Gryphon AX Setup and Configuration

Gryphon's whole shtick is making the whole setup and monitoring aspect a simple thing for even newbies, which is done with a mobile-first approach. As such, I am not even bothering with the desktop route, as the vast majority of Gryphon product users will use the Gryphon Connect app available on both the Google Play Store and Apple app store. There's a secondary app called Gryphon HomeBound, but that's part of the main app and a paid subscription feature to route external traffic through the Gryphon router even if you aren't home. One thing the app gets right is walking you through absolutely everything from scratch, including plugging in the various cables and keeping you alert about the indicator LED status. What I would have preferred to have been done differently is the mandatory need for a Gryphon user account, which I had previously done anyway. Everything else so far is completely optional, just hit no where you don't feel comfortable with it.


With the Gryphon router paired to the mobile device that has the app installed and running, the next step is to set up the WiFi network credentials. I stuck with the default SSIDs for this review, and you can separately set a personal and guest network accordingly. Note that you are not able to choose the bands allocated to these networks just yet, but it can be configured at a later time. Once done, the app prompts for any local devices to log on to the set SSID and any other nodes/satellite units if you have them to be added. It also allows you to add other admin accounts at this time, which is nice, and prompts 2-factor authentication, so the security and privacy mindset permeates throughout. At this point, the app takes you to the home page, but I first had to connect a compatible client on WiFi 6.


I was hoping my new phone would arrive by the time I wrote this review, if only to finally flaunt WiFi 6 on my phone, but had to use my laptop and desktop PC again for the time being. Seen above is the Intel AX210 NIC I've added to my personal build connected to the Gryphon AX, and it was a flawless process with both devices establishing an 802.11ax connection by default. The app instantly threw a notification alert telling me a new device had been connected, and it now went through the process of setting up and managing the new device by registering to a user group, creating a new one as needed with associated content and usage filters, and allowing it to be one of three prioritized devices for traffic. You can also select the type of device it is if the app got it wrong and set up port forwarding, and it will now show up as either managed or not on the home page under the number of connected devices.


The user dashboard can be pulled up with an upward swipe to quickly see the various user groups and associated filters. Managing the user groups now provides a whole new set of options separated into different sections as seen above, and this is where it can perhaps get overwhelming for the average user, who may give up midway. There is no perfect solution, and I think Gryphon splitting things logically into smaller menus is the best way forward. Power users will also find the integrated network monitoring quite handy, though this can be used for multiple different reasons, too. The filters include screen time on a day and hour basis, content filtering based on specific URLs, or general categories. The content monitoring goes further in showing general usage, which can be handy for parents who want to see what their kids are generally up to, though you have to rely on Gryphon's own database for what website content falls into which category. For what it's worth, it was fairly accurately unless the content was from a mega-corporation, such as Microsoft, whereby working in MS Teams was the same as chatting on Skype, to give you an example.


The Devices tab is self-explanatory and a dashboard of all connected devices on the generated networks. It also immediately tells you which device is managed, associated to which user group, and there are even specific rules for IOT devices that need to be connected 24/7 to get them around filters you may have set for others. It is in the Settings tab that the typical control panel including everything a typical end user could ask for makes its appearance, and I dare say most power users will be plenty fine, too. Aside from that one prompt to join Gryphon's user community, I was pleasantly surprised by the absence of any ads or prompts for its subscription service. NETGEAR needs to take a page or two out of this book for handling this in a classy manner. Also, given the mobile-first approach, I was happy to see an integrated dark theme for OLED screen users. Overall, this is a matured mobile app that seems to be getting some flak on the two app platforms for the recently updated UI. But knowing what Gryphon prioritizes with its products, I personally think this is a good layout. This is why you have the various content and device management options at the forefront and the general control panel settings in a separate tab.