D-Link DIR-3060 EXO AC3000 Smart Mesh Router Review

We present a complete analysis of the high-performance wireless router D-Link DIR-3060 EXO Smart Mesh, an exciting team because it has very powerful hardware with a simultaneous triple band. Complete firmware with multiple configuration options, including compatibility with the Movistar FTTH Triple VLAN and the possibility of configuring an entire Wi-Fi Mesh network in our home using the Wi-Fi repeaters of the manufacturer D-Link.

This router belongs to the EXO family of routers, so we will have great coverage and Wi-Fi speed. An essential feature is that this new router allows D-Link repeaters like the DAP-1620 B1 to be used to form a complete Wi-Fi Mesh network with Wi-Fi roaming and band steering.

The main wireless characteristic of this new neutral router is that it is a simultaneous triple band with Wi-Fi AC3000. In the 2.4GHz band we can achieve a speed of up to 400Mbps, thanks to its two external antennas in MIMO 2T2R configuration, the use of 256QAM and Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n). In the first 5GHz band (low channels), we can achieve a speed of up to 867Mbps, thanks to its two external antennas in MU-MIMO 2T2R configuration and the use of Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac).

In the second 5GHz band (high channels), we can achieve a speed of up to 1,733Mbps, thanks to its four external antennas in MU-MIMO 4T4R configuration and the use of Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac). Other essential wireless features to achieve the best coverage and speed are the incorporation of Beamforming to focus the wireless signal on Wi-Fi clients, to provide them with more excellent coverage, and therefore, a higher speed.

It also has MU-MIMO technology in both 5GHz bands to allow a higher speed globally in this band, as long as wireless clients support this technology. All antennas on this router are external, Omni-directional, and dual, but are not removable. Finally, this D-Link DIR-3060 EXO AC3000 Smart Mesh router has a WPS button on the front that will allow us to easily synchronize wireless devices, and also the signal extenders to form a Wi-Fi Mesh network.

One of the most notable features of the latest D-Link manufacturer routers is the ability to mount a high-performance Wi-Fi Mesh network. If we buy the D-Link DAP-1620 AC1300 repeaters (hardware version B1), we will be able to form a mesh network with band steering and also Wi-Fi roaming between nodes, in this way, we will be able to cover our home very quickly with wireless coverage. Currently, only this repeater model is compatible with Smart Mesh, but soon the manufacturer D-Link will incorporate new devices to provide greater versatility.

As for wired connectivity, it has a Gigabit Ethernet port for the Internet WAN, in addition, its firmware supports VLANs in the WAN to be compatible with FTTH operators that use 802.1Q, and even also supports Movistar FTTH Triple VLAN, so that we can completely replace the Movistar router and still have the same options as the original router. Another essential feature is the incorporation of NAT by hardware to provide the best LAN-WAN wired performance. Finally, this router has a total of four Gigabit Ethernet ports for the LAN.

As for the USB ports, this equipment has a high-performance USB 3.0 port that we have at the back of the router, we will be able to share files and folders on the local network and the Internet easily, and of course, we will have the possibility of configuring a DLNA media server to stream HD video to TV or media player. We also have a USB 2.0 port that performs the same functions, although logically at a lower speed.

The firmware of this new D-Link DIR-3060 EXO AC3000, Smart Mesh router, incorporates the McAfee protection suite. This feature is very important to keep the local network and all the devices that we have connected to the router protected since the router will scan all the traffic that travels over the network to detect possible security threats. By purchasing this router, we will have a free 5-year subscription to McAfee Secure Home Platform.

This software automatically protects all devices on the local network, this software also includes advanced parental controls to keep our children safe while browsing the Internet. An important aspect is that we will also have a total of 2 years of subscription to McAfee LiveSafe, the popular antivirus software from the manufacturer that we can install on desktop computers, laptops, and even mobile devices with Android and iOS.

Other features of this new D-Link DIR-3060 EXO AC3000 Smart Mesh router are that it incorporates compatibility with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to send you voice commands. In this way, we can activate or deactivate certain features of the router through voice commands, to greatly facilitate its use.

It is also compatible with the new D-Link Wi-Fi application that will allow us to install, manage, and administer the router very easily from our smartphone or tablet. This D-Link Wi-Fi application is available for Android and iOS operating systems:

Now that we know the main characteristics of this new D-Link DIR-3060 EXO AC3000 Smart Mesh model, let’s go with the technical features.

