D-Link delivers a whopper of a modem router

The more wireless devices we connect at home, the more our networks struggle, and so it’s fair that we upgrade on a regular basis. But what if you don’t want a router by itself, what can you turn to?

If you feel like you need a modem upgrade and one that counts, not just another router to fix the ailing wireless on your old modem router, replacing that thing might be the solution.

Replacing a modem router isn’t as easy as adding a new router, sure, but with more Australians on ADSL/ADSL2+ than the NBN, the idea of one gadget that does everything is indeed more alluring than two for the same set of features.

And so more of us rely on the singular device — the modem router — which we don’t see as many of, partly because not every nation has the same fibre-less problem we do.

Fortunately, if you’re shopping for a new unit that can replace both, D-Link may have the answer in one big modem router making its way to store shelves shortly.

One big crazy modem router that also happens to be blue.

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This big crazy modem router that also happens to be blue is actually called the Taipan, and while it’s not thin like the snake it’s named for, it is likely to turn heads, which is what a snake would do if it entered your home.

D-Link’s new modem router follows much of the design language set out by the company’s previous model, the AC3200 Ultra WiFi Router, which resembled a red pyramid or an old Pizza Hut eat-in restaurant, whichever you saw in its design first.

For us, it was the Pizza Hut router, and while it lacked a modem to connect you to the web, it did offer six high-gain antennas built for 802.11ac WiFi, capable of delivering one 600Mbps 2.4GHz network and two 1300Mbps (1.3Gbps) 5GHz networks.

A bit of wired Ethernet was thrown in here, offering four Gigabit Ethernet ports, one USB 2.0 port, one USB 3.0 port, with a dual-core 1GHz processor making this work, completed with a design that basically said “look out, I’m here”.

The new model isn’t a whole lot different from those features, and much of what’s inside is the same, but there is also a modem thrown into the box as well, and that makes it special, with Australia and New Zealand the only places that this special edition modem router is found.

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“With the explosion of online, streaming and gaming services the Taipan fills the gap for households wanting the very best in an all-in-one wireless AC modem router solution, which caters to even the most demanding user of streaming services, or what we call Extreme Streaming,” said Graeme Reardon, Managing Director for D-Link in Australia and New Zealand.

Monitoring of the modem router is also important, and that happens with a mobile app — D-Link’s “MyDlink Lite” — which can be downloaded to pretty much any mobile out there, including iPhones, Androids, and even Windows Phone products.

Pricing of the D-Link Taipan isn’t cheap, however, with the rather unusual looking blue modem router fetching a high price tag in Australia and asking for a little over $500, setting a price tag of $579.95.

We’re not sure that’s a price all families or households will be able to swallow, but if you have lots of devices and a lot of space to cover, the six antenna 802.11ac solution that is the Taipan might be the best idea your house has had in ages.

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