OVERALL
ALTERNATIVES
SPECS
VS AVERAGE
REVIEWS
Scored using Routers Methodology v3.0
Routers Methodology v3.0
Mathematical & Unbiased Scoring
Products in this category are scored under Frontum Routers Methodology v3.0: the technical score from the specifications is the base, and independent expert and video reviews (up to ±0.5 points), owner opinions (up to ±0.3) and best-of lists (up to +0.3) move it up or down.
Explore Routers Methodology v3.0

D-Link DIR-860L review: 77 specs compared

Avg. price:~£90Wi-Fi version:Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)Wi-Fi speed:1200 MbpsLAN port speeds:1 GbpsMesh Wi-Fi:no

D-Link DIR-860L Review: Compare 77 technical specifications to see how this product ranks in the Routers category and whether it is worth buying.

D-Link DIR-860L
7.2/10

Overall score

Score
7.2/ 10
✕
What it is
Our main score for this model, 1–10. It combines specs, expert reviews, best-of lists and owners.
How we count it
Parts: Technical score 40%, Reviews score 25%, List score 25%, Sentiment score 10%
Marks: Each part gets a mark out of 10. For reviews, lists and owners, a typical model in this category gets about 8 and the best one gets 10.
No data yet: A part with no data shows "?". It counts as the mark of a weaker model in this category (4 in 5 models with data score higher). This way, models with reviews, lists and owners usually come out ahead.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–¼ Worse than 62% of models
Score components

40%

6.7

Technical score

25%

?

Reviews scoreNot enough data yet, so we use 7.7, the mark of a weaker model in this category

25%

?

List scoreNot enough data yet, so we use 7.5, the mark of a weaker model in this category

10%

?

Sentiment scoreNot enough data yet, so we use 6.9, the mark of a weaker model in this category

â–¼Worse than 62% of routers
8.0

Value for money

Value for money
8.0/ 10
✕
What it is
An indicator that combines the router's overall rating with its cost.
When it matters
When you are looking for a router with a good balance between network performance, features, and price.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–¼ Worse than 62% of models
Score components

70%

7.2

Overall score

30%

10

Price

â–¼Worse than 62%
6.7

Technical score

Technical score
6.7/ 10
✕
What it is
How good the specs are compared with the other models in this category, 1–10.
How we count it
Areas: We rate the specs in each area against the other models in this category.
Weighting: The areas that matter most to buyers count more. The shares are shown under Score components.
Share: The technical score is 40% of the overall score.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–¼ Worse than 68% of models
Score components

26%

5.4

Wireless

20%

5.8

Ports

18%

7.5

Networking

14%

9.1

Security

12%

6.0

Hardware

10%

7.6

Management

â–¼Worse than 68%
?

Reviews score

Reviews score
✕
What it is
Average grade from independent test sites, magazines and video reviewers, 1–10.
How we count it
Grades: Each review's own score is converted to 1–10; without one, we grade the review ourselves. Big test sites count more, short reviews half as much as full tests. A video review counts half.
Score: The average grade is 80% of the review mark; the number of reviews is the other 20% (1 review = 5, the typical number in this category = 8, the most-reviewed model = 10).
Enough data: With few reviews, the average grade is pulled toward the typical grade of this category. No reviews yet: 7.7 for now.
Share: Reviews count 25% of the overall score.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
Grades by review (0)
We have not found an independent test of this model yet. Until we do, its review part counts as 7.7.
User ratings collected online are not part of this score.
No expert tests yet
?

List score

List score
7.5/ 10
✕
What it is
How often independent test sites, magazines and video reviewers put this model in their best-of lists for this category.
How we count it
Points: The model in the most lists of this category gets 10; the others get 8 to 10 in proportion. In no list yet: 7.5. Lists count 25% of the overall score.
Enough data: Every list counts, even a single one. With fewer than 5 best-of lists in the category, this part is left out.
Lists with this model (0)
Not in any best-of list yet, so this part counts as 7.5. Models in a list get 8 to 10.
Not in any best-of list yet
  • d-link-dir-860l
d-link-dir-860l
Where to buy
    N/A~ £90
Best rankings
Available: ranking among products currently available (including other versions of this product).All: ranking among all products in the database.
Loading category ranking...

