Amplifi HD Mesh Wifi Router Review...what they AREN'T telling you!
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- čas přidán 5. 12. 2017
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Review of the Amplifi HD Mesh wifi router with two Mesh radio points. There are something you don't know about the system so be sure to watch!
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UPDATE: Ubiquiti (the company that makes the Amplifi) released a new firmware that I have been testing for the past month that addresses Gigabit connections. You have to enable Hardware NAT under the new firmware and you are good to go. So far...under the 5GHz band it has been working correctly now.
Robb Sutton I have the uverse gigabit and I was wondering if ampli will be good for us to improve our wifi. Do I just hook it up to the gateway? Gateway is in our closet. Thanks for your help!
Yes you just direct wire it to the gateway from ATT. I have one of our computers direct wired to the Amplifi and it is pulling down 980mb/sec currently. They fixed the issues with this last update.
Robb Sutton I'm still not getting faster speeds that I expected. Do I turn off the wifi on the att modem so it wont interfere with the amplifi
Are you getting the same speeds as you did with the ATT router? You aren't going to get faster speeds but you will get a lot better 5ghz coverage (so the fastest speed over long distances) and a lot more features. What speeds are you getting right now? Wireless can be very device dependent as well. For example, an iPhone will never be able to see the full speeds of a gigabit connection.
Robb Sutton it keeps fluctuating and even hard wired I'm only getting about 400
what is bridge mode? and how does that hinder my normal day to day experience?
Thanks for the review, I have a Gigbit connection as well, did the firmware update, but still not gettin the speeds I would like but then again most wireless Routers just don't have the speeds yet. Hopefully other revisions of their software can eliminate some of this. I heard by using backhauling mode you can get another router and get better speeds out of it verses the Antennas. I haven't tried the NAT hardware setting yet, but I heard by using 2 of these routers together can work better for coverage and speed.
You have to toggle the Hardware NAT to on
AmpliFi’s 2.6 firmware builds added in support for Hardware NAT, allowing full gigabit speeds for wired connections, plus the beginnings of 802.11 k/v/r support for faster/smoother roaming between access points.
Using that firmware now and it is much better. I pinned a comment about that at the top of the comments thread. I'm glad they finally released it because that was frustrating to say the least.
Do you need to Apply the NAT settings within the device to help on this matter? Thanks!
I plan to switch from Directv to CZcamsTV. I have seen your "Cut the Cord" video and now this one. They are very helpful. My question is I get a pop up prompt to reconnect to the internet while I am watching an ON DEMAND program through Directv. Where do I start to solve that problem before I switch to CZcamsTV?
Is it a speed or connection issue? I had never gotten that with DirecTV so I am not sure what you are seeing. This router will get your fastest internet to more areas of your house but it will not make your internet speed faster. That is completely dependent upon which service you currently have.
Can I bring this device to work and still use my home internet
I am using 3 Amplifi HD Routers in my home and am so happy with it. I can hardwire into each router and get great speeds. Enjoy your new setup!
Do they have a media bridge mode
Yes, the router does allow for a bridge mode. help.amplifi.com/hc/en-us/articles/220979347-Does-AmpliFi-support-bridge-mode-
sstice1986 that's bridge with a modem not media bridge, media bridge is where it connects to an appropriate but doesn't repeat the wifi signal, and I already seen the link you posted.
I don't believe there is a way to turn off the wireless signal on each router but with my setup I have multiple devices plugged into the ethernet ports on all 3 routers. I will check tonight to see if you can turn off the wireless signal.
sstice1986 thanks I just re looked at mesh so it bridges everything, what's the range like
What do I do with my old router?
Have you tried using Routers as mesh instead of the meshpoints?
I purchased the AmpliFi HD mesh system a few weeks ago. And while I am overall happier with this system than the Apple AirPort Extreme router it replaced, I can’t get NEAR the speeds with either of the two satellite mesh points as I do with the base unit. And they are in the 5GHz band. Is it possible that they automatically got configured as network “extenders,” which typically cuts speeds in half, instead of actual mesh points? Very happy with the router itself, not so much with the satellites. Hoping a firmware update will improve the speed.
There are several different settings for the mesh points. You can force them to 5ghz.
Robb Sutton , thanks for the reply. But they are both listed at 5GHz. Still much slower speeds, even thought the app shows them at 96 percent and 87 percent. I would think they would be much higher in the speed tests. Still, overall happy with the system.
