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[knwt]

 
I think I'll cancel my pre-oder on NCIX.ca and change it for a DIR-868L
http://reviews.cnet.com/routers/d-link-dgl-5500/4505-3319_7-35566998.html

My main concerns:

"(..)the router's performance was quite good but not as good as you'd expect from a device that costs so much. For the AC standard, which only works on the 5GHz frequency band, I tested it with both a generic AC media bridge and a D-Link USB DWA-182 AC adapter, and the speeds, though quite fast, were slower than other AC routers give. More specifically, the router gave a sustained speed of 158Mbps over a short distance (15 feet) and 114Mbps long distance (100 feet away). These numbers were about those of a regular 5GHz 802.11n router and about the slowest among AC routers I've reviewed.

When working with regular 802.11n clients, the DGL-5500 generally did below average on the 5GHz band, with sustained speeds of 156Mbps and 98Mbps for short and long ranges, respectively. On the 2.4GHz band it did better compared with others, scoring 59Mbps and 41Mbps for short and long distances, respectively.

The DGL-5500's Wi-Fi range wasn't impressive, either, with the range on the 2.4GHz band, some 270 feet away, being much longer than that of the 5GHz band, which was just about 220 feet. The router's effective range, however, was just about 100 feet.

In stress tests, where it was set to work continuously with multiple Wi-Fi clients for a long period of time, it passed easily on the 5GHz band. On the 2.4GHz band, it showed the first disconnection after just about 7 hours. This is not a big deal since the client was reconnected immediately, but other routers can go for 24 hours or more without disconnecting at all."

"Conclusion
The D-Link DGL-5500 isn't ready for prime time and right now StreamBoost is the router's only feature of note. Interested parties should wait until D-Link significantly updates the firmware, hopefully improving both performance and the clunky Web interface. A beefy price cut should also be a prerequisite before purchase."

[FurryNutz]

Did you test a 5500 for these concerns? Or these from other user information?

[knwt]

I didn't test the router 'cos it's not for sale here in Canada yet. This quotes are from the first review I found on CNet.com. How do you like the router so far? Do you think it's better than the DIR-868L?

[FurryNutz]

I'm enjoying it a lot save the ABE issue which is known. There are some issues I'm working directly with D-Link on regarding bridging devices that I'm seem and theres a combination of issues there with the 5500. Other then that and the list of things that we've collected, over all this is a good router and does very well.

Mr Ngo veiw that it doesn't have Cloud services, well, again this is designed as a "Gaming" router I presume features like the could impact performance and with new UI design and FW code, could not be compatible as of yet.

I personally don't give alot of thought to CNET reviews. I left them years ago due to there biased reviews and news about technology. 

And the 5500 is way better than the 686 since that model has been released yet. 

[BiggShooter]

I've had the DGL-5500 since July 31st  . 

It's a GREAT router and I've experienced no issues described by the CNET review.  I haven't had any disconnects to any of my wireless devices on both the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands.  I currently have 20+ devices connected to the DGL-5500 (wireless / wired ) including two network hubs.  I don't plan to use WI-FI on any of my devices two blocks away, so the WI-FI range (2.4Ghz and 5Ghz) works exceptionally well in our 3200 Sq Ft home! 

Are there isssues?  Yes (http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?topic=55014.0, but nothing that is a deal-breaker for me and nothing that can't be fixed in a firmware update.

This router does what I need it to do AND will only get better over time with firmware updates. 

Just my two cents 

[knwt]

LOL, sorry... I meant the DIR-868L. What do you think about it? Is the DGL-5500 better than the DIR-868L?

I don't care about cloud services as well. My main concern is range and speed. I'm waiting for the review from http://www.smallnetbuilder.com and I've been reading everybody's opinion about it here. Thanks for this feedback you all!

So far, are you happy with the DGL-5500? Have you experienced any improvement during your gaming sessions?

[BiggShooter]

So far, are you happy with the DGL-5500? Have you experienced any improvement during your gaming sessions?

I AM happy with the DGL-5500  .  It's a solid router out of the box IMO.  If you've been reading the forums, you know what kind of "bugs" users have been experiencing.  Those "bugs" are not a deal-breaker for me.  I have confidence that D-Link will address most (if not all) issues in upcoming firmware updates.

I have noticed improvement in gaming, as well as overall performance across other networked devices when gaming  .  I did recently upgrade my internet services.  I switched from 20/2 cable to 40/5 VDSL.  I'm acutally getting better than 40/5 with my ISP (shhhh!!  don't tell anyone!). 

I'm glad I bought the DGL-5500.  I'm thinking you'd be glad you bought it too.  There are plently of users on this forum that would be more than happy to help you out should you purchase the DGL-5500. 

Another two cents 

[FurryNutz]

I agree, if users are expecting WiFi coverage for the entire neighborhood, they better look in to amplifiers. LOL. Remember people, DGL/DIR series routers are for Small Business and Home environments. There not designed for large scale use. WiFi coverage is limited and realistically only needs to be with in the confines of your build, house or apt. I personally would not want my router trying to cover 2 blocks away.