Technical Features of the D-Link DIR-3060 EXO AC3000 Smart Mesh

• Wireless: Compatible with 802.11a / b / g / n / ac standards. In the 2.4GHz band we can achieve a speed of up to 400Mbps. In the first 5GHz band, we can achieve a speed of up to 867Mbps, and in the second 5GHz band, we can achieve a speed of up to 1,733Mbps. We will have a total of up to 3000Mbps of wireless bandwidth, the antennas are external, dual, and not removable.
• CPU & Ethernet: MediaTek MT7621AT dual-core at 880MHz speed, with hardware NAT and support for 802.1Q in the WAN and compatible with Movistar FTTH Triple VLAN.
• RAM: Micron MT41K128M16JT-125 with 256MB of capacity.
• Flash: Winbond W29N01HVSINA with 128MB capacity
• Wireless 2.4GHz Controller: MediaTek MT7615D with Wi-Fi 4 2T2R at 400Mbps (uses 256QAM).
• Wireless 5GHz-1 Controller: MediaTek MT7615D with Wi-Fi 5 3T3R at 867Mbps.
• Wireless 5GHz-2 Controller: MediaTek MT7615N with Wi-Fi 5 4T4R at 1733Mbps.
• Power supply: You need a current-voltage of 12V and an intensity of 3A.

Once we know its technical characteristics, we go with the external analysis of the equipment.

External analysis

This new D-Link DIR-3060 EXO AC3000 Smart Mesh neutral router comes in a large white box. In the central part of the box, we will find that this equipment belongs to the EXO range of routers with great coverage and wireless speed, we will also find that it is class AC3000 and that it has Smart Mesh technology to form a complete mesh network with repeaters Wi-Fi from the manufacturer D-Link.

In the upper left area, we can see that this equipment allows its voice control thanks to Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. In addition, it incorporates a speed test inside to check the real speed of our connection. In the lower area, we will find other features such as that it is Dual-Core, it has automatic updates, and it is a simultaneous triple band.

In the back of the box, we find the main specifications in more detail, such as, for example, that the McAfee suite integrated with this router has a free subscription for the first 5 years, this protection suite will protect us against external threats, it will be able to detect infected computers on the local network, and we can even configure advanced parental controls to protect the little ones in the house.

This entire security suite can be controlled from a simple mobile application for Android and iOS, which will allow us to have everything under control. For the purchase of the router, we also have McAfee LiveSafe Protection antivirus software on our PCs, smartphones, and tablets with a free license for 2 years, later we will have to buy the usual subscription.

The Wi-Fi Mesh is one of the important features of this router, this will allow us to form a mesh network with several repeaters Wi-Fi from the manufacturer to extend the wireless network, and also have technologies such as band steering and roaming Wi-Fii between nodes. We currently only have the D-Link DAP-1620 B1 available, but very soon, we will have new compatible higher-end repeaters.

Finally, voice control, thanks to Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, will allow us to carry out necessary actions with the router without the need to use the D-Link Wi-Fi application or access the configuration firmware via the web.

On the right side of the box, we can see the technical characteristics of the hardware that we have already explained in the introduction, and it will also recommend that we download the D-Link Wi-Fi application to install, configure and manage the D-Link DIR-3060 router. EXO AC3000 Smart Mesh from our Android and iOS smartphones.

On the left side of the box, we can see that this router integrates an Internet speed test, ideal for correctly configuring the QoS of the equipment and prioritizing the different devices in our home. We can also see that the firmware of this router incorporates automatic updates, so as not to worry about checking if we have the latest version of the firmware available, it will automatically check if there is a new firmware, it will download and install it at a time when we do not use the router.

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Inside the box of this router, we can see all the built-in documentation, and just below the neutral router itself. The box content of this D-Link DIR-3060 EXO AC3000 Smart Mesh is as follows:

• D-Link DIR-3060 EXO AC3000 Smart Mesh
• 12V and 3A current transformer
• Type G plug for the United Kingdom and other countries, and type C plug for the Spanish market and others.
• Flat Cat5e Ethernet Network Cable
• The quick installation guide in very few steps

This new high-performance router has a quite elegant design and is finished in a matte black color. On the front of the D-Link DIR-3060 EXO AC3000 Smart Mesh, we will find each and every one of the status LEDs, from top to bottom we can see the power indicators of the equipment, Internet status, 2.4GHz band, band of 5GHz-1, 5GHz-2 band, and also the state of the USB 3.0 port and USB 2.0 port that this router incorporates.

In the lower right part, we will find the logo of the McAfee company, since this router integrates their protection and parental control services. This is ideal for protecting the local network against external threats, and we can even limit Internet access to the little ones thanks to its robust parental control.

