Next Generation AX1800 Scalable Mesh Wi-Fi 6 Router runs circles around my former Wi-Fi extender
What used to seem useable can quickly become unusable with all the gadgets being used around your home or office. Upon inspection, I discovered I’ve got 13 attached just between my wife and me.
After getting tired of so-so Wi-Fi speeds, I began looking around for more modern, faster alternatives. Fortunately, at CES 2021 I discovered the D-Link AX1800 router/extender.
About seven inches tall and four inches square, it’s a nice, lo-luster white with only a non-annoying white indicator light. No protruding antenna, so you could probably place this anywhere in your home or office.
BLAZING FAST
With crazy speeds like 574Mbps for 2.4 GHz and 1201Mbps for 5GHz, you’ll be waiting no more. And, you can enjoy dual-band Wi-Fi with up to 4 simultaneous streams going on.
Four Gigabit ports are built-in, so for devices that don’t need, or can’t use wireless connections, you are covered with these four additional ports.
I can now use my computer way out on my back deck, where I rarely could get a signal before. Now I’m getting a steady 70 Mbps.
SCALABLE
If you add on that huge family room or your office expands, the AX1800 will grow with you. You can pair the AX1800 router with another compatible D-Link AX router or D-Link AX Wi-Fi mesh-enabled range extender. You can have up to four devices interconnected.
EASY TO INSTALL
Using the D-Link app on my phone, I had the AX up and running in just minutes. I already had a sixteen-port switch setup on my equipment rack, so it was just a matter of plugging it in and finding the proper wireless network.
Big surprise…I can now use my 5GHz network through my entire house. Before this addition, I could only use it in my office, right next to the router.
Read on if you want a router
I’m using this as a range extender, as I already have a router from my service provider, but if you are going to use this as a router, you’ll have lots more capabilities.
SMART CONNECT
Have you gotten frustrated needing to pick different network names for each of your devices? With Smart Connect, call all your networks by the same name and the AX1800 will connect them to the best one based on performance.
Parents will want to investigate all the options for parental controls when using this as a router. Set usable hours, bedtime hours, websites or urls that are denied access. Set up different rules for different users and different devices.
Set QoS (Quality of Service) priorities, so certain clients ( like you) get full bandwidth needed for business Zoom meetings, while others (like the children) get less to download their music and games.
SPEAK TO ME
For those you don’t want to lift a finger, this is Google and Alexa enabled. Try “Okay Google, tell D-Llink Wi-Fi to turn on Guest Wi-Fi” or “Hey Alexa, tell D-Link Wi-Fi to reboot my router” or “Alexa, turn off Bobby’s Wi-Fi.”
To get voice control enabled, follow the instructions in the manual (pg 76) to set up your own cloud service with D-Link.
Check out D-Link’s entire line of great products at http://dlink.com. I can recommend them as always being a great reliable source.
Disclosure: D-Link provided us with this AX1800 so we could provide this review. Opinions, however, are and always will be strictly our own.
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