I have a very challenging home. There seems to be a lot of metal embedded in the walls which makes each room act like a Faraday cage killing virtually all signals from WiFi kit - even mobile reception goes down to 1 bar. I got the mw5 kit with 4 nodes and I have to say the performance is phenomenal - no more dropped signal or performance issues. I can hit close to my maximum download speed anywhere in the home now.
My routers went on 3 different parts of my house in different sections - Basement, (ground floor) Garage and one bedroom (2nd floor) facing rear of the house. Since the wireless signal between these 3 points was weak, we did an Ethernet backhaul... Basically the 2 remotes connected to the main device on a standalone 100Mb/s 5-port switch. Works good.
Please note that the Tenda MW3's encryption is not actually WPA2-PSK, but WPA/WPA2-TKIP, which was deprecated years ago as obsolete. You should *expect* your network to be hacked. Also, the MW3's call out to Internet sites in China several times a minute, but apparently work normally if you block their access with your firewall, so it doesn't seem to be a needed function. Tenda has been promising a firmware update to change this behavior for over a year.
I have been running a combination of MW6 and MW3 for 3 months now. If I use an ethernet cable from any of the nodes the speeds are acceptable. With an 80/20 download/upload speed into my home, I average 70+/17 via secondary nodes on ethernet cables. Furtherest node speed is 45/15 in a detached garage. Wi-fi best on any node including primary is 50/15 but everyone in the house has a strong stable WiFi signal for simultaneous Roku streaming and MS Teams and Zoom meetings. There are better mesh systems out there but not sure if there is anything better at the same price as the Tenda
just bought this product for home to upgrade from my wifi with extender to wifi mesh, i now get full 100Mbps connection through out the house. Thumbs up to fellow Aussie :D
Vincent hi. i have a few questions: 1. how well nova mw3 delivery internet speed from you internet provider? i mean if you have 100 mbps. how many mbps you get in each nodes? 2. have you tested on android tv? by lan or wifi connection? is it buffering when play the video?
@@aldirm7123 i have a 100mbps connection, on speed test aslong as it not peak time i get about 92-95 mpbs. Peak time slows down to 70mpbs. Yes i got android tv to watch drama shows and netflix etc. Never need to buffer.
@@aldirm7123 every node has a lan port. The android tv i use lan cable and wifi before... No problems... I think u worry too much this is a good product. You just need good internet connection.
Vincent hahaha. yes. im worry too much bro. i need to make sure before buy it. i have 100 mbps. i want to test mw3 with android tv through wireless not lan cable. i hope it wouldn’t be buffering so much. thanks for you information bro
One of the best review, other only talks, talk and talk, and don't show the numbers. But why not test with more one or two tenda routers (MW3) only one?
Well, I'm here again. This video is one of the videos that made me, bougth the MW3. After 3 weeks of tests and using, it's not so great, this routers have some issues, they are very slow tô change the user from one to another, sometimes do you have conection all things are correct and no internet or even with a strong signal nothing happens, need to disconnect smartphone from wi-fi and connect again. Don't work If you have a Proxy configurated in your browser, other simple routers or extenders work normally. In the end it's not a good deal, dont't buy, has better routers to use .
James , my first time seeing any of your videos but already love your presentation. You may think about adding some color or size to your cursor is really hard to find. Really good video though thanks
I have just got the mw6 and to get the best performance I found I had to put into bridge mode and turn off my modem wifi. speedtest didn't even register an upload speed until I did this. also before I did this I also had little buggy issues with random dropouts etc.. like loading an email some of the pictures wouldn't load. but since swapping to bridge mode it feels snappy and no issues so far. one thing I did notice the first speedtest after swapping to bride mode it put a china server to test and says I was 8km from it. which I am not, I live in Australia. so somehow it thought I was in China. maybe they are sending some info back there since there is only app control so we don't really know how it all operates.
Thanks, great vid. My old powerline systemhas died and I was looking for an alternative as I have a mixture of new and quite old wiring. So I am away to buy a four unit pack. It may be overkill but I live in a house with some 2ft granite walls.
