Customer Reviews
Was great until the firmware update (2.2) 
2003-02-11
I had used this device without a problem for a year. I upgraded the firmware on this device a couple of weeks ago to version 2.2. I now cannot download a 5MB file without it dropping its connection 10+ times. It has become completely unusable.
I just got of the phone with D-Link technical support. I am not joking, the gentleman on the other end told me that I had "fried" my card upgrading the firmware. I was angry that he used the words that "I" had fried it and I clarified with him. He said multiple times "Yes, the firmware fried the access point". To be completely sure I said "You are saying that your software fries your products, is that correct" to which he replied "Yes".
On the upside, he said they will send me another access point. On the downside I have not received the email he said I would get with instructions.
I don't think I will ever purchase anything from D-Link again. At least not until they can keep their software from frying their hardware.
Do NOT upgrade the firmware on this unit! 2002-11-14
I purchased the 1000AP and it works perfectly out of the box, with the original firmware installed. Pretty simple to set up and operates flawlessly.
However, as soon as I upgraded to the new firmware from the DLink site, the product dropped connections so often that it is unusable. This happens with no encyption turned on, or using the 64 or 128 bit modes.
This is a common problem with the new firmware, and DLink refuses to acknowledge the problem, or to post a "downgrade" to restore the original firmware. The problem has been visible on the Internet for a year. I have gone from a DLink admirer to never wanting another one of their products.
If you have purchased this unit, then do NOT install the firmware. If not, then look elsewhere and avoid DLink products.
Hard to install even with same brand components 2002-10-12
It says in the quick install guide to just plug the unit. No configuration is needed if you are networking with other d-link products. Sorry but it's not that simple.
I spent the last 3 hours trying to configure it and still not works. The AP Manager don't recognize it and when configuring it manual, the MAC number gives me problems.
Right know I'm writting to d-link support for advice. :( I just wish the installation could be easier.
Thank you to droptiks!!! 
2002-09-19
Unfortunately, I had the same issues as droptiks. However, everything he/she said allowed my new wireless LAN to work flawlessly. Unfortunately, D-Link provides poor software and documentation for not only their cards, but also their Access Points. Thee actual AP is stylish and small, although I hate AC adapters. It is so bulky. There must be a better way! ...but I digress...The access point is simple to install physically, but software installation is tricky. If you have any sort of landline LAN or an existing router, plug your old ethernet card into your PC or laptop and plug that into the network. Also keep your wireless card in the computer. Now run the wizard and it should detect your true network settings. You will most likely need to enter the MAC address, but that is very simple. The reason you need to hook up your existing ethernet card is because the router must assign your PC an IP. Just f/y/i, the AP is asigned an Ip by the router. All in all, keep that old router. If you don't have one, I would highly reccomend getting the D-Link wireless router advertised on Amazon. It is listed for a lower price anyway! All in all, a good router, but seemingly quite expensive here on Amazon...
After reading other reviews, I purchased the 650+ cards. I highly reccomend doing so. I get solid reception, varying between 75% and 100% throughout my entire hosue (cordless phones and all). Spend the extra few dollars and get the 650+ cards, especially if you eventually upgrade to the D-link 22mps wireless router.
Difficult to configure, fairly reliable after 
2002-08-29
First of all, while I'm a dedicated Amazon evangelist, go buy this somewhere else: Amazon is charging twice as much as what I bought it for by doing a simple search for it on CNET. Prices have gone up again, but you will still do better elsewhere.
This product is a little difficult to configure. (Anyone with a decent amount of networking knowledge should have no problems though.)
The only serious problem is it does not pick up an IP address from DHCP, as advertised; assigning one manually to the access point is required.
For WEP, make sure to use the hex translation of your password for both the access point and any cards. In one of the more glaring examples of designing products without keeping the customer in mind, D-Link's algorithms for translating string passwords to their hex equivalent is different on their access points and their cards! So you could have typed in the same password on both your D-Link access point and your D-Link wireless card (let's say the 650 - only $40 at Office Max), and your connection would fail.
Range is quite limited; another customer was quite accurate when he/she said that you have to treat access point manufacturers like cordless phone manufacturers: don't believe their range claims. Buy this product elsewhere, try it out, and return it if you don't like the range. I would bet it would be sufficient for most people.
