AmpliFi Alien Final Thoughts with Q&A

[@wallingtonfilming]

AmpliFi Support (AmpliFi) Oct 24, 2021, 13:19 PDT Hi Mark, Thanks for getting in touch with us! Amplifi will give the same wifi speed which your isp is providing. However, i can cover a large area giving good results. For example, if you have 200 speeds from the ISP, then the Amplifi router should give the same speed on wireless and wired on the client devices. It will not boost the speed above 200 as the ISP is only providing that much speed on your connection.

[@ajd89]

Thank you for this video. Very helpful. This is an older video so I am unsure how much is still relevant. I am considering the router but I am wondering how much the management app has to offer as far as network security/firewall/parental controls for web filtering?

[@khizarimran1302]

dude this might be the best review of this product on youtube. great job !!

[@shmanzy7996]

You are a legend and sound like a great Dad! So dope

[@slicktype001]

My thoughts exactly!

[@Quietprofessional1]

Actually the amplify alien does have a fan you can look at the fan speed on the display on the router.

[@tonyg9174]

Great video, thanks for taking the time to do it.

[@jackshittle]

What settings should be set or unset on the Alien via the web UI to maximize performance?

[@Kgharney427]

Something you said sparked a question for me. The mesh points are locked to the bases. Does that mean if I do not get enough coverage I can not add a mesh point later?

[@ernestopediangco5354]

I heard him state the mesh unit is paired / locked to the router as a pair, not able to add a mesh to a other non paired router but...2 Alien Routers can be linked via ethernet cable to act as a wider system pair even if purchased independently .

[@rymndv_]

I have the alienware ultrawide monitor that I believe you also have with the brivo camera which I also have. What adapter is that? I dont like the mounting plate for the brivo on my ultrawide

[@daveroski]

Worth upgrading from the orbi rb20 for 5ghz range?

[@desifrazier6860]

Great job on this review I want to upgrade just needed to know more on this amplifi alien I love the easy set up too thanks again for sharing

[@dkimmortal]

If u don’t have Ethernet, you might still be able to connect via coax MoCA to Ethernet bridge adapters if your place has coax

[@rcmaniac-basherrc]

dkimmortal do you have a link for a cheap coax to Ethernet please?

[@dkimmortal]

@@rcmaniac-basherrc gocoax

[@kyles175]

Been thinking about upgrading my router from my Time Capsule (AC version). This video provided a lot of nuanced information that I feel is lacking in other reviews. Thanks.

[@kevindagenais9]

what one should I get for gaming? and what router is better for wireless device? if both are equal in wireless strength ill prob get gamier edition but not sure yet..

[@FullaBullz]

Does this support link aggregate as I have several and use a Netgear ProSafe for all my wired devices? Thank you for the help great review!

[@ernestopediangco5354]

? Can 2 Alien routers be linked or does it link w/ the other Ubiquity MiMo pro model AP's ? I am using the Alien in a public coffee shop w/ live music stage w/ live streaming w/ gaming. ( vs The mesh unit added to the router ? )

[@metagamers]

You can link two alien routers via wired or wireless mesh.

[@darkjediknight2923]

@@metagamers Great video. Can you set up the Alien into "Access point" mode without having to use the Mobile app? Or can you delete the App afterwards and avoid any Vendor based privacy issues?

[@thitemple]

Great video, thanks for that. Have you tried running on just one router? If so, how was connectivity and performance? I'm asking because I'm considering if I should buy just one or the mesh. Thanks

[@robertcoleman7071]

I was going to ask the same question

[@anthonystebbins6289]

I bought the Mesh bundle, but originally tried just the one main point at first and it was pretty robust when it came to range. I have my main one is kinda a bad spot, like way in the corner of the middle floor of my house (3 stories including garage). It gave much better performance at the further points of my house than my Netgear AX8 did by a long shot. I have a gigibit connection and with my Pixel 4 I get about 575 down near the router and at the longest distance I can go inside my house I get about 250-300 down. I only ended up doing the Mesh point cause I had it and why not. The points are on far points of the house and the link between them is 1.7gbs. Not too shabby.

[@thitemple]

Anthony Stebbins thanks. That was very helpful

[@GospelMusicians]

Great great review

[@grimer1805]

@metagamers I bought the Amplifi alien router, so did you enable the wifi 6 antenna's on yours? I did but it didnt seem to change the speed on my iphone 11?

[@speed-facts]

Can’t get mine over 300bmps on a 1 gig line. Line is coming in just fine.