@@alkider2161 Perfect. No problems, great coverage in all rooms. Now if only my actual internet was actually worth what I'm paying for it, I'd be a truly happy bunny.
I've just got the MW6. with 3 nodes. I used ethernet backhaul cables between the main node ( the gateway) and the other 2 nodes. In other words the nodes don't have to use wifi to talk to each other or use wifi to share the internet between the nodes. In theory this should give better performance when you have a device connected to one of the two remote nodes. If you have 2 remote nodes you will have to use a ethernet switch to share the output from the gateway node to the other two remote nodes. One thing - i can't find any settings for a firewall. The Tenda specs say Forbid UDP flood attack , Forbid TCP flood attack, Forbid flood attack. Does anyone else know how secure the built in router is?
Very helpful review. I'm now looking to get a set of 3 for my home. Would you know if it will work on a 2-storey home with reinforced concrete walls? My current setup is a FiberHome modem/router on the GF, with a wired connection to a TPLink AC750 router on the 2F. I hate seeing the ethernet cable snaking up the stairs just to reach my second router. Right now, I can connect to my 2F router while in the GF, but I can't connect to the GF router while I'm in the 2F. I'm unsure though if placing a node on the GF and 2F while havig a 3rd elsewhere will get the network working.
Hey James, spectacular review with great details, are you still using MW3 or MW6? I went to check out reviews from customers for both products and almost all the bad reviews mentioned great signal strength but with inconsistent performance and frequent drops, Have you experienced any of the problems? Thank you
Yea, I do have some connection problems depending where I am in the house. I found that if I'm somewhere inbetween two of the nodes, it sometimes connects to the one further away, which can lead to a slow connection. But it's only in specific spots. I thought upgrading to MW6 might help that, but didn't really help. Still figuring it out, might upload a video about it. But perhaps look to brands like TP-Link?
What about electromagnetic radiation? Since mesh has multiple nodes as wireless units, is wireless-linked as opposed to the hardline-linked access points with just one central wireless unit (the modem), does mesh transmit more radiation? Or since access point tries to get signal from the distant original modem as opposed to the mesh case where the closest mesh node to you acts itself as a wireless source, do access points transmit more radiation? (like the way a cellphone in a rural area trying to get signal from a distant wireless tower and so transmits more radiation as opposed to a cellphone in the city center and so is close to the tower).
Totally up to you. In my case I have both running, however my old one is just hidden. It's because I have some old devices connected to it which I can't be bothered reconnecting to the new network. But if you have a chose, probably better not to have both so as to reduce frequency congestion.
hey guys, any luck on getting a web interface to access and control our network? the app is cool but it's always better if you can keep the control through the pc, right? Ref. to 10:50 on the video - "tenda is working on it" since May 19.. hope it's already somewhere ✌
Are the WAN ports gigabit? (Edit: On the manual it states “fast Ethernet” but no real numbers) I’m thinking of installing these but using a wired back haul. Have you or anyone here tried wired the devices?
A bit late, but it's a one story house and roughly 10-15m apart. Probably recommended to be further apart tbh. But I wouldn't recommend this product anymore, I would go with a tp link Deco X55
Hi, How is the long term performance when multiple devices are connected? Did your signal ever drops or disconnects? I bought the cheapest mesh, the halo s3. Speed test is fine but after a while signal is dead. S3 choks when multiple devices are connected. I constantly have to restart the system to get internet back.
Hi James, Nice review! A quick question regarding the device. Currently, I am checking this one since my current setup when having multiple devices connected to the router sometimes my laptop and phone struggle to have a stable internet speed even with 4 bar wifi signals. not just in our 2nd floor but also when I'm near the router sometimes getting loading screen while watching youtube and etc. Due to high demand now on our house since we are currently working from home due to pandemic. "Setup is 8 devices are connected via wifi no LAN" I'm using TPlink archer C50 2014 version will Nova m3 can solve my issue? Also, question does the Tenda nova m3 also has a bandwidth control feature? Thanks in advance!
