D-LINK AC1900 Range Extender – Going Further and Faster
Overview
So now our Wi-Fi needs are becoming much greater with kids schooling from home, home offices are the norm, more Smart TV’s, Phone’s, fridges and security camera’s, streaming services… and they are all demanding a fast-uninterrupted network connection.
Like most of us, our home wireless networks are setup with one router sitting in the middle of the house trying its best to reach the far corners of home, struggling to get any usable signal outside any of the main living areas. I was in the same position but did not want to fork out big money to install a Mesh network. Well, how you increase your Wi-fi network without the frustration of connecting from one Wi-Fi connection to the other? The answer is a Wi-Fi Repeater.
You can effectively double the coverage area of your Wi-Fi network – reaching far corners of your home or office, different floors, or even extend coverage to your yard.
Therefore, I decided to give the D-LINK AC-1900 a whirl to see if this device could ease my family’s frustration.
Setup
This may be an overused term but there is no other way to describe it. The setup couldn’t be any simpler, in literally a few minutes you can perform the install and have your new device up and running and fully configured. Users need only press the WPS button on their Router and then on the Extender to synchronise with your existing Network and instantly increase the coverage of a wireless home network.
If your Router doesn’t have a WPS button you can use a web browser or you can use the free D-Link mobile app for simple setup and compatibility with older devices. You also have the ability to use the D-Link Wi-Fi app’s with it’s simple user interface, this app is very intuitive, allowing you to manage your D’link devices with ease from your mobile device.
Easy to Use
With the Smart Connect Technology, this automatically assigns each device to the best wireless band for optimal performance. It auto-connects your mobile devices to the strongest Wi-Fi signal, and unlike some other extenders you do not have a separate SSID or are required to log into another Wi-Fi signal. Even when pushing this to its very limits trying to find that annoying laggy cross over when walking from one signal to the other, to my surprise it constantly provided a smooth transition to the strongest Wi-Fi signal.
Another Benefit is the additional Four 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports, great if you want to take some of the workload of the Wi-Fi or for any of your non-wireless devices.
Look
D-Link have gone down the same design as the COVR models, a white modern looking upright standing cylindrical style unit, which fits any home’s décor.
Security
• Latest Wi-Fi WPA3 security with 128-bit encryption to keep your wireless connection secure
• Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) for quick setup with the simple press of a button
Features
D-LINK AC-1900 key features
• High-Speed Connectivity
• 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) wireless specification delivers blazing fast wireless connectivity with increased range and reliability
• Four 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports gives you high-speed wired connectivity
• Mix and match compatible D-Link Wi-Fi 5 devices to expand your network to cover any scenario
• Effortless setup as settings can be shared between compatible devices
Speed
This is what it all comes down to, no point extending your network if it is too slow to use. Well I am pleased to say that the D-Link DAP AC 1900 did not disappoint. Testing with multiple mobile devices using the OKLA speed test, I found no significant loss of speed between primary and extended Network with the biggest drop being around 2Mbps.
Price
The D-LINK AC 1900 is reasonably priced and is available now from www.dlink.com.au (RRP AUD$229.95), www.dlink.co.nz (RRP NZ$249.99) and from all authorised D-Link Partners and Retailers in both countries.
Gripes
You cannot really gripe about this product, at this price point the D-LINK-AC 1900 performs above it weight class.
Conclusion
Overall, a great way to extend your Wi-Fi or create your own mesh Network without breaking the budget, A fast reliable Wi-Fi extender that is simple to use and even easy to setup.
A big thank you to our friends over at D-LINK, look forward to seeing what they are bringing out next.
