D-Link Systems Inc.

D-Link Systems was one of the first companies to take home networking seriously. Along with its archrivals Linksys Group and Netgear, the company has produced increasingly versatile networking products at ever-decreasing prices. And it has made great strides to improve its setup tools, particularly those that help beginners.

The inexpensive D-Link DI-704P is a complete and well-conceived product. Housed in a stackable plastic case (with all connections on the rear panel), the DI-704P includes four 10/100 Ethernet ports, one WAN port, a parallel printer port for a print server, and a serial modem connector for dial-up backup or connection to the unit's command line interface. D-Link also packs two Ethernet cables in the box, which is a nice touch for a bargain-priced product. The browser-based configuration interface helps get new users started quickly.

Thanks to a clever auto-sensing feature, you can use any of the four ports to connect the DI-704P to another switch, eliminating the need for special crossover cables.The DI-704P's firewall features let you control inbound and outbound traffic by IP address or port number. The print server provides Microsoft Windows–based sharing with others on the LAN, but users must install a special driver (included on the provided CD) to gain access to the shared printer.

Like the DI-704P, the D-Link DI-714 is a four-port Ethernet switch and router, but it also has an 802.11b wireless access point. It offers both 64- and 128-bit WEP encryption. The DI-714 doesn't have the DI-704P's Ethernet auto-sensing feature, so D-Link provides a crossover cable.

The DI-714's browser-based interface is much more polished than the DI-704P's and includes an excellent setup wizard. Each product comes with an above-average manual and a CD-ROM with a helpful video geared to first-time networkers.

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