D-Link N300 2.4 GHz router review, is it worth it?

The D-Link N300 (DIR-615) router released in 2013. It is powered by Realtek RTL8196E @ 400 MHz chipset, 8 MB of RAM and 2 MB of flash. The N300 router is compatible with IEEE 802.11b/g/n standards, and the maximum speed that you can get with N300 is 300 Mbps. The router has 1 x 10/100 Mbps WAN and 4 x 10/100 Mbps LAN ports.

The N300 is a basic Wi-Fi router that provides reliable wireless connectivity for small homes or apartments. D-Link offers good customer support, including firmware updates, documentation, and technical assistance.

Table of contents:

• D-Link N300 specifications
• D-Link N300 pictures

D-Link N300 (DIR-615) specifications

Body

If you have limited space available for your router, such as in a small apartment or office, the dimensions can determine whether it can fit in the designated area or not. It's important to consider the physical size of the router, including its height, width, and depth, to ensure it can be accommodated in your space. The weight of router is not typically a critical factor for most home or office setups.

System

The Realtek RTL8196E @ 400 MHz CPU, combined with other factors such as RAM capacity and firmware optimization, determines the overall performance and responsiveness of the router. The router's memory (8 MB) cannot be expanded. When choosing a router, it is important to consider both the flash memory and RAM specifications. The N300 has 2 MB of flash. A larger flash memory allows for more space to store configuration backups. It enables you to save multiple versions of your router's configuration settings, which can be useful for restoring previous configurations or reverting changes if needed.

Within the N300 router's interface, look for a section related to firmware or system settings. The exact location and wording may vary depending on the router's make and model. The D-Link provides the appropriate power supply (12 V / 0.5 A) that matches the voltage requirements of the router. The power supply unit is designed to deliver the correct voltage to the router, ensuring its proper operation.

Network

The N300 router supports multiple networking standards to ensure compatibility with various devices and systems. The majority of networking equipment, including routers, switches, and other network devices, is designed to support IPv4. The N300 has 4 x 10/100 Mbps LAN and 1 x 10/100 Mbps WAN ports. The LAN ports of N300 router are numbered and are used to establish wired connections between the router and devices such as computers, gaming consoles, smart TVs, network-attached storage (NAS) devices, and other network-enabled devices.

WAN ports are the entry point to your local network, making them a potential target for unauthorized access or attacks. It's important to secure your WAN connection by using strong passwords, enabling encryption protocols, and keeping the router's firmware up to date to mitigate security risks. If you have a high-speed internet plan with speeds exceeding 100 Mbps, you may experience a bottleneck in wired connections due to the limitation of the Fast Ethernet ports on the N300 router.

Wireless

This router has 2 x 2 dBi, RP-SMA antennas. Many modern routers feature multiple antennas and use Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology. This technology enables simultaneous transmission and reception of multiple data streams, increasing overall throughput and improving the Wi-Fi performance. The N300 is compatible with 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. Many IoT (Internet of Things) devices, smart home devices, and older Wi-Fi-enabled devices primarily operate on the 2.4 GHz band.

The N300 is a Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) router. N routers may have a more limited range compared to newer Wi-Fi standards, making them less suitable for larger homes or offices where Wi-Fi coverage is a concern. The N300 is a performance indicator that represents the router's theoretical maximum speed. The theoretical maximum speed (300 Mbps) represents the highest data transfer rate that the router is capable of achieving under ideal conditions.

The maximum TX power of N300 router is 17 dBm. Adjusting the TX power of a router can be useful in situations where you want to optimize the Wi-Fi signal strength and coverage. The N300 router offers several security protocols: WEP, WPA, WPA2. The WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) was the first security protocol for Wi-Fi networks but is now considered weak and easily compromised. It uses a static encryption key and has known vulnerabilities, so it is no longer recommended for securing Wi-Fi networks. The WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access 2) was introduced as an improvement over WEP and provides stronger security. If WPA3 is not available, WPA2-Personal with AES encryption is still considered secure.

Connectivity

The N300 router doesn't have file-server or print-server functionality.

Administration

The D-Link router setup panel is accessed through a web browser. Connect your computer to the N300 router via Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable. In the address bar of the web browser, type in the 192.168.0.1 IP address. Regularly changing the password is a good security practice to protect your network and devices from unauthorized access. It is also recommended to use strong, unique passwords for other devices and online accounts connected to your network for enhanced security. By changing the default password, you improve the security of your router and reduce the risk of unauthorized individuals gaining control over your network. It helps prevent unauthorized access to your router's settings, network configurations, and sensitive information.

The specifications above are based on the official data published by the manufacturer, but we also take user reviews into consideration. If you found an error or something lacking in the specifications above for the D-Link N300, then don’t hesite and signal the problem to us.

D-Link N300 (DIR-615) pictures

If there’s information about the D-Link N300 that you would like to see on this site, then write to our webmaster@routerchart.com address.