All of us get annoyed when the WIFI signal suddenly disappears when we get out of range. This usually happens in big homes, where a single router isn’t enough to broadcast WiFi signals to cover up the whole place. The perfect solution to this is a mesh networking kit, and the perfect candidate for such a kit is the Ubiquiti Networks AmpliFi HD Home Wi-Fi System.
Design
It has the unique design in this world. The router is a cube measuring 3.9 inches on all sides. With such a small size, it’s not surprising that the router doesn’t have any switches. It doesn’t even have external antennas but you don’t have to be disappointed by that (it’s supposed to be like this).
The best thing is it won’t take much space and appears more like a simple yet elegant alarm clock. Its attractive to the eye as well, therefore there is no point in putting the cube in a place where nobody can see the pretty thing.
Moreover, the router has a 1.6-inch touchscreen as well. The screen relays the current day, date and time as well, more like a clock in itself. Furthermore, if you want to know the data consumption, you can tap on the screen and it will tell you the amount of data received and sent by the router. If you tap the device again it will bring up another display. It will show the WAN and router’s IP addresses along with the number of devices connected. Now if you tap it more than once, it will bring up a speed meter.
The only downside is that the router cannot be configured via the screen. But don’t worry there is an app for that as well.
Specs
The router is based on the 3×3 MIMO technology. The high-performance router also includes 2 matching wireless extenders. These extenders are more commonly known as the mesh points by the company itself. The Amplifi HD extenders measure 7.1 inches long and are to be plugged into an electrical outlet. They connect wirelessly to the router itself, and thus prolongs the router’s range.
Apart from the 4 usual GigaBit ethernet ports at the back of the Amplifi HD router, there is also a WAN port for connecting your broadband modem as well. There is also a USB 2.0 port as well but to our dismay, it doesn’t have a purpose of yet.
It’s possible that in a future firmware upgrade, the USB 2.0 port could be used to access files over the network, though at a slower rate as compared to the USB 3.0 port on other routers. Also, you would also need a cooling fan for the router as well. It’s strange, isn’t it?
Performance
The Amplifi HD router is capable of beamforming, which means it can focus signals to where they are needed rather than just spreading them around. It also has the ability to move three concurrent streams of data. Though it doesn’t support the latest MU-MIMO technology. Rated at 450 Mbps (for 2.4 GHz) and 1.3 Gbps (for 5 GHz), AmpliFi is expected to deliver up to 1.75 Gbps.
For a price tag of $349, it’s an expensive choice though. But then the price can be justified by the router being really compact and having a color touchscreen. Also with the plug-in mesh extenders to improve the range, and with a simple setup, this router is worth the buck.