Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I pre-ordered this product 6 months before it was released. Three different release dates came and went until finally it arrived at my door without notice. When I opened the Amazon box, I saw the first problem. Although I ordered it in black, I received a white one. I was replacing a white one so I figured, what the heck, let’s go with it. I opened it up, looked at the very sparse instructions, plugged it in and within a few minutes it was up and running. However I wanted to use this as an access point and not any of the other three options offered on the setup wizard. More on that later. Prior to this arriving I would comb through the dozens of questions people posted on the pre order page. One of my favorites was repeated by several people, “Do I still need internet service if I get this”? OF COURSE YOU DO! That’s like asking if you still need food if you get a new refrigerator. If you are asking this question, I highly recommend you enlist a qualified professional to help you assess your needs and get you set up. With that out of the way, let’s get into what this little guy can do. As Wireless Range Extender (Repeater): Think of this as a relay race where one runner reaches a mark, hands off the baton to the next runner, who then takes it to the next mark. This assumes you already have the first runner and of course the baton. So to use this as a wireless repeater you need an existing internet connection and wireless router. You will put the Almond 3 somewhere in your house where you get a good wireless signal using any other device such as a smart phone, laptop or tablet. Check to see you have most of your bars on your device, find a wall plug and fire up the almond 3 and follow the on screen directions to set up a “Range Extender”. (The device is just for checking the signal, not for setting up the Almond 3) If you put the Almond 3 too far from your existing wireless router, you will have the same crappy wireless speed you do now. Only you will be confused because you will see you have all the bars on the device which will be coming from the Almond 3. Remember, the Almond is only handing off the same signal it gets. If the signal is bad, that’s what you will get. So keep the Almond 3 as close to the existing wireless router to the point where you just start losing bars on your devices. However don't put it too close to the existing wireless router, or the signals may compete with each other. As A Wireless Router: This assumes a few things. First, that you have an existing internet connection. Second, that you are comfortable replacing the main router in your house. This means you will be taking the internet connection from your provider, disconnecting and turning off the the main router and plugging this in its place. In the case of cable internet, you will have to at least have a cable modem from your provider. (NOTE: Only qualified network engineers would ever have two routers in one home). If you set up the Almond as a router and you already have a router, you will start experiencing all kinds of network issues up to and including completely crashing your network and internet connection. Once you have put this in place of your existing router, simply fire it up and follow the on screen wizard. As A Mesh Network: If you don’t know what a mesh network is, then do not attempt to try this. Just use one of the above choices. If you know what a mesh network it, simply fire up the Almond 3 and follow the on screen prompts. As An Access Point: Again, unless you know the difference between a router and an access point, you are better off choosing one of the first two configurations. To start with, an access point assumes you have an actual Ethernet cable coming from an existing router somewhere in the house. This could be next to the router, or anywhere in the house using a switch or a switched port on the main router. If you are already lost, stop here and choose one of the first two options. If you know what you are doing, then follow these steps. Connect the Almond as a router with your network cable in the WAN port. Configure the setup wizard as a router (its ok to do that for now). When you complete the setup, go to the home screen, select the MORE icon followed by the Access Point icon. Once that’s done you can set up the SSIDs the way you want. It’s unfortunate that Access Point is not an option at startup. It seems an obvious deficiency. Once You Are Set UP: Once you get through the first setup screens you get the option to configure the Almond trough an App on your phone. I would download the Almond App before you get started on any of the above options. That will make the final steps of the wizard go much easier. Follow all the prompts to configure the App. (NOTE: this does not connect your phone to your new wireless connection; it only connects the App for future use). Once you get your phone connected to the new wireless connection and get the App set up, you can configure some of the more frequently used options right from your phone. Also don’t forget to update the firmware by going into the setup icon from the device. Finally, make sure you password protect the Almond 3 display so no one can change you configuration. The App: The app is a great tool for many reasons. With the optional smart home dongle you can connect all sorts of devices to automate your home. But right out of the box, you can track your family coming and going using their smart phones as sensors. You can be alerted every time someone connects to your network. You can turn on a “guest” network when you have company. The guest network is segregated from your home network so you don’t have to worry about prying eyes on your other network devices. . I am not sure how much I trust this, but a quick test did in fact block traffic from the guest network to the rest of the house. Just make sure you remember to turn it off or your neighbors will be stealing your internet. Finally you can rename your wireless connection from the App for both the 2.4 and 5.7 MHz connections. I suggest using the same wireless name (SSID) and password for both. (NOTE: never name your wireless connection your real name). The Range & Conclusion: The range is outstanding! I have a full 5 bars everywhere in my house. My wireless speeds in my bedroom went from 10 to 15 Mbps to 65 – 70 Mbps. My wife is very happy about that. Happy wife, happy life. There is no perfect electronic device and this is no exception. I am using Samsung’s Smartthings for my smart home, so I may not ever get around to playing with that feature on the Almond 3, but one never knows. For the price, the features and performance of this device is far superior to anything I have seen on the market to date. It rivals some of the $800.00 Cisco Meraki enterprise wireless devices we use at work. The free App & cloud service is just icing on the cake. Whether you are a network engineer or complete novice, most people should be able to get this to work if they select the right options at startup. I am very happy with this purchase and so far it was well worth the wait. If you found this review helpful please click the appropriated button below. Thank you.