D-Link X3052E AX3000 Modem Router review

Modem Routers are remarkably rare beasts in the networking section of your local electronics store. Which is surprising considering that all Fibre-to-the-Node NBN connections require a VDSL modem, and that FTTN makes up the lion's share of NBN connections across the country.

With an MSRP of $399.95, the X3052E sits in amongst other AX3000 spec modem routers from competitors like TP-Link and ASUS. There are cheaper options if you’re willing to sacrifice WiFi throughput speeds, but we think then X3052E finds the right mix of bang for buck.

When comparing prices it is really important to make sure you are looking at other modem routers, and not just stand-alone routers which tend to be much cheaper. You might find it hard to differentiate between the two based on looks alone, so double-check for the VDSL port on the back to make sure the device is NBN-ready.

Looking for a new NBN plan? Here are the popular picks from our comparison engine.

For the first time in a long time, I didn't need a separate smartphone app to set up this modem router. In fact, the X3052E isn't compatible with any of D-Link's existing WiFi management apps. 

Instead, it's a trip back to the golden days of modem setup, with a web browser pointed to 192.168.1.1. Once logged in, the management tool starts a set up wizard which walks you through the half-dozen steps to get online.

It seems like app-less setup is a downside to consider, but this isn't true for the initial setup process. I found it straight forward a process and was online within about 10 minutes. That said, apps are very handy when it comes to ongoing network management.

For the following speed tests I’m using a Aussie Broadband 100/20Mbps FTTN NBN connection and a Google Pixel 8 Pro for WiFi testing. These tests were performed in my home during business hours. By default, D-Link has band steering turned on so I’ve left it like this during these tests.

All in all, very respectable results. I consistently saw solid speed test results across most areas around my home, regardless of any obstacles in the way, with acceptably low latency and almost no packet loss.

D-Link covers off the standard suite of networking tech we expect to similar in WiFi 6 routers, but doesn’t extend this to nice-to-have features you might find in competitor products.

The powerful WiFi 6 hardware allows for throughput speeds up to 2400Mbps over the 5GHz band and 574Mbps over the 2.4GHz band — hence this being an AX3000 router.

As mentioned above, the X3052E makes use of band steering (known as Smart Connect in the router’s settings) which combines the 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi bands into a single network and then allocates the best band for each of your devices.

This modem router also utilises the multi-user version of OFDMA and MU-MIMO available with WiFi 6, and BSS Colouring technology. Now, this is a lot of tech-heavy acronyms for a single sentence, and while I don’t have time to define each in detail, the important takeaway is that each of these technologies plays a role in optimising network traffic. Many homes now have a few dozen online devices simultaneously vying for data, and this trinity of tech works to move data efficiently to each device and minimise any queueing for access.

The X3052E is NBN-ready with VDSL2 / ADSL2+ hardware and dual VoiP ports supports two separate phone lines.

You’ll also find some basic parental controls in the settings menu, which allows you to create user profiles and identify which devices should be associated with which user. You can then set connection rules and limits to these profiles.

What you won’t find in the X3052E is the option to expand your network with compatible mesh routers, which is now a common feature in products like this.

D-Link clearly nails the core aspects of a modem-router in the X3052E, even if it skimps on the fancy extras we often find in routers these days.

Setup is easy enough, and the day-to-day performance is rock solid, which should be what we are shopping for when it comes to networking hardware.