Our BIZ:TECH columnist Cathy Parker reviews the stylish D-Link AX3000 Aquila Pro AI, perfect for boosting your home office WiFi.
Wi-Fi routers are not usually something you want to display in your lounge, they tend to be black boxes sprouting multiple antennas and look somewhat industrial at best.
D-Link’s latest AX3000 Aquila is looking to change that. It is a two- or three-unit Smart Mesh system that has an interesting contemporary design that would not look out of place anywhere in a home or office environment.
Even better the performance is not compromised by the design, you get all the latest tech specs and good performance to go with the cool looks.
A Mesh Wi-Fi system is perfect for larger houses (or offices), especially where the layout is challenging to get good Wi-Fi signals through out the property. The two (or three) units connect via a Mesh, giving good coverage throughout the home. They are simple to set up – unlike the hassles of adding range extenders or other solutions.
The Aquila is a Wi-Fi 6 system with Gigabit connectivity and up to 3 Gbps speed. Each unit has one WAN port (to connect to your internet provider) and four 1 Gbit LAN ports. The Wi-Fi is dual band (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz).
We tested a two unit pack (three unit packs are also available and you can buy additional add on units as needed). Setting up is a simple process, unless you are a tech geek the easiest option is to download the appropriate App to your phone using the supplied QR code. Once this is installed it steps you painlessly through the installation process. The Aquila system works with both Google Home and Amazon Alexa assistants.
We found Wi-Fi performance was good across the house with the worst areas still getting at least 50% of the speed available close to the main router.
Pricing for the two pack is around $399.
