D-Link DSL-X3052E Wi-Fi 6 AX3000 Modem/Router with VOIP – the perfect FTTN gateway (network review)

26/08/2024
By Ray Shaw
In Reviews

The D-Link DSL-X3052E Wi-Fi 6 AX3000 modem router with VoIP is the perfect FTTN gateway to replace the low-cost rubbish routers usually supplied by an NBN reseller.

Consumer advice: D-Link uses standard SIP VoIP protocols most NBN resellers use. The exceptions are Telstra and TPG, which refuse to adopt the standards. If you are with them and need a landline, you are stuck with their proprietary modem/gateway routers. Read – Telstra Smart Modem 3 – not all that smart or fast (update after test)—bad Telstra.

Also, it is not a mesh-capable router, but it is excellent as the gateway for connecting a mesh system for seamless Wi-Fi throughout the home. D-Link’s Aquila Pro AI in M60 AX6000 or M30 AX 3000 are great if you have a smaller house or apartment. Read D-Link AQUILA PRO AI M30: Boosts Smart Home Coverage (the AX6000 has 4800Mbps 5Ghz bandwidth versus 2400 for the AX3000 – otherwise they are identical).

If you have a larger or multi-story home, read about Wi-Fi 7, but be warned a top-of-the-line 3-node mesh system varies from $2500 to $4299.

Australian Review: D-Link DSL-X3052E Wi-Fi 6 AX3000 Modem Router with VoIP

Website	Product page and PDF Manual
Price	$399.95
From	D-Link online, JB Hi-Fi, Good Guys, Officeworks. Myer, Big W, and reputable IT retailers
Warranty	3-year ACL
Country of Origin	Taiwan
Company	D-Link, founded in 1986, is a Taiwanese multinational networking company headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. You can trust D-Link with your privacy.
More	Cybershack D-Link news and reviews

New ratings in 2024

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it should be and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

We are also tightening up on grading. From now on, Pass, for example, means meeting expectations for the price bracket. We consider a Pass mark to be 70+/100 with extra points added for class-leading and excellence.

First Impression – Pass

Sorry, but modem/routers are about taking NBN broadband up to 100/40Mbps over Telstra’s old and often decrepit copper lines from the Node (FTTN) and distributing it as efficiently as possible via Wi-Fi or Ethernet. They don’t have to look anything more than black and functional.

They need excellent error correction, as Telstra’s old copper is very error-prone. It can suffer from environmental issues like lightning, rain, heat, and insects. Most cheap modem/routers support basic error correction. This has the works.

Profile 8a/8b/12a/12b/17a/30a/35b
Signal-to-noise ratio margin measurement (in the web interface)
Aline Attenuation measures how much the signal’s strength has been degraded.
SOS (Save Our Showtime): Rapidly responds to spontaneous changes in copper network conditions, typically resulting in a dropout.
ROC (Robust Overhead Channel): A complementary feature to SOS, which enables NBN to maintain connectivity with your modem during spontaneous changes (water, heat, cold, etc.) in copper network conditions.

Let’s look at Profile 35b

Fact: 76% of FTTN connections use a 17a protocol (17MHz bandwidth) modem/router and cannot get reliable 100/20Mbps speed. 10% cannot even reach 50/20Mbps. That is why NBN is slowly working to expand FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) to an additional 7.7 million homes.

Protocol 35b uses 35Mhz bandwidth and enables maximum speed and reliability along with a few smarts. It works best on run distances of <250m from the node but will increase reliability on longer runs. The smarts include:

Bit Swap: The router can swap bits around different channels, allowing it to robustly adapt to changing telephone line conditions.
SRA (Seamless Rate Adaptation): Prevents ADSL data rate interference caused by the cross-talk between the old Telstra copper telephone lines.
VDSL2 G.vector: Reduces crosstalk (noise cancelling) on copper lines.
SOS (Save Our Showtime): Rapidly responds to spontaneous changes in copper network conditions, typically resulting in a dropout.
ROC (Robust Overhead Channel): This feature complements SOS and enables NBN to maintain connectivity with your modem during spontaneous changes (water, heat, cold, etc.) in copper network conditions.

Summary: Profile 35b modems will extract maximum performance from that old copper telephone wiring. In tests over the past few weeks, the connection has held better during all that rain than most other VDSL2 modems we have tested. It has even eked out a few more Mbps.

