[section_title title=Introduction and Packaging]
Mesh-based home networking has been around for a while now and there is a big competition that is happening between manufacturers to take the lead in the market. Some of the biggest players in mesh networking are Google, Ubiquity, Netgear, and EnGenius. EnGenius has been part of the wireless market since 1999 and since then it has heavily vested in radio frequency and delivery of long-range wireless connectivity in enterprise environments. Their SmartHome WiFi systems offer the same mesh-based connectivity to residential customers as enterprise customers. The ESR530 is a good example of what EnGenius has to offer for home users.
Review Sample Provided by: EnGenius Product Name: ESR530 Dual Pack Price at time of review: $ 129.99 USD MSRP Product was given in exchange for work done to produce this review.
Specifications
Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) Wave 2
2.4 GHz / 5 GHz (Dual-Band)
Mesh Network Support
1 x 10/100/1000 Mb/s Ethernet WAN Port
1 x 10/100/1000 Mb/s Ethernet LAN Port
1 x USB 2.0 Type-A Port
EnMesh Mobile App Setup
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Packaging of ESR530 is very simple. On the front of the box you can see a graphic that represents the actual unit. The back of the box has some information about what this device is capable of. Features such as Smart Link, Parental Control, and a few others are outlined here.
The internal packaging of ESR530 is simple as well. Just a recycled cardboard shell is used here to hold two routers in place.
The whole package comes with everything you need to get started with mesh networking for your home. Each ESR530 comes with a wall mount power supply, two screws for mounting unit on the wall, and Ethernet cable to connect to your home network.
[section_title title=Closer Look at EnGenius ESR530]
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The device dimensions are 5.78 × 5.90 × 7.58 in and weights about a pound. The entire outer shell is made from white ABS plastic. On the front of the device, there is a small multi-colored LED. This LED provides the status of the device. On the back of ESR530 are three rubber feet which keeps the device stable on flat surfaces.
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There are four connectors on the back of the unit, a power connector, WAN jack, LAN jack, and a USB jack. The ESR530 has four antennae. These antennae support both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks. If you have any need you would want to factory reset ESR530, you can hold the reset button (located on the back of the unit) for 10 seconds and the device will restart and reset itself to factory default. Note: USB 2.0 connector could be used to attach a storage device.
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Internal chips which are responsible for 2.4 and 5Ghz are nicely hidden with aluminum covers. This is done to prevent any outside RF interference. On the opposite side of the PCB are the external connectors/jacks. There were no visible over fluxing spots or bad soldering on the PCB.
ESR530 has an internal DDR3 RAM by NANYA NT5CC128M16JR-EK.
Qualcomm (unmarked) controller is being used for 5Ghz connectivity and also responsible for Ethernet connectivity. I was unable to read the marking on the other Qualcomm chip as the second chip supports 2.4Ghz connectivity.
Flash Memory is being provided by Winbond (W25Q256JVFQ).
Power amplifiers are by MINGTEK HN2435G used to amplify the signal.
[section_title title=Speed Test and User Interface]
Speed Test and Interface.
To test real-world performance, I have used SpeedTest.net (https://www.speedtest.net/) to get the best understanding of what throughput could be achieved with ESR530 mesh network. The laptop device which I was using has Qualcomm Atheros QCA61x4A Wireless Network Adapter. Connections were made to my everyday router Synology RT2600 AC and ESR530 router.
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Secondary router 35ft away.
The first test measured while being connected to Second mesh controller 35 ft away from the primary controller. On the Synology RT2600AC connection the download speed reached a maximum of 245.50 Mbps while on ESR530 I have gotten 104.15 Mbps. Both of these connections were connected via 5Ghz.
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Primary router 10ft away.
For the second test, I moved closer to the primary router and repeated the tests while being 10 ft a way. While being connected to Synology RT2600AC the download speed reached 455.40Mbps and ESR530 reached a maximum download speed of 240.38 Mbps.
Mobile User Interface
To install and manage EnGenius ESR530 mesh network you will need to have a mobile device and be connected to the App Store. You need to download and install “EnMesh For Home” app in order to set up and manage EnMesh devices.
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Once you launch the application you will need to go through a Wizard to set up your Primary Mesh Router and then add a Second router. All of this is covered by proceeding through the setup wizard. Once you are finished with setting up your mesh network, you can go back and log in to your network via the app. Note: if you want to have the ability to remotely manage your network outside of your home you would need to make sure that the “Remote” radio button is checked. It took me a while to figure this out as there are no instructions on how to gain access to your management tools from outside of your network. The first screen you see when you log in will have a general summary of your hardware and even a small speed test to the internet.
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You can change your WiFi SSID on the fly however, the routers will reboot with the new set SSID. If you would like to set up a Guest network, you can also do that from the App. If you want to get a little more information on the devices you can click an appropriate device and mange it with ease. The app is very intuitive and easy to understand.
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There are some troubleshooting tools available such as Wan Speed Test and Speed test from the Mesh Nodes to the Master router.
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There are parental controls which is available through this app. This works well with kids and specific schedules.
[section_title title=Final Thoughts]
Final Thoughts
The EnGenius ESR530 offers 802.11ac wireless with speeds up to 1300Mbps. Based on the speed throughput measured against Synology RT2600AC I would say that the performance of ESR530 is a touch slower than a dedicated router but still well within the wireless specification. This mesh network supports MU-MIMO technology. It is also called AC Wave 2. MU-MIMO stands for Multi-User, Multi-Input, Multi-Output technology. It allows multiple users to connect and interact with the device without queuing. The ESR530 has no issues with multiple connected devices and I haven’t seen any bottlenecks or slowdowns in operation.
My placement of the primary master node and secondary node were about 35 ft apart and with this distance, I did experience in different in throughput speeds. The EnGenius app has a section where the distance of between members is measured and then recommended. The rule of thumb is; if you are planning to run a mesh network in your house, the more access points you have the better. So for a 2000 square feet house, I strongly recommend 4 mesh nodes for optimal throughput speed. With that said, my light use of the mesh network was occupied with streaming content and browsing the web. In either of these tasks, I did not experience any lag, buffering, or other network issues.
EnMesh app provides good visibility of the mesh network and is fairly easy to work with. The ESR530 can be managed from the inside and outside of your network via the app. Right now, the EnGenius ESR530 two-pack sells for about $130 USD and single node for about 70$. Some of the competitors have their nodes listed for a bit more. Example pricing includes: Google WiFi $99 USD, Ubiquiti $134 USD and Netgear $174 (2 pack). My experience with EnMesh ESR530 was short but from what I experienced, I like it. A word of advice, if you are planning to go into home mesh networking, do yourself a favor and pick up a few extra nodes.
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EnGenius ESR530 Dual Pack Home Mesh Network Review Mesh-based home networking has been around for a while now and there is a big competition that is happening between manufacturers to take the lead in the market.