OVERALL
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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

DrayTek Vigor 2850N review: 77 specs compared

Avg. price:~£210Wi-Fi version:Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n)Wi-Fi speed:300 MbpsLAN port speeds:1 GbpsMesh Wi-Fi:no

DrayTek Vigor 2850N Review: Compare 77 technical specifications and 1 expert reviews to see how this product ranks in the Routers category and whether it is worth buying.

DrayTek Vigor 2850N
7.3/10

Overall score

Score
7.3/ 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 56% of models
Score components

40%

7.3

Technical score

25%

7.3

Reviews score

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 56% of routers
7.9

Value for money

Value for money
7.9/ 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 73% of models
Score components

70%

7.3

Overall score

30%

9.4

Price

â–¼Worse than 73%
7.3

Technical score

Technical score
7.3/ 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–² Better than 57% of models
Score components

26%

5.0

Wireless

20%

6.0

Ports

18%

9.6

Networking

14%

9.2

Security

12%

7.0

Hardware

10%

9.1

Management

â–²Better than 57%
7.3

Reviews score

Reviews score
7.3/ 10
✕
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
â–¼ Worse than 67% of models

7.3

Mark 7.8 is below the typical mark 8.1 of this category, so it cannot lift the score above the technical score

80%

8.5

Average grade

20%

5.0

Popularity

Grades by review (1)
1 review, with a printed score. Reviews count 25% of the overall score.
User ratings collected online are not part of this score.
â–¼Worse than 67%
?

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
  • draytek-vigor-2850n
draytek-vigor-2850n
Where to buy
*As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Best rankings
Available: ranking among products currently available (including other versions of this product).All: ranking among all products in the database.
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Technical Specifications of router DrayTek Vigor 2850N

Technical score
Technical score
7.3/ 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–² Better than 57% of models
Score components:

26%

5.0

Wireless

20%

6.0

Ports

18%

9.6

Networking

14%

9.2

Security

12%

7.0

Hardware

10%

9.1

Management

7.3
Reviews score
7.3
List score
?
Value for money
Value for money
7.9/ 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 73% of models
Score components:

70%

7.3

Overall score

30%

9.4

Price

7.9
Brand name
Draytek
Wi-Fi version
Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n)
This router uses Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n), which is less advanced than 65% of routers and equal to 32.7% 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
300 Mbps
Market range: <0 Mbps – >6k Mbps
This router delivers 300 Mbps Wi-Fi speed, which is lower than 75.8% of routers and equal to 16.7% of routers.
Channel widths supported
20 MHz + 40 MHz
This router supports 20 MHz + 40 MHz channel width options, which is fewer than 63.7% of routers and the same as 31.2% of routers.
Show more
Wi-Fi security protocols
WPA2, WPA, WEP, 802.1X
This router supports WPA2, WPA, WEP, 802.1X Wi-Fi security protocols, which are less advanced than 65% of routers and equal to 3.9% 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
yes
This router supports dynamic routing. 54% of routers support dynamic routing.
Inter-VLAN routing
yes
This router supports inter-VLAN routing. 75.8% of routers support inter-VLAN routing.
VLAN tagging
yes
This router supports VLAN tagging. 33.6% 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
4
Market range: <0 – >5
This router has 4 WAN ports, which is more than 99.6% of routers and the same as 0.4% 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, CLI, SNMP
This router uses Web UI, CLI, SNMP for management, which is more advanced than 97.7% of routers and equal to 1.7% of routers.
Firmware upgrade method
Web UI, Utility, TFTP, Cloud
This router supports Web UI, Utility, TFTP, Cloud firmware update methods, which are more convenient than 99.2% of routers and equal to 0.6% of routers.
Firmware Upgrade Utility
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
yes
This router offers captive portal features. 77.8% of routers offer captive portal features.
Show more
CPU clock speed
?
RAM capacity
?
Internal storage
0.015625 GB
Market range: <0.0039 GB – >0.5 GB
This router has 0.015625 GB of internal storage, which is less than 55.2% of routers and the same as 13% of routers.
16 MB onboard flash; 500GB refers to external USB storage support.
Hardware acceleration
yes
This router offers hardware acceleration. 24.9% of routers offer hardware acceleration.
N. of external antennas
3
Market range: <0 – >10
This router has 3 external antennas, which is more than 57.9% of routers and the same as 11.8% of routers.
Show more