There is also a setting that will allow the router to be the primary and for the device to only use the mesh points when necessary.
Thanks, Robb...I have both router and band steering enabled.
Danny McNeal To get WiFi speeds close to that of the router, you may want to try another HD router with a wired backhaul.
Thanks for the video Robb. Have they fixed the issue with gigabit speeds? New firmware? Thanks in advance!
The new firmware does seem to have helped pretty significantly.
How well does daisy chain work with this?
First review I have seen that speaks about the speeds when using gigabit internet service! I ultimately returned my Amplifi HD system since I first opened a ticket with them in August 2017 and checked in for updates monthly and they never had an ETA until last week when they said they were in BETA with the firmware that would fix this issue. I just couldn't wait any longer for the fix and to top it off the speeds were not that great, the coverage though was fantastic. I am currently using a Google WiFi system after trying the Linksys Velop and Netgear Orbi as well. Out of all of them, the Orbi was by far the worst. I liked the Amplifi system, it had great features and coverage but the speed issue with gigabit internet was a deal breaker for me.
Yeah but you realize if you use the google mesh, if you are on one of the nodes your performance decreases as there is no backhaul. If your only using just 1 google device then it works great.
What about the Wi-Fi connection speed degradation with distance from the router?
I know this may be a silly question, but I'm from the UK and over here i use Virgin as my internet provider and when this was installed they left behind their Virgin router - into which we naturally connect devices (wirelessly). So my question is..... Does the main unit REPLACE this Virgin box completely - by that i mean do we literally take the cable we were plugging into the Virgin box and instead plug it into this unit?
As far as I know, the internet provider's device always comes first (it grants the link that they can monitor), so you'll have to keep that as it is, then you'll need to use another cable for the Amplifi device (use one of the output ports of the Virgin router and plug it into the Amplifi device).
Do i have to have another internet service to use this? Or is this a totally stand alone system? Does it give me unlimited GB's of streaming?
Forgot to mention if you can wire the mesh to run as AP. Also if it works with their APs. Buy the router only and a AP separately.
So another edge user question. Does the AmpliFi HD have a built in VPN server that works with standard IPSEC/OpenVPN clients? I see they are selling some Teleport device which is great, but I don’t want to be lugging yet another piece of hardware when traveling.
You have to use their teleport for something like that. It isn't built in. I use TeamViewer and some other tools to remote into home PCs.
We have 600 Mbps here in Poland. Would I get full or near full speed across this mesh ?
On wireless you will probably be limited by device honestly. It is capable of transferring that data speed over the 5ghz band though. At least 450 would be good.
Hi Robb, just ran across your video. Great job. I just got a gigabit connection, and realized my current router can't output more than 550 over wifi (if I'm standing next to the router). What speeds are you getting these days? What % speed loss are you experiencing? Thanks for the info.
Ivan...that is accurate. I am seeing the same thing.
So with a gigabit connection is it worth purchasing in 2022?
Very interested in this product, just would hate to drop ~$400 to find out there's an issue.
There are faster ones out there now if you are on a Gigabit connection. Look for one that has Wifi 6.
Would this work in a townhouse? With the base on the ground floor and the mesh points on the first and second floor? Thanks
Yes
Hey Robb. Have they released the firmware you mentioned in the video?
SteiniDJ They did. Working well so far.
Do you recommend buying just the Amplifi HD Mesh wifi router but without the 2 mesh points?
It would really depend on how much space you are trying to cover.
it make much more sense to position mehspoints at half distance towards the extremity of the house. if you put them on the edge of the house, half of your extension power goes into the street / neighbors... (if the meshpoints are not to far from source signal to work fine at all).
That is true...if you are only trying to extend the range in your house. As I mentioned in the video, I was trying to extend the range outside of our house and into the lot.
Our houses are not close together and I needed a stronger signal in the front yard, garage, fire pit in the backyard, back deck, etc. I even have an Amazon Dot on the corner of my back deck hooked up to wired speakers that controls all of my media streaming outside. It needed a stronger signal as well so a mesh point at the edge of the house fixed that and gave us a stronger signal in that area of the house as well. The point of the mesh points is to extend the signal to where you need it in your own setup.
So I get 5000 Mbps since it’s 5gigs or something?
When you enable the option for bridge mode in the AmpliFi router using the AmpliFi app.
You will lose features like:
Guest SSID, QoS, Static IP, Port forwarding and Parental controls.
