Satechi Wireless 300Mbps Multifunction Mini Router / Repeater / Access Point / Client / Bridge

Note: this review is only for Repeater Mode. It was not tested/used in any other operating mode.I needed a Wi-Fi repeater for my home which has spotty coverage in my upstairs bedroom. I decided on this one after struggling with a TP-Link unit for a few weeks. Customer reviews seem to favor this unit, at least for its repeater mode performance, so I decided to give it a chance.The unit is compact and self contained with its internal power supply, looking like a cordless wall wart. I was fine with the non-folding power prongs as my intended use was for a home repeater and not for traveling. Set up is fairly straight forward. I just plugged it in to an AC outlet and looked for a Satechi SSID Wi-Fi signal from my computer. The only thing that surprised me was my computer wanting to create a new network, which I cancelled. Otherwise, the set up process was just like what they showed on their YouTube video or what was detailed on their instruction manual.As others have mentioned, you have to do a hard reset to be able to change the unit's operating mode. This is quite understandable since the setup is done wirelessly (without a cable). Once the unit is set up in repeater mode, it no longer broadcasts the Satechi SSID so there is no way to access the control/set-up page. I can understand this inconvenience if the unit is used for various purposes. This was a non-issue for my intended (dedicated repeater at home) use.Overall, it is performing flawlessly as a repeater and hopefully for a long time.____________________________________UPDATE:Using this over a year now and it is still functioning as intended without any problems.One thing that I just observed recently (since Comcast was recently boasting about faster speed service they are providing me) is the fact that the speed on the signal from this repeater is only about 1/3 the speed of when I'm connected directly with my main router. I still have 5 bars of signal but I noticed a more sluggish ipad operation when I'm connected through this repeater. Not really a big enough issue to change my rating at this time.

I've been looking for a low cost, reliable repeater to get better connectivity to the back of my house for a while. I was really attracted to the small form factor and ability to plug it right into an AC outlet. I was extremely pleased with the "out of the box" experience. It's smaller than a credit card and feels really well made. Let me start by saying I'm not the typical end user...I work at a computer security company so I was looking at every option, not taking defaults in order to make things secure, etc. Also, my only goal was to use this as a repeater so I didn't explore the other options.Pros - Works great as a repeater. I'm definitely seeing the performance boost in the back of my house. Well worth the $40 for a clear Netflix picture, Youtube downloads, etc. I'm recommending this....and hoping to save some others some time in setup/configuration.Cons - This is where it's a little quirky.1st Quirk- when using the wizard to set up my repeater, it doesn't allow you to manually enter an SSID. In my case, where my primary AP isn't broadcasting it's SSID, there was no way to use the wizard to set up my repeater. The solution is to skip the wizard and manually set up the repeater where you CAN hard code the SSID. This isn't very intuitive so the 5 minute setup that others are talking about only applies if you're taking defaults. It would have been awesome had the wizard allowed me to specify my own, unbroadcasted SSID. They should add that in the next firmware IMO.2nd Quirk - There's some very confusing broken English in the Wizard explanation of the different modes (AP, Repeater, Bridge, etc.). They have a nice picture but the explanation is very confusing....and I know what all these modes really do. It would have been SO easy to have an English speaking person hammer out a sentence or two that could have been very tight. My confidence level always goes down when they don't take the time to get the basics right.3rd Quirk - When you go into repeater mode, you lose your ability to access the management interface to the repeater. The broken english explanation (in 2nd Quirk above) made mention of not being able to access the device unless you changed an IP...but it's so broken as to not be able to easily understand the instruction. Tech support emailed me back and told me that "once you change the mode, you lose management access for good. So, make sure you get all the settings the way you want BEFORE you go into Repeater mode. The only way to get access back, is to reset to factory defaults." So, sort of strange but, that's the way it is. Tech support got back to me within about 4-5 hours so not too bad.4th Quirk - Initially, it was hard for me to tell if I was really riding the new repeater's signal or not. Once you go into repeater mode, you lose all "connectivity" with the management interface. So I'm sitting in the bedroom wondering "am I just riding my original wireless AP signal or getting benefit from the new?" There doesn't seem to be any way to tell....especially since the signal in my bedroom was hit or miss originally. Sometimes I'd have 1 bar...sometimes 4. I found myself doing all kinds of strange tests where I'd go to a far corner with the new AP unplugged, see that my signal would drop to 1-2s bar and validate bad Netflix connectivity. Then I'd plug in the new repeater, go to the same place in the house, have 2-3 bars but see good Netflix connectivity. There should really be some type of management interface (again, see 3rd Quirk above) where you could go in and have the repeater tell you what clients are riding the connection. Maybe this exists and I didn't see it before I lost my connectivity.5th Item (not a quirk...just an observation) - Compared to a more established AP interface (like Netgear), the Satechi interface seemed a little sparse. Can't say it's missing anything, per se, but it was clear there weren't as many clickable areas. This could be a plus though.Again, overall I'm SUPER happy with my purchase. I'm hoping/betting that a firmware update in the near future will remove some or all of these concerns. I'm hoping this review makes some others have an easier time.

This little wonder was a recommendation from a co-worker. I actually had considered two other items, but after reading up on the Satechi, I though, let's go for it. The price was great, and the size of this little wonder was surprisingly small. Extremely easy to set up-on a Mac. I would think the same on a PC. I've had it now for a month and is percolating along just great. I'm embarrassed to say that I'm on older Macs Silver Power PC G4 and a 2004 MacPro laptop which operate flawlessly. I have seen a slight speed change in connecting on the web both direct connect and wireless (laptop). The Satechi is plugged in my home office (2nd story), and I'll use the laptop down stairs in the dining which is at the opposite end of the house. The sq ft is 2200 (not huge) and the signal is strong. Also, I watch Hulu and the video actually runs pretty smooth. it was a great purchase. The only hiccup is that it interferes with the radio signal in the office. Yes, I listen to a regular old radio, but the solution was to listen to my radio stations online.

Just wanted a simple repeater for my home cable-company router. Setup seemed simple enough to do this, and everything worked fine. For a day. The next day phones, computers, TVs could not access the network at all: had to unplug this product and reset the router to regain connectivity.