D-Link COVR-1102 AC1200 Dual-Band Wi-Fi Mesh System
A few weeks back we reviewed D-Link’s COVR-2202 High-Powered Tri-Band Seamless Wi-Fi Mesh System. With a price tag of almost AU$500 the unit certainly isn’t for everyone who wants to get on this new WI-FI mesh designed systems. D-Link recently introduced the D-Link COVR-1102 AC1200 Dual-Band Wi-Fi Mesh System; a slightly scaled down version of it’s older sibling the COVR 2202. Lets take a quick side by side comparison of the two models to be clear of the differences between the units.
The COVR 2202 includes 4x ARM Cortex A7 cores at a speed of 717MHz and a SDRAM capacity of 256MB. While we couldn’t identify the CPU being used on the COVR1102, the main differences between the two models are highlighted for clarity.
Unboxing the COVR-1102
The COVR-1102 comes in a similar packaging to the COVR 2202 scaled down in size. The packaging provides a good level of detail of the product and clearly outlines the coverage the unit is capable of. It should be noted that the coverage mentioned here is based on best case scenario and will defer in real life with various obstacles within a home.
Opening up the box, you’re offered 2 neatly packed units, a quick installation card and a quick setup guide.
The COVR-1102 units are surprising light weight cube shaped units which are compact enough to be hidden away if required. There are 2 x Gigabit Ethernet ports for WAN (labelled “Internet”) and LAN connections.
There are 2 x power adaptors and one Ethernet cable included in the package which is pretty much everything you need to get going.
Usage and conclusion
The COVR-1102 does not have a master and slave unit unlike the COVR-2202; which means you can configure any one of the two units as the main device that connects to your modem. The slave unit just needs to be powered on and it’s ready for action. The advantage with the COVR-1102 system is that you can simply horizontally scale by adding more COVR-1100 units as desired with no additional configuration required thanks to its Wi-Fi CERTIFIED EasyMesh™ system.
Backhaul connectivity
If you want to ensure best performance and connectivity between devices connected via the two COVR units, the COVR-1102’s backhaul can be connected through its Gigabit Ethernet ports as well. The drawback to this however is that you will loose one of the LAN ports on each device. The unit we tested was in a 2 story fairly large house and we didn’t seem to require direct Ethernet connectivity to the backhaul. However if you were to transfer large files between devices locally, this Ethernet connectivity will most certainly increase transfer speeds for devices connected between the two COVR units.
The COVR-1102 comes pre-built with some of the modern features you’d find in wirelss routers such as MU-MIMO Technology, Smart Steering, Smart Roaming etc.
One Seamless WI-FI network
You don’t need to remember multiple passwords for multiple wireless networks. Simply configure one WI-FI network and the same network will be available throughout all the COVR units within your home. And with smart roaming, you can be assured of being connected to the strongest signal as you move around your home.
Conclusion
What we like about D-Link products is their ease of installation and the COVR-1102 is no different. Simply scan the QR code through the D-Link Wi-Fi app and follow the prompts.
D-Link recommends that the COVR units not be placed further than 2 bedrooms apart for best performance. This could wary depending on the type of obstructions between rooms and material the signal needs to travel through. (e.g. brick walls etc)
Nevertheless, having tested the COVR-1102 in a multi story house we did not encounter any black spots. We were receiving around 1 bar WI-FI signal towards the extreme end of our home which was still acceptable. The seamless expandability of the COVR-1102 allows anyone who purchases this unit to add more COVR points to cover every corner of your home if it goes beyond the recommended coverage area.
Looking at the size of these units, you wouldn’t think they’ll be capable enough to handle multiple devices communicating simultaneously. We have around 15 devices in our household and 5 of them constantly consuming resources and yet we didn’t experience any lag/downtime during any of our test. While streaming 4K videos via a NAS, and streaming videos and running “Google meet” meetings on other devices, we didn’t encounter any issues that could be pointed towards the performance of the COVR-1102. Given that majority of users would be doing pretty much the same type of work on their home network, we believe the COVR-1102 would more than adequately cover your needs. However if you wanted more coverage and grunt, I’d bite the bullet and shell out an extra $200 for the COVR 2202.
D-Link COVR-1102 AC1200 Dual-Band Wi-Fi Mesh System
AU$ 299.95
Pros
- Easy Installation
- Seamless Expandability
- Small compact design
Cons
- Coverage for larger premises
- Only 1 Ethernet port
