Innovation and R&D

Innovation and R&D

D-Link continues to create product differentiation and market segmentation
through our industry-leading cloud service platform.
And the continuous introduction of forward-looking innovative products.

Innovation Strategies and Practices

Intelligence, intuitive design, and green energy are used as the basis; to develop easy-to-install EAGLE PRO AI products with smart notification and management functions. Creating a comprehensive smart family service network, and work with internationally renowned chip manufacturers (e.g. Realtek, Mediatek, etc.); to develop chip-accelerated smart traffic management and AI beamforming algorithms.

Smart traffic management

The smart allotment of internet access automatically allows time-sensitive applications (such as online meetings and lessons) to be free of interference from other applications. This can improve work and study efficiency.

AI beamforming algorithm

Together with smart AI beamforming, it can precisely improve the backbone network quality between mesh nodes, fundamentally improving home network quality and making smart home living easy and carefree. D-Link conducted user experience and smart transformations in 2020. With commercial and product smart management, we will provide overall brand smart service experience and optimize the services.

After the separation of the OEM production department in 2003, D-Link does not possess internal software development personnel. Seeing that Web 2.0 is a rare new business opportunities for the networking equipment industry in the past 20 years, D-Link established the New Business Development Center in 2006 and invested several million USD in the development of Web 2.0. We have reorganized our development efforts, grasped core key technologies, and announced the “D-Link 2.0 New Generation Web Application Service Platform” and the full “VoIP Internet Phone Solutions” series. We have then introduced the operating model into our consumer products, including webcams and digital home products, targeting the business opportunities and prospects of internet security monitoring.
 
In order to solve network connection issues and reduce the burden on the platform, D-Link has invested resources to develop point-to-point connection software and obtained several connection patents. We then conducted technology optimization and enhanced the mydlink consumer cloud platform, in order to drive sales and promote services through brand services. Furthermore, to improve software and technology developments, the introduction of new technologies and technical cooperation and exchanges have become inevitable.

Timeline of D-Link Software Innovation

To strengthen cloud management systems, D-Link established the “Cloud Platform Product Department” to integrate the manpower and technologies to compensate for the shortcomings of the different teams, accelerate product function development, and enhance the performance of the cloud platforms. We aim to maintain the stable service standards of the platform. We have further focused the transformation on innovative technologies such as big data, IoT, and AI. We have developed more unique and valuable functions to enhance product core competitiveness.
 
At the same time, D-Link has also made open APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) to provide cloud-to-cloud integration services and vertical solutions, and conducted integration with more third-party strategic partners. Through the provision of innovative services and working with strategic partners that comply with customer needs, we are providing more diverse product applications for customers and expanding the scale of our cloud platform services, creating a win-win situation. Furthermore, D-Link continues to provide central network management, remote monitoring, analysis reports, email notifications, and zero-contact network deployment based on the cloud framework, creating easy-to-use and safe cloud network solutions for various services.

Innovation-related Education and Training

In order to improve R&D capacity, D-Link organized 4 on-site/online education and training sessions for the R&D unit and related personnel and sent representatives of R&D personnel to participate in 4 external education and training in 2022. The total training hours exceeded 26 hours and almost 141 people participated, with a total of 276 training hours.

Cooperation with Academic Units

In order to cultivate key networking talents and improve industry competitiveness, D-Link partnered with National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University to participate in the “Smart Network Core System Development Flagship Project” of the Ministry of Economic Affairs Department of Industrial Technology Industry-Academia Value Creation Plan. The project will last for 4 years, from October 2018 to September 2022, and a total of NT$ 12 million was invested. In 2022, the project entered its last year. We have conducted cross-system integration planning and discussion with academic teams by introducing the NAT traversal core technologies of IoT-C2C. We have used various technical methods to overcome the challenges of NAT translation. It can directly establish a connection with private IPs externally, providing devices with direct access without having to pass through the cloud server, thereby reducing cloud bandwidth costs by more than 90% and improving product competitiveness. Further, design smart home products (IP-Cam and Doorbell) and integrate with the smart network platform of the academic team to implement commercialization and productization and discuss the co-development directions of IoT cloud platforms, data centers, mobile private networks, and SDN controllers.
Because D-Link has long been invested in the development of the mydlink consumer cloud system and end-user video products, and manages global brand and marketing channels, we have created value for the project execution results. Apart from improving technological certification and integration, we have greatly reduced R&D time, increased product competitiveness, improved technological autonomy in the industry, and driven technological upgrades for upstream and downstream partners. We have also created major benefits for future technological developments and product marketing and promotion.

Actions, Planning, and Patents Related to
Product Development and Technical Innovation

In order to ensure quality, D-Link will strictly control every step of development according to market and customer needs, as well as the situation of key chips. Before products are put into mass production, we test the performance of new products with the user experiences collected by our laboratory, in order to ensure the quality and stability of new products after mass production. After products are put into mass production, a dedicated department is responsible for handling user problems, which are provided as the basis for future product improvements.
 
