Huawei WiFi Mesh, analysis: simplicity and power to create basic Wifi Mesh networks

Although its presence in the smartphone market is what has given it relevance in the consumer world, we must not forget that Huawei It is one of the world powers in connectivity.

Logical then that your pack of routers Huawei Wifi Mesh to have a meshed WiFi network at home has the potential to be very important in the market. In Engadget we have put it to the test thoroughly.

Huawei Wifi Mesh data sheet

It is sistema mesh We can buy it with two or three routers, depending on the final surface that we want to cover with the mesh network. The maximum range it would cover would be 600 square meters with the three-item pack.

In our case we have put the kit to the test with two mesh elements. Here we do not have a router or main point and a repeater. The two routers are identical and they are ready to act as an access point or main router interchangeably.

It is striking that we are facing two routers of considerable size and weight. Despite this, the elongated, non-strident white design means that, like other mesh routers, there is no problem in which remains integrated wherever we decide to place it. Be it a modern work table or the most classic desktop console that we can imagine.

A point very in favor of this kit HUAWEI WiFi Mesh is the number of Gigabit Ethernet ports they offer. They have the one dedicated to the operator’s router providing connectivity (WAN) and then the user has other three LAN ports ready to connect different devices directly by cable.

And let’s not forget that they are equipos backhaul Ethernet (also Backhaul for the 5 GHz band) with which the units are linked by cable.

Regarding the main technical characteristics, this Huawei Mesh Wifi router is a device that supports a signal rate of up to 2134 Mbps (400 Mbps in the 2.4 GHz band and 1734 Mbps in the 5 GHz band).

As major absences, it should be mentioned that we are not facing a Wifi 6 router but it is a 2×2 MIMO 802.11ac / n / a. Nor does it incorporate another increasingly essential element such as WP3 encryption.

Of the interesting extras we have the Huawei Share technology so that, via NFC, any user with an Android phone can connect to the guest network without entering a name or password.

Mesh network configuration

Once the router that we are going to use as the main element to that of our operator is connected, setup is quite intuitive and straightforward. One of the fastest that we have recently analyzed.

The new element creates an open network to which we must connect from a device to, later, put a name and password to the new WiFi mesh network. After this step, the router’s LED indicator light turns from red to blue. (Although it is not annoying, we can turn it off or on manually from the router’s configuration app, as well as at night automatically)

Once the name and password of the new Wifi mesh network have been chosen, its configuration and control goes through the Huawei AI Life application.

In it, from a pleasant and simple interface, we can manage essential aspects of the mesh network. It does not support deep configuration of other routers but it is not too much on the surface either. There is also a web interface available but with the same options as in the app.

For example, we can choose if we want the router to change bands automatically or we can decide the name and password of each of the three possible bands (one of 2.4 GHz and two of 5 GHz). We can also vary the signal strength between three levels (low, medium and maximum), control interference with other signals in the environment by changing the channel or managing router updates.

The parental controls they are also present, but in a very shallow way. Basically what we can do is know the connected devices as well as limit the bandwidth or the time of connection to the network. We can also program the network off and on in a general way.

HUAWEI WiFi Mesh Performance Test

As in previous tests of network devices, we have the main router together with the operator. The objective is to cover with this kit of two elements a detached house of around 300 square meters distributed in three heights.

The test kit, prepared for about 450 square meters, should be sufficient, although for the final performance the positioning of the repeater in an optimal point as well as the number of rooms and their distribution comes into play.

In the following map, the exact location of Huawei’s main router is marked, as we see with direct exit to the outside and cornered on the first floor.

The first test, as usual in our test, is the LAN-LAN. We do it by connecting a desktop computer to one of the router’s Gigabit ports and we measure the transfer speed and stability of the network with the jPerf software, obtaining data from 1033 Mbps and 970 Mbps in tests with 10 and 100 threads respectively.

Next, with the two routers already configured as a mesh network, we start the usual measurements at the points marked on the following plan of the house. The WAN tests were carried out with a 2×2 MU-MIMO laptop (Intel AX200 network card), which we moved to the test points of the home.

The test, in order not to depend on the Internet connection contracted with our operator, we also carried out using the iPerf software. The laptop remains connected via WiFi to the server at all times (desktop computer connected via Gigabit Ethernet to the test router).

We carry out the measurements both by forcing the connection to the 2.4 and 5 GHz band individually, and by letting the system choose the most optimal one at all times.

Forcing the connection to the 2.4 GHz band, which offers us a 400 Mbps maximum theoretical throughput, the measurements at the different points were as follows:

If we go on to force the connection to the 5 GHz network, the measurements at each point were as follows, with a theoretical maximum of 867 Mbps:

Finally, the following graph shows the performance of this Wifi mesh system when we keep the three bands enabled (1×2.4 GHz and 2x5GHz) and let the system decide which one is best to connect to, compared to the choice of band forcefully.

As we see in the graphs and data, the performance of the Wifi mesh network created by Huawei’s system offers a lower performance than that of previously tested AC2200 WiFi systems but maintains the usual loss rate that we have averaged, even with very good figures in the 5 GHz band throughout the first floor.

Regarding coverage, the Huawei Wifi Mesh system already claims to be an entry / mid-range model and has offered better results on the second floor, especially compared to the Wifi 6 models that we have tested in Engadget.

HUAWEI WiFi Mesh, the opinion and note of Engadget

Finding affordable Wi-Fi mesh solutions with good overall performance is getting easier every day. East HUAWEI WiFi Mesh It is one of the most balanced options on the market.

With one of the simplest and fastest configuration we’ve used so far, the HUAWEI WiFi Mesh stands out for its performance in the 5 GHz band Although the coverage has room for improvement, as well as in the balance of possibilities of your app and the high connectivity with its three Ethernet ports, where it hardly has a rival in its price range. Too bad it is not yet Wifi 6.

This WiFi Mesh kit has been loaned for testing by Huawei. Can inquire our policy of relationships with enterprises.