[@Bluecrush68]

When I bought my WiFi routers I was told to place them high on a shelf because the WiFi signal travels down. If I placed them on a low shelf then the WiFi signal would not be useful. Do I need to place the Amplifi Alien router up high? Does the WiFi signal truly travel down or does it travel in a spherical pattern and all devices will catch the signal? Thank you for answering our questions. Aloha

[@desifrazier6860]

Yes that's True on putting the routers up high I have the netgear nighthawk ac1900 got it up high mounted on the wall But watch this amplifi alien( THINKING TO BUY) adding a shelf to put it in the same area

[@Bluecrush68]

@@desifrazier6860 First, thank you for answering my question. Second, is there a correct way to set up your WiFi router. For example: my modem is connected to a splitter. I then connect my WiFi to the splitter. Should my Amplifi Alien router be directly connected to my modem?

[@Bluecrush68]

@@desifrazier6860 Once again, Mahalo Nui Loa (Thank you very much) from Oahu, Hawaii. I truly appreciate your help. I am concerned about the Amplifi Alien router getting too hot on the shelf. Will heat be an issue in a warm tropical climate? The area is well ventilated.

[@manuzark]

Excellent review sir, you got the answers to questions that we aren’t started to thinking about, many thanks

[@bosshova23]

Great video!!! I just bought the combo pack. My question is do I need a CAT6 cable to get the faster speeds?

[@metagamers]

How fast are your home internet speeds?

[@olafschermann1592]

CAT6 is recommended for Gigabit. But Cat-5e is capable of gigabit too, if everything is right (no bent cables, etc)

[@IAmZen_007]

Olaf Schermann CAT5e will do.

[@Tempvo]

Do you have to connect this to a router or is this its own thing

[@JHoraceB]

Great presentation, content etc! I have a home thats about 7 thousand square feet or larger. 3 levels. Basement, main floor and upstairs. Only interested in having coverage in basement and first floor . Would i need 1 AmpliFi Alien mesh pack and one other or what would you recommend ?

[@unknowndriver762]

Jay Horace Black I would recommend a couple like 3 or 4 but you need a lot of money since you have over 7k square feet in your house but I would recommend 3

[@unknowndriver762]

Or 2 is ok but I recommend 3 one on each floor. Your internet will be very fast

[@vedaantgupta8053]

Can we use it as range extender?

[@lukgaroo]

Would the amplifi alien work with Alexa and Google paired with Broad link Pro? Any glitches etc?

[@AdventuresInTheSky]

Trying to decide between the Wi-Fi 6 mesh systems...linksys velop, orbi, and alien. Any advice?

[@dkimmortal]

Skyler Holman alien then others, depends on your current network speed, I was able to upgrade to open box/used ASUS wifi 5 routers that can hit half gig speeds throughout the house easily and only cost ~100 each ac88u and ac86u. But wifi 6 mesh is better but didn’t need it yet at >3x the cost

[@AdventuresInTheSky]

Thx. Although it’s really just between those 3 Wi-Fi 6 mesh systems that i mentioned. It’s a 10K sqft house with 1gb fiber coming into the house and dozens of smart products throughout the house, so needing to maximize the speed, range, and trying to future proof a little.

[@dkimmortal]

@@AdventuresInTheSky more important than what system u pick up, make sure you have ethernet connecting those different points where youre going to be putting the routers. Probably need 3-4 mesh nodes in optimal places

[@DanielEckert63]

I have the OBRI’s with 4 mesh points (Large house). I’m selling them and replacing them with the Alien Routers - because I have north of 90 devices on my network - and the Orbi just doesn’t handle anything more than 40 well.

[@DarthCrohns]

I have the basic router you get when frontier sets up your WiFi should I replace it from something else because I feel like I have too many devices connected to it

[@jedichef170]

so i use a tmobile booster for my phones will or can this eliminate the booster or is that a separate thing or do i still connect the booster?

[@tonyg9174]

It is separate, although considering the WiFi distance the alien can provide, maybe you can put your phones on WiFi calling and then get rid of the booster.

[@jaaron2834]

I'm so glad I bought this router 4 years ago...its worked flawlessly..tells the real speed .... not like the fake speeds your ISP gives you...and they do lie about throttling your speeds.. ...they all Lie about it.. even Sonic internet lies ... although, in my area Sonic seems to be the best deal ..1 Gig speeds for about $60/ month

[@ejvegajr]

is better then Netgears AX12 RAX200???? or the orbi wifi 6

[@airgon74]

What is the range for one unit ??