I reached out to Amplify's support team and they advised "there are no updates on this if they will ever be implemented or not. As we have already forwarded this to the development team.
"
Very disappointed this product does not have these features once in bridge mode and will be looking to purchase something else if this is not fixed in the next firmware update.
Can i use this internet anywhere or just at home ??
This is not an internet service provider. It is a router that has a wider spread and smart features.
This seems awesome. Is there anyway to buy this at a store. Instead of ordering it online?
According to Amplifi you can buy it though Best Buy, Game Stop and Sams Club
I bought mine at MicroCenter. They're not everywhere but most major cities have one
Is the issue with gigabit internet / bridged mode fixed now?
Yes
Rob- Have you tried this out with another brand router that will handle your gigabit connection and just using the Aplifi Mesh Point added on to it? I'm very curious about that configuration.
I have not but that is essential how I am running it now off of the ATT router. It has to be in bridge mode no matter what to not lose at least 25% of the available speed.
In that configuration, do you still need the actual Amplifi router? the cube? Reason I ask is that I see they sell the MeshPoints separately now for someone to be able to add just a MeshPoint to their 3rd party router. However, via a chat with Amplifi, they claim that you can't set up multiple MeshPoints to "Multi hop" (ie: a true mesh system or daisy chain topology as Orbi calls it) as they call it. They claim each MeshPoint has to connect to the 3rd party router. I'm not so sure that is correct though. Any ideas?
I am almost 100% positive they have to connect to the AMPLIFI router. They sell the mesh points because you can just buy the router and add them later as well.
Chat started: 2018-01-02 01:52 AM UTC
(01:52:36 AM) Brian: Does the Amplifi Mesh Point use a dedicated backhaul channel?
(01:52:44 AM) *** Yogi P joined the chat ***
(01:53:01 AM) Yogi P: Hi Brian.
(01:54:11 AM) Yogi P: Mesh point uses a dedicated backhaul band to communicate with the main unit but uses the same channel as the main router
(01:55:07 AM) Brian: Ok. So if I use it with a non Amplifi router, having that seperate backhaul band is really irrelevant?
(01:56:05 AM) Yogi P: If you use amplifi mesh point with third-party router, the mesh point will communicate to either 2.4 G band or 5G band of the router
(01:57:12 AM) Brian: If I use multiple Mesh Points, will they communicate with each other on that dedicated backhaul band, saving capacity on the other bands?
(01:58:07 AM) Yogi P: Only if you have amplifi HD router then the mesh points can communicate to each other on dedicated band like router >> mesh >> mesh
(01:59:55 AM) Brian: So can't use Mesh Multi Hop with 3rd party router?
(02:00:13 AM) Yogi P: No, the mesh point will directly connect to the main router
(02:00:39 AM) Brian: So can I only use 1 mesh point with 3rd party routers?
(02:01:38 AM) Yogi P: it depends how many mesh points the third party router will support, you can use more than 1 mesh point with third party router
(02:02:09 AM) Brian: Ok, but if I use multiple mesh points, they will only connect directly to my router, not each other?
(02:02:43 AM) Yogi P: Yes, they will connect to the main unit and not to each other
(02:03:11 AM) Brian: But if I get the Amplifi router kit, the mesh points will connect to each other?
(02:03:27 AM) Yogi P: Yes, it will
(02:03:36 AM) Brian: Ok, thanks for the information
(02:03:47 AM) Yogi P: You're welcome! Is there anything else I can help you with today?
(02:03:53 AM) Brian: No thanks.
(02:04:02 AM) Yogi P: Thanks for chatting with us.
(02:04:05 AM) Yogi P: Have a great day!
(02:04:11 AM) Brian: you 2
Hi Robb. Thanks for your review! I am seriously considering this router even though my house is nowhere near the size of what the specs say it is good for. I read in reviews on Amazon that the USB port is turned off and that AmpliFi said they would fix this in the future firmware. Do you know if this is the case? I am looking to replace my Apple Time Capsule router and I need a router capable of attaching an HD/NAS for backups.
That I am not sure on as I haven't used the USB ports yet.
I heard back from AmpliFi customer support (on a Sunday afternoon, I'm pretty impressed with that). They said the USB port is still turned off but they plan on turning it on in a future firmware update. Considering that they haven't turned it on by now I'm guessing that there isn't major demand for it. I think if I were to get this it would just be the router without the mesh points. My house has 2 floors (likely part of the problem for my current router) but is only about 1550 sq. ft. Then I'd have to get a separate dedicated NAS for backups.
