How
do they
compare?
signal will allow
you to stream 4K
video and provide fast
Wi-Fi to multiple computers
and mobile devices all around
your home. Its app is easy to use too,
but rather limited in terms of features
and parental controls.
The Asus Lyra provides good, mid-range
performance and an easy-to-use app, but seems
a little pricey at nearly £300. If you’ve got some
really thick walls or other obstacles to deal with,
then the Powerline option provided by TP-
Link’s Deco P9 will be very useful and might
well swing the deal for you. However, it’s the
Zyxel Multy U that hits the sweet spot,
providing good performance at a
competitive price, along with a helpful
app that contains useful diagnostic
tools and parental controls.
DECEMBER 2019 | MACFORMAT | 89
A
ll of these mesh networking
systems achieve their primary aim
- which is to provide a reliable
Wi-Fi signal to more distant areas within
your home or office.
If you’re on a tight budget then the low-cost
D-Link Covr will give you ‘whole-home’ Wi-Fi
with three routers for around £200. It’s not the
fastest system in this group, but its speed of
125Mbps in our Wi-Fi-challenged office is more
than adequate for web browsing and streaming
video. At the other end of the spectrum is
Netgear’s high-performance Orbi. At £400, this
two-router kit is a lot more expensive than any
of its three-router rivals, but its 450Mbps Wi-Fi
The Zyxel Multy U hits the
sweet spot, thanks to its good
performance and helpful app
Note: The final verdict scores reflect the overall opinion of a product and are not necessarily an average of the criteria listed in the table.
Fast, affordable, and
easy-to-use Mesh Wi-Fi
> SPECS > Asus Lyra Trio > D-link Covr C1203 > Netgear Orbi RBK50 > TP-Link Deco P9 > Zyxel Multy U WSR30
PRICE £294.99 £217.99 £399.99 £199.99 £199
WEBSITE asus.com/uk eu.dlink.com/uk netgear.co.uk tp-link.com/uk zyxel.com/uk
NUMBER OF ROUTERS 3 3 2 3 3
SPEED AC1750 (dual-band) AC1200 (dual-band) AC3000 (tri-band) AC1200 (dual-band) AC2100 (tri-band)
RANGE 5,400sq ft 5,000sq ft 5,000sq ft 6,000sq ft 6,000sq ft
ANTENNAS 3x3 MU-MIMO 3x3 MU-MIMO 3x3 MU-MIMO 2x2 MU-MIMO 3x3 MU-MIMO
PORTS 2x Ethernet 2x Ethernet 4x Ethernet, 1x USB 2x Ethernet, Powerline 2x Ethernet
DIMENSIONS (HxWxD) 78x135123mm 51x117x109mm 226x170x79mm 190x91x91mm 30x123x123mm
SPEED (lounge) 282Mbps 218Mbps 600Mbps 291Mbps 280Mbps
SPEED (office) 272Mbps 125Mbps 450Mbps 250Mbps 250Mbps
LOOKS & DESIGN HHHHH HHHHH HHHHH HHHHH HHHHH
GETTING STARTED HHHHH HHHHH HHHHH HHHHH HHHHH
APP ASSISTANCE HHHHH HHHHH HHHHH HHHHH HHHHH
PERFORMANCE HHHHH HHHHH HHHHH HHHHH HHHHH
> Overall HHHHH HHHHH HHHHH HHHHH HHHHH
Mesh routers APPLE CHOICE
THE WINNER
Zyxel Multy U
Good performance and an
affordable price combine to
make the Zyxel Multi U stand
out as our winner.