To create a unique, simple, smart, and optimal user experience, the D-Link conducted 2 internal patent reviews for AI series consumer products, which have passed the review. The topics of the patent applications are as follows:
  • A smart channel switching method based on past channel information, its terminal devices and readable storage medium.
  • A surveillance analysis assistance and guidance method used in network devices, its terminal devices and readable storage medium.

In order to ensure the cloud software functions and platform service quality, the D-Link development team adopted the DevOps model to eliminate the gaps between development, operations, and quality assurance.
In order to shorten project development schedules and quickly respond to customer needs, the D-Link development team has implemented the agile software development process. Through effective communication, frequent delivery of new software versions, writing code that can adapt to changes in needs, and importation of automated testing, we have established an agile cross-function team.
On the other hand, in order to enhance product applications and respond to customer needs, the development team effectively utilizes resources. They conduct market strategy analysis in the pre-development stage. After the evaluation, the team will enter the product function planning and software development cycles. During the software development period, the team regularly organizes meetings to discuss functions, track progress, and adopt multi-function development management systems. It can effectively link the various tasks and help teams develop the testing and certification process together, in order to meet the quality requirements, deadlines, and budget of the product development process. This has clearly improved the process time and version numbers of the software launch platform.
In 2022, based on the original DevOps model, the D-Link R&D team further imported the DevSecOps model, adding “Sec” as the abbreviation for Security to incorporate security into the entire software development process. Through the integration of security testing, security monitoring, automated security inspection and other tools, we can help developers find and repair security problems and improve the security in the software development process.

International Design Award-winning Products

By adhering to more user-friendly and unique exterior designs, D-Link actively participates in world-class design competitions. In 2022, we participated in international design awards and the Taiwan Excellence Awards, winning a total of 4 awards. The award-winning products are as follows:
2K QHD Wireless IP Camera
VR Bridge
AX1500 Wi-Fi 6 Dual Band Wireless Router
AX3200 Wi-Fi 6 Dual Band Wireless Router
DCS-8350LH
DWA-F18
M15
M32
2022 iF Design Awards – TV and Camera Category
31 Taiwan Excellence Awards
MIT Taiwan Gold Award of 2022
The German iF Design Award is one of the four global design awards and a quality indicator for outstanding design. This is the 7th time D-Link has been recognized for its outstanding design in the world’s top design competition. The award-winning DCS-8350LH 2K QHD Wireless IP Camera is characterized by high resolution, advanced sound and motion detection functions, and can protect users’ home environment and family; at the same time, its built-in AI intelligent human body detection function is particularly sensitive to the sound of glass breakage, carbon monoxide, or smoke alarms, providing users with higher standards of safety protection.
The selection of “Taiwan Excellence”, known as the “Oscar Award in Taiwan Industry”, was established by the Ministry of Economic Affairs in 1993. The selection is conducted annually based on four major aspects: research and development, design, quality, and marketing, while also considering Made in Taiwan (MIT). The event attracts over a hundred domestic experts and scholars to participate in the selection every year, and the award-winning products are all “high-quality products with innovative value”.
 
The award-winning DWA-F18 VR Bridge is characterized in that it is not limited by space, and enables PC video game players to enjoy wireless, zero interference and efficient VR game experience. At the same time, DWA-F18 VR Bridge is equipped with the most stringent wireless security standard WPA3 and has fine image quality, which can create a perfect PC VR experience for consumers. The launch of this product has caused a market sensation.
To assist high-quality Taiwanese manufacturing industries in expanding their market, shaping the high-quality image of Taiwan’s production and manufacturing products, the Industry Bureau of the Ministry of Economic Affairs has been promoting the MIT Smile Product Verification System since 2010. Later, it sponsored the “MIT Taiwan Gold Selection”, which selects high-quality products from MIT Smile products based on the five aspects of market differentiation, aesthetics, texture, cost-effectiveness, and green environmental protection, aiming to drive all businesses to produce high-quality products that can better meet market demand and are more recognized and supported by the public.
 
The award-winning M15 AX1500 Wi-Fi 6 Dual Band Wireless Router and M32 AX3200 Wi-Fi 6 Dual Band Wireless Router belong to the “EAGLE PRO AI” series, which has adopted the exclusive AI beamforming technology. By accurately grasping the position of the router and various Mesh nodes, the signal is strongly concentrated at these detection points, establishing a stronger and more stable signal return effect for the Mesh network. The device does not need to switch wireless network SSID on its own. Everything is realized by a smart connection, which automatically assign the device to the best wireless network with the best signal, perfectly solving consumer pain points. In addition, the M15 AX1500 Wi-Fi 6 Dual Band Wireless Router and M32 AX3200 Wi-Fi 6 Dual Band Wireless Router can automatically search for and connect the best channels and enhance serial connection signals. The products are characterized in AI parental monitoring, intelligently allocation of bandwidth, powerful functions, and a beautiful and exquisite appearance, and are popular among consumers.