OK, got an odd ball here. I work at a museum with a large scale model train system (3300 ft of track) in a large steel building. Open space approx 300 ft x 150 ft. The track winds around the inside edge of the building. We want to run a train with a wifi surveilance camera on board to simulate a passenger riding the train. We run a regular mid range router (NightHawk R7450) Everything works ok but there are a few dead zones where the video signal drops out for a sec or several. Do you think this mesh unit would cover that area better? We dont need (or want) internet, so its straight wifi.
Yes it would help.
Is this router you pay for it once and its completely yours
I think I have 200mbps at my house. If I got this and the other things would it help my internet at all or is it not worth it??
Threw WiFi I only get about 80 on average btw
So... What aren't they telling me?
Looks like we'll never know. Chalk it up to click bait.
They are not telling you that there are douchebags out there that waste your time with their "deep knowledge" of nothing....
They should tell you though - would have saved a lot of time.
Thanks dont think ill bother watching now seeing as its click bait lol
Watch the video again. He stated that if your have a Gigabyte connection you will not achieve that speed unless you are in bridge mode, which if you are thinking of using this as your primary router, will effectively cap your gig connection to a little over 300Mbs. He also posted an update that a firmware update has fixed the issue. If I was in the market for a router and had a gig connection during the time this video was posted, I would have steered clear. Good vid.
Hi! Good video! Can I get your gigabit connection in NJ? I mean from AT&T. Thanks!
Thanks. You'll have to check with service providers in your area. There are several vendors that offer gagabit connections but you usually do have to have fiber run to your residence.
Is this mesh network works abroad also?
I don't see why not. It should connect to any service without issue.
I have 250mb down and 50mb up. can i get my full speed using the satellites?or is it just like a repeater that cuts your speed in half?
Pedro Full speeds
Pedro eh I had the system for a few days and ended up returning it. The more devices you have the more it will act like a repeater. Spent and hr on the phone with tech support for them to admit to me that I wouldn’t see the speeds that I was seeing on my tri-band Orbi system because for that reason. I am now rocking Eero and haven’t had a single issue and their system is quite amazing. Coverage and speed is comparable if not better than the Orbi.
Brent Clark thanks for the feedback! I just got an orbi and it's about 90% what I hoped for.
Galaxy A5 2016 doesn't know how to switch from a hot spot to another (I got 2 A5 2016 at home).
Galaxy s8 works like a charm.
Same thing with all other gadgets.
I have about 30 devices connected and it's handling well.
The app sucks because you can't name or set an IP to a device. Have to do it over the web.
Pedro just be cautious! At the first sign of any issues reach out to support. They only give you free customer support for 90 days. After that it’s a subscription even though it may be under warranty. I needed up returning mine to BestBuy 7 months in because the only way it would work is if I rebooted the whole system. It was odd random things would drop off the network while others where fine. I did some research and it’s been an ongoing problem for over a year and a half now. Hopefully they have it fixed by now and you never experience the problem!
Brent Clark what it are you referring to? You had a problem with “it” and returned “it” to best but.. what system was the issue, Orbi, Amplifi, or the other thing mentioned in this conversation? I’m really trying to find a simple solution and cannot figure out which is better at this point
Hey! A bit late to the party, I hope you can still answer my question. Is there a possibility to turn off the wifi extenders (or secondary routers, whatever you want to call them :) ) throughout an app in the phone, without taking them out of an outlet? By that I mean like if it is in a sleeping environment, I don't want it's signals everywhere throughout the night.
I hope you will be able to answer me
Thanks in advance :)
You can pause them in the app.
Will it give me faster internet than what my wired connection gives?
No.
Do you recomend this o dlink?
DLink makes some nice stuff but it all looks alien. I needed something with a simpler look and better interface.
So how fast is it in mbps??
BlurredFaced 702 depends on your speeds that your paying for.
With Amplify, do I want to put my ISP combo gateway in Bridge Mode?
Does one router really cover 6000 Sq feet? My house is made of brick.
Yeah it will. It won't be 5ghz throughout all of that but it will have coverage.
Hook the wifi up to my facebook account?!?! Are you nuts?
Hang on you’ve confused me, you said you had gigabit from AT&T yet you only pulled 330 down?
Wired it is pulling down 980mb+ right now (directly hooked up to the Amplifi). The 330mb down is limited by the device wifi. It was getting in the low 100's before the Amplifi update.
