D-Link DIR-615 Wireless N Router Review

D-Link dropped one antenna and the 100-Mbps Gigabit Ethernet feature from its flagship DIR-655 router for this budget model, but you’ll hardly notice. This router supports WPA and WPA2 encryption standards, has a parental access feature to block Internet use for kids during certain hours of the day, and has an inconspicuous black design. The CD installer worked fast and had us up and running in 5 minutes.

From 15 feet, the DIR-615 offered a blazing speed of 90 Mbps. At 200 feet, the router ran at only 8 Mbps. With only two antennas, the DIR-615 barely connected beyond 300 feet, which is about one level of a typical suburban home. Does it matter? Not at this price. We still tapped into the DIR-615 from several rooms away and from the basement (but not from outside).

The D-Link DIR-615 handled video and music streaming smoothly, (on the Netgear Digital Entertainer HD, we watched an episode of Lost without any glitches), as well as VoIP call handling.

With no Gigabit ports, your wired connection will take longer to transfer files than a premium router, but you can always use Wi-Fi instead. The real draw is the low price: The DIR-615 is the most inexpensive N router you’ll find and has minimal trade-offs.