gdgt

I got this router as a Christmas gift a couple of years ago and have really enjoyed it. The QoS engine has let other network users go nuts on the PCs in the house, without detracting from my Xbox Live experience. It took a little tweaking, but in the end it did make a difference with gaming and Skype.

That said, the Wireless is merely "okay." I used it primarily as a wired router until a recent move, where I've been forced to implement more wireless technology. I paired this unit with an Apple Airport Express to create a wireless bridge for my Home Theater, with disappointing results. Even with the DIR-655 in line-of-sight of the Express, I got a lot of drops and jitter. Xbox Live frequently would not connect. Netflix would only give me two bars (down from consistent HD) and take forever to buffer.

I wasn't sure if the DIR-655 or Airport Express was to blame. And the Airport Express may still be the root problem, since I didn't have any real issues using my Macbook Pro. I reluctantly splurged and got an Airport Extreme, in the end. I disabled the wireless on the DIR-655 and set up the Extreme as an AP. Now the wireless bridge works like a charm in every respect, and my "Transmit Rate" has jumped from ~120Mbps to ~300Mbps.

I still like the DIR-655 enough to keep it as the gateway, for now. If you're not in a super-heavy, finicky wireless network it's a pretty good choice. For the money, it's hard to beat. I suspect that the lack of dual band and the large number of wireless networks in my new neighborhood was the root of my problem, so keep that in mind when making a selection.