Finally, we will find the WPS button just at the bottom of the front of the router, we will not find it on the back as usual, but this time it is on this front.

On the right and left side of this router, we will not find any buttons or ports, we will only have a small ventilation grille, and the external antennas that are not removable, therefore, we will not have the typical RP-SMA connector to change the antennas for others with higher profits.

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At the back of this router is where we find the primary connections and buttons. From left to right we can see the USB 2.0 port, the four Gigabit Ethernet ports for the LAN (in blue color), and also the Gigabit Ethernet port for the Internet WAN with support for VLANs (in yellow color), and even the port High-performance USB 3.0. In the right area is where we will have the router’s RESET button to restore it to factory settings, the router’s power connector, and finally, the router’s on / off button.

In this rear area, we will also find the two remaining dual and omnidirectional external antennas, since we have two on each side of the router.

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At the bottom of this router, we can see a large ventilation grille to evacuate the hot air inside, the typical four non-slip pads, and two holes to hang this router on the wall.

In the central area is where we will find a sticker with the exact model of the router, the data to access the firmware (https: //dlinkrouter.local) with its corresponding admin / empty, and we will even be able to know the hardware version of the router, the Default firmware version, the QR code to connect to our device easily, and also the SSID and WPA2 key to connect via Wi-Fi to the router and start its configuration.

Once we have seen in detail what this new D-Link DIR-3060 EXO AC3000 Smart Mesh router looks like on the outside, we are going to go to our test laboratory to check the real performance of this router.

Also Read: Asus TUF FX505DU Review: Best Gaming Laptop?

Test Results

In these LAN tests, we will use JPerf to see how this multi-threaded router behaves on the local network. In this way, we will check if we can squeeze the local network to the maximum by transferring a lot of traffic.

LAN tests

With 100 concurrent TCP threads, we obtain a transfer speed of 113MB / s, an excellent result. We can see how threads are transferred at the same speed, this is synonymous with stability in data transfer. This router performs perfectly in this test.

With 250 threads, we get a speed of 110MB / s, excellent performance. With this router, we will have no problems transferring multiple files over the local network at high speed.

With 500 threads, we obtain a speed of 112MB / s, one of the best routers we have tested to date, with excellent performance, which is expected if we consider its hardware.

With 750 threads we get a speed of 112MB / s, we continue to exceed the 100MB / s barrier without any problem, we get excellent performance. This router continues to perform really well in this test.

With 1,000 threads, we obtain a speed of 110MB / s, a value that is still excellent. We have been able to pass the 1,000 threads test without problems and exceeding 100MB / s, although in practice, it will be difficult for us to have this number of simultaneous TCP connections, so you will not have problems with ultra-fast connections.

In the following table, you can see the values ​​we have obtained with a different number of threads:

LAN-LAN threads	100	250	500	750	1000
D-Link DIR-3060	113MB / s	110MB / s	112MB / s	112MB / s	110MB / s

LAN-LAN Conclusions

The LAN-LAN performance of this D-Link DIR-3060 router is excellent. We will not have any problem in transferring multiple files through the local home network with this equipment, in fact, this D-Link DIR-3060 router is one of the best in this test, and it is that it not only has powerful hardware but also It has a really optimized firmware to provide the best performance on the local network, and that shows a lot.

LAN-WAN testing

In this test, we will simulate how it will behave with P2P since we will connect multiple threads from the LAN to the WAN. As we told you before, this router has NAT for hardware, and its firmware implements this feature, so we expect high performance in this test.

With 100 threads, we get a speed of 113MB / s, excellent performance. With this router, we will not have problems if we use P2P programs, and we have a large bandwidth of the Internet, it will be able to do everything.

With 250 threads, we get a speed of 112MB / s. We still have excellent performance.

With 500 threads, we obtain a speed of 110MB / s. We continue to have above the 100MB / s barrier, so we are sure that you will have no problems.

With 750 threads, we get a speed of 107MB / s. We continue to have speeds above the 100MB / s barrier, so we are sure that you will not have problems.

With 1000 threads we get a speed of 95.9MB / s, we were able to pass the 1,000 TCP threads test without any problem, although we have dropped below the 100MB / s barrier, the performance is still outstanding, in addition, Real home environments will never reach this number of concurrent TCP connections.

In the following table, you can see the values ​​we have obtained with a different number of threads:

LAN-LAN threads	100	250	500	750	1000
D-Link DIR-3060	113MB / s	112MB / s	110MB / s	107MB / s	95.9MB / s

LAN-WAN Conclusions

You can see the results of other routers in this test at the following link: Comparison of the performance of different routers in the LAN-WAN test.

