The Bearifi Edge Mesh Whole Home Wi-Fi System ($139.97) is a two-piece mesh system designed for homes of up to 4,000 square feet. As with most Wi-Fi systems, it's easy to install and manage, and you can use it as your main router or to extend your existing Wi-Fi network. However, it lacks many of the features that we've come to expect from a home Wi-Fi system, such as parental controls, device prioritization, and embedded malware protection, and its throughput performance is mediocre at best. Our Editors' Choice, the TP-Link Deco M9 Plus, is twice as expensive, but it offers far superior performance and a wealth of features, and you can use it to control your smart home devices.
Identical Cubes
The Edge Mesh System consists of an AP/Router node and a satellite node that are nearly identical in appearance. The only way to tell them apart is the badging on the top panel of each device: One is blue and marked as an Edge AP and the other is gray and marked as a satellite. The two-piece kit covers homes of up to 4,000 square feet, and additional satellites that offer up 2,000 square feet of extra coverage cost $69.97 each.
The white cube enclosures measure 4.0 by 3.7 by 3.7 inches (HWD) and contain a gigabit WAN port and two LAN ports. Oddly, only one of the LAN ports is a gigabit (10/100/1000) Ethernet port. The other is a Fast Ethernet (10/100) port. There's also a power port and a power switch, but there are no USB ports.
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In addition to identifying each node, the top panel is used to enable TouchLink, Bearifi's one-touch guest networking solution. With TouchLink, all you have to do is tap the top to grant access to the BearifiTouch guest network without the need for a password. You can set a specific time that TouchLink remains active before the link expires. Under the panel, there's a light ring that's solid blue when the nodes are connected and working properly, flashes blue during setup or when TouchLink is activated, and is solid red when the system has lost internet connectivity.
The Edge is powered by a single-core 580MHz CPU, 512MB of RAM, and 64MB of flash memory. It's a dual-band AC1200 system capable of throughput speeds of up to 300Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and up to 867Mbps on the 5GHz band, and it supports beamforming (direct-to-client signal targeting), smart connect (automatic band steering), and MU-MIMO transmissions (simultaneous data streaming). Each node contains four internal antennas. You can configure the Edge to operate as a main router and satellite system, or use both components in conjunction with your current router to extend your network using the same SSID.
The system is configured and managed using a browser-based app, or you can use an iOS or Android mobile app, dubbed Mesh Go, which offers the same functionality as the browser app. The main screen is the Status screen and it shows you how many nodes are connected and information such as IP and MAC addresses and what channels the Wi-Fi radio bands are using. At the bottom of the screen are Status, Setup, Wi-Fi, and Options buttons. The Status button takes you back to the opening screen and the Setup button takes you to a screen where you can configure the Edge as a router or as a network extender.
Use the Wi-Fi button to access a screen where you can turn Smart Connect (band steering) on and off, configure security settings, add more satellite nodes, and enable TouchLink guest networking and view which clients are connected to it. You can also use this menu to configure 2.4GHz and 5GHz settings such as channel, channel width, and connection type (802.11b/g/n/ac). In the Options menu, you can configure DHCP and DNS settings, enable NAT and DMZ options, enable SPI firewall and remote management features, and upgrade the system firmware.
As one of the more affordable Wi-Fi systems around, the Edge lacks many of the features you'll get with most whole-home Wi-Fi systems. For example, there are none of the parental controls that you get with the Gryphon Smart Wi-Fi and the Amped Wireless Ally systems, nor does it offer protection against malware like the TP-Link Deco M9 Plus and the Asus Lyra Trio systems. Also missing are QoS settings that allow you to give certain clients bandwidth priority.
Middling Performance
Installing and configuring the Edge Mesh system is easy since the main router and satellite are pre-paired at the factory. I used the web browser method, but you can also download the mobile app and install it from your phone. I started by connecting the AP (router) node to my desktop and to my modem and placed the satellite in my living room, about 30 feet from the router. I opened a browser on my desktop PC and typed 192.168.10.1 in the address bar. I logged in using the default password (admin), set my time zone, and created a new login password. The next screen is where you choose whether to use the system to extend your existing network or use it as your main router (I chose the latter). I selected DHCP for my WAN type, gave the network a new SSID, and selected a security type (Open, WPA/WPA2 Mix, WPA2-PSK, WPA-PSK). The system needed a few seconds to restart and I was ready to test.
The Edge is a budget mesh system, and it performed like one. I tested it using Smart Connect, where the router chooses the optimal band, and the router node turned in a score of 334Mbps on our close-proximity (same-room) test. That's significantly lower than what we saw with the D-Link Covr Dual-Band, the SmartThings Wi-Fi System ($119.99 at Best Buy) , and the TP-Link Deco M9 Plus, all of which were in the mid-500Mbps range. The Edge fared better on our 30-foot test, garnering 134Mbps and besting the D-Link Covr and SmartThings routers. The TP-Link Deco M9 led with a score of 230Mbps.
The Edge satellite delivered 175Mbps on our close-proximity test and 89Mbps on the 30-foot test. Both scores trailed the competition, with the TP-Link Deco M9 snagging top honors all the way around.
Can Your Budget Flex?
If you're looking for an inexpensive way to set up a mesh system in your home, the Bearifi Edge Mesh Whole Home Wi-Fi System will fit the bill, but its rock-bottom price comes with sacrifices. Its throughput performance doesn't stand out against the competition, and it doesn't offer any protection against malicious content and viruses. Moreover, it lacks prioritization, as well as parental controls that allow you to filter internet content, block websites, and pause internet access. On the plus side, it is easy to install and can be used as a mesh router or to extend your current Wi-Fi network.
The Edge is far less expensive than most other mesh systems we've reviewed. Getting a model that performs better and offers a solid feature set is going to set you back about twice as much. For example, the $299.99 TP-Link Deco M9 Plus is a top performer that's loaded with features and doubles as a home automation hub. If your budget doesn't stretch that far, we've seen the TP-Link Deco M5 selling for just slightly more than the Edge, and it offers solid throughput performance and robust parental controls.
The Bearifi Edge Mesh Whole Home Wi-Fi System's middling performance and bare-bones feature set reflect its bargain price.
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