DrayTek Vigor 2850N vs the average router

246810TotalWirelessSecurityNetworkingPortsManagementHardware
  • Supports automatic failover
    This router offers automatic failover, while the average router does not. 31.2% of routers offer automatic failover.
  • Better management tools
    This router uses the management interface Web UI, CLI, SNMP, while the average router uses Web UI, App.
    Web UI, CLI, SNMP vs Web UI, App
  • More advanced integrated modem
    This router uses a VDSL2 + ADSL2+ integrated modem, while the average router uses none (external modem required).
    VDSL2 + ADSL2+ vs none (external modem required)
  • Wider temperature range
    This router is rated for 0 to 45 C, while the average router is rated for 0 to 40 C.
    0 to 45 C vs 0 to 40 C
  • Supports dynamic routing
    This router supports dynamic routing, while the average router does not. 46.1% of routers support dynamic routing.
  • Supports captive portal
    This router supports captive portal, while the average router does not. 22.3% of routers support captive portal.
  • Supports inter-VLAN routing
    This router supports inter-VLAN routing, while the average router does not. 24.4% of routers support inter-VLAN routing.
  • Stronger Wi-Fi security
    This router supports the Wi-Fi security protocols WPA2, WPA, WEP, 802.1X, while the average router supports WPA2, WPA/WPA2, WEP.
    WPA2, WPA, WEP, 802.1X vs WPA2, WPA/WPA2, WEP
  • Stronger Wi-Fi security
    This router supports the Wi-Fi security protocols WPA2, WPA, WEP, 802.1X, while the average router supports WPA2, WPA/WPA2, WEP.
    WPA2, WPA, WEP, 802.1X vs WPA2, WPA/WPA2, WEP
  • Supports automatic failover
    This router offers automatic failover, while the average router does not. 31.2% of routers offer automatic failover.
  • Supports dynamic routing
    This router supports dynamic routing, while the average router does not. 46.1% of routers support dynamic routing.
  • Supports inter-VLAN routing
    This router supports inter-VLAN routing, while the average router does not. 24.4% of routers support inter-VLAN routing.
  • 35,000 more NAT sessions
    This router has more concurrent NAT sessions than the average router (50,000 vs 15,000). The average router supports 15,000 concurrent NAT sessions.
    50,000 vs 15,000
  • More advanced integrated modem
    This router uses a VDSL2 + ADSL2+ integrated modem, while the average router uses none (external modem required).
    VDSL2 + ADSL2+ vs none (external modem required)
  • Better management tools
    This router uses the management interface Web UI, CLI, SNMP, while the average router uses Web UI, App.
    Web UI, CLI, SNMP vs Web UI, App
  • Supports captive portal
    This router supports captive portal, while the average router does not. 22.3% of routers support captive portal.
  • Flexible firmware updates
    This router supports the firmware update methods Web UI, Utility, TFTP, Cloud, while the average router supports Web UI, App, Automatic.
    Firmware Upgrade Utility
    Web UI, Utility, TFTP, Cloud vs Web UI, App, Automatic
  • Wider temperature range
    This router is rated for 0 to 45 C, while the average router is rated for 0 to 40 C.
    0 to 45 C vs 0 to 40 C
  • Removable antennas
    This router has removable antennas, while the average router does not. 27.8% of routers have removable antennas.
  • 1 more external antennas
    This router has more external antennas than the average router (3 vs 2). The average router has 2 external antennas.
    3 vs 2
  • Older Wi-Fi version
    This router uses an older Wi-Fi version than the average router (Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) vs Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)). The average router uses Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac).
    Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) vs Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
  • 82.9% slower Wi-Fi speed
    This router has a lower Wi-Fi speed than the average router (300 Mbps vs 1,750 Mbps). The average router reaches Wi-Fi speed of 1,750 Mbps.
    300 Mbps vs 1,750 Mbps
  • No MU-MIMO
    This router does not support MU-MIMO, while the average router does. 54% of routers support MU-MIMO.
  • Narrower channel widths
    This router has a lower supported channel width than the average router (20 MHz + 40 MHz vs 20 MHz + 40 MHz + 80 MHz). The average router supports channel width of 20 MHz + 40 MHz + 80 MHz.
    20 MHz + 40 MHz vs 20 MHz + 40 MHz + 80 MHz
  • 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
  • 87.5% less internal storage
    This router has less internal storage than the average router (0 GB vs 0.1 GB). The average router offers 0.125 GB of internal storage.
    16 MB onboard flash; 500GB refers to external USB storage support.
    0.015625 GB vs 0.125 GB
  • No DLNA support
    This router does not support DLNA, while the average router does. 50.4% of routers support DLNA.
  • No beamforming
    This router does not support beamforming, while the average router does. 62.1% of routers support beamforming.
  • 2.21x more expensive
    DrayTek Vigor 2850N is more expensive than the average router (£210 vs £95).
    £210 vs £95
  • 5.2% lower review score
    Reviews score
    7.3/ 10
    ✕
    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
    â–¼ Worse than 67% of models

