D-Link DIR-890L AC3200 ULTRA Tri-Band Gigabit WiFi Router

D-Link debuted their ULTRA Performance Series WiFi routers and adapters at CES 2015 –  AC5300 DIR-895L, AC3200 DIR-890L and AC3100 DIR-885L. These routers are built with speed, coverage and processing power needed to satisfy most bandwidth demanding scenarios. In this review, we will be looking at the D-Link DIR-890L AC3200 ULTRA Tri-Band Gigabit WiFi Router.

DIR-890L – A Super-Charged WiFi Router

Inside the DIR-890L

Removing the top cover, you will find that D-Link is doing a good job at heat-sinking the DIR-890L.

Underneath the heat sink reveals the RF shielded CPU, WiFi radios and PCI Express switch. The antennas are hooked up to the board using U.FL connectors. The 4 solder pads on the left seems to be for TTL communication purpose.

Tri-Band delivering 3200Mbps

The D-Link DIR-890L features 3 dedicated wireless radios – a single 2.4GHz radio and two individual 5GHz radios. With this, the DIR-890L is capable of delivering a combined speed up to 3200Mbps [600Mbps (2.4GHz) + 1300Mbps(5GHz) + 1300Mbps (5GHz)].

The Tri-Band Technology with Smart Connect exposes just a single wireless SSID. The DIR-890L intelligently chooses from the 3 WiFi bands and connects each device on your network to the best available band.

Other interesting features are:

• AC Smart Beam. It utilises its antennas to identify your wireless devices’ location and send them a focused signal to increase range and reduce interference. Bye to those dead spots/ zones.
• Dual-core 1GHz Processor. The 1 GHz dual-core processor gives you increased performance to support more devices and faster throughput.

Package Contents

The size of the packaging did not really surprise me as other AC3200 routers (i.e. Netgear NightHawk X6, ASUS RT-AC3200) have similarly large packaging. And yes, this DIR-890L is from California and that is why it is black in colour. D-Link should be offering both the red and black version for the Singapore market.

Within the package, you will find the following:

• D-Link DIR-890L Wireless AC3200 Tri-Band Gigabit Router
• 12V 5A power adaptor
• Ethernet patch cord
• Various guides and information
• Screws and drywall anchors

Wide-based Pyramid Shaped Router

The first question that came to my mind when I first saw the router was:

“How come it looks like a pyramid with antennas?“

After giving a few minutes of serious thinking, I guess it was to allow sufficient space for the DIR-890L to be passively cooled. And probably discourage people from putting stuffs on it which prevent heat dissipation.

All the six antennas of the DIR-890L are not replaceable. If you are into modification, you can replace them with U.FL-RSMA pigtails and attach your own antennas.

Instead of a flat single tone Red or Black glossy surface, it is like those Galaxy-black granite table top. Seems classy enough to be a tabletop display in the living room.

Along the middle of the DIR-890L, you will find the LED status panel where you get informed on the status of your DIR-890L’s Power, Internet (WAN), 2.4 GHz & 5 GHz radio and USB 2.0 & USB 3.0 device connection.

Turning the DIR-890L around, you will find the following ports (from left to right) – USB 3.0 port, USB 2.0 port, Reset button, WPS button, 4 Gigabit LAN ports, Gigabit WAN Port, Power button and Power jack.

Refreshed Web Administration

Like the DIR-880L, the DIR-890L comes with the redesigned web administration that is pretty much mouse/touch-driven. The user interface is easier to understand and simpler to configure. However, advanced user might find the lack of real advance settings uncomfortable. Below is a quick run through of the DIR-890L web administration page.

Speed Monster

To be updated…

Picture Gallery