The firmware that this router incorporates has become clear that it is really optimized with the hardware of the equipment. We have passed the test of 1,000 TCP threads without any problem, and we have even reached almost 100MB / s, so the performance we have obtained with this equipment is outstanding. However, we must bear in mind that under normal circumstances, it will be difficult for us to reach this number of simultaneous TCP connections.

LAN-WLAN (Wireless) testing

The time has come to check if the coverage and wireless speed are at the height of the best, or if, on the contrary, it is below.

In all tests, we have launched the Jperf client-server with 50 concurrent TCP threads to check the wireless speed, the server located in the LAN via cable, and the client in the WLAN.

D-Link DIR-3060 AC3000: Test in the 2.4GHz band with Wi-Fi 4

First, we start with the 2.4GHz band, where we can get up to theoretical 400Mbps. Here are the results obtained with the JPerf client-server with 50 concurrent TCP threads:

D-Link DIR-3060 2.4GHz	Adjoining room	Downstairs bedroom	Storage room
Intel Dual-Band Wireless AC7265	Synchro: 400Mbps Speed: 16.1MB / s	Synchro: 324Mbps Speed: 13.3MB / s	Synchro: 180Mbps Speed: 6.5MB / s
TRENDnet TEW-805UB	Synchro: 400Mbps Speed: 19.6MB / s	Synchro: 150Mbps Speed: 9.3MB / s	Synchro: 135Mbps Speed: 6.1MB / s
Linksys WUSB6300	Synchro: 400Mbps Speed: 20.1MB / s	Synchro: 180Mbps Speed: 8.7MB / s	Synchro: 150Mbps Speed: 10.2MB / s
TP-Link Archer T4U	Synchro: 400Mbps Speed: 18.3MB / s	Synchro: 180Mbps Speed: 6.2MB / s	Synchro: 150Mbps Speed: 6.7MB / s
D-Link DWA-182	Synchro: 400Mbps Speed: 18.5MB / s	Synchro: 240Mbps Speed: 10.6MB / s	Synchro: 180Mbps Speed: 8.9MB / s
Edimax EW-7811USC	Synchro: 200Mbps Speed: 15.5MB / s	Synchro: 150Mbps Speed: 6.3MB / s	Synchro: 180Mbps Speed: 8.2MB / s
Edimax EW-7833UAC	Synchro: 400Mbps Speed: 22.3MB / s	Synchro: 400Mbps Speed: 10.7MB / s	Synchro: 180Mbps Speed: 7.1MB / s
ASUS USB-AC56	Synchro: 400Mbps Speed: 19.4MB / s	Synchro: 240Mbps Speed: 6.6MB / s	Synchro: 180Mbps Speed: 8.3MB / s

As you can see in the performance tests, this equipment is capable of providing a real 180Mbps throughput in the 2.4GHz band, an excellent performance if we consider how saturated this band is and that we do not have Wi technology -Fi AC or Wi-Fi AX. In places near the AP, we obtain an outstanding speed.

The coverage provided by this equipment is outstanding, from remote locations such as the room below, or in the storage room, we achieve excellent performance as well. What we should highlight most about the 2.4GHz band is that it is capable of providing us with very good coverage even in places far from the AP, ideal for IoT devices such as Cloud cameras and other types of devices.

D-Link DIR-3060 AC3000: Test in the 5GHz band with Wi-Fi 5

Now we are going to check the wireless performance that we achieve in the 5GHz band with Wi-Fi AC technology. Here are the results obtained with the JPerf client-server with 50 concurrent TCP threads:

