I've had my D-Link DI-614+ for around 2 months now, and have been OVERJOYED with its combination of security, real-world throughput and ease of administration... UNTIL I APPLIED THE MOST RECENT FIRMWARE UPDATE.
My original firmware rev was 2.00, Wed, 26 June 2002. I installed the firmware rev 2.03, and the fun began...
Now, let me clarify, the actual firmware install went fine, but I started experiencing difficulty with the computers I have connected via Ethernet not picking up on the DHCP-assigned addresses. After a bit of fooling around and rebooting, I managed to get the wired boxes back online. Only then did I notice that a key feature of the wireless networking configuration was now missing!
In rev 2.00, there was a passphrase field available, that would allow you to type in a passphrase after selecting your desired WEP encryption level, and upon clicking on the "Generate" button to the right, it would automatically create your 4 encryption keys. This was great, because even with multiple laptops (each having a D-Link AirPlus card installed), all that was necessary was to open the D-Link software on each laptop, select the same encryption level set on the router, type in the passphrase, and click "Generate"... and POOF!, instant matching encryption keys.
Sadly, after talking to a tech at D-Link, it seems that the feature was knowingly removed because the creator has recently obtained a patent, thereby requiring D-Link to either pay for or remove the feature. Regrettably, D-Link has opted to remove it. The tech did mention that they had recieved a lot of complaints, but that D-Link had no intention re-implimenting that feature anytime in the forseeable future.
Here's the good news... after a bit of fooling around (and being mis-informed by the tech regarding the older firmware's availability), I've found that D-Link still has the old rev 2.00 firmware on their FTP server, and it is still downloadable.
ftp://ftp.dlink.com/Gateway/di614+/Firmware/di614+_firmware_200.zip
I've "downgraded" my DI-614+ back to the rev 2.00 and have had no more problems, and got my beloved WEP key generator back! Hope this helps anyone who might've been in the same situation I was.
My original firmware rev was 2.00, Wed, 26 June 2002. I installed the firmware rev 2.03, and the fun began...
Now, let me clarify, the actual firmware install went fine, but I started experiencing difficulty with the computers I have connected via Ethernet not picking up on the DHCP-assigned addresses. After a bit of fooling around and rebooting, I managed to get the wired boxes back online. Only then did I notice that a key feature of the wireless networking configuration was now missing!
In rev 2.00, there was a passphrase field available, that would allow you to type in a passphrase after selecting your desired WEP encryption level, and upon clicking on the "Generate" button to the right, it would automatically create your 4 encryption keys. This was great, because even with multiple laptops (each having a D-Link AirPlus card installed), all that was necessary was to open the D-Link software on each laptop, select the same encryption level set on the router, type in the passphrase, and click "Generate"... and POOF!, instant matching encryption keys.
Sadly, after talking to a tech at D-Link, it seems that the feature was knowingly removed because the creator has recently obtained a patent, thereby requiring D-Link to either pay for or remove the feature. Regrettably, D-Link has opted to remove it. The tech did mention that they had recieved a lot of complaints, but that D-Link had no intention re-implimenting that feature anytime in the forseeable future.
Here's the good news... after a bit of fooling around (and being mis-informed by the tech regarding the older firmware's availability), I've found that D-Link still has the old rev 2.00 firmware on their FTP server, and it is still downloadable.
ftp://ftp.dlink.com/Gateway/di614+/Firmware/di614+_firmware_200.zip
I've "downgraded" my DI-614+ back to the rev 2.00 and have had no more problems, and got my beloved WEP key generator back! Hope this helps anyone who might've been in the same situation I was.
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