We’ve had a D-Link mesh router system for a while now, and despite a failure early in the piece (hey it happens), it has performed flawlessly for both the stuff I throw at it and Jacqui’s music school needs.
We have full on fibre to the premises here and get 500+ download, but there has been a small bottleneck when it comes to wireless connectivity. Due to the previous owner of the house putting the telecoms connection in a ridiculous place – a wall in the kitchen of all things – most of the gear we use is connected to the router by wireless and so we don’t get the full benefit of the speed on all devices.
Today I found that D-Link has announced a new model with the mouthful name of DPN-BE7212GR BE7200 10G Wi-Fi 7 Mesh Router – and it appears this may solve that problem.
D-Link says the DPN-BE7212GR is one of the few consumer routers on the market with dual 10 Gigabit Ethernet. The 10 Gigabit WAN port handles the fastest NBN and UFB plans (FTTP, FTTC, HFC, Satellite and Fixed Wireless) with headroom to spare. The dedicated 10 Gigabit LAN port unlocks the same speed inside the home, supporting 10G NAS for fast media libraries and instant backups, multi-gig switches for hybrid work setups and high-speed wired connections for gaming PCs, workstations and next-generation consoles.
The full port layout includes one 10 Gigabit WAN, one 10 Gigabit LAN, four Gigabit LAN ports and a USB 3.0 port. Driving the network is a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor with 512MB of DDR4 memory and 512MB of NAND flash, paired with nine 3 dBi antennas housed in a compact desktop form factor.
You can pair two or more units via EasyMesh to extend Wi-Fi 7 seamlessly across larger or multi-storey homes, with a single unified network name and uninterrupted roaming from room to room. Each additional unit also brings its own ports to a new room: a 10 Gigabit WAN, a dedicated 10 Gigabit LAN, four Gigabit LAN ports and a USB 3.0, so devices can hard-wire to the unit closest to them.
For households that want the full 10G experience between rooms, linking units with a wired 10 Gigabit Ethernet backhaul turns the setup into a true 10G backbone. A 10G NAS in the study can talk to a workstation in the home theatre or a gaming rig in the spare room at 10 Gigabit speeds, sharing the wired backhaul between units. Wireless backhaul is supported and delivers strong Wi-Fi 7 coverage throughout the home, while wired backhaul unlocks the full 10G fabric for those who need it.
DPN-BE7212GR key features
- Dual 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports (1x 10G WAN + 1x 10G LAN) – ready for NBN 2 Gbps, NZ UFB Hyperfibre and 10G home networks
- Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) – combined wireless speeds up to 7200 Mbps with 4×4 MU-MIMO
- Enhanced WPA3 encryption – protects the household network
- Scales via EasyMesh – pair units for whole-home Wi-Fi 7, with optional wired 10G backhaul for a full 10G backbone
- 4K QAM and OFDMA – greater capacity and efficiency for crowded networks
- Multi-Link Operation – smoother gaming and streaming across the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands
- D-Link Wi-Fi Assist app (iOS and Android) – simple setup and day-to-day management
- Smart VPN – secure remote access without per-device VPN software
It sells in Australia for $499.
There is more technical information at www.dlink.com.au
