32. D-Link DIR-655 Xtreme N Gigabit Router

It's a wireless router with 802.11b/g/(draft)n capability, it's a full-featured firewall, and it not only switches among 4 Gigabit LAN ports, but it also offers a GbE WAN port as well. Most devices in this class wimp out, and offer only 10/100 Ethernet on the WAN side. In short, the D-Link DIR-655 Xtreme N Gigabit Router is the answer to many home or SOHO users' dreams of getting all the connectivity and access they need in a single box, instead of having to pile multiple boxes on top of each other.

With indicator lights galore and three antennas on the back, the DIR-655 has everything most users want or need.

There's a lot more to like about this powerful, compact unit than we've mentioned just yet, though what is to follow may soon carry echoes of the old RonCo advertisements ("But wait! There's more!"). The firewall section supports all the usual capabilities, including stateful packet inspection (SPI), along with DHCP, network address translation and support for various forms of VPN pass-through, tunneling protocols (PPTP and L2TP), and security protocols (IPsec). What makes this part of the device interesting is that it also supports Ubicom's StreamEngine quality of service (QoS) engine that can prioritize applications to let streaming or time-sensitive packets get through more quickly; gaming, VoIP or video conferencing, for example, can benefit from such treatment. You can also set up MAC address filtering and port forwarding, establish content, access controls and more.

On the wireless side, you can set up various mixes for 802.11 b, g, and n (g , b, or n only, and other combinations), manage the SSID and its broadcast, and so forth. Security options are many and varied, and include multiple varieties of WPA and WPA2 (with or without pre-shared keys) as well as WEP. A security Wizard helps users to work through all the configuration details without too much muss or fuss, so setup is surprisingly easy.

If you've got a student who needs to set up a small network in his dorm room, an apartment or a rental house, the D-Link DIR-655 enables both wired and wireless connections with a cable or DSL modem. At street prices that range from $125 to $140, this combination of speed and capability is not just hard to beat, it's hard to resist. For more information on the DIR-655, please visit the vendor's