Hey man, what are the real world speeds on these devices? The Sagemcom modem delivers great speed on 5ghz when you're the only device connected but doesn't perform under load. Seeing as the Tenda operates under 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz do you not experience the same problem?
Hi James, at present is it still viable for me to purchase the Tenda mx6/mx3 mesh wireless router. your video was done in 2019. three years have pass. Thanking you in advance for your anticipatate reply,
I would say if you have the money to consider other options out there such as TP-Link etc... But if you're short on money, then these are still pretty decent. The only reason I would suggest to look elsewhere is the interface and can be a little fidly 10-15% of the time. But to be clear, I still use my WM6 today.
Excellent video thank you... One question, do you just turn off the wifi on your optus modem and only use the tenda (for simplicity and less interference)? Or is there a way to keep it on and use it also?
i have reed on the comment of another video that the nova 2nd cube or the one not connecting to main router only gives 20% of the speed, did you face such problem?
i would like to know if there's any option for customer to make these more reliable. i have 3 already and planning to upgrade more to gain better coverage in the house building.
IF i have one cube only and connect it the first time with the router via cable i will able then to pull of the cable and the cube works ONLY with power connected to wifi of router?more detail after i established the connection to the router and the cube ,the cube standalone WITHOUT cable.THANKS
I've set up the Tenda MW3 as you suggested but I had to turn off the wifi on my Optus main modem router to make the Tenda work. Is there a simple workaround so I can have both wifi networks, thanks.
Hello, Great video. I have some questions. I have a 8mbps connection and Have a Modem router (1 device). 1- Do I need to Keep DHCP in both Modem routers and Mesh Node ? I'll be having 2 right ? 2- Do I need to set the primary to Bridge or DHCP. Which one os better, it's set automatically to DHCP once connected to my modem router.
i bought this mesh system but can only get around 100mbps max speed on 5ghz wifi when my wired connections give me 500mbps(my internet plan)... reached out to Tenda about this but their customer services is non-existent. anyone else facing this issue and managed to solve it?
hi can you tell more detail about fast roaming? i dont get it. i think that maybe one smartphone or laptop moving from one place to other place, so it will quickly hand over the internet to other nodes?
Korin Design haven't reached out to me to send one, probably because it's a 180 degree open and I'm not a big fan of those haha. So no intentions at this stagem
Hi James, is this applicable to adjacent houses? I bought 2 nodes and I'm planning to place both outside of both houses. Approximately 20 meters within each other.
For that application, I would be looking into the MW6 model and getting extra nodes to get good coverage accross both. But you must expect that the second house will have sub-par performance compared to the main house.
The setup is infuriating. My WiFi network has been set up but cannot get additional nodes added. Pretty useless, have tried to factory reset and nothing works
Great vid. Might have missed it but can you tell me your Optus modem and if it was supplied by them please. I have a Sagemcom and the wifi is awful, hence the interest in your solution.
James Chia Thanks. Same here. Would you mind sharing how you configured your modem/MW3 setup? I’m buying the MW6 and was thinking that I disable wifi on the Sagemcom and set MW6 to bridge mode then run all wifi through that. Would that be your recommendation?
@@jcunboxing well may house its around 25m long, just my father as said so, then our internet is just 100mbps fiber here in the philippines (2899 plan), and its only 1 floor, just hope it could penetrate the dead zones hopefully, so ill just pick the MW3 most probably........
Great video and great explanation. I've been looking to get one of these mesh network systems because my wifi performance is so bad, I get around 30-40mbps(100mbps connection) maximum between my router and AP and seeing the performance of these has convinced me to buy it. I do have a question though, I have 2 routers right now, one Optus-issued and another acting as an AP on the other side of the house via hardline. If I was to get this 3 pack would I be able to hardline 2 of them and have the third connected through wifi in the hallway? I'd connect one directly to my optus router and have it act as the master and I was wondering if I'd be able to connect a second one at the other side of the house without issues since I already have a ethernet cable running from main router to there.