Technical Specifications of router D-Link DIR-860L

Technical score
Technical score
6.7/ 10
✕
What it is
How good the specs are compared with the other models in this category, 1–10.
How we count it
Areas: We rate the specs in each area against the other models in this category.
Weighting: The areas that matter most to buyers count more. The shares are shown under Score components.
Share: The technical score is 40% of the overall score.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–¼ Worse than 68% of models
Score components:

26%

5.4

Wireless

20%

5.8

Ports

18%

7.5

Networking

14%

9.1

Security

12%

6.0

Hardware

10%

7.6

Management

6.7
Reviews score
7.7
List score
?
Value for money
Value for money
8.0/ 10
✕
What it is
An indicator that combines the router's overall rating with its cost.
When it matters
When you are looking for a router with a good balance between network performance, features, and price.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–¼ Worse than 62% of models
Score components:

70%

7.2

Overall score

30%

10

Price

8.0
Brand name
D-Link
Wi-Fi version
Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
This router uses Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), which is more advanced than 35.2% of routers and equal to 23.1% of routers.
Wi-Fi bands
2.4 GHz + 5 GHz
This router supports 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz Wi-Fi bands, which are more versatile than 24.2% of routers and equal to 65.6% of routers.
Wi-Fi speed
1,200 Mbps
Market range: <0 Mbps – >6k Mbps
This router delivers 1,200 Mbps Wi-Fi speed, which is lower than 55.6% of routers and equal to 6.6% of routers.
Channel widths supported
20 MHz + 40 MHz + 80 MHz
This router supports 20 MHz + 40 MHz + 80 MHz channel width options, which is more than 36.5% of routers and the same as 29.9% of routers.
Show more
Wi-Fi security protocols
WPA2, WPA, WPS
This router supports WPA2, WPA, WPS Wi-Fi security protocols, which are less advanced than 78.7% of routers and equal to 1.4% of routers.
DoS protection
yes
This router includes DoS protection. 9.8% of routers include DoS protection.
SPI intrusion protection
yes
This router includes SPI-based intrusion protection. 4.7% of routers include SPI-based intrusion protection.
MAC address filtering
yes
This router supports MAC address filtering. 1.7% of routers include MAC address filtering.
URL filter
yes
This router supports URL filtering. 2.6% of routers include URL filtering.
Show more
IPv6 support
yes
This router supports IPv6. 8.8% of routers are IPv6-ready.
Dynamic routing
no
This router does not support dynamic routing. 46.2% of routers support dynamic routing.
Inter-VLAN routing
no
This router does not support inter-VLAN routing. 24.5% of routers support inter-VLAN routing.
VLAN tagging
no
This router does not support VLAN tagging. 66.6% of routers include VLAN tagging.
QoS
yes
This router includes QoS controls. 2.4% of routers include QoS controls.
Show more
N. of LAN ports
4
Market range: <0 – >5
This router has 4 LAN ports, which is more than 34.2% of routers and the same as 59.3% of routers.
LAN port speeds
1 Gbps
This router offers 1 Gbps on its LAN ports, which is faster than 25.7% of routers and on par with 56.1% of routers.
N. of WAN ports
1
Market range: <0 – >5
This router has 1 WAN ports, which is more than 0.8% of routers and the same as 89.4% of routers.
N. of USB ports
1
Market range: <0 – >5
This router has 1 USB ports, which is more than 40.1% of routers and the same as 41.5% of routers.
Power over Ethernet (PoE)
no
This router does not support Power over Ethernet (PoE). 1.7% of routers can be powered over Ethernet.
Show more
Management interface
Web UI, App
This router uses Web UI, App for management, which is more advanced than 29.7% of routers and equal to 60.9% of routers.
mydlink app
Firmware upgrade method
Web UI, Automatic
This router supports Web UI, Automatic firmware update methods, which are more convenient than 30.2% of routers and equal to 31.9% of routers.
Traffic monitoring
yes
This router includes traffic monitoring. 13.9% of routers include traffic monitoring.
Guest Wi-Fi network
yes
This router offers a guest Wi‑Fi network. 7.3% of routers offer a guest Wi‑Fi network.
Captive portal
no
This router does not offer captive portal features. 22.4% of routers offer captive portal features.
Show more
CPU clock speed
0.8 GHz
This router runs at 0.8 GHz, which is slower than 63.4% of routers and on par with 1.5% of routers.
RAM capacity
128 MB
Market range: <0 MB – >1k MB
This router has 128 MB of RAM, which is less than 54% of routers and the same as 16.3% of routers.
Internal storage
0.125 GB
Market range: <0.0039 GB – >0.5 GB
This router has 0.125 GB of internal storage, which is more than 47.9% of routers and the same as 23.8% of routers.
Hardware acceleration
yes
This router offers hardware acceleration. 24.9% of routers offer hardware acceleration.
N. of external antennas
0
Market range: <0 – >10
This router has 0 external antennas, which is fewer than 62.7% of routers and the same as 37.3% of routers.
Show more

