It is very fast

It is large and expensive for what you get

How many of you remember the design and wireless capabilities of the very first modem/router you ever used at home or at the office? Mine was a Zyxel one which looked pretty much the same as a small switch and didn't even feature Wi-Fi so it was really nothing to be excited about.

- Build Quality; - Design; - Wireless Performance (Top In Our Charts; - AC3200 Technology (Concurrent 802.11n & 802.11ac; - User Friendly Web Interface; - Features; - Technologies Used (Advanced Beamforming & Smart Connect; - Android & iOS App; - 4 Gigabit Ethernet Ports; - 2 USB Ports (USB 3.0 &...

- Price (For Some

Pricing At the time of writing, the D-Link DIR-890L AC3200 Ultra Tri-Band Wi-Fi router with six high-performance beamforming antennas can be yours through Amazon for $238.00 in NA and ￡184.97 in the UK . Let us start with the price point as that's the last mentioned item before this section.

Looks stunning; Great performance; Great coverage; Fair pricing; Easy to use GUI and also DD-WRT compatible; Tri-Band for less WiFi congestion

None

Our test lab already hosted routers that supported Smart Connect. This feature allows for the automatic redistribution of wireless clients between the supported wireless networks for improved efficiency in bandwidth usage.

Support of three independent radios in two frequency ranges (tri-band; Ability to create wireless guest networks; Availability of Smart-Connect feature; High performance CPU; Support of wireless guest networks; USB ports; Support of IPv6; Good access speeds to the data which are stored on an...

Low performance in 2.4 GHz frequency range; Absence of certain important features in the web-interface; Low performance of the built-in VPN server; Absence of support of EXT2/3/4 file systems; High price

A speedy, reliable router that's great if you accept its automatic settings.

Three bands with automatic switching for greater dedicated bandwidth to individual devices; Fast; reliable streaming throughout home network; Two USB ports make hard drives accessible within home and remotely

Dashboard makes it hard to customize some settings; Automated band switching and QoS remove options to change settings to suit your needs; No backup or media management software

Network device manufacturers D-Link looks set to go all out in terms of both design and performance with its latest wireless router, the D-Link DIR-890L AC3200. Featuring cutting edge looks and components, the company is banking on this router to bring users the fastest network speeds money can buy.

Beautiful design; Great performance; Packed with features

Price

The DIR-890L isn't exactly subtle, with its huge dimensions, red metal finish and UFO-like styling, but there's a good reason it takes up so much space. It's a tri-band router, broadcasting two 5GHz networks simultaneously to double the available wireless bandwidth and allow two devices to get a...

The DIR-890L is D-Link's flagship consumer router. It uses six external aerials to achieve up to AC3200 speeds – 2 x 1,300Mbps + 600Mbps simultaneously – across its three Wi-Fi bands. It's a monster of a machine in terms of specs and has a price tag to match, coming in at around ￡220.

Reliable Wi-Fi connection; Fast Wi-Fi performance; Good selectoin of extra features

Not as fast as rival high-end routers; Web interface lacks power-user options; Printer sharing software isn't great; Overkill for the majoirty of users

D-Link are known the world-over for their strong and varying portfolio of networking products. They've been in the business for over 29 years, supplying the marketplace with routers, switches, hotspots, servers and adapters.

+ Aesthetically stunning; + Intuitive software GUI; + USB 3.0 port; + Tri-Band connectivity; + Up to 3200Mbps; + Strong signal; + Mobile app friendly; + Feature rich-network tools

The D-Link DIR-890L is a seriously eye-catching router, which is halfway between interstellar probe and space scarab. It's available in glossy red or a slightly more subdued black; not everyone is going to be fond of its heavily angular, pyramidal shape, but we found its design a refreshing break...