D-Link DIR-3060 – 5GHz	Adjoining room	Downstairs bedroom	Storage room
Intel Dual-Band Wireless AC7265	Synchro: 867Mbps Speed: 30.8MB / s	Synchro: 97.5Mbps Speed: 4.3MB / s	Synchro: 144Mbps Speed: 5.1MB / s
TRENDnet TEW-805UB	Synchro: 867Mbps Speed: 43.7MB / s	Synchro: 260Mbps Speed: 2.6MB / s	Synchro: 12Mbps Speed: 1,1MB / s
Linksys WUSB6300	Synchro: 867Mbps Speed: 31.7MB / s	Synchro: 325Mbps Speed: 3.1MB / s	Synchro: 260Mbps Speed: 16.2MB / s
TP-Link Archer T4U	Synchro: 867Mbps Speed: 32.9MB / s	Synchro: 325Mbps Speed: 13.1MB / s	Synchro: 12Mbps Speed: 7.5MB / s
D-Link DWA-182	Synchro: 867Mbps Speed: 33.1MB / s	Synchro: 260Mbps Speed: 15.6MB / s	Synchro: 12Mbps Speed: 8.3MB / s
Edimax EW-7811USC	Synchro: 433Mbps Speed: 17.8MB / s	Synchro: 97.5Mbps Speed: 4.5MB / s	Synchro: 130Mbps Speed: 6.5MB / s
Edimax EW-7833UAC	Synchro: 867Mbps Speed: 36.8MB / s	Synchro: 867Mbps Speed: 14.2MB / s	Synchro: 97.5Mbps Speed: 15.4MB / s
ASUS USB-AC56	Synchro: 867Mbps Speed: 33.5MB / s	Synchro: 292.5Mbps Speed: 11.4MB / s	Synchro: 260Mbps Speed: 15MB / s

As you can see in the table, this equipment is capable of providing up to 350Mbps real speed thanks to Wi-Fi AC technology, we must remember that this equipment is not Wi-Fi AX. Depending on the card we use, we will be able to squeeze the wireless network to a greater or lesser extent. In remote places like the storage room, the speed we have achieved is 130Mbps real without many problems. Therefore, the performance is outstanding.

Vertical coverage, in this case, has also been excellent, managing to provide coverage to all Wi-Fi cards, something that very few routers achieve since we are facing the worst possible scenario: Interferences with neighboring networks, and placed just below the router in the lower floor, where it is only reached through signal bounces. In addition, in this location, we have achieved almost 120Mbps real.

We have been delighted with the wireless performance of this router, both at the level of wireless coverage in all locations, and the actual speed.

D-Link DIR-3060 AC3000: Test in the 5GHz-2 band with Wi-Fi 5

Now we are going to check the wireless performance we achieved in the second 5GHz band with Wi-Fi AC technology. Here are the results obtained with the JPerf client-server with 50 concurrent TCP threads:

D-Link DIR-3060 5GHz-2	Adjoining room	Downstairs bedroom	Storage room
Intel Dual-Band Wireless AC7265	Synchro: 867Mbps Speed: 51MB / s	Synchro: 195Mbps Speed: 3.6MB / s	Synchro: 144Mbps Speed: 7.8MB / s
TRENDnet TEW-805UB	Synchro: 867Mbps Speed: 42.8MB / s	Synchro: 130Mbps Speed: 7.8MB / s	Synchro: 135Mbps Speed: 6.8MB / s
Linksys WUSB6300	Synchro: 867Mbps Speed: 51.6MB / s	Synchro: 325Mbps Speed: 10.5MB / s	Synchro: 325Mbps Speed: 14.3MB / s
TP-Link Archer T4U	Synchro: 867Mbps Speed: 45.9MB / s	Synchro: 325Mbps Speed: 6.6MB / s	Synchro: 325Mbps Speed: 8.4MB / s
D-Link DWA-182	Synchro: 867Mbps Speed: 44.4MB / s	Synchro: 292.5Mbps Speed: 6.2MB / s	Synchro: 325Mbps Speed: 10.3MB / s
ASUS USB-AC56	Synchro: 867Mbps Speed: 41.1MB / s	Synchro: 325Mbps Speed: 10.5MB / s	Synchro: 325Mbps Speed: 15.1MB / s

As you can see in the table, this equipment is capable of providing up to 410Mbps real speed thanks to Wi-Fi AC technology, we must remember that this equipment is not Wi-Fi AX. Depending on the card we use, we will be able to squeeze the wireless network to a greater or lesser extent. In remote places like the storage room, the speed we have achieved is 120Mbps real without many problems. Therefore, the performance is outstanding.

Vertical coverage, in this case, has been good, managing to provide coverage to all Wi-Fi cards, something that very few routers achieve since we are facing the worst possible scenario: Interferences with neighboring networks, and placed just below the router on the floor lower, where it is only reached through signal bounces. In addition, in this location, we have achieved real 80Mbps.

We have been delighted with the wireless performance of this router, both at the level of wireless coverage in all locations, and the actual speed.

Conclusions for Wireless

In the 2.4GHz band, this router has behaved outstandingly. Besides, the firmware allows us to deactivate HT20 / 40 Coexistence to always have 40MHz of channel width, so we will consistently achieve the maximum possible performance. If we have 256QAM compatible cards, we will get additional speed in this band. The coverage and the real speed we have achieved with this team is at the height of the best.

