I had posted about DIR-400 wireless router, which I still use. D-Link DSL-2540U (last letter is region version as far as I understand) is similar router with ADSL2 modem, but without wireless.
I had observed it for some time supplying Internet to small office LAN and last weekend used one for building home LAN for family.
Device
Not too small, not too large. Characteristic looks of last generation D-Link SOHO hardware.
- 1x phone line, 4x LAN ports;
- supports multiply ADSL/ADSL2 standards, with download stream up to 24 Mbit/s.
- 147x113x32 mm.
Setup
As I know now, sticker and bundled software are best ignored.
Out of the box device came with really old firmware so I downloaded latest from FTP and upgraded. Process can be tricky on D-Link devices and again I learned trick to make it work flawlessly:
- use Internet Explorer to upgrade;
- rename firmware file to something short and simple (I use 1) and put it in the root of disk C for upload.
Provider had detailed instruction for this model so setup only took two minutes to input all settings.
Set of functions seems generic (firewall, QoS, remote access, etc) so I hadn’t pocked much.
Operation
Device is quite reliable, but heats up easily. For two computers hooked up directly it gets really warm. For ten (with proxy server and LAN) it is so hot that it requires active cooling in summer.
Temperature doesn’t seem to affect stability, but it is never good idea to let device be half-fried.
Overall
Balanced and stable device, that combines ADSL2 modem, router and network switch. Good choice for home, less good for office (considering temperature issues).
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You didn’t buy a wireless router? What about laptops? :)
@Brad
As above – I have wireless one myself. :) As for this install only notebook came from pre-wireless times so there was no need. I do offered wireless but household voted against. Well, less hassle with security for me. :)
Thanks for your article. I’m troubleshooting a customer issue in which interoperability with a DLINK is a factor. They have D Link
Model : DSL-2540U w/ Version firmware : RU_DSL-2540U_1.00_01112008
I’m guessing this is the same ‘really old’ firmware you mentioned in your article
@john lasersohn
Yep, seems quite old from that version. D-Link often provides firmware updates, but devices themselves seem to come with very early versions, unless there were hardware updates to it later.
Thanks Rarst, for the quick reply. I found the proper FTP directory on their russian site for new firmware on this model:
ftp://ftp.dlink.ru/pub/ADSL/DSL-2540U/Firmware/
@john lasersohn
You are welcome. I hope update will help your customer.
Hi Rarst, I bought DSL-2540U today morning for one of my customers. I strongly need NAT support on it but when I try to update the firmware, it gives this error: “Fatal error during image uploading.”
why is this happening? what should I do?
@Saman Atabaki
Check that you are using firmware for correct hardware revision. See this (in russian, but images are self-explanatory)
ftp://ftp.dlink.ru/pub/ADSL/DSL-2540U/Firmware/readme.html
Had you tried advice from post? Rename firmware file to short name, place in root of disk C and use Internet Explorer to update.
I usually check the manufacturer’s website before installing software/drivers etc that came in the box. Usually, the website has newer drivers.