There’s an exhaustive number of merchandise in case you’re available in the market for a good Wi-Fi 6 mesh router. A lot of the merchandise have a sturdy feature-set, are straightforward to arrange and use, and ship whole-home protection. Whereas mesh programs have gained a variety of momentum lately, I am not a fan of them as they typically are typically restricted in the case of superior options and community configurability. That is why I turned to Ubiquiti’s UniFi entry factors and switches for my own residence a number of years in the past.
EnGenius is one other model that caters to networking lovers, providing entry factors, community switches, and safety gateways which are managed by its cloud-based EnGenius Cloud answer. I used the ECW220 Wi-Fi 6 entry level and the ECS1008P Gigabit managed swap for my residence community two years in the past, and slotted within the beefier ECS2512FP 2.5GbE swap final yr into my residence community infrastructure.
Like Ubiquiti’s UniFi controller, the EnGenius Cloud controller is simple to get began with, and it gives an exhaustive listing of options for community administration. When you’re trying to go this route, know that whereas EnGenius gives a wide selection of switches and entry factors, it does not have a routing answer like Ubiquiti’s UniFi Dream Machine Professional — you may have to make use of a standalone wired router. The easiest way to do it’s construct a customized pfSense answer or get your arms on the MikroTik RB5009UG (opens in new tab) for routing.
Here is a short overview of what EnGenius has to supply with its merchandise, and whether or not you need to select the model in lieu of Ubiquiti or TP-Hyperlink Omada.
Entry factors
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Given the elevated prosumer demand lately, EnGenius now gives {hardware} tailor-made for residence customers in its Match portfolio. The EWS357-FIT ought to be the perfect product for many residence customers; it is powered by a quad-core Qualcomm platform with Cortex A53 cores, has high-gain omnidirectional antennae which are hidden within the housing, and desires 12.5W over PoE.
The 2×2 Wi-Fi 6 design delivers as much as 1,200Mbit over the 5GHz channel and 574Mbit at 2.4GHz, and is ideally suited to residence environments. It misses out on the broader 160MHz channels, and like all of EnGenius’s merchandise, there is no licensing charge right here. The EWS357-FIT retails for simply $115 on Amazon (opens in new tab), and that is consistent with what Ubiquiti and different manufacturers cost for related {hardware}.
When you want a bit extra grunt, you need to check out the EWS377-FIT. This entry level has a 4×4 MIMO Wi-Fi 6 modem, and delivers as much as 2,400Mbit over 5GHz and 1,148Mbit at 2.4GHz. The two.5GbE Ethernet port works over the 802.3at customary, and just like the EWS357, it must be powered over PoE and has an influence funds of 19.5W. The EWS377-FIT is obtainable for $200 on Amazon (opens in new tab), and though you will not discover any 160MHz channels right here both, the added bandwidth ought to be greater than sufficient for residence customers.
Each entry factors might be mounted on the ceiling, and are managed utilizing the EnGenius Cloud software program. When you want Wi-Fi 6e, you may want to take a look at EnGenius’s business-focused merchandise just like the ECW336, however I would not recommend it because it sells for an insane $850.
Switches
Switching is the place EnGenius takes on Ubiquiti and TP-Hyperlink, with the model providing 8-port, 24-port, and 48-port switches that may be slotted in for residence use. I’ve an 8-port ECS1008P that I have been utilizing for over a yr now, and it has been a dependable workhorse. I even have a 10GbE swap that is aimed toward companies, however a greater different for residence use can be the EWS2910P-FIT. That is an 8-port Gigabit swap with a 55W PoE energy funds and two SFP uplink ports, giving it a 20Gbps switching capability. The swap prices $179, however is promoting for simply $149 on Amazon (opens in new tab), making it a stellar worth.
In order for you one thing with extra ports or the next PoE energy funds, the $329 EWS7928P-FIT (opens in new tab) ought to be the perfect possibility. This can be a 24-port swap with Gigabit ports and 802.3at/af PoE+ connectivity with a 240W energy funds throughout all ports, and with 4 SFP uplink ports. you get a complete of 56Gbps switching capability.
Similar to with the entry factors, the switches are controllable by way of the EnGenius Cloud software program, and there is loads of configurability on supply.
EnGenius Cloud controller software program
Whereas EnGenius has a variety of engaging {hardware} choices, its largest differentiator is the EnGenius Cloud administration software program. Much like UniFi, you may management the entry factors and switches by way of an internet interface, and there are cellular shoppers for Android and iOS which have interface and allow you to entry all of the customization choices.
You will want an account to make use of EnGenius Cloud, and it does not work in an offline-only mode. I’d have favored to see this function, however most manufacturers are going this route, and for what it is value, there’s two-factor authentication to safe your account. The EnGenius Cloud dashboard provides you an outline of your community, and you can see the entry factors and switches and all of the gadgets linked to both system.
You possibly can change IP assignments, arrange VLANs, configure PoE scheduling, and see what ports are in use in real-time for the switches. As for the entry factors, you may assign SSIDs, arrange a visitor community, choose radios, configure DHCP, and handle VLANs. I like the convenience of use mixed with the customizability, and there may be sufficient right here for customers simply beginning out with a DIY residence community in addition to lovers trying to tweak each aspect of their community.
Must you purchase it?
General, I like what EnGenius has to supply with its {hardware}, but it surely is not as in depth as Ubiquiti. The UniFi community has labored rather well for me over the past 18 months, and one of the best half about Ubiquiti is that it has a variety of safety cameras that plug into its {hardware} and retailer footage regionally.
After the Eufy debacle and the safety vulnerabilities inherent in cloud-based safety cameras, I needed an area storage answer, and UniFi Shield has quite a bit to supply on this space. Ubiquiti has indoor and out of doors safety cameras in addition to video doorbells, they usually work flawlessly with the UniFi Dream Machine Professional.
Whereas EnGenius has first rate entry factors and switches, it does not (but) have a safety digicam portfolio, and that is a limitation for my very own use case. There’s additionally the matter of routing, and whereas the present {hardware} is a good different to Ubiquiti and TP-Hyperlink Omada, EnGenius must introduce a routing answer to spherical out its portfolio.
The {hardware} is a tad extra reasonably priced than Ubiquiti and also you get a variety of choices with EnGenius Cloud, so in case you’re making an attempt to overtake your private home community and want entry factors and switches that work reliably, there’s a lot to love with EnGenius.
