BIZ:TECH D-Link Eagle Pro AI M15 AX1500 Mesh system review
The new D-Link Eagle Pro range aims to combine Wi-Fi 6 connectivity with AI (Artificial Intelligence) to enhance speed and coverage. The M15 mesh system comes in both a 2-pack […]
The new D-Link Eagle Pro range aims to combine Wi-Fi 6 connectivity with AI (Artificial Intelligence) to enhance speed and coverage.
The M15 mesh system comes in both a 2-pack and a 3-pack version depending on the coverage area required. D-Link recommends the 2-pack for coverage up to 370 sqm and the 3-pack to 500 sqm making them overkill for most houses, however house configuration plays a part in this so if you have solid walls or multiple floors you may want that extra unit!
If you have Wi-Fi 6 devices (Most recent phones and tablets support it) you will get a significant speed increase moving to a Wi-Fi 6 router and even if you don’t it will future proof your system for your next device replacement and is backwards compatible with older devices.
As with all recent D-Link products setup is simple, download the appropriate app to your phone, scan the QR code on the unit and follow the instructions to set up the first (and subsequent units). The system picked up our fibre network with ease and we set up the additional mesh unit although it was not really required in our one level 3-bedroom house.
We swapped the unit in for our usual top end D-Link gaming router which gives exceptional performance. Just using the base unit we got almost as good a performance. Whilst Wi-Fi speed dropped as we moved around the house even at the most distant point from the router we were still getting around 65% of the speed we got in the same room as the router.
Interestingly adding the 2nd unit in fact reduced the actual performance (Essentially the speed gets split across the units) but the advantage is that this speed is maintained over much more of the house) so it is a trade off whether a single router is better (Simple house – one level, no block walls or long distances) or the mesh (Large house, multiple levels, block walls etc). With the mesh unit engaged whilst speed was lower it was almost consistent right across the house rather than dropping off as with the single central router. In our previous house the mesh was advantageous as some rooms had minimal Wi-Fi connectiveness off a single router but good speed when using a mesh, so it is a horse for courses approach. You can always experiment to find your best setup.
If you have a large house or a challenging situation for Wi-Fi due to building configuration a mesh system such as the Eagle Pro M15 is a life saver, we do like how easy the D-Link systems are to set up
EAGLE PRO AI AX1500 M15-3PK Mesh System (3-Pack)
• Dual-band AX1500 Wi-Fi 6 delivers blazing fast connectivity with increased range and reliability
• Blanket whole home coverage up to 500sqm
• Up to 1200Mbps (5GHz) and 300Mbps (2.4GHz) speeds
• AI-based Mesh capability with compatible AI Wi-Fi Extender or Router
• AI-based Wi-Fi and Traffic Optimiser monitors and improves your network automatically
• Supports WPA, WPA2, and the latest WPA3 Wi-Fi Security
• Clean Network Initiative compliant for security and privacy
• Voice control compatibility with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa