Huawei WiFi Mesh Review - Three Routers and Three Bands for Three Nines

Time to check on the wireless speeds on the first floor. The first screenshot is for the best result (i.e., in simple terms, closest to the main unit), the second for the worst result - i.e. the farthest away from the routers. I would like to point out that the latter measurement is really decent due to the additional satellite placed at this level.

We move to the ground floor, where the computer will connect to the satellite noticeably distant from the main router. Again, the first measurement is in the immediate vicinity of the device and the second was taken at the farthest point in the house.

It is difficult to compare the results of measurements that are slightly more than six months apart, but I am surprised to find that there is a trend. The download speeds offered by Huawei WiFi Mesh are slightly lower than those offered by cheaper competitors - the clear advantage of the reviewed set is visible only in places where the coverage from the third router was useful. However, there is a catch with the backhaul slogan - don't give your verdict just yet, we'll come back to that later.

Upload speeds are higher, but this is probably due to better parameters already at the source - the difference in favor of Huawei WiFi Mesh is noticeable already with a wired connection to the main unit. It is also worth noting that the ping is generally 1 ms higher - unfortunately, I am not able to determine whether it is a matter of a supply whim or hardware. I can honestly say that the latency of the games is just as low, so let's blame it on the measurement error.

Huawei WiFi Mesh allows you to distinguish individual bands with names, but all measurements were performed in automatic mode, in which the devices connected to a 5 GHz network. Potentially, in some places you could get slightly better download speeds (with slightly higher ping) when connected to a 2.4 GHz network.

At the very end, for the sake of formalities, I would like to remind you that all units were in contact with each other by wireless - a cable connection between the main unit and one of the satellites and leaving only one of the routers in completely wireless mode would probably give better results.

What about the backhaul?

Honestly, I was very puzzled by the measurement results and decided to take a closer look at it. While browsing the application, I noticed that the routers communicate with each other using the 5 GHz Wi-Fi_2 network. I concluded from this that other consumer devices - including the Samsung Galaxy A52 tested at the same time - should communicate with the network via Wi-Fi_1 5 GHz. To my surprise, however, it turned out that the laptop connects to the same network as the satellites ...

I decided to ask the manufacturer for language, asking about the speed at the same time. Briefly, due to the two satellites, both 5 GHz networks are used as backhaul - each of the additional units uses one of the bands for contact with the master router and the other for connection with end devices. The second satellite, on the other hand, uses the latter network as a backhaul, making the former available to end devices.

So it seems that in my case the linear configuration worked, which would coincide with the location of the devices in question. The laptop was next to the main unit, and the smartphone was next to the satellite - hence these network discrepancies. The algorithm decided that the most distant router would provide better data transfer in the case of a satellite connection - that's the whole conundrum.

What about when each of the satellites can connect to the head unit? One band is then used as the backhaul, and the latter is returned to the end devices. Of course, in the case of end devices, we are talking about the preferred connection here - in the event of a strong clogging of one of the networks, the other should come to the rescue.

Where does all this fuss come from? This is due to the fact that each of the 5 GHz networks has a maximum data transfer of 867 Mbps. This configuration ensures that none of the bands is "clogged" and that each device can be provided with the best possible connection. Or at least that's what the producer explains it.

I hope I have explained well enough how the backhaul is supposed to work - nor would I want to bore you with technicalities. However, I am presenting you briefly what the manufacturer explained to me - I hope that if you have any questions, I will be able to answer them.

Okay, what does that have to do with speed?

Huawei WiFi Mesh tries to distribute the network load so that the end user always receives the best internet quality. The manufacturer suggested that lower peak speeds in the case of connection to the farthest satellite may result from, for example, connection to the 2.4 GHz network. The solution to this problem is to separate all three networks and ... see for yourself what the results look like. First, speed with automatic tri-lane division as a reference.

Below, measurements were made in the same place, in the case of manual connection to the 2.4 GHz network and each of the two 5 GHz networks.

It seems that the middle measurement corresponds to the "reference point" for a reason. Due to the already described backhaul configuration and hardware limitations of each of the 5 GHz modules, the speed from the satellite is slower than it might be in theory when the load is automatically distributed.

Keep in mind, however, that the above tests are highly synthetic - only the laptop on which the measurements were performed was connected to the network (hence the results slightly higher than in the Speedtests mentioned earlier). In practice, manually distributing devices between networks so that we are not constrained by 867 Mbps transmission can be ... at least difficult.

In practice, we expect mesh systems to operate simply unattended. It should be happening automatically, at the hardware level, completely without our conscious awareness. So I treat this section as an explanation of the mystery and a curiosity rather than a solution to the problem.

AI Life application and browser configuration panel

The Huawei WiFi Mesh set can be controlled in two ways - with the help of a smartphone application (here we can basically choose AI Life and Huawei HiLink, but we will focus on the first one) and the panel available from the browser level.

