What is it?

A household internet router.

How will it change my life? The body lay on the blood soaked tarmac as time appeared to slow. The camera began to pan up through the rain, it was happening: finally the killer would be revealed. I could see smart shoes and suit trousers, my heart was pounding in anticipation. A purple tie visible and then … darkness. My excitement quickly turned to anger at the disgraceful way the producers had ended the season.

Rage gave way to confusion at the lack of rolling credits before the penny dropped and I realised the show had not ended but rather my internet router had hung again. We don't have to endure shoddy equipment from our internet service providers: it is possible to employ a plethora of other options on the router front.

The Wireless AC1750 dual band gigabit cloud router from D-Link is one such alternative to the standard offerings provided by ISPs, promising a faster and more reliable experience.

The unit's looks go against those normally adopted by modern technology and instead of reducing the size, D-Link have formed a substantial package which resembles an oversized AA battery. The rear of the device holds four gigabit ethernet ports for connecting computers that don't have wireless capabilities.

There is also a USB port which allows you to share and access files contained within an external storage drive from any location you have an internet connection. This is a nice addition which makes services such as PogoPlug obsolete.

Good points? Security is fundamental when accessing personal data such as online banking so it's reassuring that the AC1750 comes packed with measures to keep your information safe.

All data filtered through the router is encrypted with the WPA2 protocol, which is the strongest of all wireless protection methods. It's worth checking what protocol your existing router uses as in most cases it's configured within a drop-down list in the management page and set to WEP by default - the weakest of all measures and not released with newer devices due to the number of vulnerabilities associated with it.

The inclusion of a guest network is great for allowing friends to access the internet without giving them full access to your network.

Bad points? It took a few attempts to save the new management password as the interface is a tad clunky, but as downsides go this is as minor as it gets.

Best for … Those seeking greater control over their networks and who has access to them. The remote mobile app aids this no end.

Avoid if … You suffer from electromagnetic hypersensitivity and are trying to reduce man-made radiation caused by Wi-Fi and phone signals and so on.

Score: 8/10. This is the upgrade your broadband craves.

l Wireless AC1750 £89 (dlink.co.uk)