[@robertcoleman7071]

Excellent video - appreciate the Q&A

[@pacificformula]

Can you add a HD AP to the Alien?

[@FastRedPonyCar]

only if that AP is pre-configured. The AP will need to be setup with a unifi controller first. Once it's gotten it's config, it can operate stand alone no problem until you need to make a change and then you'd need to connected it back to the controller.

[@RetroMongoose]

Good Video! Definitely Holding off as I will not benefit from the Wifi 6 speed increases yet! I'm a fan of Unifi as I have been using their enterprise access points for clients at work for years. I'm surprised it's not brought up more but I use 1 Unifi Long Range Wifi AC Access Point & it covers my entire house. Its only a Wifi Access Point so you still need a router but I have had little to no issues for years. Setup is definitely more techy and harder but those Access Points made by Unifi are Fantastic. Most use cases 1 single Access Point would resolve all wifi issues for people. I have used 3 of these Access Point for a client and it covered 15,000 sqft building. So for your house only 1 would be needed unless your house is like 3K sqft or bigger. I literally have to drive several houses away before the WIFi disconnects, and the Access Points is around 100 bucks. Just saying cuz there alternatives out there and give you great wifi for a lower cost. I'm really waiting for for Wifi 6 Unifi Access points to come out.

[@metagamers]

Great call out! Does one of these access points require anything else to work such as a unifi key, etc?

[@RetroMongoose]

@@metagamers no unifi key required you install controller software and adopt the access point. The software for sure works with windows computers, mac computers I'm unsure if the software works. Once adopted you can change all the settings you want. Make as many SSIDs I have split up 2.4 and 5ghz. Even has guest wifi options. Only issue is if you want to change something you have to use the same computer with the controller software to gain access so it doesn't work like a normal router where you can just plug in the IP. It's not too bad cuz it's not like your changing your wifi settings all the time.

[@EdwinBeltran]

does anyone with at least 1Gbps internet speed connected to the Alien Router, has a benchmark showing the speed you get connecting to the MeshPoint via ethernet? All reviews I've seen in KZbin focus on the wifi6 speed and distance.

[@olafschermann1592]

How does it compare to the UniFi dream machine? I know - home vs. business and WiFi 6 vs. ac. But for small offices or European houses with 2ft steel reinforced concrete floors where you need 3 accesspoints, one for each floor.

[@mr.mr.8164]

get the amplifi for pure wifi speeds and ease of use. dream machine if your more of a tinkerer and need its specific features. the amplifi is lacking with features

[@giwika7760]

I am planing to get one , since you have both. I also play a lot video games , which one is better , the alien or the amplifi hd game edition. Please let me know .

[@PsychoDaD__]

Any support for dual WAN?

[@metagamers]

No

[@kpv123]

Thanks, you are a big help.

[@CarlosMiranda-id4vd]

That’s strange because they told me that there is a fan built into the unit

[@metagamers]

Apparently there is indeed a fan inside but it rarely spins up fast enough to hear. I’ve yet to ever hear it inside of my devices

[@pornphilaichan4246]

hi i am now using fiber opti modem huawei connect to asus RT-AC68U ac1900, i would like to ask should i switch to this router? can it be support?

[@ttucker2211]

Great review! Looking hard at purchasing this as my next router to future-proof myself. Did you try gaming while using wireless mesh as the backbone to the main router? I know you recommend wired backbone but was curious if you tested this. Also, I've heard that on the MeshPoint, (If you purchase the mesh kit) the one Gig port allows you to use for either wired backbone or a single device. Is this true?

[@metagamers]

T Tucker my kids played wirelessly connected to the mesh point and had no complaints or instances of lag. Yes, you can use the port on the back of the mesh point to hardwire it for a single device or as wired backbone.

[@hankrowland6608]

How much RAM does this router have?

[@AggroGaming]

@metagamers can you use the (gamers edition nodes) with the alien as the host instead of the cube.. Hd gamer edition nodes with alien

[@metagamers]

Unfortunately no, only Alien products will work. I wish this was not the case but unfortunately it is.

[@slicktype001]

Care to share your thoughts six months later? I also have the AMPLIFI gamers addition and have been contemplating on picking up the alien. Any input is appreciated.

[@codhruv839]

what did you end up doing?

[@SebastianPucci]

Is it worth it going from Google WiFi 3 system, 1 basement, 1 floor level and 1 upstairs to the 2 mesh alien system?

