While choosing a router, many users tend to opt for the convenience in comparing with price, which is quite normal. However, as an integral part of your internet experience, the humble router has come a long way and choosing the right one will make a difference in speed, stability and durability.
In our edition of ‘Versus’ we take a look at two leaders who have substantial market share with TP Link edging over D Link and place the two models TP-Link C2600 – D-Link AC1750 against each other testing on their performance.
TP Link C2600
Optimised Performance Levels
During our tests, the router’s CPU is often running at peak levels since we have more than a dozen devices connecting to it at any given time. Despite the load, there were no signs interruptions or connectivity cutting off.
Reliability & Assurance
One of the most important jobs of a router is its reliability. This router comes with a two-year warranty, which demonstrates TP-Link’s confidence of its product. In my opinion, two years is very generous given the extent of use for routers. From personal experience, any flaws will likely show its colours within the year. That said, there are competitors who are offering longer warranty.
What’s Inside?
Like most routers, the Archer C2600 comes with standard features, including port forwarding and QoS to control users’ networking usage. The router also offers dual band connectivity: 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz. In providing more stability and extra efficiency, the Archer C2600 comes equipped with Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO) technology that’s powered by Qualcomm MU|EFX.
Price: RM799
Wireless Standards: Dual Band, IEEE 802.11ac/n/a 5GHz, IEEE 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz
Wireless Security: 64/128-bit WEP, WPA/WPA2, WPA-PSK/WPA-PSK2 encryptions
Ports: 4 Gigabit Ethernet LAN Ports, 2 USB 3.0.
Verdict: Very stable connections, high quality product and reliable.
D Link AC1750
Supporting Standards
The router supports DHCP, PPOE as well as Unifi PPOE for those that are using Hypp-TV STB. QOS, VPN and built in firewall support makes it a great choice for those that needs an all in one router that is both reliable and speedy.
High Powered Speed
With more and more Internet capable devices are owned by the day, there is an upsurge for bandwidth and speed, especially for offices that have to cater to their staffs. It’s important to get a router that is fast, reliable and can be easily configured to handle all of the data transfers that are going on. With the AC1750 High Power Gigabit Router, D-Link may have one of the solution to this problem
Speed Galore
The DIR 859 is features dual-band technology, meaning that it supports both 5Ghz (at 1300Mbps) and 2.4Ghz (450Mbps) bands at the same time, giving a peak throughput of 1750Mbps. Supporting all the major wireless standards, it’s tweaked to be able to support a high number of wireless devices at the same time, eliminating congestion problems. It comes with four gigabit ethernet ports, as welll as one gigabit WAN port
Price: RM479
Device Interfaces: IEEE 802.11ac wireless LAN; IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n wireless LAN; 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet WAN port; Four 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports
Verdict: Easy to use and speedy.
Byline: Din
Winner: TP Link C2600
Although priced RM300 more than the AC1750, TP Link performed steadily during the testing period, we loaded all the office devices on the router and it still held its consistency.
