Xiaomi's networking devices are becoming increasingly popular, which is no coincidence, as they offer the latest technologies with a great hardware/software combination, and at an absolutely affordable price.
The introduction is a bit marketingy, but I'm talking two years on - I've been using the Mi Router 3 since 2018, and I got the 3G last March. Although my first Xiaomi router was recently killed by an unfortunate bug, I've had the 3G for a year now and I'm absolutely delighted with it.
OpenWRT!
The software is based on the open source OpenWRT, and is perfectly suited to the needs of the average user. Personally, I prefer the clean version that I installed myself, which is available for quite a few Xiaomi routers, and extends the limits of use from DIY internet radio to IoT endpoint or even DIY Zigbee gateway.
And to the antilinux people, I would just say: You don't have to set everything in the terminal.
WiFi 5 is good enough for most places (if you're Chinese, why WiFi 5 or 6, well, for simplicity's sake, even if you didn't get that right. However, for those of you who know more about networking, 802.11 AC is more telling)
The focus for this router is very much on IoT, their WiFi smartwatch with the Mi Home app. The aim is to make them work together as well as possible. Honestly, as my first job is to replace firmware on all Chinese devices, that's not saying much, but those who are into cloud solutions will benefit from this, I'm sure.
MU-MIMO
And there's something else, MU-MIMO. What exactly is it for? Well, a fundamental limitation of the WiFi standard is that the router can only communicate with one device at a time.
Imagine standing between two conveyor belts and constantly turning to one and then the other to do your work with one hand. What happens then? Both tasks can be said to be done, but we waste time by doing two tasks in a row. What if we could do two things at once, or even more, depending on where we are needed?
Well, in the example it seems almost impossible, since we have two hands in total, but in WiFi it is possible. You can move two boxes in one motion, using two hands, without having to do the work one after the other.
This is what MU-MIMO provides. It will reduce the response time, which is very important in many cases.
How much are they offering and is it worth it?
It has a nice price tag, as you can buy one for around $54, or around 20.000 forints in the future, but this is only an estimate and of course it can change.
I say I think it is. But not for everyone! A "regular" 802.11AC, or 5Ghz capable router is now available at a very reasonable price, and if you don't need all that (which you should check), I say buy a Mi Router 3G and you'll be happy.
