What Is a D-Link Emulator?

The wireless router manufacturer D-Link maintains an online collection of router emulators that operate within a Web browser. An emulator recreates the Web-based interface of the router it represents, allowing anyone to explore the features of a router and see its configuration options without having physical access to the hardware.

Accessing an Emulator
You can access D-Link's collection of emulators at the D-Link support website. Emulators are available for nearly 200 D-Link router models as of the date of publication. Click the model number of a router to access its emulator. In some cases, you may need to select a firmware version to continue -- this is the case if a firmware revision substantially changed a router's interface. When you begin, the emulator displays a login prompt. Click the "Login" button to continue to the main menu.
 
Purpose A router emulator is a useful tool for network administrators and technical support engineers who may need to walk people through troubleshooting and configuration steps over the telephone. An engineer with computer expertise can quickly find the configuration option to resolve an issue and use an emulator as an aid to describe the option's location to someone else. An emulator can also be useful for a student who needs to become accustomed to router configuration to earn a degree or certification.


Other Emulators D-Link is not the only router brand with emulators available to the public. Other router brands with Web-based emulators include Linksys and Netgear. As of the time of publication, there are nearly 200 Linksys emulators and over 60 Netgear emulators available. You can access these emulators in the same way as the D-Link emulators; browse to the page hosting the emulators. Click the desired model number and then click the firmware version if applicable.
 
Limitations Although an emulator allows you to see and manipulate the configuration options available in a router, it does not allow you to perform any action that requires writing to the router's memory. For example, you can see the screens that allow you to set up access lists and encryption protocols, but you cannot save these settings. You can see the screen that allows you to update the router's firmware, but you cannot perform an update.