D-Link Wireless AC750
Flaky broadband? Try this
£60 from D-Link, dlink.co.uk features 802.11ac, Gigabit LAN port, traffic prioritisation
Although it looks like a rather standard black box, the DWR-118 has a little trick up its sleeve. It can share a 3G or 4G connection as well as the more standard Ethernet that you might get in an office or from a cable modem. Rather than have its own SIM slot, the router enables you to plug in a USB mobile broadband dongle. There are two reasons you might want this duality – as a backup or second connection if your broadband is flaky or slow, or to share your 4G mobile connection between several devices in a home, shared space or office (but only pay one 4G contract). However, if you’re only after the latter, you might as well just buy a portable mobile hotspot even if it is unlikely to offer the whole home coverage we experienced with this D-Link solution.
Often you can get these for a minimal outlay when you take out the 4G data contract, and what you’re really doing with the DWR-118 router is just increasing the hardware cost even if it is a more flexible device. But we liked the clever load sharing (meaning two connections can be used to boost your bandwidth), and the 4G seamlessly takes over if the wired connection should fail (or, like us in testing, you rip the cable out).