AUGUST 2019 PCWorld 19more of an oval shape compared to the
cylindrical Beacon 3.
Besides its standard setup and network
configuration settings, the mobile app that
accompanies the Beacon 1 and 3 routers
features a heat map detailing the signal
strength for any connected devices, perfect
for pinpointing spotty wireless coverage
areas. The app also comes with a signal
indicator that helps you place the Beacon
units in optimal spots in your home.
Nokia says the three-pack Beacons will
come pre-paired, meaning that you’ll need
only to configure the router that’s connected
to your modem; once that’s done, the
satellites should connect to the main router
as soon as they’re powered on.channel-switching
feature lets the router
pick the best channels
for the 2.4- and 5GHz
frequency bands by
analyzing nearby
wireless usage
patterns over time,
rather than simply
picking the clearest
channels at the
moment the unit is
first configured.
The Beacon 1 also
boasts a bridge mode,
handy for turning the
Beacon into an access
point that you can use with, say, the combo
modem/Wi-Fi router your ISP supplied.
The new bridge mode and intelligent
channel-switching features are coming to
both Beacon models, Nokia said.
The dual-band AC1200 Beacon 1
supports the 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard and
multiuser MIMO, and it comes equipped with
a gigabit ethernet WAN port and a gigabit
ethernet LAN port. The larger, more powerful
AC3000 Beacon 3 sports one WAN port and
three LAN ports.
Like many other mesh Wi-Fi devices on
the market, Nokia’s Beacon routers eschew
the clunky black shells and external antennas
of traditional wireless routers for a sleek
white design, with the Beacon 1 boasting
Nokia’s Beacon 1 mesh Wi-Fi router features a smart channel-hopping
feature, a bridge mode, and an app with a heat map detailing the signal
strength for connected devices.