Good question. I'm not sure, people have said that they were able to do it, but I haven't been able to verify that yet. Maybe searching online might reveal an answer?
Im my house have only 8mbps and the wifi is very week in my house when i went upstairs . Is that good for 8 mbps . And is that we need to connect by Ethernet wire to all the mesh ?
All you need to do is connect one of the nodes via Ethernet to your ISP modem, the rest can be wireless. Will do fine with 8mbps, it can go up to 100mbps.
Is it true that you can use a MW6 as master, with gigabit port, and the other mw3 as slaves and routing a gigabit internet? I bought one mw3 and I'm planning to buy a mw6 next.
I'm not entirely sure but I believe it is possible (using parent control settings?) but you can't have it in bridge mode. I'm using it in Bridge and those settings don't appear. Cheers man :)
The "first" tenda, which is connected to the router- does this need to stay hard wired connected to the router, or once it is set up, can that be moved somewhere else and connects to the router via wifi or something? (similar to the "second" and "third tendas"). Thanks
hi. i have a few questions: 1. how well nova mw3 delivery internet speed from you internet provider? i mean if you have 100 mbps. how many mbps you get in each nodes? 2. have you tested on android tv? by lan or wifi connection? is it buffering when play the video?
2. All depends on your android box. Mine has crap WiFi reception anyway with my Tenda runs at 52mbps wired but only around 15mbps WiFi. Both plenty fast enough so no buffering. Also I paid full price for mine and STILL rate it as an excellent system
James Chia thanks buddy，my nbn is fttp， so I have a nbn box installed in the garage，i assume i may don‘t even need the router itself， just plug my mw6 straight in the socket， it may works， I’ll receive them next Monday， really looking forward of them
Hey can we connect all the boxes through internet and still get a mesh wifi ? I mean without sharing each others wifi. Like all boxes connected to the same router but displaying only one Wifi ?
By default it will only show as one network. They all broadcast the same network name. But the whole point of a mesh network is that they do connect to each other to create a "mesh".
@@jcunboxing Yes but my idea is to create a "mesh" through ethernet, like that I can get the best without sharing each wifi. Do you understand what I mean or not ? Like 1 wifi wif 3 boxes and the 3 boxes takes the connection with a cable instead of wifi sharing. thanks for answering!
Please help! I set everything perfect but I get 500mbps down on ethernet, 180mbps on wifi router... But MAXIMUM 10mbps down on Tenda mw3 even if Im right next to it. Any suggestions?? I updated firmware, restarted modem, etc etc
Hey mate. Thanks for sharing this. I have a Tenda Nova MW5G-3. I had a couple of issues: 1. While the devices connected to my primary node are giving me 100Mbps speed, the speed drops to 60-70 Mpbs to secondary nodes. What do you reckon may be causing that? 2. I find frequently some of my smart devices are connected to 2.4 rather than 5Ghz band. Is there a way to ensure connection to 5Ghz?
I am facing the same issues. My primary modem gives me full speed of 5G. Tenda router though wired through a lan cable does not give me full 5G speed and only 2.4G
Secondary nodes are slower when using a wireless connection to the primary node (backhaul/backbone, bandwidth shared with re-transmitting from device-to-B-to-A-andbackagain). Any device using the 2.4GHz band will be slower than newer 5GHz (WiFi gen 5 & 6).
You can't, just gotta trust me :) I'm using them right now, and don't plan to stop. If you've been following my channel you'll know that I'm not afraid to tell the truth if a product as bad, even if it's been sent. I've lost partnerships with clients because of that.
I have my outdoor cameras connected to the novas but, there are many times I have a problem connecting to them. It takes about 2-4 tries before it connects. I noticed you had the bridge mode turned on, which I don’t, will that be the problem? Everything else connects just fine. Need your advice if possible.
Not entirely. Many factors could come into play for your situation. The fact that they're outdoors might have something to do with it. The only reason I have bridge mode turned on is because I have a separate router performing all the DHCP functions. The Tenda is literally just acting as the Wi-Fi function.