In order to manage routers from the application level, we do not have to do anything terrible - just run AI Life, connect to the network spread by our routers and ... ready. The devices will appear on the list by themselves and you just need to click on them and enter the previously set password.

Huawei WiFi Mesh shows us a simple screen that summarizes all the router settings. The quality of the connection is noteworthy, which is assessed primarily by the devices on the basis of "Wi-Fi interference", i.e. how busy the channel we use is. If for some reason we decide that we want to do better on this background, just click the remove interference button and the routers will start working on a different channel - by default routers do this automatically. The download speed and the upload speed with which we load our devices is shown below.

Next is only more interesting. We can view the list of connected devices, check which networks they are connected to, take away their Internet access, limit the speed or apply parental control (in the form of fixed hours in which Internet access for a given device is unblocked). In principle, we can do the same from the Parental Control tab - there we can also view all devices on which they have been restricted.

The Diagnose tab is particularly interesting, as the devices tell us what can be done better. As you can see, the application reports to me that one of the additional units is too far from the main router - AI Life proposes to move the routers so that they are separated by no more than two walls and no more than 10 meters, and re-measure. Well, in my case, these conditions are basically met - but it seems that the jump to the next floor is too much of an obstacle.

Unfortunately, I cannot eliminate this problem - due to the difference of floors, it is impossible to bring the routers closer to each other. Of course, it would be best to connect the main module and the satellite with a wire, but at the moment it would involve the need to run a loose cable up the stairs. It certainly has a negative impact on the speeds offered by this unit, but in practice, the stability of the Internet leaves nothing to be desired. Also, keep in mind that the two TP Link Deco M4 units were working the same distance apart - and there was no third band for the backhaul already discussed. ;)

The last tab is the Wi-Fi network for guests - we can set the name, password, duration of such a network and possible speed limit there. For further settings, see the More Features tab - there aren't many curiosities here, and let me not list them all. I am just drawing your attention to the ability to manage names and passwords for all three networks (including automatic tri-band selection), the ability to turn off the router lighting, and plan to turn Wi-Fi on and off at specific times.

To my surprise, much more configuration options are offered by the browser panel of routers. There are still not too many options here, but the options to configure IPTV, VPN, DDNS or reviewing security settings are noteworthy. By the way, the manufacturer boasts on its website that the Huawei WiFi Mesh has been equipped with the HUAWEI HomeSec security package

Daily use and conclusions

When it comes to the stability of the connection and the usual comfort of use, the set cannot be faulted. A minimum of 10 devices (sometimes more) are connected to the network simultaneously and three routers were sufficient to meet their needs. I am tempted to say that the net would carry much more.

What about speeds at more distant parts of the house? Still a slight disgust is that the cheaper kit leaves a slightly better impression in this regard. You can work around it manually, but… that's not the point, is it?

Ultimately, however, I come to the conclusion that the matter is not so black and white. The differences in internet speed are not that significant, and the Huawei WiFi Mesh has several other features that may prompt you to buy it - such as three full-fledged LAN ports (the WAN port is separate). In fact, the title of this review could be Huawei WiFi Mesh review - three routers with three sockets and three bands for three nines, but no exaggeration ...;)

In exchange for a higher price, Huawei WiFi Mesh also offers an even better design, better workmanship and generally gives the impression of equipment from the premium segment. The list of advantages undoubtedly should also include the possibility of setting independent names for all three Wi-Fi network bands or a (quite decent) configuration panel available from the browser level. And these are features that are also worth paying a little price for, right?

Although the assessment of the equipment will be undoubtedly positive - because summa summarum it is a good equipment offering great possibilities, it does not leave me with only optimistic impressions. However, I asked myself two questions:

Has it completely satisfied the needs of the network infrastructure in my home? Yes. If I hadn't run synthetic tests, would I have realized that the Wi-Fi downstairs was a bit slower than the cheaper kit? Probably not.

Summary

I have the impression that in this review I have put all the doubts that the Huawei WiFi Mesh set aroused in me on the table. The text is very long, but trust me I looked at the devices very carefully and didn't want to miss anything important.

I think that the rating 7.5 / 10 will be fair and it offers a good ratio between the price of the equipment and the possibilities it offers. After all, for less than a thousand zlotys, you can buy a three-element set to build a mesh network that works on three bands, each of the three devices allows you to connect three devices by cable, and the whole thing looks really elegant and solid.

Therefore, when making a purchase decision, you have to be guided by your individual needs. I honestly admit that I will go back to the cheaper TP-Link Deco M4 set without pain - two units are enough to provide the Internet where it is needed. However, if you want to connect more devices to routers with a cable and you highly value aesthetic consistency, then Huawei WiFi Mesh is a very good lead.