D-Link DAP1522 Xtreme 4-Port GigaBit Dual Band Draft 802.11n N Duo Wireless Bridge/Access Point Reviews

• Best Media Bridge for HD streaming on the market...period!

  
  By AEHVMNGB6Z6DX on 2008-05-14
  Let me start off by saying that this media bridge is f-ing awesome. I would rate my technical aptitude in the networking area at advanced. I have this badboy paired with a D-link dgl-4500 xtreme n router running in N only, 5ghz mode.
  
  There are many opinions about 'real world' bandwidth with wireless N products. Even though they are rated at 300mbps, that is mereley the 'theoretical' limit. Furthermore, the 300 mbps rating is bi-directional, which means a theoretical limit of 150mbps each way (deceptive advertising, huh?).
  
  All this is a moot point, however, as you are ultimately limited by read/write speeds on your hard drive. As some of you may know, this is not one of Vista's strong points. You will be lucky to get a transfer rate of 15/mbps over a gigabit network with CAT6.
  
  That being said, the ultimate real world test of this product is media streaming, where hard drive write speeds are taken out of the equation. I have run this product through the ringer streaming beautiful 1080p and lossless audio straight from a Blu-Ray rip. Video was ~32mbps and audio was 6-8mbps on a 1080p, lossless audio (LPCM) stream of the movie 300. No stutters or hold ups whatsoever. I was even able to skip chapters and fast forward/rewind with ease. My best estimate of real world throughput on this device would be 75-125mbps.
  
  As stated previously, you'd be hard pressed to find applications where that much bandwidth is needed. No other competitor comes close to this device - 4gig ethernet ports and tons of functionality/configuration options. The pairing with the dgl-4500 was an absolute breeze. I pressed one button on each device and the dgl-4500 auto configured the dap-1522. total setup time = 5 minutes max.
  
  My DAP-1522 sits on my audio rack in the living room about 30 feet away from the DGL-4500 router located in a closet in another room.
  
  

• Best wireless Product ever made!

  
  By ASSUSRMAO5ATH on 2008-05-08
  I have a D-link Xtreme Gigabit router connected with this device and the speed is blazing.
  
  I bought the linksys game adapter that only has one ethernet port, but I found this product on D-link's website. I returned the Linksys adapter immediately. It's only available online right now, but this product is a must have if you have multiple devices that require internet access. The price is only around $100, has 4 ethernet ports, and it's uses 802.11n. The linksys adapter has 1 port and it cost $99. The Xbox 360 wireless adapter is $99 and it uses 802.11g. It's a no brainer! I have a Xbox 360, Directv HD-DVR, and my new Samsung 52in 6 series connected to this bridge. I'm about to add a Slingbox. Best wireless product of the year!
  
  
  
  

• Works well as an access point, too!

  
  By A3EPZNFF590EXL on 2008-05-25
  I already have a wired router (D-Link DGL-4100 Broadband Gaming Router, 4-Port Gigabit Switch), so I bought the DAP-1522 to add Draft-N wireless connectivity to my existing wired network, through its ability to act as an access point. It is small, light, and has no projecting antennas, so you can put it just about anywhere. The built-in browser-based wizards made setting up the network easy - I chose to go with the 5 GHz band to avoid interference from our cordless phone and microwave oven, and to limit the network to draft-N devices only - and the results are really impressive. We carried a laptop all over the house, including upstairs in a two-story house, and it got the maximum signal strength everywhere. Internet access seems to be every bit as fast as over a wired connection, as I would have expected since draft-N connections are supposed to be quite a bit faster than the internet connection itself (via cable modem). Highly recommended!
  
  

• Could not get it to link (See Update)

  
  By A16GS0KNO4SFUQ on 2008-08-06
  Waiting a month to receive this backordered item I really, really wanted the DAP-1522 to work. It was the perfect solution to my wireless needs. Unfortunately, I never got this to work as a bridge with my D-Link DIR-655 router. After messing with it for a long time I then spent over an hour on the phone with D-Link tech support trying to get this to link to my router. After spending more than an hour with tech support and trying everything he could think of, the tech person declared the bridge was defective.
  
  The product's quick set up guide seemed too good to be true. It simply said to plug in the unit and push the "WAP" button on the side and wait for it to automatically link up with your router. In fact it was too good to be true because it never worked.
  
