INTRODUCTION

   Wireless connectivity may not be the fastest or most secure way to access the internet and/or share data but it's without doubt extremely convenient which is also why network peripherals manufacturers continue to design and manufacture innovative products for use both at home and at work. The latest such innovation is mesh network systems which thanks to their ability to provide Wi-Fi coverage to very large spaces/areas they've become extremely popular, especially lately. Mesh network systems have actually been around for quite a few years now but much like most things in the electronics market the early models were just not what manufacturers had in mind, both in terms of signal strength and overall performance. Things have changed for the best however and so today we'll be testing the ESR530 Smart Mesh Router by EnGenius.

   EnGenius Networks is an international manufacturer of innovative network solutions for companies and is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. The company was founded in 2006 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Senao Networks Inc. and today has numerous offices on almost every continent. EnGenius offers an end-to-end solution – a comprehensive network deployment from start to finish with hardware and software products, including Ethernet switches, in- & outdoor access points and hybrid access points with built-in IP cameras. EnGenius B2B solutions are used worldwide by department stores, cafes, airports, hotels, hospitals, event locations, resorts, museums and universities. EnGenius’ mission is to provide best-in-class data solutions that promote mobility, increase productivity and are easy to use. We believe that connectivity should go hand in hand with reliability, rich features and personalized service, while remaining affordable.

   Under the round compact plastic enclosure of the ESR530 EnGenius has paired the IPQ4018 (4xARM Cortex A7 @ 717MHz) quad-core CPU by Qualcomm together with 256MB DDR3L DRAM by nanya and 128MB of flash memory/ROM. Thanks to the IPQ4018 CPU the ESR530 is also equipped to support several of the latest technologies like Wave-2 802.11ac wireless technology, MU-MIMO (Multi-user, multiple-input, multiple-output), beamforming (signal strength between devices is adjusted according to their range and location) and automatic band-steering ("forces" dual-band capable devices to connect to the 5GHz band and leaves the 2.4GHz band for devices that just support that). The ESR530 also features an 2x2 dual-band internal omnidirectional antenna configuration which offers concurrent signal output on both the 2.4GHz (up to 400Mbps) and 5GHz bands (up to 867Mbps), RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet WAN and LAN ports and a single USB 2.0 port. EnGenius currently sells the ESR530 Smart Mesh Router in single and dual packs both covered with a 1-year limited warranty.