Ahhh i see, so used to apple putting gigabit AC cards in everything i forgot other stuff doesn't have them. wish you would have showed a pull from the iPhone X. btw thanks for the instant reply, didn't think you actually would
I don’t understand why they advertise as 20k sq ft coverage. Theres no way. Each node is only a 1750 so in total you only have a 5,250ac thats no 20k sq ft coverage. You may have 20k sq ft of a super weak connection.
Man, you clearly don't know what you are saying, do you? The "5.250AC" you said is the SPEED (Wireless 2.4ghz + Wireless 5ghz combined). The advertised 20k sq ft coverage is RANGE.
Do I need an isp such as Verizon or Att for this to work? Or can I just buy this and instantly get WiFi?
You have to have an ISP. This is a router and not a modem. It hooks up wired to your modem.
True Patriot whatnis isp
Internet Service Provider
What is bridge mode???
Here is some more info on bridge mode. www.linksys.com/us/support-article?articleNum=143751
REPLY
Is it really going to make my wifi speed faster? Im planning to buy one. My download speed max is 7 mbps, even if the carrier Verizon says it should be a hu dred. Can you explain it to me how it can speed up internet?
It will not be able to run speeds any faster than your router (or at least it shouldn't be able to). The speed coming into your house is what it is. However, if you are far away from your current router it could increase speeds due to a better signal with the mesh points. Generally speaking, the weaker your signal...the more your speed degrades. So while it can't speed up your internet, the increased signal strength could bring you faster speeds on your devices closer to quoted speeds from your provider.
P M you shouldn't be paying for 100 if you're only seeing 7. It could be something simple on your end, but I would definitely call them out to figure it out and fix it asap. Don't let them bullshit you with excuses. Make them fix it or drop their service.
The router technology in the Amplifi, being able to manage several gigibyte of data will perform better than a router only capable of managing megabytes of data.
can you lock out the touch screen so kids don't mess with it?
I don't see any settings to lock the screen but you can put it in night mode which turns it off completely. You can also change the brightness of both the bottom LED and the screen that way.
Put it on the top of a centrally-located bookshelf. Not only will it stay out of reach of little hands, but placing your router in higher places will always yield better coverage because there is less furniture for the signal to pass through.
One major problem, and one question they don't document. BIG problem is you can *only* administer this device with the Android or iOS app. If you would rather use a computer (such as pasting settings in or out of the router. copying data out, or just simply being able to enter data on a *REAL* keyboard) you're out of luck. That right there is a show stopper.
Other question is whether I could continue to use my existing access points (routers set in AP mode) rather than having to but the full Mesh Kit (buying just the core router unit). Sure, I can see them *conveniently* not mentioning it, so that they can trick you into paying for more than you actually need.
At the same price u can get usg with 2 uap 🤭 um k xD doesnt look bad right?
Different use cases.
Amplifi is directed towards normal consumers while unifi is for more dedicated people / small enterprises.
In addition amplifi is mesh where you only need power for the antennas while uap needs to be cabled.
@@madness3D_ with the range of these mesh u r better of with a ap anyway cos as u can see it cant even connect to each other that well anyway lol.
Anybody who owns a teleport that can tell me how to add a hidden SSID or Wireless network to connect. I can't believe this thing is $250.00 bucks and you can't add hidden SSIDs manually?
Thanks for the video, it was right on time for me. I'm considering purchasing this system. I have AT&T Fiber. They supplied me with a AT&T branded modem and wifi router (www.arris.com/products/5268ac-xdsl-voice-gateway/ ). Do you believe the Amplifi HD will provide faster download and upload speeds? I often feel like they throttle my service at any given time. And forgive me for not knowing but what is "bridge mode"?
Its a router so it will have not effect on whether or not ATT throttles you. That is handled at the service level. What you would get is a lot more features and user interface.
Here is some more info on bridge mode. www.linksys.com/us/support-article?articleNum=143751
Robb, why did you put the title as "WHAT THEY AREN'T TELLING YOU". That was a falsifying title. You got a thumbs down from me for misleading
It sucks! I have the gamer edition but "what they don't tell you" is that it does not work with Spectrum and many other ISPs.
You said so little with so many words. No wonder the dislike ratio.
Downvoted for clickbait.
clickbait title
The fixed the issues I had with future firmware updates.
Disliked for the clickbait title.