In the first 5GHz band it has behaved excellently, the router is capable of providing very good coverage, even if we are in complicated places such as the room below or the storage room, besides, the actual speed that we can achieve is very elevated, being at the height of the best Wi-Fi routers on the market.

In the 5GHz-2 band, it has performed excellently in locations close to the router. However, performance is slightly lower in remote locations (compared to the first 5GHz band), which is true of all Wi-Fi routers. Fi. However, the performance in this frequency band has been remarkable, achieving speeds in remote places of up to 120Mbps real.

USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 tests

USB tests are like the ones we have been doing regularly. We will check the speed of reading and writing in NTFS format since we will copy files of more than 4GB (videos in high definition). We will carry out the measurements with the Samba server that the router incorporates and also via FTP. All tests will be done with our new RedesZone USB test bench that includes a Kingston KC2000 NVMe SSD and the USB 3.2 Gen 2 ASUS ROG Strix Arion case.

Samba on USB 3.0 port

• NTFS-> Read: 60 MB / s; Write: 32 MB / s.

FTP on USB 3.0 port

• NTFS-> Read: 47.5 MB / s; Write: 49.7 MB / s.

DLNA in USB 3.0 port

The operation of the DLNA media server was just perfect, something we already knew because the reading speed is very high. Detection, playback as fast forward has worked excellently.

Samba in USB 2.0 port

• NTFS-> Read: 35.5 MB / s; Write: 32.5 MB / s.

FTP on USB 2.0 port

• NTFS-> Read: 36 MB / s; Write: 32.5 MB / s.

DLNA in USB 2.0 port

The operation of the DLNA media server was just perfect, something we already knew because the reading speed is very high. Detection, playback as fast forward has worked excellently.

Next, you can see a comparative table:

D-Link DIR-3060	Reading Speed	Write Speed
USB 3.0: Samba	60MB / s	32MB / s
USB 3.0: FTP	47.5MB / s	49.7MB / s
USB 2.0: Samba	35.5MB / s	32.5MB / s
USB 2.0: FTP	36MB / s	32.5MB / s

USB Conclusions

This D-Link DIR-3060 router has performed outstandingly in USB 3.0 tests. The speed obtained is better than expected, since the CPU of this router is not comparable to other top-of-the-range router processors. This test is where the real power of a specific processor is most noticeable. However, if you are going to use the USB 3.0 port to share files on the local network and the Internet, and even using the DLNA media server, you will not have any slow problems, especially in reading speed since we have achieved up to 60MB / s.

D-Link DIR-3060 Configuration Assistant

The configuration wizard of this D-Link DIR-3060 router is exactly the same as the rest of the D-Link manufacturer routers. In the first menu, we must accept the terms and conditions, and then go to the configuration wizard that will guide us through the different steps.

The first thing we will see is a small menu with the different steps that we will have to follow. In the first step, the router will detect the Internet connection automatically, without us having to do absolutely anything. If it does not detect it, then it will ask us for help to configure the Internet, although we can also skip this step to do it later.

Once you have configured the Internet connection (WAN), it will ask us about the SSID and the Wi-Fi password that we are going to want to use. This equipment is a simultaneous triple band, but it only allows us to put an SSID and password that all bands will have, and of course, we will have «Smart Connect» to have band steering. If we want to differentiate the frequency bands, we will have to later access the firmware and disable this Smart Connect. Once we have entered the SSID and the password of the Wi-Fi wireless network, click on next.

The D-Link DIR-3060 wizard will ask us to set an administration password, it is recommended to select a secure password so that no one enters the administration of the router itself. Then the router will detect our time zone and configure it. An essential aspect is the possibility of setting the automatic updates of the router, or on the contrary, we carry out the update manually.

Finally, the configuration wizard will bring us a summary of all the changes made in the router, and the D-Link DIR-3060 will restart to apply those changes correctly and start working.

When reaccessing the firmware, the router will automatically detect if a new firmware is available, and will ask us for permission to update it, as you can see here:

Once we have seen in detail what the D-Link DIR-3060 firmware configuration wizard looks like, we are going to see in detail each and every one of the firmware configuration options.

D-Link DIR-3060 Firmware

The firmware menu of this D-Link DIR-3060 router is really very intuitive, and we can make specific advanced settings, both on the Internet WAN as well as on the Wi-Fi network and other router options. One aspect to note is that it has QoS, and L2tp / IPsec VPN server, and it also has full support for the Movistar FTTH triple VLAN, so we can replace the operator router without losing any functionality.

