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D-Link DIR-825 Dual-Band N Router Gets USB over Wi-Fi (and So Can You)
Posted by Wilson Rothman at 8:15 AM on October 3, 2008
D-Link announced a new router yesterday which sounds a lot like other flagship home routers that have already hit market: The $US200 DIR-825 is dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz N plus Gigabit ethernet. These are all great features, but the surprising one is that the USB port in the back uses a new protocol that lets networked PCs treat it as a local USB port, even if they're all the way across the house. The good news for your broke arse is, if you have one of several D-Link routers listed below, you can inject your router's USB port with the same virtual connectivity... for free.
This isn't a print server situation, or a network-attached storage thing either, from what we can tell. Technically, D-Link didn't say a whole lot, except:
SharePort turns the local USB port located on the back of the 802.11n family of Wi-Fi routers into a fast and responsive virtual port so users can access a range of USB devices, by utilizing a new technology of USB over TCP/IP.
Models that can be upgraded include D-Link Xtreme N Gigabit Routers DIR-655, DIR-825, DIR-855 and DGL-4500 Gaming Router, plus the RangeBooster N DIR-628. We'll try to run a test of this soon, but if you beat us to it, tell us about your experience.
Press Release for DIR-825 Router
D-LINK NOW SHIPPING COST-EFFECTIVE DUAL BAND 802.11n Wi-Fi ROUTER WITH SharePort(tm) TECHNOLOGYFOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Oct. 1, 2008 - D-Link, the end-to-end provider of network solutions for consumers and business, today began shipping an Xtreme N(tm) Dual Band Gigabit Router for the home or small office, featuring dual band access that simultaneously creates two networks to provide superior clarity, faster Wi-Fi and wired gigabit speeds and HD Fuel(tm) enhanced Quality of Service (QoS).
The D-Link(r) DIR-825 also features SharePort(tm) technology that allows users to share USB devices such as printers, multi-function printers (MFP) and storage drives with other computers on the network — in either a wired or wireless environment.
SharePort turns the local USB port located on the back of the DIR-825 router into a fast and responsive virtual network port so users can access a range of USB devices regardless of their location in the home or office. With the power of 802.11n Wi-Fi technology, D-Link's latest addition to its Xtreme N wireless family allows the user to check email and browse the Internet on the 2.4GHz band while simultaneously streaming high-definition (HD) movies and other media on the 5GHz band, making it ideal for online gaming applications on the PC and gaming consoles such as PS3(r), Xbox 360(r) and the Nintendo Wii(r).
The latest offering in the D-Link Green(tm) family of routers, the DIR-825 integrates D-Link Green Ethernet(tm) technology that uses an innovative, energy-saving feature that automatically detects link status and network cable length, then adjusts power accordingly. D-Link routers also feature Wi-Fi scheduling that allows customers to easily program when the Wi-Fi radio signals are turned on and off to further save energy consumption.
With the router's powerful new HD Fuel technology users can enjoy the clarity of the 5GHz wireless band while benefiting from intelligent quality of service ideally suited for streaming HD media and for other bandwidth-intensive applications such as online gaming applications.
HD Fuel takes wired and wireless data traffic, categorizes and separates it into multiple data streams and assigns priorities - Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), video streaming and online gaming are given priority over Web browsing, for instance. The dual band capability helps to enhance speed even more by using the 2.4GHz band for regular computer applications and the 5GHz band for larger, more intense data transfer.
"By expanding our Xtreme N wireless router product line, we are further meeting the consumer's need for full Wi-Fi network functionality and reliability for powering their digital home at prices they can afford," according to Steven Joe, president and CEO, D-Link Systems, Inc. in Fountain Valley, Calif.
Key Features and Benefits
? Xtreme N technology for farther home or office coverage
? Support for advanced WPA and WPA2 encryption, advanced firewall and
parental controls for maximum security
? D-Link's Quick Router Setup Wizard for easy installation and online access
? Good Neighbour Policy support to prevent interference with other wireless
networks
? Backward compatibility with 802.11g, 11b and 11a devices, including game
consoles and digital media players.