[@metagamers]

Personally I like this system a lot better BUT it’s hard to say how it will work with 2 in your home. The best advice I can give is make sure you buy where you can return it if needed. Be aware through AmpliFi online they do have some rules around returns so it’s worth reading up on that before buying.

[@SebastianPucci]

@@metagamers I have 700Mb/s down and I'm not getting above 340Mbs from the main router. And only get 150 max from the satellites...

[@metagamers]

Sebastian Pucci what are you using to test speed? If you test wired what does it report back? Have you turned on hardware NAT on the router?

[@SebastianPucci]

@@metagamers Yes. Wired connection I get about 750Mbs or so, so my main router seems not to be able to reach those speeds

[@metagamers]

Make sure you try this: help.amplifi.com/hc/en-us/articles/360014557014-Enabling-Hardware-NAT

[@artsoto5459]

Best Amplifi video ever! Quick question, if I name my alien wifi the same to what I have now, would I have to reconnect all my devices to the alien? Like cameras, smart devices and stuff like that?

[@metagamers]

You should not have to, if you do that with everything the same devices should just reconnect

[@artsoto5459]

@@metagamers I've just installed my new alien, I'm very disappointed, I have 1 gig, I'm getting the same speeds as I was getting on my stock isp router that they gave me, even my iPhone 12 pro max is at slow speeds, I'm getting 176 mbps, I don't understand why, any ideas?

[@brandonbursley1924]

Yes, if the network name and password are the same, your devices will connect automatically

[@abdelrahmanalblooshi9315]

thanks for the nice review and I think im going to buy this but i have a 2 questions ..1- I will buy a amplifi alien with mesh point and in the mesh point can i connect it to the switch port ? so i can connect some of my PCs ? 2- from my Alien router can i connect to the another router Dlink as a access point ?

[@metagamers]

You’d want to connect the Ethernet cable to the mesh point and then connect the switch to the mesh point. I think you can use a connected router in bridge mode but you will loose features so it’s not advised.

[@StormyIV]

I'm stuck between this and the Amplifi Gamers edition. My Internet speed caps out at 400 down and 40 up. Is this worth it over the Gamers edition if I have family of 8 people that are occasionally all on at the same time?

[@metagamers]

It will be more future proofing than anything else. Unless you have a bunch of WiFi 6 devices I think any differences you may see would be minimal. That being said the Alien does handle traffic better when more people are online so I’d say it comes down to cost at that point. Again, not sure any difference would be major.

[@StormyIV]

@@metagamers Thanks for taking the time to respond! I couldn't find the Alien in stock anywhere so I settled on the UDM with an AC-Pro.

[@Slash_Col]

Very good video currently I have a unifi access point in a 1000 ft2 apartment and I want to know if an alien would be sufficient for my network. With my current ap I have a lot of problems in the 5g network

[@keyboard_g]

Why wouldn't the iPhone not get more than 600mbps? That's well within Wifi5 speeds on modern multi-band routers.

[@anthonystebbins6289]

I have a iphone XR that struggles to break 550. Its just MIMO 2X2 unlike say my Macbook pro that is 3X3 and goes much better even on Wifi 5. The only phone I have managed to get over the 600 hump on Wifi is a Galaxy S10+ on Wifi 6. I am sure there is fancy technical reasons but just how it seems to happen.

[@SuperAgent47]

Should I upgrade from google WiFi 1 gen to this .? I got no WiFi 6 devices Dope video 👌👌👌

[@metagamers]

Is your WiFi stable today or do you have dead spots or areas of your dwelling that has weak signals? The AmpliFi I found was better for me personally BUT everyone’s location will be different so it’s a toss up. With that being said I personally found this to be a more stable and faster solution for me.

[@SuperAgent47]

metagamers everything in my house is wired via Ethernet I am on hunt for a new router I got no. Dead spots

[@metagamers]

If everything is wired then I’m not honestly sure it would be worth it. You’d be paying a premium for basically a high powered switch of sorts.

