Performance & Conclusion

With a 1.6Ghz Intel GRX350 processor and 512MB of RAM the D-Link DIR-2680 D-Fend AC2600 router does not show any lag in terms of performance with multiple devices on the network.

The WAN port is capable of supporting 1GB/s connections. However given that 1GB/s internet connections are still a pipe dream in Australia users aren’t really going to notice any difference here.

In terms of WiFi performance it would have been nice to see the DLink DIR-2680 D-Fend AC2600 router being shipped out mesh enabled. Given its price tag we believe this would have been a great feature to compliment this router. Nevertheless WiFi range was good and was tested in a single story house which router and laptop being on two extreme ends.

Radio	Signal dBm	WiFi Transmission Setting
2.4 GHz	-38	High
5.0 GHz	-57	High

2.4 GHz	-50	Medium
5.0 GHz	-67	Medium

2.4 GHz	-56	Low
5.0 GHz	-72	Low

Wi-Fi Reference Guide

Improvements needed

The D-Link WiFi app sometimes fails to recognise the device and requires to be restarted and application seems slightly buggy. These need to be further refined.
Integrate the D-Fend application into the D-Link WiFi application. Users demand simplicity and ease of integration and we’d like to see this happen.

Conclusion

The D-Link DIR-2680 D-Fend AC2600 is certainly a revolutionary product and it’s definitely worth having one if you care about security for you and your loved ones in the digital space. It’s one of the few products in the market for home and small office users that offer network level protection to all connected devices in real time through a global threat management database.

With Alexa and Google Assistant support, you could simply issue voice commands to enable/disable key features of the network. For example, if you want to disable internet access for all your kids via Alexa, all you do is say “Alexa, ask DFend to pause internet for kids”. That would simply stop all internet for devices on the kid’s profile. It’s as easy as that to get your kids to come join you for dinner. Jokes aside, the parental controls offered via the D-Fend app is simply amazing. I know as a parent how important it’s to be able to control what your kids can access on the web and being able to control this access from a network level is simply top notch.

Furthermore you could ask Alexa to run a vulnerability scan of the network by saying “Alexa, ask DFend to run a vulnerability scan”. The integration works quite well through Alexa and we assume it’ll work equally well on Google Assistant.

With a price tag of AU$499.99, the D-Link DIR-2680 D-Fend AC2600 isn’t exactly cheap; it’s in the realms of entry level enterprise networking gear. Nevertheless it’s a decision about the price you’re willing to pay for the digital safety of your home and loved ones. Our personal opinion is if you got growing kids as well as multiple smart devices at your premises, the DLink DIR-2680 D-Fend AC2600 is a must have. Smart IOT devices don’t put a great deal of effort into security and last thing you want to know is someone has hacked into your smart camera system.

For AU$499.99 you get 5 years access to McAfee D-Fend software and cloud service along with 2 year of McAfee LiveSafe which can be installed on unlimited devices. While the initial investment seems high, over a 5 year period the numbers seem very insignificant to the benefits offered.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. The DIR-2680 D-Fend AC2600 router package

3. Installation

4. D-Link WiFi App and D-Fend application for parental control

5. Performance & Conclusion