It is also compatible with Aussie Broadland’s stability profile.

D-Link DSL-X3052E base specs

Broadcasts two bands SSID or can enable smart steering (seen as one band). We recommend two for IoT compatibility.
Wi-Fi 6 AX3000, 2.4MHz/574Mbps and 5GHz/2400Mbps, full-duplex OFDMA.
BSS Colouring Technology reduces interference, making more efficient use of the Wi-Fi spectrum
2 x 2 stream (4 antenna for MU-MIMO) and 1024-QAM
Maximum speed router 5GHz band 1200/1200Mbps (20/40/80/160MHz)
2 x VoIP FXS ports (compatible with any NBN ISP except Telstra and TPG)
Setup – Web UI only and full D-Link command set
Mesh capable: No
Parental controls: Yes
WPA 2/3/WEP suitable for older devices
Power: 12V/2A plug pack – negligible power draw

Ports – Pass

One Gigabit Ethernet WAN port (can be used with FTTP, HFC NBN)
Four Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports
One USB 3.0 port for USB flash drive or 4G Fallback modem
Two FXS VoIP ports (you can port your landline number to these)

Tests – Pass

OPPO Find X5 Pro with the latest firmware—speeds expressed as -dBm (lower is better) and Mbps (higher is better). Internet access is a maximum of 100/20Mbps (nominal as it can go higher).

Distance	5GHz router	DL/UL/Ms
Same room <2m	-24/1200	110.4/18.3/33
5m line of sight	-34/1200	106.7/17.3/36
5m through 2 walls and cupboards	-53/1200	105.7/17.8/73
10m line of sight	-49/1200	107/17.2/37
15m line of site	-55/1200	102.8/14.7/38

What does this mean? Pass+

These are impressive figures for a router with a good, usable 5GHz signal to 15m and the 5m test through walls/cupboards. It shows the benefit of Wi-Fi 6 and its associated OFDMA and MU-MIMO technologies.

Over the past few weeks, it has been rock solid.

Compatibility with IoT and WPA3 encryption – Pass+

If band steering is enabled, it only transmits one SSID and older IoT can have issues. If you find this, then disable steering. It supports all encryption modes, so there will be no issues with older devices.

4K streaming – Pass

4K streaming requires about 25Mbps. This appears quite efficient for two or even three streams, provided you have the NBN bandwidth.

Parental control – Pass

It has basic subscription-free parental control policies. These policies include multiple children’s profiles, scheduled use, bedtime, web filtering, and devices.

Number of connected devices – Pass

As it has 2.4GHz/574Mbps bandwidth, you can probably attach 40 IoT devices to the system.

Lan – Pass

There are four gigabit Ethernet LAN ports.

Other features – Pass

It has all the web interface features you expect – see the manual.

4G Fall-over – optional

NBN is pretty reliable, but you can get a 4G LTE USB Adapter DWM022 that works with this. It offers bands 1, 3, 7, 28, and 40 and DL speeds of up to 150/50MBps (depending on the Telco carrier and 4G signal strength). As it is USB, it will also work with PC/Mac. Mobile data charges apply.

CyberShack’s view: The D-Link DSL-X3052E Wi-Fi 6 AX3000 Modem/Router with VOIP is an impressive FTTN Gateway and router for smaller homes and apartments.

Wi-Fi 6 is the lowest standard we recommend, as it solves all the issues with Wi-Fi 5.

If you cannot find $399.95, the $349.95 D-Link DSL-X1852E AX1800 DSL router is essentially the same but has less 5GHz bandwidth.

The SOS/ROC/Profile 30as/35b make this an outstanding FTTN gateway. You could connect a more powerful Mesh router to it and disable its Wi-Fi.

My only concern is the lack of mesh expandability. It is not for larger or multi-level homes. Having said that, it does support Ethernet-wired extenders, albeit with these present different SSID names.

Ratings (uses 2024 70/100 pass mark)

Features: 85 Advanced FTTN error correction is all you need to know.
Value: 75 – not cheap but you pay for advanced VDSL error correction
Performance: 80 as a gateway and for Wi-Fi in smaller homes
Ease of Use: 80 – web interface is straightforward.
Design: 75 – functional, not fashionable