D-Link DIR-645

D-Link DIR-645 review

The D-Link DIR-645 (or the Whole Home Router 1000 as it's called in the US) is the latest D-Link push on injecting style into its home routers. Every networking company goes through this at some point, in an attempt to avoid yet-another-box syndrome. D-Link has done a good job of making this black totem of wireless technology look like it could have apes pawing at it seeking enlightenment. On the face of it, this 2.4GHz-only device doesn't seem all that, with 802.11n technology dating back to the ancient but fondly-remembered D-Link DIR-655. More recent routers such as the unstoppable Netgear DGND3700 and feature-packed Fritz!Box 7390 offer the sexy-sounding dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz capabilities. As it happens, 802.11n speed isn't simply about the frequency - more important are the number of spatial streams a router can provide, and the D-Link DIR-645 comes with an epic six-element antenna array. So perhaps those pawing monkeys are onto something after all? Benchmarks We test wireless networking in a controlled but real-world and repeatable environment.