Zyxel Wireless N 450 Mbps Concurrent Dual-Band Gaming Router (NBG5715)

Update 2/6/18 - Issues appear to be fixed, so far....Zyxel support has been emailing back and forth. I don't like the delays due to the time zone differences between the US and Taiwan, but to be fair, they've been very helpful. I opened a ticket a few weeks ago and sent them a log via the app when my system dropped all wireless clients. They did some testing in their lab which I was actually pretty impressed with, and were able to replicate my issues. I have never had a support group do that for me before, usually you just get a canned answer and instructions to reset over and over. Zyxel found that my Google Home clients were causing the issues. I did some research and it is a known bug that affects many routers and unfortunately Multy X was one of them (my Eero system was not affected and Google Home worked fine with that all along). The Multy however is much faster than the Eero. I really like the Multy and so will keep it - besides, my return window has expired anyway :-)Looks like Google sent out a fix. To be safe, I did a reset and moved my satellite to the basement, a floor down but physically still slightly closer to the main router, and tested it for a few days and so far all is stable. I am getting very strong wireless speeds on the computers in the kitchen above it, >320 Mb/s consistently (at or better than what I am paying for). Have one Mac ethernet-ted into the basement Multy and getting high 300's. Seems Multy broadcasts "upwards" very well, better than sideways or downwards, for me at least. My wireless speeds are better on the first floor with the Multy below them than they were in the basement with the Multy above them. I still hope they update their app and make it a little quicker and more comprehensive - takes forever to save client names.I am moving this back to five stars; I appreciate the company's efforts and perseverance in helping me get this solved.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Update 1/14/18 - Now that I have had this a month, I can comment on its stability.I still like the system and the positives still ring true. However, every 2-4 days, sometimes more often than that, I lose all ability to connect wirelessly and have to reboot the system. It's still better than the Orbi was. Strange thing is, I can still get into the router through the app if I log in remotely, and reboot it remotely, and then everything is fine again. I have contacted support, which is only available through email/facebook/twitter, etc, and is in Taiwan. Responses back are very slow and sometimes take several days. If Zyxel is going to have a significant presence in the US for the Multy, they need a US support option here, like they do for their NAS systems. My frustration level is increasing. Looks like the three firmware updates Zyxel has issued have been a month apart, an they're due for #4. Let's hope that fixes things or this is going back before my return window closes.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I have only had this a day, so I will update this as and if things change. Initial impressions overall are extremely positive. My biggest watch outs are long-term stability and consistency, and hopefully firmware releases will fix some of the issues. Overall, I am giving Zyxel the benefit of the doubt since this is a new product and is bound to be improved over time with firmware updates.I didn't really need this, but am a tech junkie and like the look as well as the Orbi-like specs. I tried the Netgear Orbi - literally every combination of router and satellite they make - and while it was a brilliant performer when it worked properly, I did not like the buggy setup, the constant crashes, satellite disconnects, and generally unstable and unpredictable performance.This thing is attractive, and exudes quality. The box was heavy. I think it's much better looking than the Orbi. It has a 1733 Mb/s dedicated backhaul channel and nine internal antennas. Much better specs than the herd of AC1300 mesh systems out there, but comparable cost. The main unit and satellite unit look identical though they're labeled separately in two separate boxes - however, ports in the back are exactly the same, so I am assuming they are interchangeable.The WAN (internet) port on the satellite DOES work as a LAN port, I can confirm, but speeds when I tested with a PC were inconsistent and not as good as the computers plugged into the three LAN ports. So, I stopped using it (plugged that PC into a switch attached to a LAN port instead) and speeds were much higher and more consistent.There is a downloadable app for either iOS or Android. I have an iPhone. There is no web page based configuration page. The app worked perfectly for setup - initial setup for the main router and adding the satellite was quick and completely without problems. There is VERY little you can change, however, so router nerds will probably not like this unit as there are almost no config options other than SSID and password.The biggest challenge I have is that my modem is at one end of the house and I have three computers I use at the opposite end, and getting 100% of my paid internet speed there has always been a challenge. I placed the first Multy near the modem and the second Multy in the kitchen/dining area where the computers are. I also have a finished basement downstairs. My house is probably 1300 sq. ft. on the main level. I am estimating I placed the two units about 50 or so ft apart. I plugged all of my computers into the satellite's ethernet ports and turned wireless on those computers off. The Multy app tells you during setup with a graphical interface if the two units are an appropriate distance from each other, and mine was perfectly centered so I lucked out.Positives:1. Absolutely brilliant satellite performance using it to connect devices via ethernet. I pay for 300 Mb/s internet and easily and consistently got in the mid to high 300's on all three computers in the kitchen (two iMacs and one Lenovo all in one).2. The units are sleek, feel to be of high quality, and blend nicely into modern decor.3. 2.4 GHz wireless performance to clients is incredibly strong, much stronger than with any router I have used. I am getting speeds of 270 Mb/s + on laptops connected to the 2.4 GHz band, 15-20 ft from either Multy. I have never gotten internet connection speeds like that on 2.4 GHz with any other router before, which partially forgives some of the 5 GHz issues.4. All of my 70+ clients attached quickly and without issue to the network (unlike with the Orbi). This includes Nest thermostat and smoke detectors, Wemos, multiple laptops, cameras, smart TV's, Google Home and Amazon Echo, and then a slew of ethernet-based devices such as NAS units. I have 30+ ethernet devices plugged into the main unit via switches, with zero problems.5. It's still early, but this unit appears to be very stable. Almost a full day and overnight, and no dropped clients, no satellite disconnects, no lost internet, nothing that would indicate a stability or compatibility issue. The Orbi gave me fits with all of these issues.6. Streamed 4K on Netflix on my Livingroom TV and it loaded instantly and played beautifully with no buffering.7. I tested the app to be able to log into the system remotely with my phone's wifi turned off, and it loaded perfectly and showed my network and devices.8. The main unit is only slightly warm and the satellite quite cool after a day of fully loaded operation, so heat dissipation is not an issue. I cannot hear a fan in these units.Negatives and Needs Work:1. While the App works great for setup, it's extremely basic and offers zero real functionality other than a handful of things: 1) you can set SSID and password, 2) you can turn the guest network on and off, 3) you can choose one SSID or two, and 4) you can turn UPnP on and off. That's about it. Oh, and you can run speed tests and see which devices are online. And there are some pretty graphics showing your Multys. There is really no advanced configuration available. This will be great for people who just want a set it and forget it system, but will be frustrating for techies. On a positive note, it probably improves stability because you really can't jack it up.2. The Subnet is unusual compared to most routers I have seen. It uses 192.168.212.xxx, so remember to set your devices to DHCP if you have them set to statics IP's on your current router. It is fixed and there is no option to change it that I can find.3. 5GHz performance (excluding backhaul) seems extremely weak compared to most routers I have seen from Netgear, Linksys and Apple. I was getting much stronger results on the 2.4 GHz band, even on my newer model MacBooks. Very strange. After much tinkering and multiple speed tests, I was able to turn a high-200's Mb/s result on the 5 GHz band on one laptop (a Macbook Pro) about 20 ft from the main Multy.4. The 5GHz SSID cannot be changed independently - Multy takes whatever you name the 2.4 GHz band and adds .speed to it. So, 'Steve" as an SSID becomes "Steve.speed" for 5GHz. there is no way to change it that I can find. There is a slider to combine both bands into one SSID or to split them as stated.All in all, I really like this system. The 5GHz connection issues need work - speed at range is not what it should be - and the app needs a lot more development. Other than that, this thing is a well-kept secret and is much more satisfying to use in my experience than the Orbi was. It also performs MUCH better with a full device load than any mesh system I have tried. Hopefully Zyxel will improve with firmware updates; this has a lot of promise. It's probably a 4.5 star device but I will round up to 5 at this point.