D-Link DIR-860L vs the average router

246810TotalWirelessSecurityNetworkingPortsManagementHardware
  • 4 more internal antennas
    This router has more internal antennas than the average router (4 vs 0). The average router has 0 internal antennas.
    4 vs 0
  • More capable NAS services
    This router includes SMB, FTP, media server, web access NAS services, while the average router includes SMB, media server.
    SMB, FTP, media server, web access vs SMB, media server
  • Stronger Wi-Fi security
    This router supports the Wi-Fi security protocols WPA2, WPA, WPS, while the average router supports WPA2, WPA/WPA2, WEP.
    WPA2, WPA, WPS vs WPA2, WPA/WPA2, WEP
  • 94 mm narrower width
    This router is narrower than the average router (99 mm vs 193 mm). The average router is 193 mm wide.
    99 mm vs 193 mm
  • Stronger Wi-Fi security
    This router supports the Wi-Fi security protocols WPA2, WPA, WPS, while the average router supports WPA2, WPA/WPA2, WEP.
    WPA2, WPA, WPS vs WPA2, WPA/WPA2, WEP
  • More capable NAS services
    This router includes SMB, FTP, media server, web access NAS services, while the average router includes SMB, media server.
    SMB, FTP, media server, web access vs SMB, media server
  • 4 more internal antennas
    This router has more internal antennas than the average router (4 vs 0). The average router has 0 internal antennas.
    4 vs 0
  • 94 mm narrower width
    This router is narrower than the average router (99 mm vs 193 mm). The average router is 193 mm wide.
    99 mm vs 193 mm
  • No VLAN tagging
    This router does not support VLAN tagging, while the average router does. 66.5% of routers support VLAN tagging.
  • Limited firmware updates
    This router supports the firmware update methods Web UI, Automatic, while the average router supports Web UI, App, Automatic.
    Web UI, Automatic vs Web UI, App, Automatic
  • No MU-MIMO
    This router does not support MU-MIMO, while the average router does. 54% of routers support MU-MIMO.
  • 1 fewer spatial streams
    This router has fewer spatial streams than the average router (2 vs 3). The average router has 3 spatial streams.
    2 vs 3
  • Lower CPU clock speed
    This router has a lower CPU clock speed than the average router (0.8 GHz vs 2x1 GHz). The average router has a CPU clock speed of 2x1 GHz.
    0.8 GHz vs 2x1 GHz
  • 31.4% slower Wi-Fi speed
    This router has a lower Wi-Fi speed than the average router (1,200 Mbps vs 1,750 Mbps). The average router reaches Wi-Fi speed of 1,750 Mbps.
    1,200 Mbps vs 1,750 Mbps
  • 2 fewer external antennas
    This router has fewer external antennas than the average router (0 vs 2). The average router has 2 external antennas.
    0 vs 2
  • 50% less RAM
    This router has less RAM than the average router (128 MB vs 256 MB). The average router has 256 MB of RAM.
    128 MB vs 256 MB
  • No MU-MIMO
    This router does not support MU-MIMO, while the average router does. 54% of routers support MU-MIMO.
  • 1 fewer spatial streams
    This router has fewer spatial streams than the average router (2 vs 3). The average router has 3 spatial streams.
    2 vs 3
  • 31.4% slower Wi-Fi speed
    This router has a lower Wi-Fi speed than the average router (1,200 Mbps vs 1,750 Mbps). The average router reaches Wi-Fi speed of 1,750 Mbps.
    1,200 Mbps vs 1,750 Mbps
  • 49 fewer connected devices
    This router supports fewer connected devices than the average router (15 vs 64). The average router supports 64 connected devices.
    15 vs 64
  • Narrower DFS range
    This router has fewer supported DFS channels than the average router (52-64 + 100-140 vs 52-64 + 100-144). The average router supports 52-64 + 100-144 DFS channels.
    52-64 + 100-140 vs 52-64 + 100-144
  • No PPTP server
    This router cannot act as a PPTP server, while the average router can. 66.2% of routers can act as a PPTP server.
  • No VLAN tagging
    This router does not support VLAN tagging, while the average router does. 66.5% of routers support VLAN tagging.
  • Limited firmware updates
    This router supports the firmware update methods Web UI, Automatic, while the average router supports Web UI, App, Automatic.
    Web UI, Automatic vs Web UI, App, Automatic
  • Lower CPU clock speed
    This router has a lower CPU clock speed than the average router (0.8 GHz vs 2x1 GHz). The average router has a CPU clock speed of 2x1 GHz.
    0.8 GHz vs 2x1 GHz
  • 2 fewer external antennas
    This router has fewer external antennas than the average router (0 vs 2). The average router has 2 external antennas.
    0 vs 2
  • 50% less RAM
    This router has less RAM than the average router (128 MB vs 256 MB). The average router has 256 MB of RAM.
    128 MB vs 256 MB
  • 137 mm thicker design
    This router is thicker than the average router (191 mm vs 54 mm). The average router is 54 mm thick.
    191 mm vs 54 mm
  • 140.1 mm higher height
    This router is taller than the average router (191.5 mm vs 51.4 mm). The average router is 51.4 mm tall.
    191.5 mm vs 51.4 mm
  • 6 years older release date
    This router is an older model than the average router (2013 vs 2019). The average router release year is 2019.
    April 2013
    2013 vs 2019

