D-Link Covr mesh Wi-Fi system boosts coverage and internet speeds

THESE three little gadgets might not look like much, but together they combine to solve one of the most frustrating issues around the home.

THE thick cement walls of my old terrace house might help avoid noise complaints from my pesky neighbours when I blast NWA’s Straight Outta Compton on vinyl, but they are not so forgiving when it comes to receiving a strong Wi-Fi system throughout my entire home.

Like many other Aussie homes and business, I have a number of dead spots throughout my house which render my devices useless as they receive no Wi-Fi or cellular signals.

Thankfully D-Link has provided a solution with the release of its new Covr Wi-Fi system, which promises greater wireless coverage in your home and faster speeds. But does it actually work?

The product includes three base stations powered by USB-C connectors, which are

placed around your home to act as Wi-Fi hot spots to ultimately create a mesh network.

Each of the “Covr points” have the appearance of rounded triangle pods, which come in three different colours — gold, pink or blue.

Covr base stations come in gold, pink or blue.

For the most part, the product is discreet and wouldn’t attract too much attention, however the bold “Covr” branding on the top of each base station is too much for my liking.

And given it illuminates in the dark, it’s almost too much.

Regardless of the design flaw, the units come pre-paired and are easily to set up using an Android or iOS app.

This is made even easier by the system’s Wi-Fi protected set-up button, creating an instant connection to new devices without the need to enter new settings or passwords.

Each of the three units also have two on-board gigabit ethernet ports which help free up wireless bandwidth for people using gaming consoles or smart TVs.

The three hot spots are also capable of supplying Wi-Fi access to up to 465sq m, with speeds up to 1200Mbps.

From single-storey apartments to multistorey houses, the system is supposed to work anywhere.

The product also uses technology to scan the wireless signal strength and automatically connect your devices to the strongest available signal, meaning you walk from room to room without experiencing a drop in quality.

Additionally, Covr uses multiple user, multiple input, multiple output (MU-MIMO) technology which efficiently handles traffic to multiple devices and multiple streams at the same time.

A single Wi-Fi network name (SSID) is also used to make it less confusing for users.

The company claim Covr is flexible enough to cover most housing types including single-storey apartments to multistorey houses, with coverage even extending to the front and backyards.

I can only attest to my long, thin terrace house, but the claims certainly seemed to be accurate.

After setting up the product, speed tests showed an improvement of 20-30Mbps in parts of my home where I used to get little or no connection.

And while I have no use for parental controls, the accompanying app allows parents to find out what devices are connected to Covr and create schedules for when these can and can’t be used.

So if you’re looking for a solution to improve your Wi-Fi connection around the home, this product is definitely worth considering.

D-Link’s Covr Wi-Fi system is available now, priced at $449.95.

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