I bought this router primarily because I needed the IPSec VPN capability. The unit could be very good - but the firmware is a bit flakey, particularly if you are fiddling with IPSec VPNs. It can easily get hung and need a reboot. In fairness, once you get if configured it does seem quite stable.The IPSec has undocumented limitations - for instance, no AES (just DES and 3DES). Also, you can only create a single tunnel to a particular endpoint. This proved to be very inconvenient for me and I had to be very clever to work around the limitation. I reported the bug to the vendor who confirmed the problem - but didn't offer any solution except to suggest I should buy one of their commercial models.The dual 2.4/5.0 GHz wi-fi is nice, but for some reason it was never stable with my portable devices (phones and tablets).I really think that Zyxel could polish this device up if they wanted, but it doesn't seem that the will is there

the good stuff: gigabit switch works great, I was able to achieve ~100 megabytes /s speed through wired connection.it's running stable, so far no reboots or other stability problemsthe bad:-firmware seems to be very simplistic, still needs alot of work-wireless performance is disappointing, paired with intel 5300 3x3 client max real speed was 16(from client) / 12 (to client) megabytes/sec on 5ghz band. There's no other 5Ghz devices in close vicinity - - no excuse for poor performance. My old 150mbs n router was giving 8/8 megs/sec.- usb performance is weak, I was able to get only 7 MBytes/s over wired connection. It seems to be limited by router's CPU, it's hitting 100% while file transfer- You have to install additional utility to see attached usb devices.

I'm not sure who wrote all these great reviews, but this mesh system is junk. First, I placed one system in the basement next to my modem. Second, one on the second floor. Then I downloaded their app which installed painfully slow on android , but did easy job by connecting second multy. I tested speed on the second floor in my living room, it was about 23mb for download. Then, tried to connect Roku on the second floor bedroom, but could not even connect because signal was too weak. Then, I read that two systems not supposed to be more then 10-15 meters apart. How could it possibly cover advertised 5000 sq.feet, while my house is about 2700 sq.feet ? I ended up wasting more time trying to move one system closer by relocating to the first floor, but the system now would not even connect anymore. I kept getting set up failed, restart???

I've had this device for over a year, and it worked as expected for nearly 6 months before wireless devices (android phones, laptops) began to loose IP addresses. During these problems, it is impossible to connect to the device and manage it... It must be rebooted (power-cycled) and then managed, after which is works for a while. I've spent nearly as much time attempting to diagnose the issue and identify what might be going on. Firmware has been updated, and the device logs are unremarkable. I've checked the diagnostics of the Cable Modem to see if there is anything that might be contributing, but there is not.Tech Support, while responsive, is quite slow... and there are no "service request numbers" to ensure any seamless or coordinated support effort.While it took a bit of time to determine that and RMA would be issued, the RMA process clearly states that if the device is found to be in working order, they'll simply send it back. It's a tough go with an intermittent problem that may not show itself for quite a while, and lacking any method to diagnose and document the issue makes it more difficult.In my mind, any company convinced they've got a great product, and are willing to stand by their warranty, would be willing to cross-ship a unit... Unfortunately, with consumer products like this, we're expected to do without, and risk getting a problematic unit sent back.EDIT:Changed to 1 star.All communication I've initiated to Zyxel is being ignored... unfortunately. The wireless has failed.