![\"StarHub](\"https:\/\/static.straitstimes.com.sg\/s3fs-public\/styles\/article_pictrure_780x520_\/public\/articles\/2020\/03\/17\/yq-nokiav-170032023.jpg?itok=It5SCkRD×tamp=1584431455\" "\\"\\"")
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On Monday (Mar 16), local telco StarHub started bundling a home mesh Wi-Fi system – dubbed StarHub Smart WiFi – for free with its fibre broadband plans that offer speeds of 1Gbps and above.<\/p>\n
Smart WiFi – actually the Nokia Beacon 1 – is a mesh system that relies on a network of identical, interconnected routers to eliminate blind spots and improve wireless coverage.<\/p>\n
StarHub includes one router for free – it says a single unit is good enough for three-room apartments or homes up to 140 sq m in size.<\/p>\n
The routers are priced at $120 each. They are available only to new and existing StarHub fibre broadband customers and can be purchased with monthly instalments.<\/p>\n
I spent several days last week testing a two-router set-up.<\/p>\n
Launched last year, the Beacon 1 is the entry-level model of its range, with the Beacon 3 (sold by some stores here) being the higher-end version.<\/p>\n
In technical terms, the Beacon 1 is an AC1200 mesh router that supports the older Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) standard. It is a dual-band router with a maximum theoretical speed of 867Mbps.<\/p>\n
Like many mesh routers, it looks like a home appliance. It is white, stands upright – it cannot be wall-mounted – and lacks external antennae.<\/p>\n
There are only two Gigabit ports and no USB ports, which means there is essentially only one free port after connecting the Beacon 1 to the ONT (optical network terminal).<\/p>\n
This free Gigabit LAN port can be used to connect to other Beacon 1 nodes to form a wired backhaul to improve network performance.<\/p>\n
If this wired option is not feasible for your home, the Beacon does not have a dedicated wireless backhaul, unlike more expensive mesh routers.<\/p>\n
This means wireless performance will take a hit, especially in the farthest part of the home.<\/p>\n
You will need the Nokia WiFi mobile app (available for iOS and Android) to set up and manage the Beacon 1. You are also required to sign up for a free Nokia account.<\/p>\n
Nokia deserves top marks for the ease of setting up both the first Beacon 1 and additional nodes. It has a useful network map that shows the strength of the wireless signal for each connected client device.<\/p>\n
At a glance, I could see which devices were suffering from poor Wi-Fi speeds. I could change the location of the router or add another router to the mesh network to improve wireless coverage.<\/p>\n
The app also comes with a built-in chat function that lets you chat with Nokia support staff if you encounter any technical issues.<\/p>\n
The Beacon 1, though, may not be for more demanding users.<\/p>\n
It has only basic features, such as a guest network, port forwarding and DNS (domain name system) settings.<\/p>\n
But it lacks integrated software to protect against malware or quality of service (QoS) features, unlike other routers.<\/p>\n
Even the Beacon’s parental controls are rudimentary. While you can cut off Internet access entirely or block specific websites – the addresses of which you have to key in manually – there is no database of potentially harmful websites based on type of content, such as gambling or drugs.<\/p>\n
I was unimpressed by its wireless performance. In my speed test, the Beacon 1 produced a middling average download speed of 320Mbps when using a client laptop in the same living room as the primary Beacon 1 router.<\/p>\n
In a distant bedroom with the door closed, the average download speed dipped to 156Mbps, which is standard for an entry-level mesh router without a dedicated wireless backhaul.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fast, easy set-up<\/p>\n
\u2022 App caters to mainstream users<\/p>\n
\u2022 Live chat for support<\/p>\n
\u2022 Middling Wi-Fi speeds<\/p>\n
\u2022 No built-in malware protection or QoS<\/p>\n
\u2022 Does not support the latest Wi-Fi 6 standard<\/p>\n
PRICE: $120 (available only for StarHub broadband customers)<\/p>\n
ETHERNET INTERFACE: 1 x Gigabit LAN port, 1 x Gigabit WAN port<\/p>\n
STANDARDS: 802.11a\/b\/g\/n\/ac<\/p>\n
SECURITY: WPA2-PSK, WPA-PSK<\/p>\n
ADVANCED FIREWALL FEATURES: NAT and SPI<\/p>\n
FEATURES: 3.5\/5<\/p>\n
DESIGN: 4\/5<\/p>\n
PERFORMANCE: 3.5\/5<\/p>\n
VALUE FOR MONEY: 3.5\/5<\/p>\n
OVERALL: 3.5\/5<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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On Monday (Mar 16), local telco StarHub started bundling a home mesh Wi-Fi system – dubbed StarHub Smart WiFi – for free with its fibre broadband plans that offer speeds of 1Gbps and above. Smart WiFi – actually the Nokia Beacon 1 – is a mesh system that relies on a network of identical, interconnected … Continue reading Tech review: Nokia Beacon 1 is a basic mesh router that is easy to use<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15069,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poplinks.sbs\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poplinks.sbs\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poplinks.sbs\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poplinks.sbs\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poplinks.sbs\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1364"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.poplinks.sbs\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1364\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15070,"href":"https:\/\/www.poplinks.sbs\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1364\/revisions\/15070"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poplinks.sbs\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15069"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poplinks.sbs\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poplinks.sbs\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poplinks.sbs\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}