D-Link DIR-880L

Dual-band at a nice price

I bent the rules a little by including this router, as it’s only a Dual-band beastie rather than a fully-fledged Tri-band behemoth. This means it only has a single 5GHz network alongside the 2.4GHz network, which is why it’s marketed as a 1900Mbit/sec device (5GHz = 1300Mbit/sec + 2.4GHz = 600Mbit/sec). For many users this won’t be a problem, as they may only have a couple of devices that can make use of the faster 802.11n or ac standards, and the cost saving is dramatic. But given that this is a slightly older product, does it have the oomph necessary to keep up with the latest Tri-band devices?

This router comes with three antennae, and they’re all detachable for those who’d like to try add-on antennae, which can boost the signal range and strength. As expected for a modern router, the usual four Gigabit Ethernet ports are on the rear, along with a single WAN connection for your ADSL, Cable or Fibre modem. Two USB ports are included, one 2.0 with the other 3.0, allowing the connection of a centralised printer or hard drive, though the hard drive can only be 250GB in size. D-Link’s SharePort allows remote access to files on devices connected to the router, but most routers deliver the same functionality under another name. The mydlink Lite app lets owners monitor the router’s activity via their smartphone, and even block clients that shouldn’t be connected.

Like the Viper, the DIR-880L is blessed with D-link’s sexy new interface. It’s unquestionably one of the easiest to use on the market, with only the most essential settings exposed to the user. It’s possible to drill down deeper into more advanced settings, but in this regard it doesn’t come close to the configurability of the Asus RT-AC3200. Network novices will find it perfect though, with a very clean layout that is self-explanatory. I especially like the Quality of Service (QoS) screen, which uses a simple drag and drop design to prioritise network clients. However, this router bases its QoS on devices rather than traffic type; in a home with multiple gaming machines this means one PC will get priority over the others. The number of available Port Forward rules is also limiting, offering just 16 in total. Just a single game can chew up three or four rules, though thankfully most recent games don’t require Port Forwarding.

Given the low price of this device, I was pleasantly surprised by the excellent performance that it turned in during the benchmarks. It posted the second fastest result in the 2.4GHz range, while falling just behind the blazing Viper in the 5GHz upload speed test. I should remind you that this is with only one device connected to the 5GHz network; throw in a few more clients and Tri-band routers will romp it in. However, if you only plan on using one or two high-speed devices, the DIR-880L delivers excellent performance at a very nice price.

VERDICT
If you’re not running a bunch of 5GHz compatible devices, the DIR-880L will happily deliver blistering performance all day long.