? Compliance with D-Link's ongoing Green initiatives to promote energy
conservation and environmental protection
? 24/7 basic installation support
? One year limited warrantyPrice and Availability
The DIR-825 will be widely available Oct. 1, 2008 through D-Link's network of retail, etail and solution providers, and online at www.dlinkshop.com for the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $199.99. SharePort also will be available in D-Link's family of high-end 802.11n routers, including the DIR-628, DIR-655, DIR-855 and DGL-4500**. Current owners of those routers will be able to upgrade to SharePort technology by downloading the firmware and client utility from the D-Link website, www.dlink.com.
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
Owen Kidd
Posted October 21, 2008 5:56 PM
I've upgraded my firmware on my DIR-655 to the new shareport-enabled version, and it works splendidly!
One does not even need to make a concious decision to connect the device after it has been setup (despite what the manual says). Simply hit print as you normally would and the router takes care of the rest!
Only issue is no linux version of the utility, so only my laptop can print at the moment.
jkr's bold comment
Posted 8:48 AM 3/10/08
umm, if you have the ip address of any peripheral connected to the router, you already have full access. I suppose this might make it easier for the non-tech savvy, but for those of us that are familiar, meh.
jkr's bold comment
Xavoc
Posted 8:46 AM 3/10/08
The N bit I don't care so much about. For some reason on my MBP system I get lower throughput using N than I do G... By several orders of magnitude... When I'm sitting about 10 feet from the wireless unit. Don't know if it's my N router, or my MBP's drivers, or what.
Xavoc
Xavoc
Posted 8:43 AM 3/10/08
Right, so what software is required to take advantage of this, and on what systems is it available?
I've seen a lot of such things, especially for printers, that have been flaky at best. Outside of the Dual N radios, this is nothing that an Apple Airport wouldn't do, except that Apple makes sure its services work for both Macs and PCs via Bonjour.
The 500Gig Time Capsule model from Apple is only $100 more w/ built in drive.
So, unless you're going to say, use something other than a printer or a usb drive on this, it's not stunning in any way. I really can't think of much you'd want to control that way other than maybe a printer, or drive. USB HDTV tuners wouldn't function properly, in fact they drop packets on most machines they're plugged in to directly...
Xavoc
Enochrewt
Posted 8:41 AM 3/10/08
I think it might be time to upgrade my DGL-4300.
Enochrewt
holtchristian3
Posted 8:34 AM 3/10/08
HOLY HELL- this just made my day. free usb hdd server? aahthank you
holtchristian3
Shook-Yang
Posted 8:31 AM 3/10/08
That's pretty awesome. I've been meaning to update my DIR-655's firmware. Looks like I should do that now.
Checking on their website, looks like you'll need to download some utilities too.
[www.dlink.com]
Shook-Yang
Wilson Rothman
Posted 9:27 AM 3/10/08
@jkr's bold comment: Yeah, this would be for people who don't still think that GUI took the fun out of computers.
Wilson Rothman
Toshie
Posted 10:21 AM 3/10/08
@Shook-Yang: Thanks for the link. SharePort utilities Windows only. Le sigh. :-(
Toshie
BigDogues
Posted 10:09 AM 3/10/08
So does that mean printers? I have not been able to get the print server feature on my DNS-323 to work with both my MBP and PCs.
Could this finally be a solution?
BigDogues
Wilson Rothman
Posted 10:48 AM 3/10/08
@BigDogues: That is actually the assumption I am making, provided that the USB-over-TCP/IP connection works on a Mac. We're gonna try to test it soon, but if any readers who are already updating have figured this out, do please fill us in.
Wilson Rothman
addiktion
Posted 10:58 AM 3/10/08
I would assume most peoples routers are near their PCs so I'm not seeing such a huge use for a USB port on the back of my router. Still cool though.
addiktion
IdeoMotor
Posted 11:52 AM 3/10/08
@IdeoMotor: Oh I didn't mention, I have a DIR-655. I'm still only getting 130mbps btw.
IdeoMotor
IdeoMotor
Posted 11:49 AM 3/10/08
Well I tried it. It's pretty sweet. When I bought this router I thought there may be a hack to do something like this, and this is much better.
Before you install the new firmware you can download your settings and upload them once you install the new firmware.
I did notice than when you are done, they try to sell you some security software...
Setting up SharePort is super easy, no restart required.
Now I have a 500gig external Seagate installed and it's super quick over the network (streaming videos and music working perfect).
One caveat, as you stated, this is not a true network drive. Only one computer can use the USB connected device at once.