Start

In the home, a section is where we can see the general state of the entire router. If we click on the “Internet” icon, we will be able to see both the basic configuration and the public IP, DNS, and connection time data. In «DIR-3060,» we can see the configuration of the IPv4 and IPv6 network, as well as the configuration of the Wi-Fi wireless network. We can also see the number of clients connected at any given time if we have any Wi-Fi extender compatible with Wi-Fi Mesh connected, and even if we have a removable storage device connected to the router, either through its USB port. 3.0 or USB 2.0.

In this “Start” section, we can see the global status of the entire home network quickly and easily.

Setting

In the “Internet” section, we can configure all the necessary parameters to connect to the Internet, both with IPv4 networks and with IPv6 networks, since this router is fully compatible with the IPv6 network protocol. A very important detail that we must highlight is that this router is compatible with VLANs in the Internet WAN, VLANs per port, and also supports the Movistar FTTH triple VLAN to clone all the functionalities of the original router of the operator.

In the “Wireless” menu, we can activate or deactivate the Wi-Fi Mesh and also the “Smart Connection,” which is basically the Smart Connect or band-steering of the three frequency bands. By deactivating this, we will have access to all the individual configurations of each frequency band of this router.

The firmware menu will allow us to configure the following parameters when we “separate” the management of the frequency bands:

• Enable or disable the frequency band.
• SSID
• Password
• Security
• 802.11 mode
• Wi-Fi channel
• Wi-Fi transmission power
• Channel width (and in 2.4GHz if we want to enable or not HT20 / 40 Coexistence)
• Visibility
• Programming

In the case of the first 5GHz band, we can enable whether we want to use the DFS channels or not. Finally, we can enable or disable WPS. As you can see, we have a lot of advanced configuration options.

In the “Network” section is where we can configure all the parameters of the local network, such as the LAN IP address, the subnet mask, domain for local management, the DHCP server, and other parameters such as enabling UPnP, management of multicast traffic, etc.

In the “Configuration” section, we can also access the USB menu, where we will have the possibility to enable three services: DLNA, Samba, and FTP. In the latter, the firmware allows us to activate access from the Internet WAN, change the default FTP port, and create different user accounts with different permissions.

Finally, it also appears to us if we have registered with D-Link Cloud, this is done through the free D-Link Wi-Fi app since it is absolutely necessary if we want to “link” this router with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, etc.

As you have seen, we have a large number of configuration options in this section, now we are going to see the rest of the options available in the firmware.

characteristics

This router incorporates a QoS that is very easy to use, where we can select the equipment that we want to have the highest priority, ideal so as not to overly complicate ourselves with parameters that are difficult to understand. We will also have a very configurable firewall, with the possibility of adding rules for both IPv4 and IPv6, in addition, we can also activate the SPI firewall and even configure the DMZ.

As for port-triggering and port-forwarding, this router has exactly the same configuration options as always, and we can create rules with the same options as always. We can also configure static routes in case we have a VPN server on the local network with TUN, ideal for reaching it without any problem from the local network and vice versa.

Other available options are to configure dynamic DNS, with different services: dlinkddns.com, dyndns.com, and also “manual” configuration in case we use another provider. Finally, we will have the possibility of configuring a VPN server of type L2TP over IPsec, ideal for remote access to all the resources of the local network. However, we will not have a lot of configuration options in this regard, either.

Once we have seen all the options of “Features,” we will see the options in “Management.”

Management

In the management section, we will be able to see and configure the time and time zone, see the system registry and export the logs, configure the sending of the logs by email, and more. We can also configure a new administrator password and control the status LEDs.

We can also save, restore, restore the router to factory settings, restart it, and configure an automatic restart at a certain time. We can also access all created users from here, and even update the router very easily. Finally, we will have a section of statistics on data consumption and real-time traffic from the Internet, LAN, Wi-Fi networks, and even statistics from the extender if it exists.

So far, we have come with our complete analysis of the firmware of this D-Link DIR-3060 router, now we are going to see in detail what options are available in the D-Link Wi-Fi app, and also in D-Link Defend, since We must remember that this equipment incorporates the McAfee protection suite.

D-Link Wi-Fi and D-Link Defend on the D-Link DIR-3060 router

D-Link Wi-Fi is the free app for Android and iOS that will allow us to install, configure, manage, and monitor the local network very easily, you can download this application from the official stores:

As for the D-Link Defend application, it is the app with which we will manage the McAfee security system on this router and on the other routers in the family. In the firmware there is nothing to configure the McAfee nor the parental control, the reason is that everything is managed from an application for mobile devices, this app is free and available for Android and iOS, you can download it from the official stores:

So far, we have come with our analysis of the D-Link DIR-3060 router, so we will list a list of strengths, weaknesses, and, finally, the conclusions.

