REVIEW: With the Huawei Wi-Fi AX2 router you can join the Wi-Fi 6 wave without spending a lot

Wanting to use Wi-Fi devices can be a big challenge, even more so in environments like my house, where we have two floors and a solid construction, conditions that are far from ideal for browsing smoothly. It was with an improvement in this in mind that I was excited to test a separate router, so that maybe I could have the perfect Wi-Fi I dreamed of, or at least something better than the service offered by my operator.

This was the challenge I went through with the new router Huawei AX2 Wi-Fi, a device that brings with it the promise of access to Wi-Fi 6 for a more attractive price. Remembering that Wi-Fi 6 is not yet present in most common devices, but there are already some that are compatible with the new technology, such as high-end smartphones like the iPhone 11, Galaxy S10 and the Galaxy A54 and Redmi Note 12 Pro. At the invitation of the company, I did all the tests on this entry-level router and I bring you the results in this matter for the showmetech.

Design

Out of the box, the router Huawei Wi-Fi AX2 is a very attractive device. Very light and pretty looking clean, it matches the decor of my office room without too many problems. It is a very small device: its dimensions of 200 x 120 x 30 mm make it an easy-to-position piece if space in your home is a delicate issue. 

Made of white plastic material, it features four 130 mm external antennas, two of which are positioned on the sides of the router, closer to the back of it, where the other two are positioned next to its three LAN and power input ports. AX2 Wi-Fi. It has openings to fix it vertically, if necessary. Its lightness left me in doubt about its durability, as it is very easy to move it accidentally, which worries me, especially in a home with cats that love to paw at objects placed on shelves...

In general, the Huawei AX2 Wi-Fi It matches the profile of an entry-level device for those looking for Wi-Fi 6 and doesn't have much frills, without material textures that could hinder cleaning or a format that makes positioning difficult. There's nothing too special about the operating light either: it turns green when there's a signal or red otherwise, the ultimate in simplicity. Therefore, the aspect of the product's design that worries me most is its apparent fragility, as it is incredibly light.

In short, the AX2 Wi-Fi It has four antennas and an LED that indicates the status of the connection to your network. It has 3 inputs for 1000 WAN/LAN, remembering that the first one, on the left, will always be occupied by the network cable connected to the operator's modem, so consider only 2 free openings for your devices. Other than that, there is the power cord input and the button to do the reset of the router if necessary.

On the bottom, we find the traditional label with the technical details of the device, along with the holes to hang it vertically on the wall and the ventilation outlets. It is worth mentioning that the router is not exactly parallel to the contact surface, as its shape has a slight diagonal drop.

This is undoubtedly an entry-level router with a relatively low cost, so you can understand the limitations in terms of inputs, not to mention the ease of configuring it, which will be discussed below. A worrying point, however, is the insistence on using the WPS security protocol for fast connection, which is proven to be a very insecure mode and vulnerable to intrusion. You need to be aware of this to avoid headaches when using the Huawei AX2 Wi-Fi.

Configuration and interface

To configure and start using the new router, Huawei offers ways to do this both in the most common way, through the browser on your device connected to the wireless network, and through its own application, the AI Life, which can be downloaded from iPhone / iPad e Android. In my test, I used the cell phone browser, after disabling the Wi-Fi on the operator's router.

At first, the setup process was a little more difficult than expected. First, the Ethernet cable that came with the device didn't work, so I had to use another one to connect the router to the operator's modem. With that done, all you had to do was follow the short instructions on the paper that came with the device to configure it using the IP address on the sticker underneath the Huawei AX2 Wi-Fi. Within minutes, I was already connected to it and enjoying the wireless connection!

With the application, I had problems right away. Firstly, it is not available on Google Play like all official applications, which already makes my ears perk up. The download has to be done through the manufacturer's website, a .apk file, with little or no apparent security. The cell phone's operating system itself warned me of the risk, which forced me not to install it on my cell phone out of pure distrust. 

Despite the issues with the application, the navigation environment for configuring the router through the browser is very easy to use and I found no obstacles when it came to naming my new Wi-Fi network here at home – we play a game with Lampião and Maria Beautiful in our family, hence the name chosen for it – and other options, such as selecting the Wi-Fi channel, to avoid interference with neighboring networks.

Among the other options in the browser, there is the option to configure a type of backup for devices that don't support Wi-Fi 6, which came in handy for me. By activating this function, a second network, with 5G, is enabled, in case any of the devices are unable to view the main network. This came in handy, since my PlayStation 5 wasn't able to access it straight away.

Other than that, there are settings that are part of any network control center by default, such as security protocols, where you can choose how to handle the firewall network, as well as NAT, DDNS, DMZ and parental control. There is also a diagnostic center for possible connection problems, a way to do the backup from the device settings to the factory settings, among others.

AX2 Wi-Fi performance

During the tests carried out, a 500 Mbps internet connection was used, with the ethernet cable connected to the operator's modem. The contract itself does not guarantee 100% signal purity and this is reflected in the results, both those carried out with the Wi-Fi of its own modem and with the company's router. Huawei. With the exception of the network name, the settings access password and the usage password, no other settings were modified, that is, they remained the same as they were factory, so that the tests reflected the common use of a residential consumer or micro business. , as is my case.

To control, before even taking the new router out of the box, I performed a Wi-Fi signal strength test coming from the operator's modem using the application WiFiman, both on the upper and lower floors of the house. I emphasize that for the one below, the test was carried out in the region where the signal is usually worse with the operator's modem, directly below its positioning, but with a few layers of cement and bricks between them, which usually worsens its performance significantly. .

It is clear that next to the operator's modem, the signal is clean and provides a high speed, within the standard estimated by it, despite the 500 Mbps contracted, both on 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz. At the bottom of the house, it's a different story: 2.4 Ghz comes out ahead, but it's no wonder, with a much worse signal, almost zero. This is why we never watch Netflix while cooking!

When connecting to the router AX-2, I noticed results similar to those obtained with the operator's modem on the upper floor, basically the same, as the figures indicate. However, the broth spilled when I went to the kitchen, the Wi-Fi signal practically disappeared, both at 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz, in other words, it lost the fight to the operator's modem, which at least was able to maintain a signal , however weak it was.

Just in case, I did a test at the base of the stairs, a few meters from the kitchen, but still out of sight of the router. The result was a little more favorable, but still below the signal strength of the operator's modem, both on my cell phone, a Redmi 12C, and on other devices, such as a Chromebook, PlayStation 5 and other cell phones, such as a Samsung A32 .

Completion and availability

For those looking for an opportunity to use Wi-Fi 6, the router Huawei AX2 Wi-Fi It's a good choice, fulfilling the promise of being an entry-level device at a more affordable price. But when it comes to improving the ability to increase the quality of the Wi-Fi signal in your home or office, it leaves something to be desired, unfortunately.

O AX2 Wi-Fi is now available in stores across the country and can be found at a discount on Amazon, for around R$240, through the store. own manufacturer.

Technical specifications

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Text proofread by: Pedro Bomfim