  Internet searches on this product are hard to come by because this item is so new and hard to obtain at this point, but I have found other instances of people with similar experiences. After going through multiple procedures with D-Link tech support another person had the tech also tell him his DAP-1522 was defective. In that case he received a new unit and also had the same problem.
  
  I am not sure what the issue is, but the D-Link DAP-1522 bridge ought to effortlessly link up to a D-Link DIR-655 router. I could not get it to link. I anticipate waiting another month to obtain a replacement but I'm not optimistic at this point a new one will link up any better, but I'll try. As I said, I really needed this thing to work, and I'm quite disappointed it doesn't seem to work.
  
  UPDATE: I have since received a replacement from a different vendor on Amazon. I am happy to report that I quickly linked up to my DIR-655. As a result, I hooked up my flat panel, my PS3, and my HD-DVR to the bridge. It works like charm and I'm very happy with the setup. Therefore, I'd upgrade from one star to 4 stars. I'm holding one star back because I originally received a defective unit.
  
  

• Works as expected

  
  By A2A6Y6Q4WD36SZ on 2008-06-09
  I've configured the DAP-1522 as a wireless bridge to a DIR-655 (2.5Ghz). I've got a PS3 and a Satellite DVR connected to two of the four ethernet ports on the DAP-1522. I have configured the 1522 to use WPA2 security as well.
  
  Setup was a little tricky, but it was my fault not the fault of the 1522. If you choose to manually configure the 1522 be sure you follow the directions and connect the 1522 to your computer and with your computer configured to use a static IP address in the 192.168.0/24 subnet. I mistakenly had my computer still trying to use DHCP when connecting to the bridge and it took me a little while to figure out what was wrong. My computer couldn't get an IP address and so Windows kept assigning an address from a different subnet, so I was not able to establish a connection to the DAP-1522's default 192.168.0.50 IP address.
  
  The 1522 works as expected. Performance is very good with a max of 162Mbps through 3 drywall walls (approx 40 ft) to my entertainment center as displayed on the DIR-655 console. I haven't run any local network bandwidth tests to verify the throughput yet, but I can easily stream HD content without blocking between a PS3 and a wired media server. Previously I was using the PS3's internal 802.11g network interface, and HD media was not viewable as it overwhelmed the 11g link.
  
  I did notice that the orientation of the DIR-655 and the DAP-1522 did make a difference in the reported signal strength and data rate as seen from the DIR-655 console. So after you've gotten things to work, don't forget to run some experiments to determine the best position for the devices to get the best performance possible.
  
  
  
• simply the best wireless bridge out there
  By AYXARWATMSE1V on 2008-06-04
  I've had a horrible experience trying to order this wireless bridge from Amazon. Initially I figured I would save myself some money and take the free shipping. Three weeks later, no item at my door. The wait was too long, so I ditched it and went for the only other seller - antonline.com. They were selling it for cheaper and there were "5 items left". I ordered it right away, no brainer. 1 week later, I get an email that they're out of the item and I would have to wait - god knows how much longer. Immediately I ditched them and found tigerdirect was a seller on amazon. I love tigerdirect. I ordered it and two days later its at my door.
  
  I was over ecstatic when I recieved it. I immediately go to set it up. I was able to set it up a bridge to my belkin wireless pre-n router (yeah i know, i need a better router. as soon as prices go down, i'll get a nicer one, right now this one still works). The only problem was that my mac which was wired to the dlink bridge was not able to connect out to the internet. I spent an hour or two trying to figure it out, but no luck. I proceeded to call their help desk. I must say, their help desk is fantastic. They actually took the time to walk me through some of their solutions. An hour of trying different thing (which was a surprise considering most company's help desk won't stick around past 10min before dumping you to the next moron who will walk you through the same steps), we came to a solution.
  
  Let me save you guys some time. If you have problems with your mac initially connecting or other computers on the intranet (connected to the dlink) trying to connect to the internet and you're ip address is 169.x.x.x, go to http://support.dlink.com and download the latest firmware (even if its the same version 1.0). That should do the trick and save you hours of frustration.
  
  Even with all the issues from shipping and initial connectivity for my intranet, I stick by my conviction. This is by far the best product. Its small, and easy to use (once everything is up and running). Theres LOTs of ethernet ports, which is very handy if you're using it as a bridge.
  
  Here's the competition
  NETGEAR 5 GHz Wireless-N HD Access Point/Bridge (WNHDE111) -- 2 ports
  Apple AirPort Express with Air Tunes (M9470LL/A) - 1 port, and twice the price
  EZ Connect N Ethernet Bridge - never heard of SMC. It looked more like another router with obtrusive antennas. I'll pass.
  Belkin at the time of my writing does not offer a wireless n bridge so they're out of the picture.
  