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Pros

• Excellent LAN-LAN performance in all measurements, it has successfully passed all tests with great performance.
• Excellent LAN-WAN performance in all measurements has successfully passed all tests with excellent performance.
• Wi-Fi performance in the outstanding 2.4GHz band, we have achieved a speed of up to 22.3MB / s.
• Excellent 5GHz Wi-Fi performance in the first band, we have reached 43.7MB / s of wireless performance.
• Wi-Fi performance in the remarkable second 5GHz band, we have reached 51MB / s of performance with the Intel Wireless 7265 Wi-Fi card, although the USB Wi-Fi cards have also achieved very high results.
• Outstanding performance obtained in the USB test in both reading and writing, since we have achieved around 60MB / read and 45MB / s write.
• Complete configuration assistant that helps us with the set-up of the equipment in very few steps.
• The D-Link firmware is fast and very intuitive, and it also includes services such as a multimedia server, samba, FTP server, and also an L2TP / IPsec type VPN server. It also has the McAfee protection suite and support for the Movistar FTTH triple VLAN.
• Incorporate Smart Mesh to create a mesh Wi-Fi network with D-Link Wi-Fi extenders, such as the D-Link DAP-1620 B1.
• D-Link Wi-Fi mobile application to manage it easily from anywhere, it is very intuitive and allows an extensive list of configuration options. We also have D-Link Defend, which is the app dedicated exclusively to managing McAfee’s security suite and parental controls.
• It supports Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to send you voice commands.
• A router on /off button.
• WPS button
• Price: outstanding, this router can be found for € 170.

Cons

• Advanced users want official firmware with more configuration options.
• The D-Link Defend options are not available in the router firmware, only in the app.
• It does not currently support DD-WRT firmware for more advanced configuration options.

Conclusion

This new D-Link DIR-3060 router is the top of the range router of the new EXO family of routers, a family characterized by outstanding overall performance, and excellent wireless performance, besides, the price is really competitive if we have in account all the possibilities it provides us.

In the LAN-LAN and LAN-WAN tests, the performance has been excellent, with great speed and stability in the connections, so it is prepared for the ultra-fast Internet speeds that the FTTH allows us. In addition, the most essential function of this router is that it supports the triple VLAN of Movistar FTTH. Therefore, we can easily replace the router of our Movistar operator without losing any services.

The wireless performance of this router has lived up to expectations. The coverage and Wi-Fi speed they provide in all scenarios are outstanding globally. The best thing is that in the second 5GHz band, we will achieve speeds of more than 400Mbps without any problems.

With several Wi-Fi cards, besides, the Horizontal and vertical coverage has also been excellent. The star functionality of this section is that it supports Smart Connect to have band steering, and it also supports Wi-Fi Mesh if we use compatible extender devices, such as the D-Link DAP-1620 B1 that we have talked about in the analysis itself. Thanks to the Smart Mesh function, we will be able to have a complete meshed network in our home with this router as the central point.

As for the performance obtained in the USB 3.0 port, it has been outstanding, above what was expected, because the CPU of this router is not as powerful as the top-of-the-range routers that are worth € 300. However, we have achieved a speed of up to 60MB / s in reading, and about 45MB / s in writing, so the performance is outstanding, and if you are going to use this USB 3.0 port, you should not have too many problems. The DLNA media server has worked correctly, we have been able to play Full HD content with quite a high bitrate without problems.

Regarding the firmware of the manufacturer D-Link in this router, it is very intuitive and easy to configure. Also, it incorporates the McAfee protection suite to protect the local home network from external attacks. This functionality can only be configured with the D-Link Wi-Fi app and D-Link Defend. An important detail of the firmware is that it also has an L2TP / IPsec-type VPN server, ideal for connecting securely to our local home network. However, we miss more configuration options in this regard.

The only negative part of this router is that the most advanced users will not have too many configuration options in the default firmware. Besides, it is not compatible with DD-WRT as it happens with other EXO models from the manufacturer D-Link. If with all the configuration options of this router, it is enough for you, this equipment is highly recommended for the price it has, and for its possibilities.

Once we have known the technical specifications, the real performance of this router, the options of its firmware with the Movistar triple VLAN, Smart Mesh and the McAfee protection suite as star functions, and the current price of about 170 euros, the evaluation of Droidcops is 9/10:

We hope you liked the analysis if you have any questions you can put us a comment and we will be delighted to reply.