If there are some points in the apartment where the WiFi signal does not reach, and moving the router does not help to solve the problem, then there is no fairy tale, you have to buy a new gadget. Among the possible variations, in addition to building a completely new (and expensive) Mesh system, there is also the installation of an extra router or a signal repeater. Cudy’s signal repeater, the AX1800 Dual Band WiFi Range Extender, which is still a new player on the domestic market, offers a cheaper but therefore simple solution to increase the coverage of the WiFi network.
Cheeky exterior
The device comes in a small box, which contains only a short description of the product, and a network cable is not included in the package. In the basic case, of course, this is not even necessary, because the RE1800 (this is the official model number) is designed in such a way that it can also strengthen the WiFi signal. You don’t need a power supply because the repeater itself needs to be plugged directly into the outlet. The device is relatively large, but luckily, it is not so big that it hangs over the neighboring outlet or switch (if there are any).
The RE1800 is white, so it actually looks good in any room – if you prefer the black color, then the RE3000 can be considered, which is slightly more expensive, but also supports the fastest standard. The subject of our test was two huge antennas, the position of which can be adjusted along one axis; this can help you achieve optimal signal strength. The body of the Cudy RE1800 is made of plastic, but the construction is still perfectly fine, and the quality of the assembly is impeccable.
The repeater turns on as soon as it is plugged in, there is no power button on it – if you want to turn it off later, you have to pull it out. The Reset button helps with the restart, which can also be used to restore the factory settings if necessary. The gadget also has a gigabit Ethernet port and a WPS button, the latter of which can be used for easier connection to the central router. On the right side of the front panel there are three small LEDs, of which the upper one shows the signal strength in three colors (blue = excellent, purple = good, red = weak), the middle one indicates active encryption, while the lower one gives information about system processes (e.g. boot , connection to the router).The upper LED can be used excellently to find the optimal position. If the light of the LEDs is disturbing, they can also be switched off.
One device, three modes
Commissioning the Cudy repeater follows the proven scheme: first, you must connect to the WiFi network created by it, and then enter the basic settings. The signal repeater can work in two configurations: it can connect to the central router via the Ethernet port, i.e. via a cable; in this case it can be used as a wireless access point. In the second case, the gadget communicates with the central router using WiFi and distributes its signal; in this case, a device that does not have its own WiFi adapter can be safely connected to the Ethernet connector – just think of a NAS, for example. The third version can only be used if there is already another Cudy network device at home; the RE1800 supports Cudy’s own Mesh technology, Whole Home Mesh.
Back to WiFi, Cudy’s repeater is WiFi 6 and supports both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies. In fact, you can even use them in parallel. The theoretical maximum speed is 574 Mbps on 2.4 GHz and 1201 Mbps on 5 GHz – hence the name AX1800, since a speed of approximately 1800 Mbps can be reached when using the two bands together. In theory. Of course, the practice is different, but in the optimal case the gadget is really fast: if, for example, it works as a WiFi access point, i.e. it distributes the gigabit Ethernet signal, then a speed of 700 Mbps can be realized at 5 GHz under normal conditions, 2.4 GHz and up to 270 Mbps is available. If, on the other hand, the device distributes the WiFi signal, realistically, from a distance of a few rooms, you can expect a speed of 2-300 Mbps on 5 GHz, and a maximum of 100 Mbps on 2.4 GHz. All this speed is more than enough to serve 4K streams or even games, and the speed of Internet downloads will surely be fast.
For now, the software is the weak point
By default, the Cudy RE1800 user interface is available at the IP address 192.168.10.254, but if the repeater is already connected to the central router, the IP address assigned by it must be used. The web interface is extremely simple and contains only the most necessary settings – there is still plenty of room for improvement in this area, as there is no MAC filtering or guest network option, for example. The 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi can be turned on and off independently.
The encryption of the networks can be WPA3, but there are not many other extra parameters: in addition to the operating mode, the SSID can be hidden, the signal strength can be regulated (3 levels), and the number of connected devices can be limited. There is no mobile phone application for Cudy’s products yet, but this will change by the beginning of next year, according to the manufacturer’s promise.
Summary
The Cudy RE1800 can be a useful accessory in any case where the goal is to increase network coverage quickly and efficiently. Thanks to WiFi 6 support and dual-band operation, the repeater is fast, and an additional advantage is that it can be put into operation easily. On the other hand, there aren’t too many setting options.
We borrowed the Cudy RE1800 from Hama for the duration of the test. Recommended end user price approx. 23 thousand forints.
Source: geeks.hu
