D-Link Aquila Pro AI AX6000 Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 Router (M60) Review

If you’re searching for a Wi-Fi router that doesn’t look like one, check out the D-Link Aquila Pro AI AX6000 M60 ($179.99). This futuristic-looking dual-band device uses Wi-Fi 6 technology and eight internal antennas to deliver adequate throughput and signal strength performance. It also offers multi-gig WAN, but its four LAN ports are limited to 1GbE, and it lacks USB connectivity. It’s a good value for a mainstream Wi-Fi 6 router, but you’ll get more features and better 5GHz performance from the $219.99 Synology WRX560, our Editors’ Choice.

Design: Wi-Fi With Wings

The M60 has a matte white and light blue enclosure with two fins on either side that curve up and in. D-Link says the design is eagle-inspired—perhaps the fins are supposed to be curved wings—but it really looks more like a manta ray. It measures 3.1 by 8.9 by 6.4 inches (HWD) and uses eight internal antennas to provide up to 3,000 square feet of coverage. The rear panel holds a 2.5GbE WAN port and four 1GbE LAN ports. You don’t get any USB ports with this router, nor do you get multi-gig LAN connectivity or link aggregation. Also around back is a power jack, along with reset, LED on/off, and Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) buttons.

The front of the router has an LED indicator that glows solid white when the router is connected to the internet and working properly, glows solid red when powering up, pulses orange when the router is ready for setup, and pulses white while establishing a WPS connection.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

The M60 is a mesh-capable router, which means you can pair it with other Aquila Pro devices to form a whole-home mesh network. Inside, it has a 2GHz quad-core CPU, 512MB of RAM, and 128MB of flash memory. It also supports all of the major Wi-Fi 6 technologies, including 160MHz channel bandwidth, 1024 QAM, WPA3 encryption, MU-MIMO data streaming, direct-to-client beamforming, and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA).

The M60 is an AX6000 dual-band router, which means it can hit theoretical data rates of up to 1,148Mbps on the 2.4GHz radio band and up to 4,804Mbps on the 5GHz band, for a total of approximately 6,000Mbps.

The M60 offers free parental controls, but lacks network security software that protects against viruses and other malware attacks. You can manage Wi-Fi settings, parental controls, Health mode (disables internet access), and voice control (Alexa, Google) settings using the Aquila Pro AI mobile app, but you’ll have to use the web console to access Management, Port Forwarding, Quick VPN, and Firewall settings.

Tap the router panel on the app’s My Devices screen to open the M60’s home screen, which contains a router icon and displays the number of connected extenders and clients. To access the router settings screen, tap the router icon. Here you can edit the name of your network, configure DHCP settings, change the password, configure QoS settings, and update the firmware.

(Credit: D-Link/PCMag)

The bottom half of the screen has buttons labeled Wi-Fi, AI Assistant, Voice Control, Health Mode, and Client Priority. Use the Wi-Fi button to share Wi-Fi settings, enable guest networking, and configure Wi-Fi schedules and security settings. The AI Assistant offers weekly bandwidth reports, while the Parental Control button takes you to a screen where you can create profiles, assign client devices, and block specific websites. The Voice Control button lets you link the M60 to your Alexa and Google accounts, which allows you to use voice commands to do things like enable guest networking and reboot the router. Health Mode lets you disable internet access and set a bedtime schedule that disables Wi-Fi, and the Client Priority button sends you to the previously mentioned QoS settings screen.

Aquila Pro M60 Performance: Not the Fastest Fish in the Pond

Installing the M60 is easy regardless of whether you use the web console or the mobile app. I used the mobile app, which requires you to create an account. I logged in, tapped Install New Device on the Welcome screen, used my phone’s camera to scan the QR code on the bottom of the router, and selected Set Up as Router (you can also set this up as a component in a mesh network). I followed the instructions to power down my modem, then I connected the M60 to my modem using the included LAN cable. I also connected my desktop PC to the M60. I tapped Next, powered everything up, and confirmed that the LED was blinking orange. The app found the device within a few seconds, so I gave the new network and the router a name and a password. Once the router restarted, I updated the firmware to complete the installation.

The M60 turned in a lofty score of 180Mbps on our 2.4GHz close proximity throughput test. In comparison, the Asus RT-AX57 scored 140Mbps, the TP-Link Archer AX5400 Pro scored 132Mbps, and the WRX560 scored 134Mbps. The M60 didn’t fare as well on the 30-foot test: Its score of 40Mbps was slower than the RT-AX57 (61Mbps), the AX5400 Pro (45Mbps), and the WRX560 (62Mbps).

The M60 turned in middle-of-the-pack results on the 5GHz tests. Its score of 796Mbps on the close proximity test trailed the RT-AX57 (929Mbps) and the AX5400 Pro (877Mbps), while the WRX560 led with a score of 931Mbps. At 30 feet, the M60’s score of 406Mbps bested the Asus RT-AX57 (363Mbps), but not the AX5400 Pro (445Mbps) or the Synology WRX560 (576Mbps).

We test wireless signal strength using an Ekahau Sidekick 2 Wi-Fi diagnostic device paired with Ekahau’s Survey mobile app. This combination generates heat maps that show 2.4GHz and 5GHz signal strength throughout our test home. (Note: Ekahau is owned by Ziff Davis, PCMag.com’s parent company. For more, read about our ethics policy in the Editorial Mission Statement.) The colors on the maps represent signal strength—dark green for the strongest signal, yellow for a weaker one, and gray indicating a very weak signal or no detectable coverage. The circle on the map represents the location of the router.

A 2.4GHz Wi-Fi coverage map for the D-Link Aquila Pro AI AX6000 Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 Router (M60) (Credit: Ekahau/PCMag)

A 5GHz Wi-Fi coverage map for the D-Link Aquila Pro AI AX6000 Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 Router (M60) (Credit: Ekahau/PCMag)

As illustrated, the M60 had no trouble providing a strong 5GHz signal throughout the home, but 2.4GHz signals became weaker in the far corner of the garage.

Verdict: Respectable Performance With Plenty of Style

The D-Link Aquila Pro AI AX6000 M60 router is a solid choice for anyone looking to add Wi-Fi 6 networking to their home. Its unique design will add a touch of style no matter where you place it, and its mesh capabilities allow you to expand your network’s reach when necessary. It turned in respectable scores on our throughput and signal strength tests and is easy to install, but multi-gig LAN and USB ports would be welcome. For around $40 more, our Editors’ Choice winner, the Synology WRX560, offers better throughput performance and more features, including multi-gig WAN/LAN, USB connectivity, and network security software.