Last Updated on March 13, 2021 by Dave Farquhar
If you’re looking for the pros and cons of D-Link vs TP-Link, I have experience with both and I’m glad to share it.
D-Link is a well established brand. Founded in 1986, it started doing business as D-Link in 1994. It’s been around a long time. If you’ve been involved with computers for any length of time, you’ve probably heard of it.
I don’t blame you if you’ve never heard of TP-Link. They were founded in 1996 but if you were buying their stuff before 2005, you’re well ahead of me.
D-Link vs TP-Link: Let’s start alphabetically
I bought my first D-Link product, a wired network card, sometime int the late 1990s. And I soon bought more. They were low-end cards with midling performance at best. They’re obsolete now but they do all still work.
I had worse luck with D-Link routers, unfortunately. I used a D-Link as my primary router for about two years. That was about all I could tolerate.
I bought another D-Link router for my mother in law a few years later because it was cheap. We got about two years out of that, as well, before I replaced it with an ancient Linksys router. That router is obsolete, but it’s reliable.
So while I think D-Link’s network cards are fine, I’m not enamored with their routers. You can call it bad luck, but I rarely have anything fail after just two years. I’m not sure it’s happened to me since the 1990s, aside from my D-Link gear.
TP-Link
TP-Link gear is cheap. But I’ve had nothing but great luck with it. I loved my TP-Link routers. Not only were they reliable, they were incredibly stable. I used one as an access point for several years without rebooting it. That’s unheard of. The TP-Link TL-WR841N was fantastic, especially with DD-WRT on it. I’d be careful with their very cheapest stuff, but anything midrange and up they make is excellent.
TP-Link controls its own supply chain, which it believes allows it to build better products at better prices. I’m a believer.
The two things I don’t like about TP-Link were how it caved to the FCC over DD-WRT. It relented, but no other maker was so quick to ban third-party firmware on its devices. And while TP-Link does release firmware updates sometimes, it doesn’t do it as quickly as I’d like.
That said, the next time I need a reasonably priced router, I’ll strongly consider whatever TP-Link meets my price point. They aren’t perfect, but they have fewer compromises than most of the other brands you’re likely to see next to them on a shelf. I like Asus routers too, but TP-Link is easier to find.
David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.