So on the weekend I thought I'd look for a wireless access-point for my home. See, I have a new laptop with work, so I figured it'd be neat to be able to surf the net from the couch, or the patio, or wherever.

LinkSys WRT54G

My initial research indicated that the LinkSys WRT54G, but when I looked at Dick Smith in Albury I discovered the D-Link DI-624+ for only $148, so I grabbed it.

After an hour or two configuring it to play nicely with my home LAN, it worked a treat! I was surfing the net from my loungeroom with no problems!

But I've decided now that I'm going to return it and get the LinkSys instead. Why? Random drop-outs! The thing seems to reboot itself (subsequently kicking my PC off the (wired) network) every few hours for no reason.

After a quick check on Whirlpool's forums, it turned out that many other people have had similar problems with this particular model. It's probably heat-related, but if all my other gear (NetGear hub, D-Link DSL modem) can survive my garage, then there's no reason this baby shouldn't be able to.

So I'm off to see The Electronic Dick again on Thursday night to organise a refund or swap-over. Wish me luck!

Update! - Just had a look at Dick Smith's web site, and they have a 14-day refund policy for 'change of mind' purchases. So that's good news. Looks like I won't have any trouble taking the box back.