I haven't tried a printer yet, it states that "The D-Link SharePort technology will allow you to connect a multi-function printer (MFP), scanner, or USB storage device to your router and share the device with multiple computers*. Only these devices will be supported."
I can post again when I try my printer.
IdeoMotor
Namarrgon
Posted 12:06 PM 3/10/08
@jkr's bold comment: Well sure, if you've got the time to write a firmware-level driver that runs on the D-Link, communicates with the USB device, encapsulates the packets and sends them to a PC - along with a matching driver on the PC that receives & decodes the packets and sends them from an emulated USB device. And the reverse too. Don't forget to handle all the potential broken-connection conditions introduced by the network link.
If you're "familiar" enough and you'd rather do all that, be my guest. I'll just install the firmware.
Namarrgon
Rincewind
Posted 12:49 PM 3/10/08
@addiktion:
Well, if it works with any USB-connected device, this might help me. I have an HP notebook with an HDMI port, so I could hook it up to my projector, but it doesn't have a digital-audio port to send sound to my receiver. If I could hook one of those USB sound card things to the router (which is over by the receiver) it would make watching stuff from the notebook a lot simpler.
Rincewind
geekinpain
Posted 1:45 PM 3/10/08
@undefined: I just the SharePort utility installed with a WD External HDD and I am getting excellent throughput over the wired network. I can confirm IdeoMotor's experience of only connecting with one computer at a time and the HDD doesn't get an IP address.
One other bummer is no Linux/Mac version of SharePort so my other PC's get left out in the cold.
geekinpain
Wilson Rothman
Posted 3:43 PM 3/10/08
@IdeoMotor, geekinpain: Thanks for sharing your experiences. Sux about lack of Mac/Linux compatibility, but like what else is new? Let us know if you learn anything more.
Wilson Rothman
jkr's bold comment
Posted 8:50 PM 3/10/08
@Namarrgon: or just use the network software that comes on windows or Ubuntu, or many other flavors of Linux. Wow, throwing out a lot of fancy words, but you've proved the difference between knowledge and wisdom.
jkr's bold comment
Joseph
Posted 10:55 PM 3/10/08
Haha, Ben your baby is here!
Joseph
Lstormy10
Posted 2:58 AM 4/10/08
@Xavoc:
I think it is less about the actual uniqueness or cutting-edge-ness of the feature and more that they are providing it to users of older hardware for free via firmware upgrade that people are happy about.
Lstormy10
GTgeek
Posted 1:24 AM 4/10/08
@IdeoMotor: I have an external hdd that I can't wait to try this out on. However, it would be nice if I could connect it to my ps3 and laptop at the same time. That would make transferring new files while streaming media pretty darn nice. We'll see how it works tonight when I get the new firmware installed (I also have the DIR-655).
GTgeek
GTgeek
Posted 1:18 AM 4/10/08
@Rincewind: You know you can transfer digital sound over hdmi? I also have an HP laptop with hdmi out and this is how I get sound to my tv.
GTgeek
Rincewind
Posted 2:47 PM 4/10/08
@GTgeek:
Yeah, but I'm sending video to a projector, and want to send sound to the home theater system.
Rincewind
IdeoMotor
Posted 4:09 PM 4/10/08
Hey all, I have successfully installed my printer and it works as well. It's a HP 932c with a Gear Head Parallel Printer Cable to USB adapter. One item of note is that you have to right click on it inside SharePort and "install" it - attach it to an existing driver on your machine. I actually attached it to a driver labeled Copy FWIW.
Now I just need a USB switch so I can keep the external and the printer setup at all times.
This is useful to me because I have a laptop and this keeps everything in the apartment tidy (hidden away).
IdeoMotor
D_only_1
Posted 8:15 PM 4/10/08
Well, I think I just might have some candidates for a new router. I've been looking for a way have my external hdd hooked to the router, but only found routers with FAT32, not ntfs support. So one question: say that I want to change what computer can access the external hdd. how can I do that?
D_only_1
IdeoMotor
Posted 4:46 AM 5/10/08
@D_only_1: With this setup I don't believe you can change access on the fly in the manner you are suggesting.
However, for a computer to have access to the hdd it must have SharePort installed and be connected to the hdd. You could just have the one computer connected to the hdd most of the time and disconnect and then other computers could connect to it. It's a check out system.
IdeoMotor