D-Link DAP-1860 AC2600 mesh range extender

D-Link has been doing a lot of work on Wi-Fi mesh and range extenders. The result is its DAP-1860 AC2600 range extender. It works as true mesh with selected D-Link routers.

What it once called ‘whole of home’ is now called ‘PowerZone’.

The concept is that PowerZone devices mesh together to form a true single network instead of multiple SSID (Wi-Fi names). It also passes the device to the strongest signal, so roaming is not interrupted.

At its core is the primary modem/router. In this case, a D-Link Cobra DSL-5300 tri-band that connects to the Telco gateway. But if you don’t need so much power, there are AC3200, AC2600 and AC1900 MU-MIMO routers

Then you add PowerZone range extenders – the DAP-1860 AC2600 dual-band or the DAP-1620 AC1200.

Here is a short PowerZone video explanation

DAP-1860 Overview

It works as a range extender with most modem/routers.

It meshes with D-Link PowerZone products. If linked to the Tri-band router it uses a dedicated 5GHz back channel.

Speed: AC2600 (2.4GHz 800Mb/s and 5GHz 1753Mb/s)
Antenna: 4 x 4 MU-MIMO handles high-bandwidth network traffic on multiple devices at the same time
Plug: Plug into a power point. It should be narrow enough to take only one space
Ethernet Port: Gigabit LAN port offers LAN connection to remote devices or to the router
Setup: WPA/WP2 push button on router and device
Signal strength: LED indicators
Warranty: 3 years
Datasheet: Here

D-Link ANZ MD Graeme Reardon said, “More connected devices mean a greater need for a strong, reliable connection covering the entire home. The new DAP-1860 AC2600 Wi-Fi Range Extender helps guarantee this, allowing users to place devices anywhere in their home without having to worry about a slow or intermittent Wi-Fi connection.”

GadgetGuy’s take – mesh is evolving

We have tested the NETGEAR Orbi and Google mesh modems and frankly found these adequate but not perfect.

We have not tested the D-Link mesh yet but it appears to have solved a few issues. For starters the main modem/router can be a powerful AC5300 tri-band and now it has AC2600 mesh extenders. This should allow for better Wi-Fi distribution around typcial large Australian homes.