WiFi 6 is quickly becoming the new industry standard, and many modern products, such as the PlayStation 5, are adopting it. As a result, the price of WiFi 6-compliant routers has steadily decreased over time. Throughout today’s review of the D-Link DIRX1860 Mesh WiFi 6 Router, you’ll learn about an economical and dependable mesh WiFi 6 router.
The DIRX1860 Mesh WiFi 6 router from D-Link is a long-lasting, solid, and reasonably priced device from a well-known and reputable manufacturer. It’s the perfect solution for someone who wants a high-quality product that performs well but doesn’t want to spend a lot of money.
In our D-Link DIRX1860 Mesh WiFi 6 Router review, we’ll go over everything you need to know about the device in depth.
Prior to that, let us examine how D-Link displayed their router, how they packaged it, and what they contained inside of it.
Our DIRX1860 arrived in a well-designed cardboard packaging with a pleasing violet and black color scheme. The D-Link router has a standard appearance, but we are impressed with the color scheme and aesthetics that have been employed on it.
Check Out: Best Wifi Router | Best WiFi Extender
The DIRX1860 is depicted on the front of the box, and its name is put above the image of the device. It is noted in the upper-left corner of the package that it comes from D-Link. A notice declaring that the product is compatible with the WiFi 6 is the polar opposite of this.
Design
If you’ve previously used D-Link routers, you’ll note that the DIRX1860 and the DIRX5460 have a design that is quite similar to one another. The sole difference between the two is that the latter has a larger form factor. Its antennae are not removable, which we believe is a positive feature, particularly for long-term usage.
224 x 166mm and 525g are the dimensions and weight of the DIRX1860. Although the design of its body isn’t particularly elaborate, the basic style, curved form, and matte black finish give it a luxurious appearance.
The four white LED lights on the front of the vehicle shine brightly. This signifies that the power is turned on, that your internet connection is established, and that the 2.4GHz and 5GHz radios are operational.
This router is equipped with a substantial number of air vents to provide adequate ventilation. It’s a somewhat effective design since it keeps the router cool even when doing intensive activities. You will not need to acquire a separate cooling fan to keep the heat at bay.
However, there are several disadvantages to its design. If you want to place the DIRX1860 in an open location, it is essential that you clean the vents on a regular basis. There’s a good chance that they will collect dust quickly, and you wouldn’t want any of that dust to go into the system.
The DIRX1860’s I/O ports are standard, consisting of four LAN ports and one WAN port, among other things. All of them are capable of operating at 1,000Mbps.
The reset port, the power button, and a WPS port are all located on the back of the router, in addition to the WAN and LAN ports. There is a benefit in this case in that the router does not have a USB port, which is beneficial for security reasons.
The following section of our D-Link DIRX1860 Mesh WiFi 6 Router review will cover the DIRX1860’s several major features in greater detail.
Performance
WiFi 6 brings next-generation WiFi technology into your house, allowing you to enjoy increased speed, capacity, and range for all of your WiFi demands. It’s the ideal element for those who live in high-performance smart homes that are densely packed with devices.
With the DIRX1860, you may expect rates of up to AX-1800, while 1024 QAM increases throughput by up to 25%, according to the manufacturer. The throughput at 80MHz continuous channel width is also increased, allowing for better and more bandwidth.
You may benefit from up to four simultaneous streams for quicker, more pleasurable, and enhanced 4K viewing, online gaming, and other activities. The 1GB WAN and 4GB LAN connectors, in addition, allow for speedier wired connections at any time of day or night.
The DIRX1860 makes use of WiFi 6’s cutting-edge OFDMA technology (orthogonal frequency division multiple access), which is cutting-edge technology. In this step, little data packets for a variety of electrical devices are transmuted together in order to avoid being queued up again.
It is particularly well suited for smart homes that are densely packed with bandwidth-hungry Internet of Things equipment that demands extensive bandwidth.
In this section of our D-Link DIRX1860 Mesh WiFi 6 Router review, we’ll talk about two-way MU-MIMO. If you’re not aware of the term, it refers to a technology that assists in dispersing data flow to several devices at the same time.
Because the DIRX1860 is equipped with this technology, it can make use of the OFDMA multi-user version as well as MU-MIMO. The use of these is required to improve the efficiency of both downstream and upstream transmissions in comparison to the prior WiFi 5 technology. MU-MIMO could only be used in conjunction with downstream broadcasts when the latter was in place.
