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.

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ESR530 arrived inside a small white box that has a product picture at the front beneath the company logo and above the two available smartphone apps (we actually received two ESR530 single packs for this review).

 

 

On the left side you can see both the product specifications and the contents of the bundle.

 

 

Proper topology is showcased at the rear of the box.

 

 

Finally, on the right side EnGenius lists the main product features.

 

 

Along with the ESR530 smart router contained inside the box are its power adapter (US plug), RJ45 Ethernet cable and the quick-start guide.

 

 

THE ESR530

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ESR530 Smart Router measures 127mm in diameter, 57mm in height and weighs just 195g (since we couldn't get a good picture of the entire unit, we used this marketing one).

 

 

EnGenius has placed a single activity LED at the front of the unit (blue/orange/white).

 

 

At the base of the router we find two holes used for wall mounting, the DC-in, Gigabit WAN and LAN ports and a USB 2.0 port (unfortunately medium to large sized USB drives can't fit where the port is located at).

 

 

Accessing the interior of the router is not hard, you just need to remove two Philips screws from the base.

 

 

Even though most of the main modules are covered by aluminum covers (for example the Qualcomm CPU is located under the large cover together with the DDR3L module by nanya), we can still see the signal boosters by Mingtek Technology Corporation and the 256M-bit serial flash memory module by Winbond.

 

 

Of course we can also see the 4 omni-directional antennas which are attached onto the top cover.

 

 

 

SETUP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The easiest way to setup the ESR530 Smart Router is via your smartphone so after you download the EnMesh app you will need to follow the above instructions.

 

 

After that you will need to name the router (or select where it's located in your home) and select your country (due to specific country regulations the ESR530 is currently aimed towards the North and South America markets).

 

 

This is a matter of just a few minutes so you should have the ESR530 up and running in no time.

 

 

ENMESH APP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The main tab of the EnMesh app lists the current download/upload performance of your internet, the current number of connected devices to the router and of course the status of the router (internet connection).

 

 

From within the EnMesh app you can also add more ESR530 smart routers as seen above.

 

 

You can see a "proper" topology drawing while you are adding more units.

 

 

The best and easiest way however is to check the status of the devices, from here you will see whether they are too close, too far or in optimum range.

 

 

Three drawings are also used to showcase the proper topology.

 

 

Of course, from within the app you can change the internet type and you can also set parental controls and rules for all connected devices.

 

 

WEB GUI

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more demanding users who may want to dig deeper to the available settings of the ESR530 there's also a web GUI available.

 

 

From the Wi-Fi tab you can adjust the wireless network settings and enable guest access.

 

 

As expected from within the interfaces tab you can adjust everything in regards to both the LAN and WAN ports (IPTV feature included).

 

 

File sharing and local IP camera recording (probably USB connected models) can be configured from the storage tab.

 

 

The firewall tab gives you access to the firewall feature and allows you to enable/setup DMZ, DoS and port forwarding.

 

 

Finally, from the tools tab you can enable HTTPS, remote access and UPNP and you can also save/load the configuration of the router, restart it and perform a firmware update.

 

 

TESTING METHODOLOGY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Since standalone routers can't directly connect to the internet (unless you have a cable connection which we don't) and thus the modem is responsible for internet speeds the only thing that's left is to test and see how much bandwidth they can offer by directly linking two devices with them. So once again we will be using the networking benchmark by Passmark (v.8), QCheck by Ixia and ATTO 2.47 (since April 2015) to test such devices the same exact way we test Powerline adapters and Modem/Routers. Since we need to test new features and specifications all routers are benchmarked with their highest available wireless standard/band (5GHz in this case). Our systems are outfitted with Kingston HyperX Predator 480GB PCIe SSDs, AC1200 USB 3.0 adapters (we have AC1900 – AC1300 effective – models here but we will continue using the AC1200 adapters to provide comparable results) and CAT7 cables and are placed 15m away from the router with 3 concrete walls between them while each test is repeated a total of 6 times after which the average scores are recorded into our charts. Both systems have Windows 10 Pro installed with all the updates until the time of our review.

   We’ve received several requests by some of you to also measure power consumption when testing modem/routers and although differences are not that great between similar models we decided to do so (average power consumption during tests is placed in our charts). Also, again after many requests from April 2017 we will also do our best to measure wired USB performance of any modem/router or standalone router that gets to our lab with the help of Crystal Disk Mark v5.1.2 and a Samsung T1 250GB Portable SSD.

 

 

TEST RESULTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   As it’s evident from our performance charts a single ESR530 Smart Router is nothing to be excited over in terms of signal strength and range (using both routers for our performance tests would make very little sense, we want you to see what you can expect from a single one – also our tests are done under specific ranges and conditions and two ESR530’s in mesh configuration just wouldn’t do). Of course, this is to be expected since mesh network systems are designed to be paired with more than just one device thus offering increased range and performance (thanks to their compact sizes and low power consumption using more than one shouldn’t be a problem). So, by pairing the 2nd ESR530 not only did we see even better performance numbers but signal strength was excellent across the board (still that depends on the area you wish to cover, for our lab even two ESR530’s are more than just enough, for larger areas however you may need to use even more). Unfortunately, because of the available connections and the way mesh systems work we were unable to complete our typical wired tests (USB included) but that’s not something new since we had the same issues with other similar network devices in the past.

   The ESR530 Smart Router 2-Pack by EnGenius currently retails for USD99.95 inside the USA (Amazon.com) a price tag which we find extremely balanced for what you’re getting in return. Of course, it goes without saying that with so many Wi-Fi mesh network systems in the market today the ESR530 is by far the best but thanks to its compact size, low power consumption and good overall performance it could be what you’ve been looking for and that’s also why it comes recommended by us.

 

PROS

- Compact Size
- AC1300 Technology (Concurrent 802.11n 2.4GHz & 802.11ac 5GHz Bands)
- Features (Beamforming, MU-MIMO And Band Steering)
- Easy to Setup
- Low Power Consumption
- Android / iOS App & Web Interface
- USB 2.0 Port
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Single Router Performance
- USB Port Location (Medium to Large USB Drives Will Not Fit)
- Availability (North & South America Only)