR-655 is still the fastest Wireless Draft-N switch in the home device market.  Other slightly lower performers do actually serve as wireless N, 4-port DSL routers.

Having read all of the DIR-655 DLink forum comments, I have stopped at the point of reading that the product was hamstrung to prevent it from competing with higher end business routers, I find that I'm not alone in despising the decision processes that serve as marketing intelligence these days.  It used to be that we should aspire to excellence.  I'm sure several engineers worked thoughtfully and probably under duress from the same marketing wizards spending late nights achieving the requested Netgear/Linksys router killers only to have these efforts sabotaged after the fact.  Dlink should instead let this device serve as the goad to improve the performance of their office routers.  By sabotaging/orphaning this product, the decision not to fix the remaining problems in the 655 insures that hard-won enthusiasts who would have promoted the product will instead choose another brand when they next purchase hardware.

Since I really do need the ability to route, I'm again forced to consider Linksys hardware with DD-WRT open source firmware upgrades.

[Sammydad1]

Is it possible that the ability to route is one of those "hidden" features that others have uncovered by changing the setup web pages viewing method ?

This was described a couple/few months back dealing with umm,.... a feature that used to be visible, but was hidden in a newer FW release, but it can be uncovered by changing the page viewing options... I think it can be shown by turning off Page Style in the View Menu in IE at least.... I may be off in my remembering of that thread....maybe somebody else can do better than I on that thread topic...


SD1

[Techgee]

Is it possible that the ability to route is one of those "hidden" features that others have uncovered by changing the setup web pages viewing method ?

...

SD1

Yep, see Click Here.

[Classicman]

Regarding hidden routing features:

[1]  My DIR655 is Hardware rev A3
[2]  Presently running Firmware 1.21.  After reading recent posts on the new firmware revs, I'm glad that I haven't "upgraded" to the new problems that the recent F/W revs seem to bring.
[3]  Since 13OCT09 on my last post, I enabled the hidden fields option and set the WAN entry to LAN via kbd edit.  This works on my rev of H/W and F/W and I can route traffic to/from a LAN port.
[4]  In the interim, I have gone back and tested functionality on 3 old SOHO type DSL/Cable 4-port routers (DIR-605, Speedstream 2604, and a Netgear MR815?) and find that each fails on various features of their advertised capabilities (remote management, routing in particular were commonplace).  ALL failed when it came to bidirectional routing through the WAN port as would be necessary for segmenting traffic within the home or a small office between two networks.

While I understand that routing and troubleshooting routing problems via telephone is difficult, disabling the feature is throwing the baby out with the bathwater. 

In summary, the DIR-655 still stands as one of if not the highest performance Home/Small Office wireless router on the market today. At my firmware revision (1.21) it offers solid reliability with no hangups, DNS problems or reboots being observed in some of the more recent firmware revisions.  This is my experience over the course of a year of operation. 

[Sammydad1]

Hi,

Classic...FW 1.21 while generally stable...still has its quirks....many of us have had issues with schedules...clock times being ruled invalid when saving....and a number of items seemingly related to those bugs....  Such as not being able to wrap around midnight on one schedule, but needing two separate schedules....

Little things, but very annoying at times none-the-less....  But still I do agree, the DIR-655 is a top notch unit speed and range wise in my environment....

SD1

[hatterofmaddness]

I think I have nailed it down to my DIR-655 Extreme N Wireless router (rather switch).  While the Dlink device has worked fairly well I have to admit for everything I've tried to date, It has one gross shortcoming.  It can't route.

Classicman, just attempted to add another network into my 655 tonight and ran into the same problem, and I feel the same way.  For such a quality device, why is there no option to add an entry into the routing table on the LAN side?  Then I noticed it doesn't even support a native routing protocol, such as RIP.  Even my old Linksys BEFW11S4 supported RIP v1 native, and that was only a ~$65 router at the time.  Regardless of supporting RIP, other routing protocols, or not, I find the inability to add static routes frustrating and limits the functionality of this device.

To DLink, I ask that you re-enable the ability (that was removed) to add route information on the LAN side so that this device may be usable as a router.  As this device is currently your "Featured Product" on your home page, yet with current firmware lacks this ability as well as other KNOWN issues discussed on these forums, I can no longer continue to recommend this product to my customers or IT / networking peers as a viable solution in regards to price vs performance.  I hope that future firmware updates will address this and other issued expressed on these forums, however I am wary of this due to the firmware's track record of changes / improvements.