D-Link DIR-868L AC1750: good choice for fast reliable internal network?

[aldo]

Hi everybody, This is my first post here

I am looking for a router with:
1) good wifi coverage and performance with multiple ac and n/g devices
2) Usb 3.0 to hook up a 3tb NTFS external HD and possibly an additional 1tb fat32 (I understand not all routers will support that sizes and NTFS)
3) At least two Gigabit lan sockets

I was thinking of the D-Link DIR-868L Wireless AC1750 , as it is quite cheap.
Is it a good choice?
Any affordable ac dongle you feel to recommend (my laptop only has n connectivity, usb2.0) ?

I have a few TB of old photos, videos and files which I would access quite often to sort them out. This would all go to the 3TB hd along with automated backups from ipad, android devices, my ubuntu laptop and so on).
For redundancy, every night my raspberry pi, which is quite slow as for lan and usb ports, will perform a mirror backup to another 3tb hd.
My laptop has a gigabit lan and, along with the ac dongle, I was considering getting a powerline extender (rated , in theory, 600mbit/s) to connect directly via lan if required.

Also, what kind of speed can I reasonably expect over wifi and lan?
It's a small house, I am kind of 12 feet , but also two walls, away from the router, and the powerline would be on the same ring as the router.

 

[azazel1024]

My personal opinion, Dlink wifi products suck.

If you are looking low cost with good performance, I'd look at a TP-Link Archer C7. Need some more storage performance, I'd look at maybe a used/refurb Netgear R7000.

Wifi and LAN? For storage, check the review articles here on SMB.

For wifi over those distances, depends heavily on the adapter you use. At a guess, with a decent AC1200 USB adapater, you could probably see 20MB/sec or so. You'd honestly probably be better of buying a new internal adapter and replacing the existing one. Most laptops that is pretty easy to do.

As for powerline, at that distance, even through two walls (unless they are of concrete construction), you are likely to get better performance over wifi than you could possible get over powerline.

 

[microchip]

+1 for the Archer C7

 

[aldo]

Thanks so much both for the advice!
The Archer C7 looks good, but for the fact that it has only usb 2.0.
I will look into the Netgear R7000, considerably more expensive but it has one usb 3.0

The alternative, I was suggested on Tom's Hardware, would be an Addonics 3.0 NAS adapter coupled to a switch, but then, I read some really bad feedback about the addonics, and that would leave me with bad wifi. Cheap router + switch + NAS adapter = more cash that for the R700 new, and perhaps same performance.

I never considered physically swapping the Wifi component in my laptop, I am not too handy with a soldering iron, if that's what it takes, but I'll look into it.

Thanks again,
Aldo

 

[stevech]

D-Link. Opinion: Not my 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th choice due to a history of so many lemon designs.

 

[aldo]

If I can ask, how does the Netgear R7000 stack against the Asus RT-AC68U?
I was reading a few reviews and it sounds like the Asus gives a better performance with n devices, and given the price is pretty much identical and that most devices in the house will stay n rather than ac, perhaps I should go with the ASUS.

 

[azazel1024]

The R7000 seems to have better alt firmware, if you care about that, and the storage performance is a lot better, again if you care about that. Also, it seems to be a little cheaper. Those would be the high points.

 

[azazel1024]

D-Link. Opinion: Not my 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th choice due to a history of so many lemon designs.

Very agreed. I only went with their DGS1100-05 switch because the 5-port design is ridiculously low powered, about the only 5-port semi-managed switch out there and I figured it is hard to screw one up, so I took the chance (dirt cheap didn't hurt. Normally ~$50 new, I got mine used for $30 shipped). Works well. Not a huge fan of the admin console, but it has been rock steady in the last few months of use and supports the very few features I demanded (VLANs, diagnostics, logging and port aggregation...the later in case I ever do need that, even though it turns a 5 port in to a 2-4 port effective design).

 

[TonyH]

D-Link. Opinion: Not my 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th choice due to a history of so many lemon designs.

Hi,
Last D-link router I had was DIR-655, ever since I did not even look at D-link.

 

[aldo]

The R7000 seems to have better alt firmware, if you care about that, and the storage performance is a lot better, again if you care about that. Also, it seems to be a little cheaper. Those would be the high points.

Thanks!
Admittedly, storage performance is the main point point.
Initially, I was comparing N speed on 2.4ghz, which in the only test I could find is around double with the ASUS.
But then, I went also checking specs for the devices I would use 2.4ghz with, a Tegra note 7 and an Ipad 2.
Neither of them can anyway reach the over 100Mbit/s the R7000 manages at short range, so in my specific case it is a moot point.
If I really decide that browsing the whole photo archive through tablet is important, I'll just set an app to make lightweight jpegs of everything and I'll browse those.
As everything else, the R7000 sounds like the better option.