Gadgets :: March 13, 2019
by Gregg Ellman
(@greggellman)
The Mercku M2 Wi-Fi router system, which is accurately called “The Wi-Fi system that has your whole house covered” on the Mercku homepage, is a product I loved instantly because it’s simple, easy to install, and worked perfect on the first try.
This system doesn’t replace your existing Wi-Fi, you’ll still need that from your local provider. Instead, the Mercku hardware takes the signal and sends it to the dead zones in your home, which just about everyone, including myself, has.
Most homes have Wi-Fi brought in where it was convenient for the cable company or whoever is your provider. For the most part, it was the right choice at the time because that’s where your computer and the router were needed. But now in the era of smartphones, tablets, smart TV’s and Alexa, we need Wi-Fi everywhere.
First for the setup; Along with the router, a 3-foot Ethernet cable and an AC adapter is included. A quick start guide instructs you plug in the power connection and connect the Ethernet cable to the back of the Mercku M2 router.
To complete the setup, use either a browser or a smartphone app, I went with the smartphone Mercku companion app (iOS and Android). It has a user-friendly interface and well written instructions to walk you through a few steps to get your router connected.
Consider the first M2 router you connect as your home base; now you can add M2 routers to conquer the dead zones, which can be upstairs, downstairs or around corners.
I placed number two in an extra bedroom where I previously never seemed to get a good signal. The additional M2’s do not have a direct connection to the first one you connected. Instead, it makes a wireless connecting to the first, which is all setup in minutes with the app.
I added a third on the total opposite side of my house the same way. The entire setup with three routers didn’t take 10 minutes.
Along with the advantage of spreading around your Wi-Fi signal, according to Mercku, the M2 performs nearly twice as fast as the industry average and can support up to 60 devices, which should be good for any family. The app even tells you which devices are connected to the system.
Wi-Fi hardware generally is hidden in back rooms or under tables. Since you have to spread the M2 routers (3.93-by-3.93-by-4.94mm) around your home, it was a smart move by the company to design the hardware so it’s not an eyesore. You’ll get a few people asking about it and becoming very intrigued and curious.
The dual-band M2 router have backside ports for the LAN and WAN ethernet lines, USB2.0, and AC power (12V / 1.5A). It supports Wi-Fi 2.4G 300 Mbps and 5G 867 Mbps.
During my testing I had a video playing on my iPad as I walked room to room. Like any Wi-Fi, the speed can vary based on how far you are from the source, what you’re using it for and how many are on the system. But I was watching in rooms, buffer free, where in the past the buffer made me shut down.
While I used the M2 routers, Mercku also has small AC powered Bee Nodes, which plug into any socket and spread Wi-Fi to the largest of homes.
Within the app you can see what devices are connected to the Wi-Fi, whether the router’s on, set up security with passwords and even hide the network so it can’t be see without knowing both the network name and it’s accompanying password. Speed tests can also be run right in the app along with control to block devices, websites and how much speed specific devices get.
The M2 router is $119 and the M2 Bee Node is $59 each. You can buy complete home packages, for example a M2 router and four Bee Nodes are $299.