When used together, this combination significantly increases coverage, capacity, and performance in highly tense situations.
The DIRX1860’s integrated power amplifiers, high-gain antennas, and beam-forming technologies let you extend the range of your WiFi even farther. This concentrates a stronger signal to your electronics, allowing you to enjoy quicker, better, and more dependable WiFi service.
Meanwhile, a long OFDMA symbol ensures a wider and better WIFI range, which is especially important while traveling outside the home.
TWT, which stands for Target Wake Time, is a function that helps to limit the battery usage of your connected devices to a minimum. In addition, the router talks with these devices and calculates how frequently data transfers are required.
Furthermore, it extends the amount of time that linked devices sleep in order to preserve energy and battery life.
Updates to firmware are typically painful, but the DIR-X1860 from D-Link simplifies the process significantly. As a result, you won’t even know that your router is upgrading because it is seamless and automated.
Aside from that, the DIR-X1860 is equipped with Dual Image capabilities, which allows you to store a recovery image as a backup file. Its purpose is to keep your data secure before doing an update.
When your wireless network is interfered with by your neighbors’ WiFi connection, your wireless network may experience slower signal transmissions. WiFi 6 and BSS Colouring technology, which uses a unique guide to color broadcasts, are also available. An upshot of this is that the router may determine whether to transmit or ignore signals based on the color of the signal.
In addition to a VPN wizard, the D-Link DIRX1860 Mesh WiFi 6 Router Mesh WiFi6 router includes a feature that allows you to customize LAN-to-LAN and remote access VPN connections. Through the use of its built-in passthrough function, any connected device may establish outbound VPN connections.
The DIR-X1860 includes an Internet Test feature that allows you to determine the true connection speed between your router and your ISP. This may be accessed using the D-Link WiFi mobile application.
Changes such as turning on and off your guest WiFi, requesting guest WiFi credentials, changing firmware, and resetting the router are all possible. You can perform all of these tasks with voice commands, which eliminates the need for manual labor.
Simply say the orders to your voice assistant, and the DIRX1860 will promptly execute them on its own. The clever WiFi feature is ideal when you have a lot on your plate or just want to impress your friends and family.
Specifications
Product Description | Smart AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 Router |
---|---|
Multicast Support | Yes |
Wireless Speed | 1800Mbps (2.4G 600Mbps+5G 1200Mbps) |
SDRAM | 256MB |
Flash | 128MB |
Antenna Type | External Fixed Antenna (2×2+2×2) |
Wi-Fi Mesh | N/A |
MU-MIMO | Yes |
D-Link Wi-Fi | Yes |
D-Fend | N/A |
D-Link SharePort Mobile | N/A |
mydlink SharePort | N/A |
D-Link QRS Mobile | N/A |
mydlink Lite (iOS/Android) | N/A |
D-Fend (McAfee) | N/A |
Voice Control Support (Amazon Alexa / Google Assistant) | Yes |
WAN | 1(10/100/1000) |
LAN | 4 (10/100/1000) |
USB 2.0/3.0 | N/A |
Static IP | Yes |
Dynamic IP (DHCP) | Yes |
PPPoE | Yes |
L2TP | Yes |
PPTP | Yes |
Static IPv6 | Yes |
PPoE_IPv6 over PPoE | Yes |
Wireless Security | Latest 128-bit wireless encryption |
WPS (Wi-Fi Protect Setup) | Yes (PBC only) |
Guest Zone | Yes |
USB Sharing (FTP) | N/A |
USB Sharing (SAMBA) | N/A |
Verdict
The D-Link DIRX1860 Mesh WiFi 6 router is a fantastic purchase that will last for years. It provides outstanding performance for both WiFi 6 and WiFi 5, making it a perfect update for anyone looking to boost the speed of their connection.
One of the things we like about this router was how simple it was to operate. It was simple to set up, and we had no problems utilizing either the web portal or the mobile app once it was up and running. During our tests, it functioned admirably, and our internet connection never slowed even for a second.
Overall, the D-Link DIRX1860 Mesh WiFi 6 is one of the finest budget-friendly routers on the market today, according to our research. In addition to providing future-proofing, this router is an excellent solution for regular home users as well as students.
Interested parties can place orders for the D-Link DIRX1860 Mesh WiFi 6 Router through the company’s official website. You may also use the company’s shop finder to discover a merchant that is close to your location.