D-Link DIR-868L Review

Following the DIR-865L, the DIR-868L is D-second Link’s 802.11ac wireless router, which was also quite outstanding. It has many of the same features as its predecessor, including integration with the company’s mydlink cloud platform. However, it returns to the company’s renowned cylindrical appearance and contains the acclaimed SmartBeam technology seen in the DIR-645 when utilizing 802.11n. Is it possible that this combination will make it the wireless n and ac router to beat?

D-Link Wireless AC Smartbeam 1750 Mbps Home Cloud App-Enabled Dual-Band Gigabit Router (DIR-868L)

Amazon.com

With the introduction of the DIR-868L Wireless AC1750 Dual Band Gigabit Cloud Router from D-Link, the company has expanded its product line. The router is based on a dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi system and is capable of transmitting data at up to 1.3Gbps (1300Mbps) via its 5.0GHz frequency range.

However, if your networking gear does not support the faster 5GHz channel or if you want the greater range than the 2.4GHz channel provides, you may still get 450Mbps on the 2.4GHz channel as a workaround. With its Gigabit Ethernet ports and extensive Wi-Fi coverage, the D-Link DIR-868L is also meant to be fast, stable, and easy to use. It also supports USB 3.0, which makes connecting network-attached devices simple and quick.

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Design

It is shaped more like a computer speaker or a Thermos than a standard router, in contrast to the D-Link DIR-865L, which abandoned the squarish form of previous routers and returned to its vertical cylindrical design.

In addition to a USB 3.0 port on the rear, which may be used to connect to a USB device such as a printer or an external hard drive, the DIR-868L has four gigabit LAN ports, one gigabit WAN port, and four gigabit LAN ports on the front.

On the back of the router, there is a power on/off button as well as a WPS button, which begins a 2-minute window during which other WPS-enabled devices can connect to the router’s Wi-Fi network. On the front of the router, there are two circular green LEDs that indicate the router’s power and internet connection statuses. The network ports do not have any further indicators of their condition.

Performance

The D-Link DIR-868L was tested in a real-world environment by connecting it to a PC running Windows 7 64-bit and configuring it using Automatic settings for both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. The results were positive. We then used our Alienware M17XR4 laptop as a target laptop client, which was a great experience.

The Alienware M17XR4 is equipped with an Intel i7-3610QM processor, 6GB of RAM, and Windows 7 64-Bit. It also has an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M graphics card. In addition, it is equipped with a Qualcomm Atheros Killer Wireless-N 1103 Network Adapter, which is critical for our testing purposes. The Killer 1103 is a three-antenna network adapter that connects at up to 450Mbps over 802.11n and has low power consumption as well as Wi-Fi Direct.

It is available in black or white. Although much has been written about the Killer NIC technology in recent years, there is little doubt that this three-antenna setup will provide us with the highest potential wireless speed for our testing purposes. Due to the fact that many individuals do not yet have an 802.11ac device in their arsenal, we will examine some of the fastest speeds that this router can achieve without the usage of Wireless-AC.

We had high expectations for the D-Link DIR-868L, and for the most part, those expectations were satisfied. When uploading files with the D-Link, our testing revealed some incredible wifi ac rates that were quite breathtaking.

Under normal conditions of 2 meters and 10 meters line of sight, plus 13 meters between two solid walls, the D-Link DIR-868L Cloud Router achieved speeds of 34MBps (272Mbit), 31.2MBps (249.5Mbit), and 24.5MBps (249.5Mbit), respectively (196Mbit). This was while we were transmitting data within our home network, allowing us to use the router’s maximum speed.

The rates provided by all of these systems greatly exceed those of any fiber optic broadband system, and they provide local network speeds high enough to support multiple streams of 4K video, let alone 1080p. With these speeds, the 868L is the second fastest wireless ac router we’ve tested so far, behind only the recently retested Linksys EA6700, which recorded 36.7MBps (293.6Mbit), 35.2MBps (281.6Mbit), and 28.8MBps (230Mbit) in an identical test scenario, respectively.

Specifications

Conclusions

It was difficult for us to know what to make of the cylindrical shape of the D-Link DIR-868L at first glance because its physical appearance was slightly different from anything we had seen previously. It is clear that the developers at D-Link got something right since the WiFi performance of the DIR-868L is unlike anything we have ever seen before.

Regardless of how the router seems on the outside, we were extremely pleased to learn that it was equipped with many of the most requested functions that a flagship router should include. In addition to the regular gigabit Ethernet ports, the DIR-868L offers dual-band wireless rates of up to 1300 Mbps in addition to the usual gigabit Ethernet ports (5.0 GHz). For those without WiFi-AC devices, the 2.4 GHz channel will connect them at speeds up to 450 Mbps, as long as they are not overheating.

The D-Link DIR-868L is a wireless-AC router that is among the finest available on the market today. It boasts a plethora of capabilities, and its Wireless-AC performance puts it at the forefront of the field. Even though it has an unusual appearance, the DIR-868L performs admirably.

#	Image	Details
1		D-Link Wireless AC Smartbeam 1750 Mbps Home Cloud App-Enabled Dual-Band Gigabit Router (DIR-868L)	Amazon.com
2		D-Link Wireless AC Smartbeam 1750 Mbps Home Cloud App-Enabled Dual-Band Gigabit Router (DIR-868L)	Amazon.com