The D-Link DIR-885L AC3100 router is a high-capacity 802.11ac router. In addition to having four exterior antennas, the DIR-885L offers beamforming for direct transmission, which reduces interference while increasing range, allowing devices to get a strong signal even in a big home. The DIR-885L offers a maximum throughput of 2600Mbps on the 5GHz band and 1000Mbps on the 2.4GHz band, albeit it should be noted that most devices only support a maximum throughput of 300Mbps on the 2.4GHz spectrum.
When many streams of data are sent simultaneously, the theoretical maximum speed is 3100Mbps. Additionally, it includes two USB ports, one for connecting to a printer and the other for connecting storage. It contains the typical gigabit WAN and four gigabit LAN connectors as well as two USB ports, one for connecting to a printer and the other for attaching storage.
Because of the development of smartphones, tablets, laptops, and streaming devices such as Chromecast and Apple TV in recent years, households are becoming more equipped with WiFi-enabled gadgets. It is fair to anticipate a family to have more than a dozen WiFi clients connecting at any given time. WiFi congestion may become a serious issue when there are so many connected devices, causing everyone’s internet to load more slowly.
The new D-Link router is equipped with a variety of features to prevent WiFi congestion. As previously stated, the DIR-885L is equipped with beamforming technology. When numerous clients are connected to the network, not only does this increase the range of the router, but it also allows for better WiFi rates.
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Another technology included in the DIR-885L to improve performance when dealing with multiple connected clients is MU-MIMO, which is an abbreviation for Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output. MU-MIMO is designed to handle Wi-Fi bandwidth more efficiently when dealing with multiple connected clients when compared to traditional MIMO technology. When compared to the previous MIMO technology, MU-MIMO treats every connected Wi-Fi client in the same way, which might become troublesome when some customers have significantly larger data transmission capacity than others.
This implies that a multi-stream router will connect with any connected device using all of the available streams, even if the other device can only handle one or two streams of data at a time. The other streams are being squandered as a result of the client being unable to utilize their data rate, which results in a waste of resources. A router may provide data to numerous clients at the maximum speed each client can receive it when using MU-MIMO technology. Distinct transmissions can be broadcast on different Wi-Fi streams to multiple devices at the same time using MU-MIMO technology.
Specifications
Wireless standard | Wireless AC Wave 2 |
---|---|
Frequency band mode | Dual-band simultaneous |
Wireless speed | 1000 Mbps 2.4 GHz 2167 Mbps 5GHz |
Antenna type | 4 fixed omni-directional antennas |
Wired interface | 1 x Gigabit Ethernet WAN 4 x Gigabit Ethernet LAN |
USB ports | 1 x USB 3.0 |
Advanced features | MU-MIMO mydlink-enabled SmartBeam |
Finally, the DIR-885 is equipped with Smart Connect technology, which allows the router to intelligently determine which devices should be connected to which WiFi band, rather than requiring you to manually set up your devices to connect to a certain band. A device that only supports 802.11n or 802.11g signals and does not support 802.11ac signals will not be sent signals over the 5GHz 802.11ac streams, which means that while the router is sending data to said device over the 2.4GHz streams, it can simultaneously send data to another device over the 5GHz 802.11ac streams if both devices support 802.11ac signals. This also enables automated load balancing, which improves data throughput when numerous customers are connected at the same time.
D-ULTRA Link’s Performance series routers feature one of the most bizarre designs of any router on the market, with an aggressive angled shape that resembles a stealth fighter or a bug, to name a few of possibilities.
The DIR-885L, which is a vivid crimson, maintains a similar design approach. It has four external antennas and an internal processor with a dual core Broadcom BCM47094 processor clocked at 1.4GHz, which is located on the outside. There is WPS support, which allows you to connect your devices with a single press of a button on your phone.
The DIR-885 is a simple device to set up. There is excellent smartphone and tablet connectivity; in fact, you can even set up your router from your smartphone or tablet using the Quick Router Setup app (available for iOS and Android). Managing your network is also possible using a web browser, a smartphone, or a tablet computer.
The router administration software enables you to set parental controls, restrict undesired devices, monitor internet usage and activity, and create a guest network, among other features. Most significantly, you have the ability to assign priorities to devices and applications.
The DIR-885 is a good high-end router with a lot of features. It delivers excellent performance and will undoubtedly serve you well for many years to come. However, given the price point, it is now at, which is approximately $300, there are many other decent alternatives for routers that are worth considering, the most notable of which being D-own Link’s DIR-890 and DIR-895, which provide increased performance for a minor increase in price.