D-Link DIR-895L AC5300 MU-MIMO Ultra Wi-Fi Router
All the bells and whistles.
Like the ASUS RT-AC5300 (left), the D-Link DIR-895L is a top-of-the-line model, a huge space-crab looking thing with a forest of antennae and the very best wireless that you can get right now. It’s a tri-band model, with 4x4 MU-MIMO support across the board.
Recent updates to its firmware have also improved its underlying usability and feature set. New D-Link routers such as the DIR-895L now have a capable and visual interface not unlike that of Linksys. There are some nice elements there, like an accessible quality of service engine and easily grasped schedule-based parental controls, and the mobile apps (much improved from previous iterations) provide both robust management and remote access to media stored on USB drives attached to the router.
However, the DIR-895L does not currently support D-Link’s Whole Home Wi-Fi network technology. Indeed, none of D-Link’s broadband routers do, though the DSL-4320L we reviewed in the ADSL modem router section can do duty as a broadband router and supports it. It’s a real shame the DIR-895 doesn’t support it — it’s a good system, and it might go a long way to justifying the very notable price premium the D-Link has over the similarlyspecced ASUS RT-AC5300 and Linksys EA9500.
As it stands, the D-Link has about the same hardware as the ASUS, but inferior firmware and a price tag that’s $160 higher. It’s a good product, but you can get better for less.