The D-Link DIR 880 is the real deal Dual-Band 802.11ac router, hitting hard on 1,900 mbps via 5 GHz frequency band and 600mbps on 2.4 GHz frequency band. Not just that, it's a good choice for an AC1900 Dual-Band router class. If you don't need power and performance that more expensive 802.11ac models are offering around the market.
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| D-Link DIR-880L Review |
Before I forget please take note in order to achieve these speeds, you will need to use a device or a client that supports the identical WiFi standards, hence it will work still with your existing WiFi clients / devices on the market or ones that you have in hand.
In addition to that, This new router comes with same old features. For example; Port Forwarding, Firewall, QoS (Quality of Service), Web Filtering, Firewall and such. You can create multiple Access Points for Guests in 2.4 GHz Frequency Band or 5 GHz Frequency band and Intensive Octet Layer / Secured Line for Known Users same thing goes via 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz frequency band.
Quick look at the box
The usual router you purchase it comes packed in a box and wrapped with plastic. The front of the box shows branding and such. It includes the model no. at the below-right hand side of the box is the Model Number and on the left side it shows the data transfer as 1900 Mbps. We'll find that out soon! :)
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| The standard packaging from D-Link |
On the back, the box itself has detailed comparison of wireless routers from D-Link's DIR-880 Line up. We can see our router above the table there are some written benefits and features about the product like data transfer rate, IEEE 802.11ac compatible, firewalls etc.
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| Egg Carton Box for Packaging. Go Green! |
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| The set inside the box |
The router comes in standard issue with all the things that you’ll need to get your network up and running, like the Power Adapter 3A 12V, Antenna, Manuals, Tox, Cat 5e. The Ethernet Cable is a Cat 5e cable and is about a meter long, Enough for the router sit next to the Desktop PC or any devices that has Ethernet Port Interface.
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| Antenna is quite unique reminds of a boat paddle or the Executioner's blade by Zabuza |
Closer Look
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| Carbon Fiber Textured Surface around the logo. Nifty! |
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| LED indicators |
On the top we have the Power LED indicator which shows the status of router and connected to the WAN or the Internet. Indicators for the 2.4 GHz network band and the 5 GHz network band. The top part is shiny and a finger-print magnet. The design is real nifty to me the color seems to be very powerful to look at (talking about the exquisite router). I want to say this again it is absolutely exquisite!
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| Ports close up. Surprise! USB 2.0 Port for tons of uses! |
The router itself has 3 RP-SMA connectors (Perhaps can be modified with 3rd party antennas). At the back where your WAN cable and LAN cable would be plugged, 4x 10/10/1000Mbps LAN port (Gigabit) and 1x 10/100/1000Mbps WAN (Gigabit Internet) port.
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| Another Surprise for the device! USB 3.0 for Storage Perhaps? We'll find out! |
Features
mydlink™- enabled
Remotely and securely view and manage your network over the Internet
mydlink™ Lite mobile app helps you access, manage and view your network remotely
Advanced Quality of Service (QoS)
Band steering efficiently balances the data load between the two wireless bands
Airtime fairness optimally adjusts the data rate of wireless clients for the best performance
Security
WPA & WPA2 wireless encryption protects the network from intruders
Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) securely adds devices to your network at the push of a button
Connectivity
Combined dual-band wireless speeds of up to 1.9 Gbps
Advanced AC SmartBeam™ dramatically enhances wireless signal strength and throughput
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac wireless LAN for a complete range of wireless compatibility
Gigabit WAN and LAN ports for high-speed wired connections
Two USB ports (1 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0) to connect storage drives and printers for sharing.
Specifications
Specifications
Antenna Type
Three dual-band dipole antennas
Device Interfaces
Three dual-band dipole antennas
Device Interfaces
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac wireless LAN
Four 10/100/1000 Gigabit LAN ports
10/100/1000 Gigabit WAN port
Two USB ports (one USB 3.0, one USB 2.0)
Minimum System Requirements
Windows 8/7/Vista/XP SP3 / Mac OS X 10.4 or higher
Minimum System Requirements
Windows 8/7/Vista/XP SP3 / Mac OS X 10.4 or higher
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or higher, Firefox 1.5 or higher, or other Java-enabled browser
Ethernet network interface
Cable or DSL modem
Subscription with an Internet service provider
Ethernet network interface
Cable or DSL modem
Subscription with an Internet service provider
Standards
IEEE 802.11ac
IEEE 802.11n
IEEE 802.11g
IEEE 802.11b
IEEE 802.11a
IEEE 802.3
IEEE 802.3u
Power
Input: 100 to 240 V AC, 50/60 Hz
Output: 12 V DC, 3 A
Weight
745 grams (1.62 lbs)
Dimensions (L x W x D)
246.9 x 190.4 x 47.2 mm (9.72 x 7.50 x 1.86 inches)
D-Link DIR-880L absolutely breaks the speed barrier in all modes of wireless protocol except for 802.11AC, as it performs on average to below average.
Humidity
Operating: 0% to 90% non-condensing
Storage: 5% to 95% non-condensing
Temperature
Operating: 0 to 40 °C (32 to 104 °F)
Storage: -20 to 65 °C (-4 to 149 °F)
Certifications
FCC Class B
CE Class B
C-Tick
DLNA
IPv6 Ready
Wi-Fi Certified
Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS)
Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM)
Compatible with Windows 8
Alright! Now we are going to set this thing up on the next detailed review to dive deeper into this router for analysis.
Testing
Under 2.4 GHz, D-Link DIR-880L marks averaging 96.10 Mbps based on benchmark data comparisons among the 802.11AC Class routers in 2.4 GHz mode with 99.80 Mbps speed mark.
Unfortunately, under 802.11AC mode that made D-Link 880-L drop off from the speed charts. Tested on a laptop with a m-PCI Atheros based wireless card versus than a USB WIFI Adapter DWA-182 loaned from a close friend lives nearby. It's quite different to gauge the whole speed since i made a certain distance on testing the device.
Under 802.11AC Frequency Mode, D-Link DIR-880L transmission speeds at 150 Mbps barely average match via D-Link USB Wi-Fi adapter. According to other tests from other routers it performs somewhat average unlike the other brands, speeds blazes at 299.50.Mbps. Talk about breaking the speed barrier ey?
D-Link DIR-880L blatantly performs under 2.4 GHz frequency band, unfortunately drops out by 25 percent from 4 feet to 32 feet away. Into my surprise, D-Link steadily performs under 2.4 GHz band data throughput. As matter of fact if i keep moving back and fouth towards the router speed increases from 4 to 32 feet away from the client.
Based from observation I'd say that the router performs under 2.4 GHz frequency band. Look at the bright side folks, D-Link DIR-880L router is still a speedster.
Verdict
This router D-Link DIR-880L AC1900 deserves a two thumbs up! You can consider this speedy router if you like hassle-free setup. When you download the instruction guide you may find this very easy to manage and you might even forget that it is already secured after you installed things properly. The interface is very easy to understand, honestly this might be your next router to purchase for your apartment or condominium for multimedia tasks.