Do not upgrade the firmware!!! 2002-08-26
The D-Link DWL-1000AP is an IEEE 802.11b-compliant 11 Mbps Ethernet wireless access point. Once activated with the network, it provides Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) operation for wireless networks delivering transparent bridging and roaming capabilities for wireless nodes. The D-Link DWL-1000AP provides an access point connections building infrastructure for the network or to extend the reach of the network communications capability. It enables full mobility and seamless roaming from cell to cell. The range of coverage per cell for indoor use is up to 100 meters and up to 300 meter per cell for outdoor use.DWL-1000AP operates in 2.4 GHz Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) for wireless networks in the home or office environment with transparent bridging and roaming capabilities. The DWL-1000AP can be managed remotely via the access point manager software. It also supports WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy), MAC address control and user authentication to ensure a secure network connection. In bridge mode, the DWL-1000AP can be directly connected to a Broadband Residential Gateway or a DSL/cable modem for high-speed wireless Internet access. On a dynamic network connection, the DWL-1000AP will automatically obtain an IP address and forward additional IP's to multiple 802.11b wireless clients for a seamless Ethernet LAN connection. The DWL-1000AP fully supports roaming capabilities for each wireless client up to 100 meters for indoor use and up to 300 meters for outdoor use. The DWL-1000AP can search for additional access points using the DWL-1000AP access point manager software. The D-Link DWL-1000AP will automatically identify the IP of the host PC as well as the subnet when connected on to an Ethernet LAN in the home or office environment. In addition, with the easy-to-use access point manager software, the IP address of the DWL-1000AP can also be manually assigned.
Difficult to config. Works well when running 2002-08-09
I struggled to get the software to find the WAP when hanging it off the same hub as my servers. Eventually what I did was use a crossover cable to directly connect to the WAP and the config software found the WAP immediately. I have yet to get the WEP going though. The config software isn't very user-friendly but I'm sure there is a way around it. At the price for the D-Link DWL-1000AP it's not bad though. Signal strength is good through a few rooms and downstairs. Be sure to check out the vulnerability though, posted on packetstormsecurity.com in the public SNMP string (which is on by default) Anyone with a wireless card within a few hundred feet could take control of your WAP thru this vulnerability. Over all I'm pleased with the product for home use.
69.99-10 rebate = 59.99 @ tigerdirect.com 2002-07-27
Best deal going if you want a decent SOHO wireless AP
Easy install, unstable and totally UNRELIABLE 
2002-05-26
This is an totally modified review. I've changed my rating from 5 to 2 stars. DLink was my first wireless AccessPoint (first experience with wireless) and I seem to have confused fast startup with longterm reliability.
Thinking that having the same vendor for both AccessPoint and PCCARD would ease things, I have been proven totally wrong.
First off - the AccessPoint comes with a 'bios' that doesn't support WEP128 - but an upgrade is available. After trying to install the upgrade 3-4 times it finally took - but the result was that the web-management went belly up - invalid HTML, missing buttons etc. did I couldn't control basic stuff like the name of the wireless device. Secondly, the WEP didn't support tokens - so you have to type all 32 bytes in HEX on both sides. Not easy.
Well - long story short - even with the bios change, I never got 128 encryption to work. Standard 64 went fine.
Next - the AP software doesn't allow you to see what MAC's are connected or if there are other AP's around. This was a big setback, for as I discovered when I finally trashed DLink and got Linksys instead - a neighbor of mine has another AccessPoint - and it was causing me many problems.
In general - allthough I had a full (100%) connection, the link could go dead. I would have to refresh every so often - causing my work to get totally obscured (loosing database connections, X server connections, SSH took much time to recover from). Some times I would have to refresh 5 times in an hour.
On top of this, the connection speed was never 11mbps for long. It would fluctuate early on, and end up betweene 1 and 2 mbps before it would finally stop data transfer - and this while the link signal was between 90 and 100%.
When I finally replaced both PCCARD and AP with Linksys, all my worries and irritation with Wireless went away. Allthough it's a faster model (G) than my old Dlink, it now holds at least 48mbps connections up and going at all times. Big difference - I don't loose my connection any more. It also helped, that I now can see other AccessPoints so I could set it up to avoid conflicts. The Linksys accesspoint allows me to log, WEP128 works straight out of the box, the website is up and has no errors on it. I even have more security control on who and where this access point works - and if I ever wanted to get the accesspoint as part of a larger network, there are options to tell it about it's neighbors so it will work as one large virtual network. DLINK has a long way to come to even get close to all this nice functionality.
I would recommend Linksys to anyone starting out on Wireless anytime. Don't go through what I did to just save a couple of bucks.
Do Not buy!!! 2002-05-19
D-link tech support is a joke. I bought this unit and it worked great. Then I loaded the latest Firmware (vers 22) which is supposed to enable 128 bit wep encryption and then the troubles began. I can no longer stay connected to the unit when there's any kind of traffic through the 1000AP. I called tech support and they couldn't provide an answer. They said they never heard of this problem, yet I have read of many instances of this on the Net. They don't keep any older versions or original versions of their Firmwares on hand or on their website (how ridiculous is that!) Version .20 is the oldest and has provided a little more stability but with any kind of traffic, your connection keeps dropping. They said I could send it in but no guarantees. I will never buy another D-link product again!
