Review on 📶 Cudy AX1800 Smart WiFi 6 Mesh Router with VPN, WiFi Range Extender and AP, 802.11ax, 1800Mbps Dual Band, 4 Gigabit LAN Ports, OFDMA, Beamforming, MU-MIMO, IPV6, X6 by Juan Huerta

Update: July 10, 2021 Cudy has notified me that a new firmware has been released that supports MESH networks. I uploaded new firmware to my Cudy AX1800 router and then attempted to add it to my existing MESH network. It did not work. It turns out that the current firmware only supports the MESH network function between Cudy routers. Kadi was kind enough to send me another AX1800 router so I could try out the new feature. I'm happy to share my findings. In terms of performance, when connected to an additional router, Speedtest shows that the download speed is about 2/3 of the speed when connected to the main/host MESH router. Specifically, I'm getting near full ISP speeds of 400Mbps next to the main router and around 265-275Mbps on the southwest corner of the 1st floor. Performance is comparable to my existing MESH network. So thumbs up. It is great! According to Kadi, they are working on future firmware to support MESH with routers from other manufacturers. In other words, they are working on new firmware to support EasyMESH, the standard for routers from different vendors that work with MESH. I look forward to Cudy's EasyMESH update coming soon. I'm also very happy that Kadi has already been working on what I listed as suggestions in my initial reviews. Only with this support, MESH Cudy improved its product by expanding its WiFi coverage. At the current price of the Cudy AX1800 router, you can buy multiple routers for whole-home WiFi coverage with no signal dropouts. For my 2 storey house of 4000 sqm. ft. I have a MESH host in the northeast corner of the 2nd floor and an additional router in the middle of the 1st floor. I walk around the house with my phone and the WiFi signal is always full. For my new experience with the Cudy MESH implementation described above, I am changing the rating of the product from 3 stars to 5 stars as this product can no longer be used. in a small home/office which I recommended for in my original review. Note: I recently switched to Spectrum Ultra 400Mbps Internet. Unlike Frontier FiOS, actual internet speed in Spectrum Internet can change at different times of the day. The above speed observation takes place on a Saturday afternoon. ----------- --------------------------------------- --------- ----------------------- ------------------ This Cudy WiFi 6 AX1800 router is a budget WiFi 6 router that supports all major 802.11 protocols, including 802.11ax. This means it will work with older devices. Pros: WiFi 6 support; Easy setting; WPA3 support for better security Cons: 1. This router supports 2 modes: router and access point. In each of these modes, Internet access requires a wired WAN connection. That means the router needs to be placed somewhere close to the ISP's internet modem unless you're running a long Ethernet cable. This is normal for a small home/office where one router is enough to cover the entire room. For larger coverage areas, you must use a third-party WiFi extender/repeater as this router does not have WiFi hotspot mode.2. I have the following WiFi settings: this router (Cudy WiFi 6 AX1800), old Netgear 802.11n router, EDUP WiFi 6 AX1500 EasyMesh router (3). My internet is FiOS 50/50. My PC has a WiFi 6 adapter (Intel AX200). All 3 main routers are next to the ISP modem and are about the same distance from my PC. Attached are screenshots from my PC for each router's WiFi connection properties and screenshots from my iPhone for Internet SpeedTest. This is a 5G wifi band connection. WiFi connection speed (reception / transmission): Cudy - 144/288 (Mbps); NetGear – 300/300 (Mbps); EDUP Mesh - 721/961 (Mbps). WiFi Internet Speed Test (Upload/Upload): Cudy - 49.0/10.4 (Mbps); NetGear - 57.1/51.4 (Mbps); EDUP - 57.3 / 51.3 (Mbps) The above data shows that despite the support of WiFi 6, the performance of the Cudy AX1800 router is lower in the 5G band. actually not as good as my old Netgear 802.11n router which actually delivers the best 802.11n connection speed. I would conclude with the following observations.1. The performance of a budget router ie Cudy (WiFi 6) versus the old NetGear (WiFi 4), the brand mentioned can still hold its own after 2 WiFi generations. A budget router with EasyMesh works well, so consider budget routers in mesh mode before buying brand name routers. This can save you real money! In my case there is EDUP AX1500!3 router. The connection speed is only useful for LAN traffic such as video streaming on a home/office Wi-Fi network. However, internet performance is limited by your internet service provider's data plan. In my case, the upload/download speed is limited to around 50/50 (Mbps). For Internet access, initial speeds are about the same for my old NetGear 802.11n router and my EDUP 802.11ax router. The Cudy 802.11ax router clearly loses, all other things being equal. Internet uploads in particular will be much slower than the other two routers. Overall, the Cudy WiFi 6 router is functional but lacks features like wireless hotspot mode and EasyMesh support to cover a larger area. In terms of performance, its signal can drop off quickly with distance. Therefore, it is recommended to use it only in a small home/office to use the WiFi functions. 6. Manufacturer's suggestion to add useful functions: 1. Wireless hotspot mode; 2. Repeater mode; 3.EasyMesh support.