It has been nearly two years since TechPowerUp last had a networking product review, and things have changed so much since that we felt it was time to bring such reviews back again. Smart devices have taken over the world with or without your consent, and I count at least 14 devices at my own place that can benefit from a Wi-Fi connection. The days of routers that look like mech-spiders have not gone yet, but companies are quickly realizing that a router is best kept near the action center in the living room for optimal performance, and wall/ceiling mounting them is not for everyone either.
Ubiquiti Networks decided to tackle this by creating a whole new division - Ubiquiti Labs (ULabs). The company is not a new name to this game, and using their access points is widely regarded as one of the best decisions you can make for a personal or professional network in terms of consistent performance and enthusiast support alike. Shortly before CES 2018, a representative on behalf of ULabs, and in particular their brand AmpliFi, contacted me about the new AmpliFi Teleport that aimed to make a hardware VPN solution easily accessible to the public. This was intriguing by itself, and the opportunity to test it out in Las Vegas while being able to potentially access my local network here was great timing as well. So here we are then to take a look at the product, and thanks again to them for providing us with a review sample.
For the sake of simplicity, the product shall be referred to as the AmpliFi Teleport Kit, which in turn includes the AmpliFi HD mesh router and new Teleport unit. The Teleport is also available as a standalone purchase; however, this assumes you already have an AmpliFi router for it to connect to. Newcomers to the brand, such as yours truly, would thus want to get this kit or perhaps even the standalone with an AmpliFi Wi-Fi mesh system. To introduce the Teleport unit better, here a direct quote taken from the product page:
"AmpliFi Teleport provides a secure and convenient way to access resources at home, even when you are not. Utilizing any Wi-Fi hotspot or wired Ethernet connection, Teleport is able to create an encrypted connection to your home network, expanding it wherever you go."
AmpliFi is marketing this to the not-so-tech savvy among us who are traveling and want access to their files on the home/office network or simply want to catch up with content that is geo-blocked, for example. We begin the review with a look at the specifications below.
Specifications
AmpliFi HD Mesh Router
Networking Interface:
Wi-Fi/Gigabit Ethernet (1) WAN, (4) LAN
Maximum Power Consumption:
11 W
Max TX Power:
26 dBm
Radios:
2
MIMO Chains:
6
Antennas:
(1) Dual-Band Antenna, Tri-Polarity
Buttons:
Reset
Supported data rates:
802.11ac: 13 Mbps to 1300 Mbps
802.11n: 6.5 Mbps to 450 Mbps
802.11a: 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54 Mbps
802.11b: 1, 2, 5.5, 11 Mbps
802.11g: 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54 Mbps
Display:
1.6" (40.6 mm) Diagonal, 240 x 240, 212 ppi, G+F Touch, Full Color