  I strongly recommend this Dlink DAP-1522 wireless n bridge. Its small, its inexpensive (If it goes down more I am definately looking to replace my wireless pre-n belkin crap with a real AP router - the DAP-1522)
  
  
  
  Oh yeah - THANKS ALOT TigerDirect for the EXCELLENT service, and super fast shipping and processing of my order
  
  
  
  
• Great Item
  By A1UAVLKVPTOCS7 on 2008-07-10
  So, this basically replaces my wi-fi adapter for xbox360. The benefit of this item is it is much faster than a g wifi adapter, and allows me to use a high security network, wpa2. I know, its much to aggressive for residential use, but its much faster on my router. I wish the signal strength was better, and after some initial setup issues (setting Ip addresses so I could access the device) it works no problem. I have two of them, one in my entertainment center for my xbox 360, and my brother has one in his bedroom for his xbox 360 as well. Both work great, are fast, and have had no issues. My house does have some signal strength issues, but I hope to get a fancy antenna to add to my dlink 655 router, which should solve my problems.
  
  I recommend this item
  
  
  
  UPDATE SEPT 3, 2008
  I have switched up my network a bit, as previously I had my router in a basement closet. I have moved my router to my entertainment center, and now use one of the devices for my desktop, which does not have a wifi card, and the other sits in a bedroom and is attached to a PS3, 360, and old laptop. Setup can be a huge hassle, took me a while for the first device, but the second one was no problem. Still fast, and now have a better connection, so even faster. Works great with all the other devices we have, such as a home server. My Dir-655 did not have the button to link the two devices so I did it the old fashion way with the menus and such.
  
  
• Good easy to use wireless bridge
  By A14V9ZP7PKG779 on 2008-06-02
  This is a very easy to use product and I bought it because of the bridge function. I use it for my slingbox, dish network receivier and planning to connect HD-DVD player and PS3 to it as well. Before using this product, I was using slinglink and it is terrible. The DAP-1522 is much faster and the connection is very stable. Setup is pretty easy if your network is 192.168.0.xxx. The box is 192.168.0.50, you login through a browser and configure the wireless settings. I am able to watch my dish programs at full quality (~ 3mbps), hardly ever any drop in signal. It would be good if the box is black and cost a little less.
  
  
• Great product, setup was a little confusing
  By AFZMDB2R574D0 on 2008-09-09
  Bridge works as advertised. Great speed as it is able to utilize the 802.11n signal from my Belkin router. I currently have my desktop and a server connected to it. Initial setup and instructions were a little confusing though. Novice computer users who don't know how to change their IP settings might get frustrated. I, myself, am pretty knowledgeable with computers, and even I found the instructions not as straight-forward as I would have liked. For whatever reason I was trying to change the settings on my router to access the bridge setup page, but I over-thought it and you can just as easily access the page by connecting the bridge to your computer and changing the local static IP address settings on your system (to 192.168.0.xx). Once I got everything setup, no further maintenance is required. I was amazed at the difference in speeds compared to 802.11b/g. Never going back there.
  
  
• Requires visible SSID
  By A1HOA9JB6YGFLW on 2008-10-02
  I'm using the DAP-1522 with a DIR-655 router, both updated to the latest firmware as of this writing (1.21 for the 655, 1.02 for the 1522), and found that the DAP-1522 absolutely will not connect to the DIR-655 (either via WPS or manually) with the router set to invisible mode. Only when I allow the DIR-655 to broadcast its SSID will the DAP-1522 connect. I hope D-Link fixes this in a future update, as I prefer to run the router configured for maximum security. Hope this helps someone out there not waste as much time as I did.
  
  
  
• Easiest setup, fast speed, 4 ports - what else do you need?
  By A13FC1S9BXZUY7 on 2008-10-25
  Although a wireless bridge like the DAP-1522 isn't as critical a piece as your router, I cannot imagine my wireless network without it. I have this piece hooked up at my home theater for my XBMC, TiVo, and Dish Satellite. This thing can handle it all and then some. I have yet to have a dropped connection (owned for 3 months) - this thing is stable.
  
  I'm currently running it with a Linksys WPA54GS wireless router and it works no problem. (Of course, I will be upgrading that router to the D-Link DIR-655.) Also, for the price I don't see how this can be beat. It has 4 ports, most only have one, maybe two for the same price.
  
