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
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
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 .
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.
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
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.
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?
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.
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?
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
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 ✌
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).
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.
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!
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.
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
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.
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?
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.
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.
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?
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?
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?
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.
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?
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
@@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?
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.
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
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.
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).
I installed it, its great, but can someone please help me with how i can get my wireless printer to work. It messed up my entire system and no one can print in the house unless we disconnect all 'Tendas'
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.
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?
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 bought a set of 3 after watching your review. Not even one day, the main node stops broadcasting SSID. Worse, the RESET button does nothing after long pressing for 60 seconds. Its just solid green lights (it should've blink). Any ideas? I kinda regret buying it now considering there's no proper support on forums and websites for this model :(
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
Great video thanks James! One question. You have an Ethernet wired connection between your foyer and your lounge but you did not use it to connect the secondary node to the primary node. Would that not be better than having them connect via Wifi? Or is it not possible for the nodes to connect this way?
In order for the connection between the nodes to work well, you'd need to directly connected them together which doesn't really work for me since I connect other devices using a switch. Though I've personally found it to be hit and miss...
Hi James. Would this setup allow me to plug Fetch TV straight into one of the wireless units via Cat5 cable to give me access to online streaming? Fetch TV isn't wireless and requires to be plugged into either Mesh Wifi or Wireless Wifi through an ethernet port. Hope I make sense.
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.
Hi mate great Indepth video... Just wondering if the tenda app can block adult sites etc if you have kids? Csnt find much info about what the app can block. Also can u add manual dns?
Possibly, but I haven't looked into it at all since I don't use the tenda as the main router so I don't see any of those features. Can contact Tenda directly?
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
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
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.
Hi there! Loved the review! I only have one question. Can you connect the different units using LAN cables? For example if I connect the gateway unit to the other two units through LAN cable, will it still function as a mesh network? Thanks!
I'm not entirely sure on this, some people have said yes but I haven't fully tested this myself. Best is to ask Tenda themselves to confirm? If you do find out let me know!
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 :)
I have been experiencing slow speeds when i connect to the tenda nova mw3 but when i connect to the original router its fine. I've found out that if i reset the router and the nova it goes back to normal. But the problem here is i need to manually restart it every time which is almost every 2 days. Can you help me with this?
Try set the Tenda's on the maintenance schedule cycle so that they restart automatically. See if that helps you? Either that or something isn't configured correctly.
is it possible to block for example 1 or 2 connected devices via the app? and unblock them after some time? thinking of blocking the kids iphone from time to time ;)
mrwunderwuzzi Yes, there is a parental section in the app where you can do this. You can either set an automatic time schedule or you can do it manually.
It does both simultaneously. As to which one your device uses is up to the device. Some devices are only compatible with 2.4GHz, and if it comes to reliablity for signal strength over distances, sometimes 2.4GHz is better.
I've upgraded to the MW6. But might suggest getting the TP-Link mesh instead. The Tenda's can sometimes be a little buggy with connection (mainly with Smart devices)
Finally the answer for tenda question i have been looking for before buying it, thanks alot.
a proffesional vid, your TIMECODES are really good for more than 8 minutes video... real common sense for reviewers of those tech videos... congrats
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.
Would love to see this kind of fantastic review on the netgear orbi..
You touched every single thing you need in a mesh review, fantastic
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.
Any update on Tenda fixing this issue?
This is what I'm looking for. Your video review is super great. Finally I decided to buy Tenda.. Thank you
Awesome review! You really touched all the points i was looking for. Congratz
Very helpful. Thanks. I’ve got a Tenda Nova mw3 and the video explained a lot
does it work well?
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
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
The only downside we see with this model is you can't configure the router via PC. You need to download the management app.
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 .
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.
I live in a 40sqm house but has 2 storeys. Thinking of buying this since it’s a dead spot when I go to our bedroom which is upstairs.
Excellent overview. I cannot wait to install these!
how was it?
They're limited to 100mbps by the port. I had to return mine, get the mw5s instead.
He literally said that on that video
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.
Vincent and what about the connection to android tv? do you use lan cable? or wireless connection ?
@@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
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.
Sorry mate, not entirely sure on that. Maybe try contact Tenda or a computer retail store to get clarification?
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?
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.
Howd it go?
@@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.
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?
@@jcunboxing yeah I will probably go for TPLink Deco M5 for a little bit more money
Just the video i need. Buying 2 pair now
You were and are still correct. Hardwired APs are always better. Tenda doesn't change that.
Great review James, these seem identical to the Kogan AC1200 Wi-Fi Mesh system, so I guess this review applies to them too!
Kogan are rebadged Chinese electronics
may i know approximate distance between your NOVAs in meters? i suppose it is a 1-floor house?
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
purchasing while watching this video.. thanks man ! great review..
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 ✌
Well done James. I'm a fan.
