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Modern life depends on strong network connectivity. For Zoom meetings, working remotely, streaming, gaming, and viewing 4K movies, we require a fast, reliable network. Since most households now have many Wi-Fi devices in various rooms, our requirement for speed is growing as a result of these factors. It is impossible to overstate the significance of reliable and quick Wi-Fi. also you can check our article on Devolo Magic 2 Wi-Fi 6 Mesh review.
The Magic 2 Wi-Fi 6 was created by Devolo, a German firm well-known for creating cutting-edge smart networking solutions. It combines Wi-Fi 6 routers with cutting-edge Powerline technology. With a typical Wi-Fi performance of up to 1,800 Mbps and the ability to increase your Powerline speed to 2,400 Mbps, this Wi-Fi 6 router is one of the fastest and most sophisticated Wi-Fi network systems currently on the market.
While still supporting older Wi-Fi standards, Devolo Magic 2 works with Wi-Fi 6, the most powerful Wi-Fi standard currently available. Additionally, it makes better use of the available frequencies because to the OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access) feature, enabling multiple apps to interact on the same channel. For each data stream, this functionality effectively increases the bandwidth available.
Devolo Magic 2 Wi-Fi 6 Mesh review: Design
Make sure you purchase the correct model because the Magic 2 WiFi 6’s design isn’t significantly different from the previous model, which utilized Wi-Fi 5, and is still available. The adaptors resemble large, bulky smart plugs that can be placed right into any mains power outlet. They also, fortunately, have a pass-through connection that enables you to continue using the mains outlet to power other devices.
However, despite the fact that the three adaptors in the Whole Home Kit appear to be nearly identical, they actually differ significantly. The first adaptor is actually a little bit smaller than the other two, and it has a single Gigabit Ethernet connector on top that you can use to connect it to your current modem or wifi router so it can access the Internet using your current connection. Naturally, this calls for the first adaptor to be hooked into a mains outlet nearby your router so that it can use the existing electrical cabling in your home to transport data to the remaining adaptors at a maximum speed of 2.4Gbps.
Setup
Theoretically, each kit’s components are pre-paired and ready to use as soon as they are inserted into the mains. This didn’t function with our original Whole Home review kit, but it did with the more recent Mesh Whole Home Wi-Fi kit without a hitch. It merely requires pressing a single button on each extension and adapter to link them if they are plugged into nearby outlets. That is all that is necessary if you’re content to use the default network name and password.
If not, you have a couple of choices. The SSID and password should be copied from one wireless device to the other when you first hit the Wi-Fi button on the device and the WPS button on the router. Install the Devolo Home Network app and modify the SSID and password there manually if this doesn’t work.
Any other Wi-Fi units connected to your Powerline network appear to copy any changes you make to one Wi-Fi unit. Finally, you can utilise the browser-based UI or the Devolo Cockpit software on your computer or laptop. Both are a touch antiquated and aren’t really intuitive, but finding the appropriate settings and changing them isn’t difficult. While you’re there, you may also check for firmware updates.
Features
The kit uses the second-generation G.hn (Gigabit Home Networking) chips with data rates up to 2400 Mbps on the powerline side and supports the most recent Wi-Fi 6 standard with top speeds of 1800 Mbps. Depending on your internet plan and the design of your home, the real speeds you experience most likely won’t even come close to these numbers, but you can still appreciate the potential and benefit of having both wired and wireless alternatives available. you can read our article on Devolo Magic 2 Wi-Fi 6 Mesh review.
Beyond the technical language, these devices include several important capabilities like Multi-User MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) and Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), which enable fast and dependable connectivity for numerous devices sharing a single connection point. Without a doubt, Devolo equipped these units with the most up-to-date networking technology to keep your devices linked and utilizing the fastest speeds.
The Devolo Magic 2 Wi-Fi 6 set was tested in a small house, but we placed up one of the units in a room at the opposite end of the property from the main router and experienced speeds of 27 Mbps as opposed to 22 Mbps with our typical mesh configuration. Although there is a development, our land is already completely covered. If yours isn’t, you may count on this starter set to provide wired and wireless internet to every part of your home.
Devolo Magic 2 Wi-Fi 6 Mesh review: Speeds
With the WiFi 6 plug as the main connected device, we were able to use iPerf to reach a throughput of 763 Mbits/sec. With the powerline turned on in the main room and the wired outlet in our upstairs office. WiFi rates via a powerline decreased to 30 Mbit/s. For some reason, when we have plugs on separate floors, the speeds are bad. The powerline linked WiFi speeds increased to over 250Mbit/s when we switched to having the wired outlet in our front-of-the-house living room and the powerline in the kitchen.
Configuration
Devolo’s administration interface is (still) not secure, thus it can be accessed directly through a web browser or a specialized app for Android and iOS. Once connected, the various boxes are instantly recognized, necessitating no configuration procedures. Although the interface is rather straightforward, there are still just a few extra features, and this equipment cannot reasonably take the place of a specialized router. We encourage you to read our review of the Devolo Mesh WiFi kit, which offers the same options, if you want to learn more about all the possibilities presented by the interface.
Performance
When using the Magic 2 WiFi 6, there are two ways to launch it. Beginners can simply download the Devolo Home Network app and follow the app’s setup instructions, while more experienced users can also access a web browser interface for more granular control over the network settings. also you can learn our article on Devolo Magic 2 Wi-Fi 6 Mesh review.
We were happy to discover that Devolo has upgraded its software since we last reviewed Magic; this time, the app instantly identified and connected all three adaptors as soon as we plugged them in. Additionally, the software does an excellent job at maintaining simplicity. By default, it unifies the 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz bands of the adaptors into a single network and permits that network to share your current Wi-Fi network’s name and password.
However, the software also enables you to divide the two bands and set up two distinct Wi-Fi networks with their own identities and passwords if you’d want more control. The performance of the Wi-Fi in that room is unaffected by the first adaptor, which is connected to your current router and does not emit its own Wi-Fi signal. However, as we previously noted, our work-from-home office frequently experiences poor Wi-Fi reception.
The hybrid Magic 2 WiFi 6 can provide both powerline and wi-fi access, allowing us to finally go entirely wireless in that office instead of relying on an outdated set of powerline adaptors to provide a wired connection for our office PC. The Magic 2 WiFi 6 also performs admirably, with download speeds of 100 Mbps on the Ookla speed test and 12.5 MB/s for Steam downloads, which are the fastest speeds permitted by our home broadband connection, on both the 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz bands.
Devolo Magic 2 Wi-Fi 6 Mesh review: Price
One LAN adaptor, two WiFi adaptors, and six multiroom Devolo Magic 2 WiFi kits are available for £350. A single WiFi adaptor costs £160, while a beginning kit with a single LAN and WiFi adaptor costs £200. They appear to have just introduced the Devolo Magic 2 WiFi 6 Mesh technology as well. Though the product page is active, you cannot purchase it. The estimated price for a 3-pack system is £450.
Conclusion
Any home electrical outlet can become a useful Internet access point thanks to powerline technology, which allows Internet signals to be delivered straight over a home’s electrical wiring! The new Devolo Magic 2 WiFi 6 (802.11ax), which supports a faster throughput to service numerous bandwidth-hungry customers, is the most recent mesh Wi-Fi powerline solution on the market.
The powerline adapters of Devolo’s Magic 2 WiFi 6 may provide throughput bandwidth speeds of up to 2400 Mbps (through Ethernet cable) and up to 1800 Mbps (via WiFi connection) thanks to the use of G.hn (Gigabit Home Networking) technology.