Video reviews

Hands-on testing, unboxing, and real-world video evaluations

Not graded
Shop video
Hands-on video, no verdict

Third-party reviews

What customers like about D-Link DIR-860L

  • Excellent routing throughput, ranking top in its class at launch
  • Strong 2.4 GHz wireless range for broad home coverage
  • Fast file copy performance via the USB 3.0 port
  • Robust IPv6 support including advanced firewall and routing controls
  • Simple and modern 'unified' white user interface that is easy to navigate
  • Useful mobile apps (QRS and mydlink) for quick setup and remote monitoring
  • Reliable Gigabit Ethernet ports for high-speed wired connections
  • Effective SmartBeam (beamforming) technology to focus signals toward devices

What customers don't like about D-Link DIR-860L

  • Poor handling of simultaneous upload and download traffic (heavy congestion issues)
  • Missing a dedicated bridge mode for expanding existing networks
  • Limited physical status indicators (only two lights for the entire device)
  • Lack of external antennas, which some users prefer for manual signal adjustment
  • Security concerns regarding the default 'admin' login having no initial password
  • Dated advanced settings interface for long-time D-Link users compared to the newer wizard
  • Wireless throughput (speed) can trail behind some competitors in the same AC1200 class

Verdict

The D-Link DIR-860L is a Wireless AC1200 dual-band gigabit router featuring combined speeds of up to 1167 Mbps (300 Mbps on 2.4 GHz and 867 Mbps on 5 GHz) and AC SmartBeam technology for targeted signal strength. Its hardware includes a dual-core processor, 128MB of RAM, 128MB of flash memory, four Gigabit LAN ports, and one USB 3.0 port for high-speed file sharing via SharePort. Pros include excellent routing features, IPv6 support, and fast file copy performance from the USB port. Cons include poor handling of simultaneous heavy up/down traffic, the lack of a bridge mode, and a minimal status display with only two indicator lights.

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