    7.3

    Mark 7.8 is below the typical mark 8.1 of this category, so it cannot lift the score above the technical score

    80%

    8.5

    Average grade

    20%

    5.0

    Popularity

    Grades by review (1)
    1 review, with a printed score. Reviews count 25% of the overall score.
    User ratings collected online are not part of this score.
    7.3 vs 7.7
  • 1.9% worse value for money
    DrayTek Vigor 2850N has worse value for money than the average router (7.93 vs 8.1).
    7.93 vs 8.08
  • Older Wi-Fi version
    This router uses an older Wi-Fi version than the average router (Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) vs Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)). The average router uses Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac).
    Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) vs Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
  • 82.9% slower Wi-Fi speed
    This router has a lower Wi-Fi speed than the average router (300 Mbps vs 1,750 Mbps). The average router reaches Wi-Fi speed of 1,750 Mbps.
    300 Mbps vs 1,750 Mbps
  • No MU-MIMO
    This router does not support MU-MIMO, while the average router does. 54% of routers support MU-MIMO.
  • Narrower channel widths
    This router has a lower supported channel width than the average router (20 MHz + 40 MHz vs 20 MHz + 40 MHz + 80 MHz). The average router supports channel width of 20 MHz + 40 MHz + 80 MHz.
    20 MHz + 40 MHz vs 20 MHz + 40 MHz + 80 MHz
  • 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
  • No beamforming
    This router does not support beamforming, while the average router does. 62.1% of routers support beamforming.
  • 3 fewer WAN ports
    This router has fewer WAN ports than the average router (4 vs 1). The average router has 1 WAN ports.
    4 vs 1
  • No DLNA support
    This router does not support DLNA, while the average router does. 50.4% of routers support DLNA.
  • 87.5% less internal storage
    This router has less internal storage than the average router (0 GB vs 0.1 GB). The average router offers 0.125 GB of internal storage.
    16 MB onboard flash; 500GB refers to external USB storage support.
    0.015625 GB vs 0.125 GB
  • 7 years older release date
    This router is an older model than the average router (2012 vs 2019). The average router release year is 2019.
    February 2012
    2012 vs 2019
  • 1.9 W higher power consumption
    This router uses more power than the average router (10 W vs 8.1 W). The average router uses 8.1 W power.
    10 W vs 8.1 W

Expert reviews

In-depth analysis and verdict from leading tech publications

10
expertreviews.co.uk
✓ explicit
16/04/2012
Review · Business router with VDSL2
Verdict
The DrayTek Vigor 2850n is a capable router for experienced users, with VDSL2 and backup connections, but it cannot run both Wi-Fi bands at once.

Third-party reviews

What customers like about DrayTek Vigor 2850N

  • Supports multiple high-speed connection standards including VDSL2, ADSL2+, and 3G failover via USB
  • Excellent wireless performance with strong signal penetration through thick walls
  • Robust and highly customizable object-based firewall with DoS protection
  • Strong VPN capabilities, making it ideal for business or remote office use
  • Feature-rich interface including VLAN tagging, bandwidth control, and content filtering
  • Reliable and stable performance reported over years of continuous use

What customers don't like about DrayTek Vigor 2850N

  • Cannot transmit on 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands simultaneously; users must choose one
  • Complex configuration interface that is not beginner-friendly and lacks built-in advice for options
  • Throughput is capped at approximately 80Mbps, which may bottleneck modern ultra-fast fiber (FTTP) connections
  • Reported issues with lower-than-advertised VPN and WAN throughput in certain real-world tests
  • Subscription to DrayTek's GlobalView service is required to use the web content filtering
  • Occasional hardware reliability concerns with the power supply over long-term use

Verdict

The DrayTek Vigor 2850N is a high-performance multi-WAN security router that uniquely integrates VDSL2 (BT Infinity compatible), ADSL2+, and a switchable Gigabit Ethernet WAN port for load balancing and failover, supplemented by a USB port for 3G/4G backup. It features four Gigabit LAN ports, support for up to 32 concurrent VPN tunnels, and a robust object-based firewall with content filtering and 802.1q VLAN tagging. Its integrated 802.11n Wi-Fi offers selectable 2.4/5GHz dual-band connectivity with three external antennas and MIMO technology for improved coverage. Main pros include its extensive connectivity options, enterprise-grade security, and flexible WAN failover capabilities, while notable cons are its complex configuration interface that may challenge beginners and its lack of support for NTFS-formatted USB drives, restricted to FAT32 or FAT16.

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