[@RookieRay]

I just want a great wifi system for under $700USD. I only get 50-100 megabits down and 10 up. Is the amplifi alien a waste of money for me? My home has smart 10 switches, 18 plugs, and 47 downlight, hub for 'wireless security cams, smart door lock' and all the other normal devices. I dont think I would benefit from an expensive router for downloading stuff but might benefit from connecting all these devices? Please advise

[@hiflite2925]

Hi there. I really enjoyed this review. I have not had a good experience so far with the Alien router. I recently upgraded to the Alien, from the HD, and I've had to factory reset it twice already. What is happening, is that the router keeps dropping off line. My devices will stop seeing it, and disconnect. Like you, I don't have too many wifi 6 capable devices, but I have my phone, computer and tablet. When I first set it up, everything was working good. The speeds were phenomenal. After a few hours though, the router would disconnect and I could no longer use it, unless I disconnected the power, and reconnected it. Also, it doesn't play nice with my non wifi 6 devices. What am I doing wrong? My Amplifi HD router worked flawlessly. Do you think I got a dud router? I haven't tried calling tech support yet, but that's my next move. Anyway, thanks for the video. You do a great job pf explaining things to a not so techy person. Thx

[@BlueRonsonol]

Did you figure out a solution?

[@agigcbo]

Great review!

[@InSaiyanShinobi]

I wanna bout the alien but I feel like there going to make a second version within this year and ima be pissed if I buy early

[@vambat3523]

i dont think there will be but the alien is very good

[@nikkoarnado6521]

What is better? AmpliFi Alien OR Orbi AX6000?

[@tlteal]

Can't buy these any freaking where.....

[@KlipschHead281]

THEY HAVE HAD NONE IN STOCK for quite some time now and apparently they aren't restocking anytime soon, possibly due to whats going on in China, who knows.

[@metagamers]

Yeah unfortunately it might be a while

[@DanielEckert63]

Sign up for the mailing. I was notified about 8 hours in advance that the routers would be in stock at a specific time. I logged at that time - and ordered 3. Just sign up - it really worked (at least for me).

[@KlipschHead281]

@@DanielEckert63 - Will do, thanks.

[@tlteal]

I had to try a head to head comparison between the ASUS AX92U vs. the Amplifi Alien after hearing/seeing all the hype. Have to say the results are disappointing for the Alien. Not only did it not cover as much ground as the Asus but the speeds were less, the VPN (teleport) also spies on you/your data which, anyone like me in the network security arena will tell you is a huge NO NO. The ASUS has ton more features, built in VPN and the speed blows this away. Just giving you folks my honest opinion since I've now used both

[@GraysonCarr]

tlteal How’s stability though? Seems like I tend to hear about a lot more bugs and instability with Asus routers.

[@tlteal]

Grayson Carr so far amazing. Been a month.

[@johnduggins]

For the teleport, is the problem that they're proxying the connection through their system? I was kind of hoping it'd be a direct connection I could use with either some dynamic dns or homegrown scripting.

[@tlteal]

John Duggins don’t really know but all traffic has to hit their system first .

[@andrewzapata9452]

Is the AMPLIFI alien good for gaming?

[@codhruv839]

did you find out?

[@KayanEnsan]

No QoS over the ethernet + you cant monitor ethernet connected devices is keeping me from buying it atm.

[@2Bad.]

Both are deal breakers for me also. Since I'm in no hurry (12 to 18 months) I'll be waiting for things to settle down and see who has the best feature set / pricing.

[@FastRedPonyCar]

@@2Bad. I'm really hoping that they are working on a dream machine with wifi 6. The speed and range of this thing is incredible and the features of the UDM are all pretty much on point but the UDM's speed and range are pretty lackluster and no mesh sucks for bigger houses.

[@marksapollo]

This does sound like a really flawed product, it is incapable of supporting the PS4 Pro over 5GHZ WiFi and it’s QOS system for gaming only works over WiFi... this product is faulty out of the box, it should be much much better for the price it costs. Then again the Ubiquiti Dream Machine apparently has endless bugs, so perhaps the company just isn’t very good at making all in one routers. The Amplifi forum has a lot of posts about the PS4 Pro problem.

[@fasdewxccxxcvxcv8507]

I have over 90 clients no drops. Even reviewing the logs, no drops. Ever. Sorry but its the truth. By the way drops, meaning device no longer connected to network or internet.

[@SHWT1M3]

Out of stock

[@jaackasss32]

Not sure how "real" these reviews are? I got my new router this week and was very disappointed. Replaced my Nighthawk with it. Wifi6 signal on this router sucks in terms of speed. Only Wifi-5 signal holds good speeds - but then I did not need a Wifi6 router in that case right? Customer support tried all kinds of things with no resolution. I am reading on reddit and Amplifi forum that many folks have similar/same issue. This router is NOT ready for mainstream use till they freaking fix their crappy software.