D-Link DIR-878 Review – AC1900 Gigabit Wi-Fi router with MU-MIMO support

It is a Wireless AC1900 wireless router by D-Link, model DIR-878. This is a straightforward wireless router that is suitable for customers who want to upgrade from the router provided by their Internet service provider.

If you are still using an outdated Wireless N router or an older Wireless AC router, the DIR-878, which is MU-MIMO compatible and reasonably priced, maybe a decent option for you to consider for your consideration.

The hardware design, on the other hand, is a bare-bones affair. It is equipped with four external antennas. All of the parts of the gadget are painted in a matte black tone. The D-Link DIR-878 is equipped with four Gigabit Ethernet LAN connections as well as a WAN port.

This router does not have a USB port on it. Because the top of the routers only has three indicators, you’ll have to rely on the web interface if you want to see any extra information about your D-Link DIR-878 router.

Check Out: Best Wifi Router | Best WiFi Extender

Design

D-LINK DIR-878 AC1900 MU-MIMO Wi-Fi Router is a rather straightforward device in terms of design when compared to other wireless routers. Everything about it is black, with a small incline toward the front and two side antennae, and two rear antennas, all of which can be rotated completely around.

The side antennae are also bent out 90 degrees, while the back two are bent out around 45 degrees. If necessary, you can use the rotation to try to guide the signal in the direction you want it to go.

On the top panel, the lower three-quarters (about) are matte black plastic, while the top quarter is decorated with a horizontal glossy black line pattern with the D-Link logo at the bottom right of the panel.

Four symbols with LED indicator lights above them for power, internet, 2.4GHz, and 5GHz connections are located in the center of the top at the front of the device. When the device is connected, the lights are solid green; when there is activity, the lights flash green; and when there is an issue or when the device is powered up, the lights become red.

Performance

The setup was quite straightforward. To begin, connect one end of the provided Ethernet cable to your cable modem, DSL modem, or Ethernet wall connector, and the other end to the WAN port on the back of the D-Link DIR-878 router, as shown in the diagram below. When the power, internet, and 2.4GHz/5GHz LED indicator lights to turn green after a couple of minutes of blinking red, the system is ready to use.

Then, using a computer or other wireless device, connect to the router using the password that was provided to you by your network administrator in the Wi-Fi Configuration Guide. Using a web browser, you may access the web interface by logging into the IP address specified in the Quick Access Guide.

After logging in, a web interface will guide you through the remainder of the setup process in four simple stages. While the router will attempt to auto-detect your network type, if it is unable to do so, you can choose Static IP, Dynamic IP, PPPoE, PPTP, L2TP, or DS-Lite as the kind of external network to be connected to.

As previously said, the D-Link DIR-878 AC1900 High Power Wi-Fi Gigabit Router supports 2.4 and 5GHz frequencies and can automatically pick the most appropriate frequency based on the device that is connecting. As previously said, I chose to leave SmartLink enabled throughout testing, and despite the fact that we had several devices connected, we had no slowdowns or difficulties with any of our linked devices.

At any given moment, we have up to two laptops, two gaming consoles, up to four phones, up to two tablets, and a Kodi box or two connected and streaming – not to mention the myriad wired devices that are also connected. Everything worked as planned, regardless of whether someone was gaming while another was streaming music from a device or viewing films via the Kodi box.

Also of note, the range of the router appeared to be enough, as we were able to see a reasonably strong signal in the basement despite the fact that it was installed on the second floor, which is something that has been hit or miss with the other routers we’ve evaluated in the past.

Specifications

Product DescriptionAC1900 MU-MIMO Wi-Fi Gigabit Router
Multicast SupportYes
Wireless Speed1900Mbps (2.4G + 5G)
SDRAM128MB
Flash16MB
Antenna TypeExternal Fixed Antenna (4×4+4×4)
WAN1(10/100/1000)
LAN4 (10/100/1000)
USB 2.0/3.0N/A
Static IPYes
Dynamic IP (DHCP)Yes
PPPoEYes
L2TPYes
PPTPYes
Static IPv6Yes
PPPoE (IPv6 over PPPoE)Yes
WPS (Wi-Fi Protect Setup)Yes (PIN/Button)
WPA-PSK (Personal)Yes
WPA2-PSK (Personal)Yes
Guest ZoneYes
Wi-Fi MeshN/A
MU-MIMOYes
D-Link Wi-FiAvailable in future
D-FendN/A
D-Link QRS MobileN/A
Voice Control Support (Amazon Alexa / Google Assistant)N/A
QuickVPNYes

Verdict

The DIR-878 is an AC1900 MU-MIMO router by D-Link. At a price of less than RM500, it will put up a solid fight against the Asus RT-AC1300UHP and the TP-Link Archer C7 in terms of value for money. It has a quicker AC1900 performance than the previous model. Due to the low price, the D-Link DIR-878 does not include a USB port, which is a significant disadvantage.

The firmware that powers the router is quite practical and straightforward. Configuring the DIR-878 is a straightforward and not overly difficult process. It is compatible with Unifi and Maxis Fibre. This router should have no problems supporting either a Gigabit or an Unifi 800Mbps Internet connection, according to our WAN-to-LAN performance test results.

We are pleased to suggest this router to anyone searching for a replacement for their standard Unifi router who is having difficulty obtaining Gigabit speeds even on LAN after completing the free upgrade. You should not anticipate Gigabit speed via WiFi, on the other hand. We tested the WiFi, which had an average speed of around 400Mbps. It’s possible that the D-Link DIR-895L, which has greater WiFi performance, will be a good option if you want a quicker WiFi speed. Also suitable if you are still using an older Wireless N wireless router, this model is a decent alternative.

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