  I highly recommend this item. Anyone that has ever connected an ethernet cable to anything should have no problem setting this up. Enjoy!
  
  
• Great Access Point, Great Software, Poor Range
  By ALE7NO5DULE16 on 2008-11-06
  It might bear noting that I'm technically proficient, and I've used several access points and switches over the years. This was my first D-Link purchase in years only because Linksys's reputation has become pretty terrible. Overall, this piece of equipment is GREAT, with a HUGE caveat that the range SUCKS.
  
  I used this router for about 3 weeks before I replaced it with the D-Link DIR-825 because of the range problem. The 1522's user interface isn't bad. I had no problem configuring this switch to do everything I wanted. I did not experience any dropped connections or dropped packets. Granted 3 weeks isn't a terribly long time - but I never had to power cycle the Access Point. It just worked and did a great job.
  
  I should have known that since the DAP1522 uses an internal antennae the range would not be comparable to my old Linksys WRT54G. I am intentionally trying to share my wireless with my neighbors, and the DAP1522 is unusable, and I'm not exaggerating, 30 feet away. To be fair, there are 3 (non-thick, normal wood) walls between the DAP1522 and the laptop - but still 30 feet? On the other hand, this could be a major selling point. Scared that your neighbors might be stealing your wireless signal? Just buy a DAP1522!
  
  If you have a large house or coverage area, this isn't going to cut it. But if you live in a small apartment, this thing is perfect. For anyone who needs better range, I'd recommend the slightly more expensive DIR-825.
  
  PS For anybody who's confused - this bridge/AP is essentially a switch plus an access point. It lacks the "router" capability and WAN port that similar pieces of equipment have which make them routers. For the typical person, you only need a bridge/AP if you already have a router and want to add a wireless access point to your network.
  
  
• Great No problems since installed
  By A14CUZ9LXKUONL on 2008-08-07
  Hit the pair button on my D-Link DIR-655 and the pair button on this DAP 1522 and it paired perfected, although it took quite a bit of time if I remember correctly.
  
  Been months and I have yet to have a problem, I use it with my PS3 and xbox 360. I don't see a difference playing games on my other ps3 and xbox 360 wired to the router.
  
  
• great product
  By A3H3MGF7INIU2Q on 2008-09-20
  This is a great product. It took a few minutes to install but overall it is great. This works perfectly as a bridge or an access point and includes the best features around. I recommend this product to everyone!!!!
  
  
• Easy setup, good range, does the job
  By A1XFH9AHHVPRP3 on 2008-10-08
  Used to connect an Xbox 360 and a ReplayTV unit in another room to the home network. Setup up was incredibly easy using the One touch wireless setup connecting to a D-Link Xtreme N router. My house has a lot of interference but this unit seems to have decent range and speed. The only potential negative I can think of is the front panel LEDs are exceedingly bright.
  
  
• Perfect for multiple connections
  By A1J0BEWXYUAAG4 on 2008-10-09
  My initial problem began with me trying to find a bridge with multiple ports. This item was one of the few available out there to solve my problem of making my directv hd dvr and xbox 360 wireless (both items downstairs with router located upstairs). Once I figured out how to setup the device it worked perfect connecting to my wireless g router and i was downloading vod's and games on both devices with no problems. Although setup was a little difficult instructions were sufficient in helping me to get the job done. Awesome little device with not much competition out there. Looking forward to upgrading my connections to wireless n so i can make use of the faster speed on this device. Item keeps getting backordered so you know this item is one of a kind.
  
  
• Low range and low speed
  By A39RYTM5FN8OY2 on 2008-11-08
  I really wanted to like this device but my new all-N all-Dlink network had to be all-returned. I connected the DAP1522 to a new DIR655 Dlink router and also a notebook with a Dlink DWA652 N adapter. First surprise: The notebook was losing signal 3 rooms from the router. Next to the router the throughput was never stable, ranging from 130 MBps to all the way down to 13 MBps. I connected the DAP1522 and the maximum rate I could get was 81 MBps, 10 inches from the router. Moved the DAP1522 to my home theatre, 30 feet from the router but separated by 4 walls, and the rate came down to 13 MBps, signal at only 35%.
  
  Called Dlink support and spoke to levels 1 and 2, reconfigured everything 4 or 5 times, tried several different channels, with or without QOS, WPA or WPA2, N-only or GN-only. We probably changed and tried everything that could affect the performane and finally came to the conclusion that nothing else could have been done.
  
