Google Fodder: If you are thinking of buying or have bought the D-Link Wireless 108G Storage Router DI-624s from DSE (Item XH0414) or elsewhere, there are a couple of things that are good to know that aren't mentioned in the package.The firmware on the product you buy on the shop shelf is v1.00 and dates back to 2005. If you go looking for an update, you usually end up on the US dlink.com web site where you will be told support ended for the product completely in mid-2008 and there are no firmware updates. That annoyed me as I had only just bought the thing and thought it a bit rough that DSE was, apparently, selling old product for which there was no support.
Looking a little deeper, I found that on www.dlink.co.nz, the product may well be old, and it may well no longer be supported actively, but there is a bit more to be had than on the US site. In fact, there is even a firmware upgrade to v1.11 (August 21st, 2007 vintage) that adds some useful function and fixes some important bugs.
You want this update!
Unfortunately, you have to stumble around the site a wee bit to find it. Here's the magic recipe:
- Go to www.dlink.co.nz
- Click on "Support"
- Select "DI" on the first "Select" dropdown list and "624S" on the "Select one" dropdown list
- In the list of folders that appears, click on the " + " next to "Downloads"
- Click on "Downloads for DI-624S"
- To the right, click on "Firmware" for Rev A or Rev B. I needed Rev B. You probably will, to, but check the bottom of the router anyway, just in case.
This lets you download the firmware file and release notes and several other things, too.
Then all you need to do is follow the instructions that came with the router for making firmware upgrades. In summary, you'd login to the router and click on the "Tools" tab and then select "Firmware" from the list on the right. Then follow your nose. My router upgrade went perfectly and was all over in a couple of minutes. A download underway at the time was undisturbed other than a brief interruption.
Your a star, been trying to find that firmware, many thanks!
ReplyDeleteThese are still going, and some are sold 'new' on ebay as at DEC 2012. The AU support site has 2009 firmware.
ReplyDeleteDirt cheap router with shoestring budget features.
Major Bug #1.
Daylight Saving is broken for southern hemisphere as javascript validates start month not greater than end month.
Workaround - flash earlier bios to submit changes to this page, and then flash back.
Major Bug #2.
Webserver assumes you are storing a photo album. Only an issue when password protected.
Other.
It is possible to connect 3TB external disks to these, but capacity reporting will be wonky, presumably due to 32 bit variables. EXT2 works well, but you'll need to check the disk offline.
Throughput is not quick on the external storage, more than 500GB is not practical. It will power portable drives but I don't recommend it, most d-link devices of this era do not like heat.
Good features.
Custom ftp accounts rooted to discrete folder storage.
5V power supply. (3A min).