Nokia WiFi Beacon 3 review: high-speed mesh networking
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Reported today in The Verge.
Nokia WiFi Beacon 3 review: high-speed mesh networking
Nokia's brand name is perhaps best associated with indestructible candy bar phones and inexpensive but competent smartphones. But the company also has a line of mesh Wi-Fi routers called Beacon. Much like other mesh router systems from Eero or Google, Nokia's WiFi Beacon routers are designed to provide broad Wi-Fi coverage across your home through the use of multiple units, or nodes.
Nokia currently has two models in its lineup, the entry-level Beacon 1 and the more powerful Beacon 3. Either can be purchased in multipacks or as single units, depending on your coverage needs. While the Beacon 1 is the less costly model, starting at $99.99 for a single unit and going up to $249.99 for a three-pack, the Beacon 3 is the more interesting one, as it offers some specs and features that aren't available on other mesh systems. It is sold as single unit (for up to 2,000 square feet), two-pack (up to 4,000 square feet), and three-pack (up to 6,000 square feet) configurations for $149.99, $299.99, and $399.99, respectively.
That prices the Beacon 3 right up at the top of the mesh router market next to Netgear's higher-end Orbi options and the Eero Pro system. Unlike the Orbi and the Eero Pro, though, the Beacon 3 doesn't have a dedicated third wireless band that allows the nodes to communicate with each other without having to share bandwidth with device traffic. Instead, the Beacon 3 is packed with more antennas for both 2.4GHz and 5GHz than other mesh router systems. This, combined with Nokia's traffic management technology, is what the company says provides faster throughput and better coverage than other mesh systems.
Fast throughput and low latency
Four Ethernet jacks on each unit
Web app provi