  I live in a condo but there is no wireless phone and the microwave was never on. It's possible that something was affecting the performance coming from some other unit but isn't the system supposed to be imune to external interferences ?
  
  I wanted the DAP1522 to be used as a bridge to link my Tivo S3 and Bluray player through ethernet. It did work but the performance was worse than before with my old wireless G network. I'm pretty sure that walls and cabinets played an important role in my disappointed experience with a brand new Dlink all-N wireless system.
  
  
• buyer beware
  By A9XLFDWV9W52F on 2008-11-10
  I had nothing but trouble with this item. 1st was DOA, second worked after a major hassle to get it to connect.
  
  Checked the bandwidth throughput on my 360 media center tune network utility and never got a result better than "poor network performance", far worse then the wireless G enthernet bridge it was going to replace. 360 is about 15 feet from the router with little obstruction.
  
  2nd one is going back too. Blah!
  
  
• I got 3 of these!
  By ABADAY5JUZUHJ on 2008-11-13
  I created a home network with one DIR-655 and three DAP 1522 to cover every corner of my home with dual band wireless-N.
  
  
  Room #1: Office:
  
  Dir-655 router, DSL modem, main computer as the media server.
  1st DAP 1522 working as an AP (IP can be assigned by router's DHCP server. But I set it to a fixed 192.168.0.49 so I can get to it faster).
  
  The reason I add this DAP 1522 is to add 5GHZ band intended for HD streaming. DIR-655 already has the 2.4 GHZ wireless-N band for other laptops.
  
  
  Room #2, living room
  
  DirecTV HD receiver with TiVo
  PS3
  42" LCD TV
  Sling Box Pro HD (to be added soon)
  2nd DAP 1522 as 5 GHZ wireless bridge #1. IP set to fixed 192.168.0.50.
  
  Bridge #1 connects to the AP (first DAP 1522) by 5 GHZ flawlessly. I don't have a way to test the real speed yet but I noticed performance similar to wires I had before.
  
  
  Room #3, Master bed room.
  
  2nd TV
  SlingCatcher (to be added soon)
  3rd DAP 1522 as 5 GHZ wireless bridge #2. IP set to fixed 192.168.0.51.
  
  
  What I got (or about to get) from this setup,
  
  1. HD streaming from main computer (media server) to living room TV through PS3 using Wireless-N 5.0 GHZ. Already tried Hulu.com with PlayOn and video is smooth. Playing videos on main computer hard drive through PS3 works fine too. Had issue with wireless-G to do this before. Fixed it with a wire. Now wireless again.
  
  2. HD straming DirecTV programming from SlingBox pro HD in living room to bed room's SlighCather and 2nd TV, using Wireless-N 5.0 GHZ
  
  3. HD streaming from main computer (media server) to bed room TV through SlingCathcer using Wireless-N 5.0 GHZ
  
  4. Internet access through out the house using wireless-N 2.4 GHZ only (270Mbps-300Mbps nominal speed), using wireless-N 5.0 GHZ only(270Mbps-300Mbps nominal speed), or dual band wirelss-N (Not sure if it's 270Mbps-300Mbps nominal speed x2, don't have this yet.
  
  5. HD straming DirecTV programming from SlingBox pro HD in living room to any computer in the world (when I travel).
  
  This is the best network device I got after the DIR-655 router!
  
  
  
  
• WAP-1522 WPA security does not work with DI-524
  By A3DIYBME2VE82K on 2008-11-22
  BEWARE! I spent 3 days trying to figure out why this DAP-1522 didn't work with my DI-524 router- both DLink products. I spent a good hour with tech support, and they were respectable. However , there were useless as I figured out their problem for them. I had the latest firmware for both the router and the AP. WPA still did not work. The PSK was being validated by the router, and the wap was connected. However, the wap would attempt to update private keys, and apparently the router didn't respond, and the wap dropped connection, because it wasn't a valid handshake. My other wireless adapters had no problem connecting to the router. So, the wap must have some special handshake with it that only certain routers will understand. So I had to buy the DIR655 and give it a try. It worked like a champ in seconds. So, you can save yourself time and effort if you buy the dir655 or whatever upgrade you choose to your 802.11g router, at the same time you buy the dap1522. Once I had it working, it has been working great. But be prepared to buy other products so that you can run a secure wireless network with the dap1522. Afterall, it really isn't completely backwards compatible.
  
  

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