DrayTek Vigor 2762ac review: A fine choice for the home, and an even better one for work

If it's advanced features you seek, the Vigor 2762ac is a great choice
Written By
Published on 24 October 2018
Our rating
Reviewed price £145 inc VAT
Pros
  • Flexible access controls
  • Solid performance speeds
  • 3G and 4G USB modem compatible
Cons
  • Only two aerials
  • Not the easiest to use

At first I thought I’d been sent the wrong model: it was hard to believe that this tiny, two-aerialed little box could be DrayTek’s top-of-the-range prosumer router.

DrayTek Vigor 2762ac review: Features and performance

However, it’s a mistake to judge the Vigor2762ac by its size. For sure, its wireless credentials aren’t as ambitious as some of its heftier competitors, with a quoted maximum bandwidth of just 866Mbits/sec on the 5GHz band.

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Yet, in our tests it generally kept up with its rivals, delivering a solid 10MB/sec even at the remote end of my home. There’s no MU-MIMO, mind you, and, of course, only two aerials, so if you have lots of wireless devices running flat out, the Vigor2762ac might not cope as well as a pricier model.

The diminutive case also packs in a pair of USB 2 sockets. You can use these to share storage across your network via SMB or FTP (there’s no media-streaming option) or hook up a compatible printer.

If downtime is a no-no, you’ll be pleased to know that you can also plug in a 3G or 4G USB modem to take over if your primary internet connection goes down – although be warned that, since the two ports are stacked tightly on top of one another, a bulky dongle could potentially obstruct access to the second connector.

Access controls are impressively flexible. The scheduling function lets you configure up to 15 timeslots of any length, recurring on specified days of the week, monthly or at an interval of your choosing, and you can blacklist not only URLs but individual services and specific applications.

There’s a built-in category-based filtering service too, although you have to subscribe to activate it, which costs a fairly steep £50 per year.

READ NEXT: The best mesh Wi-Fi routers you can buy

DrayTek Vigor 2762ac review: Verdict

Overall, the DrayTek Vigor2762ac is a fine choice for the home, and an even better one for work. The price is very competitive, and it’s an impressively reliable router.

DrayTek Vigor 2762AC Dual-Band 802.11ac 5GHz Wireless Router for ADSL, VDSL and Ethernet-based Broadband

DrayTek Vigor 2762AC Dual-Band 802.11ac 5GHz Wireless Router for ADSL, VDSL and Ethernet-based Broadband

£213.75

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Its only weak suit is ease of use: the web portal is absolutely loaded with technical information and advanced enterprise-level features, which may frustrate and discourage less technical users.

Written by

A lifelong technology enthusiast, Darien is a regular contributor to both Expert Reviews and PC Pro magazine, specialising in wireless networking, internet security and other technical topics. He also contributes to and produces the weekly PC Pro podcast, and has made occasional appearances on BBC News and Open University programming. In his spare time he dabbles in audio production, and plays guitar, bass and drums with the enthusiasm of a committed amateur.

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