Excellent review, thanks! I've just bought a bunch of these to try and improve coverage in a large hotel.
How was it?
But maximum is 6 mesh only right ?
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).
That's a question I would ask the company.. I would have no idea haha.
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.
1. DHCP on only one, probably your modem router if you want to keep both.
2. Set to bridge if your modem router is DHCP
3. Same as question 1.
@@jcunboxing Done. Another question if I may, is setting Fast Roaming good or not ?
What do you think judging by your experiences with the Nova nodes.
Good, as long as it's supported by all your devices, which it should be.
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!
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.
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
Hi nice review, i’m thinking of getting this. By the way, any chance of telling me how big is your test location in square meters/feet? Thanks!
Please Review the Bobby Pro! You are the only one who makes great reviews!:) Keep it Up! Youre Really underrated:)
Very precise, great job, thanks. I'm looking into getting it.
Great vid. Quick question.Should I disable the WiFi on the original router that the main mw3 node is wired to or leave it on? Thanks, Andy
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.
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?
100Mbps
That is a review and test good job keep it up!!! Not an advertise bullcrap others serving for free souvenirs...
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.
James, do you still get 2 channels with Tenda? 2.4g and 5g?
Yep.
@@jcunboxing i mean 2 ssid? 1 for 2.4 and 1 for 5g? Or only one and simultaneously it gives out 2.4g and 5g?
It's one SSID and the Tenda decides if the device gets 2.4 or 5Ghz. You can use the app to check what device is getting what.
@@jcunboxing great! Thanks James! Cheers!
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.
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?
Nice video! Finally bought mine after watching your review.
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.
My modem is the Optus Modem supplied by them, Sagemcom F@ST3864AC.
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?
Yep that's pretty much how I've got mine setup.
James Chia Thanks heaps for that. Appreciate the feedback 👍👍
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?
This model only supports 100mbps on the cable connection. You need to buy the MW6 for 1GBPS
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.
Just make sure the Tenda is set to "Bridge" mode and named a different network.
@@jcunboxing you're a star, it works perfectly, thanks mate !
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?
Yeah turn off your modem's WiFi. The Tenda creates a completely separate network
Great review! This is what review should be for any router!
Thanks!
Great! Right now, does they have the web interface already???
Unfortunately no
Beautiful loved the review just what I was after thankyou sirr
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?
1. The test results will show you a rough idea.
2. Nah I haven't but I think it'll be fine.
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
hi mate， do you need to turn off the wifi and dcnp on you optus router？
I left both on. The MW3 acts purely as an access point extending the WiFi network. The optus modem still does all the router functions.
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
some people say that u are unable to shoose 2.4 or 5g network manualy
Correct. The mesh decides based on your device and distance from the node.
you can use one of the port on the back as a gigabit LAN port
how thick are the walls and how many square meters is the house to be able to get those nice results?... cause are are like bricks and cements...
Mainly wood and plasterboard throughout the house.
@@jcunboxing aw.... no wonder it get through much easy....
If you want more strength maybe consider the model up, the MW6
@@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........
Thank you, very detailed. how does this system compare in quality to the Eero system? Thanks again
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?
@Abbas Miyanji It indeed is. To anyone who might be looking for an answer to this, yes it does work. I set it up and it works great.
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.
Also, they're not really designed for outdoors, so be careful where you're placing them.
@@jcunboxing Thank you James!
@@jcunboxing I received the 2 nodes. It worked at the same speed. Though there are times that it disconnects but bearable.
Excellent review. Thank you so much
How good is the coverage for online gaming, nothing major, just regular Xbox 1 and PS4?
When is the website release? Great video tho!
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
Might be something to do with the way your router is communicated to the Tenda? Try disable wifi on the router and only have the Tenda on?
@@jcunboxing tried that. Got up to 100mpbs but still cant get anything above that.. Sigh..
The MW3 is only able to get 100mbps from its port. It's not a gigabit port. You'll need the MW6 for faster than 100mbps speeds.
@@jcunboxing omg really??? Haha i didnt know that. Thank u soo much!!!
Haha yea, I mentioned it in my video.
My friend. How do i set a static ip to my devices through the Nova MW3. Or how do i access the Lan settings.
I like the diagram. Vizio or Autocad probably. I enjoyed the review. Good job.
Mixture of Photoshop and PowerPoint haha.
Lack of Gigabit LAN is a deal breaker.
for a budget mesh network, you're already asking too much.
Hi James, what max distance between each unit do you suggest for optimum performance?
So many factors are in play. You'd have to take it on a case by case basis.
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.
Hi, we only have 75mbps internet. So is this already a perfect mesh networking?
Yep, should work for you provided your environment in your house suits it.
in there a feature hide, multiple for SSID and web-console?
excellente review! thanks! very thorough
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
@@ASD1234567FGHJK i returned my Tenda and bought TP Link Deco M5. Hard wired the nodes and couldn’t be happier.
