D-Link Wireless AC Smartbeam 1200 Mbps Home Cloud App-Enabled Dual-Band Gigabit Router (DIR-860L)

I’ve used this router for some time now and so far it’s been very good.In summary:Pros:- Has 5 GHz range support (very useful in places where 2.4Ghz range is overcrowded)- Supports 802.11ac standard- Range seems good- WIFI speed is very good- Easy to setup and configure the WIFI settings- You can set it to work on 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and guest networks all working simultaneously- USB port- It’s cheap but has good features (including technologies such as BeamForming)Cons:- Only thing I can think of is it doesn’t have replaceable external antennas if you’re considering adding more powerful antennas later. But in my case, I don’t think I will need to add external antennas.Long story:Because most of my time I stay in an old apartment complex with set old Wi-Fi routers (using b & g ranges, not even 802.11n standard). So the 2.4 GHz range is pretty crowded with many routers (you can easily check the WIFI networks around you and get some idea about the quality by a free mobile app like ‘Wifi Analyzer’). Before this router I had a lot of problems with WIFI connection (connection dropping suddenly, not being able to connect with the WIFI network for long period of time…).So I wanted to find my own router with 5 GHz support. Since almost all of my devices support 802.11ac standard I preferred a router which also supported ac.So D-link DIR-860L seemed to be the perfect candidate, considering its price is just about $30 (just 10 bucks more than a very basic WIFI router).I was concerned about some people saying they got the older version of the router (Revision A), and that version having certain issues. I ordered prepared to return if it shows any issues in first few weeks. I also contacted few sellers to confirm if they have the Revision B on hand (only one seller confirmed they had Rev B. But they too asked me to buy directly from their warehouse listing which was more expensive, rather than getting the one fulfilled by amazon).I bought a one sold by ‘Stop n’ Shop’ and fulfilled by Amazon at about $30, and luckily it was a Rev B model!I have used this for few months now and it has worked very well so far. The 5 GHz range is (still) very clean in my building, so connectivity issues are gone.Only time I had a problem was very recently the router had its lights turned orange (usually its green) and the network was not available to connect to. So I pulled the plug to turn it off for a couple of minutes and then plugged back again. In a minute or so everything was up and running. Hopefully there’d be no issues again.There is an update to firmware available on d-link web, I didn’t bother to update it since so far it’s working well. (I’m using Firmware Version: 2.01)There are apps to control the router settings and the web interface is also easy to use.There’s interesting features such as ‘Beam Forming’ technology in this model. I’m not sure how well those work, but I’d guess they do well considering the performance of the router to be very good.As far as the size, it's not that big actually and looks nice (esp without any external antennas etc hanging around). I've added a pic with a Logitech M705 mouse to get some idea of the size.If you’re concerned, power supply is a 12v and full range 100 – 240vSo overall this router has been very good, will update the review if there’s any new points needs to be added.[...]

I am not a IT guy by any means, but I do know a bit about computers. And this thing is super easy to use. Once you get it, hook everything up, modem, this router, and get an ethernet cable to a computer so you can do the initial set up. And by set up, I mean set the 2.4 GHz line and the 5 GHz line up (name it, set password, etc). Once you get everything set up though, RESET EVERYTHING by turning them all off, then back on (modem, router, PC). If you don't, you won't be able to do anything. Once you get it reset, you should be good to go.Speeds I recorded on various devices using Comcast Performance internet, which can fluctuate between 2 MB/sec and 3.5 MB/s on the computer that has the ethernet cable:2.4 GHz line on Office computer about 15 feet and two walls away: 1.0 MB/sec (fast by my previous wireless standards, good enough for HD video)On my mac downstairs, through a concrete/re-rod floor on the 5 GHz line: 3.5 MB/sec - this result blew me away. This speed is as fast as the computer that has the ethernet cable going to it!! Quite amazing.Samsung Galaxy S3 using the 5 GHz line got the same speed as the Mac, which I also thought was pretty damned amazing.Interestingly...if you test the speeds right away after logging into the WPA2 2.4 or 5 GHz line, the speeds will be a little sluggish. Give it a few minutes to let the 'beam forming' capability kick in and watch the speeds kick up to the speeds I listed above.These speeds are good enough for HD video. As I am not a business and don't need lots of band width...this product satisfies my every need for internet at the home.I strongly recommend this product. It looks nice and is interesting aesthetically, very different looking from other routers AND it rocks my socks! Serious performance from this beasty. Might be a little on the pricier side, but this thing delivers and is quite easy to setup and use.Be aware that if you want to use the 5 GHz line, you may have to update some of your PC wireless controllers. It appears that Macs have this built in, but my wireless card and wireless USB stick on my PC's cannot see the 5 GHz line. My Samsung Galaxy S3 could, so it appears its just a matter of hardware there.