It seemed a good idea to have a local data store accessible from all my computers, The D-link Xtreme Wireless Router promises this. I found that the best deal was from the USA and it was dispatched quickly to me.

Replaced a BT router/modem with this and a DLINK modem. I noticed an immediate performance boost. Lovely little screen; a novelty but fun with widgets and some basic performance information. I like the facility for a hard disk which is really useful to share files on a network.

It works. It's easy to set up. The menu could be more intuitive. I had one at my previous home and was satisfied enough to buy another. I've never used the photo feature.

I just installed a 320Gb hard drive in my new router and I'm sharing media away! This router has been working as advertised and more! I can watch movies and shows in my bedroom PC while someone else watches another show on their PS3.

If you don't think routers can be sexy, take a look at the D-Link Xtreme N Storage Router (model DIR-685). Making a Wi-Fi router look like a digital photo frame is awesome. Add a hard drive to it to turn it into a NAS, that's brilliant.

Feature-rich color LCD screen doubles as digital photo frame; Fantastic streaming capabilities for online photos; Turns SATA drives into instant NAS

LCD and touch buttons don't always respond fast

Wireless routers are generally seen as boring devices that only serve to provide signal coverage for internet access throughout the house. But the latest "storage router" from D-Link is quite a big exception, and an exciting one at that.

Reasonably good router - range matches netgear DGN2200. Only has 2.4 ghz band. Easy to set up, however Wireless security is not enabled as the default setting. Good user interface with plenty of advanced features. Screen is a bit of a gimmick, used it for the first day and then that was it.

A highly capable and feature-packed router for homes and offices, the D-Link DIR-685 Xtreme N Storage Router is one of the most innovative models we've tested. It's also the first router that shouldn't get hidden on a shelf somewhere; a 3.2-inch color LCD screen on the front lets this device double...

Fast throughput; Good picture frame; Hard drive bay for network storage; USB port enables printer sharing,

Small LCD for photos; No dual-band support,

Wireless routers are generally seen as boring devices that only serve to provide signal coverage for internet access throughout the house. But the latest "storage router" from D-Link is quite a big exception, and an exciting one at that.

D-Link's DIR-685 Wi-Fi router generated a lot of buzz at CES this past January. And when we took a gander at its spec sheet, we thought it a contender for Best of the Best in the router category; something that would finally displace the Linksys WRT600N , which is becoming hard to find.

LCD; internal hard-drive bay; built-in FTP and BitTorrent software

Expensive; slow wireless and NAS throughput; hard-drive bay limited to 2.5-inch drives