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).
I installed it, its great, but can someone please help me with how i can get my wireless printer to work. It messed up my entire system and no one can print in the house unless we disconnect all 'Tendas'
Looks like you need to reset your printer so that it connects with your Tenda network.
You probably have solved it by now but I just switch from tenda to my routers 2.4ghz channel and then print.
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.
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?
Yep, exactly :)
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 bought a set of 3 after watching your review. Not even one day, the main node stops broadcasting SSID. Worse, the RESET button does nothing after long pressing for 60 seconds. Its just solid green lights (it should've blink). Any ideas? I kinda regret buying it now considering there's no proper support on forums and websites for this model :(
I would say that's fault. Are you able to return it for warranty?
My MW3 won’t go faster than 80MB what can I do?
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
You need to have at least one tenda hard-lined into the router, which is usually the first one you connect to setup.
Great video thanks James! One question. You have an Ethernet wired connection between your foyer and your lounge but you did not use it to connect the secondary node to the primary node. Would that not be better than having them connect via Wifi? Or is it not possible for the nodes to connect this way?
In order for the connection between the nodes to work well, you'd need to directly connected them together which doesn't really work for me since I connect other devices using a switch. Though I've personally found it to be hit and miss...
@@jcunboxing just to clarify that further, are you saying if someone has a switch connected to their router, they can put mw3 into switch?
Hey James, does your router have any beeping sound? For some reason mine is beeping every ~5min.
Nope..
Hi James. Would this setup allow me to plug Fetch TV straight into one of the wireless units via Cat5 cable to give me access to online streaming? Fetch TV isn't wireless and requires to be plugged into either Mesh Wifi or Wireless Wifi through an ethernet port. Hope I make sense.
Hypothetically yes, but I myself have not tried it. Best to check with Tenda directly.
@@jcunboxing thanks mate.
if they sent it to you how do we know you're being completely honest with your opinion?
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 paid full price for mine and they ARE as good as said.
Hi mate great Indepth video... Just wondering if the tenda app can block adult sites etc if you have kids? Csnt find much info about what the app can block. Also can u add manual dns?
Possibly, but I haven't looked into it at all since I don't use the tenda as the main router so I don't see any of those features. Can contact Tenda directly?
Will you be reviewing the ClickPack X when it is released?
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
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
very helpful video.. thank you!
is there a way to force to 5ghz? turn off 2.4ghz?
No
Nice video review! Thanks
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.
Yes!
If mw6 as main, then how many more node can we add more ?
Hi there! Loved the review! I only have one question. Can you connect the different units using LAN cables? For example if I connect the gateway unit to the other two units through LAN cable, will it still function as a mesh network? Thanks!
I'm not entirely sure on this, some people have said yes but I haven't fully tested this myself. Best is to ask Tenda themselves to confirm? If you do find out let me know!
Can the mw3 control the bandwidth of each user? Nice review, cheers!
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 :)
I have been experiencing slow speeds when i connect to the tenda nova mw3 but when i connect to the original router its fine.
I've found out that if i reset the router and the nova it goes back to normal.
But the problem here is i need to manually restart it every time which is almost every 2 days.
Can you help me with this?
Try set the Tenda's on the maintenance schedule cycle so that they restart automatically. See if that helps you? Either that or something isn't configured correctly.
Is it possible to connect those three devices using LAN cable and not WiFi?
According to question three on this Q&A page, yes. www.tendacn.com/en/faq/3115.html though I have not tried it myself.
@@jcunboxing Thanks a lot!
Just why do you want to do that?
is it possible to block for example 1 or 2 connected devices via the app? and unblock them after some time? thinking of blocking the kids iphone from time to time ;)
mrwunderwuzzi Yes, there is a parental section in the app where you can do this. You can either set an automatic time schedule or you can do it manually.
any idea if we can force it to transmit 5GHz. I got the MW5s, but it is only transmitting on 2.4GHz.
It does both simultaneously. As to which one your device uses is up to the device. Some devices are only compatible with 2.4GHz, and if it comes to reliablity for signal strength over distances, sometimes 2.4GHz is better.
Mw3 only provide 10/100 mbps port not gigaport. Dont buy it if you subcribe over than 100mbps package.
Made the mistake, returning and getting the mw5s
What a great review!
Hello, it has been a year since you've uploaded the video. Are you still using this MW3 model and does it have Guest Mode?
I've upgraded to the MW6. But might suggest getting the TP-Link mesh instead. The Tenda's can sometimes be a little buggy with connection (mainly with Smart devices)
@@jcunboxing thanks for the quick response, really appreciate that! And yeah, was thinking of going to TP-Link too, thanks again!
what type of tplink? deca e4 is better?
@@adrianraharjo3286 my main is deca m5 and 3 e4s