This wireless router can’t possibly be good… can it? - Minion Routers

ShortCircuit
12 Apr 202410:32

Summary

TLDRThe video script discusses the reviewer's experience with Minion-themed Wi-Fi routers named Bob and Kevin. Bob is an AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 router, while Kevin is a more expensive, AX5400 Wi-Fi 6E tri-band router with additional features like a 2.5 GbE Uplink Port and an upgraded Qualcomm processor. Despite their novelty appearance, both routers offer mesh support and WPA 3 security. The review highlights the routers' performance out of the box, noting issues with band switching and antenna pickup patterns, ultimately concluding that while they are charming, their performance limitations may not suit all users.

Takeaways

  • 🛍️ The Minion Wi-Fi routers, Bob and Kevin, were purchased as novelty items but are also functional networking devices.
  • 🌐 Bob is an AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 router, while Kevin is an AX5400 Wi-Fi 6E router, indicating different levels of performance and support for newer Wi-Fi standards.
  • 📈 Kevin supports tri-band frequencies (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz) at 160 MHz channel widths, a feature typically found in higher-end routers.
  • 🔋 Kevin comes with a 2.5 Gb Uplink Port and an upgraded Qualcomm processor, as well as 512 MB of RAM, suggesting a focus on performance.
  • 🔍 The routers are designed by Davincom, a Korean company specializing in business and education networking since 2000.
  • 🖇️ Both routers support mesh networking, allowing for a network of Bobs connected to a Kevin for internet connection.
  • 🔐 They support the latest WPA 3 security protocol, which is important for securing Wi-Fi networks.
  • 📦 The box contents are minimal but include everything needed for setup, except for a network switch if more than one wired connection is needed.
  • 🛠️ The setup process is straightforward, involving scanning QR codes for easy configuration, although the reviewer encountered issues with Apple devices.
  • 📊 Out-of-the-box performance was decent but not exceptional, with good speed and transfer rates but issues with band switching and antenna pickup patterns.
  • 🚫 The routers may not be suitable for larger spaces or for users who need consistent performance across different areas of a home or office due to antenna limitations.

Q & A

  • What are the minions Wi-Fi routers referred to in the script?

    -The minions Wi-Fi routers mentioned in the script are named Bob and Kevin.

  • What Wi-Fi standards do the Bob and Kevin routers support?

    -The Bob version supports Wi-Fi 6 (AX1800), while the Kevin version supports Wi-Fi 6E (AX5400).

  • How many frequency bands does the Kevin router support?

    -The Kevin router is tri-band, supporting 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz each at 160 MHz channel widths.

  • What is special about the Uplink Port in the Kevin router?

    -The Kevin router features a 2.5 Gig Uplink Port, which is notable at its price point and indicates a focus on performance.

  • What processor does the Kevin router use compared to the Bob version?

    -The Kevin router uses an upgraded Qualcomm processor, while the Bob version uses a more basic dual-core MIPS IIA processor.

  • How much RAM does the Kevin router have?

    -The Kevin router has 512 megabytes of RAM.

  • What company designed the minions routers?

    -The routers are designed by Davincom, a Korean company specializing in business and education networking since 2000.

  • Does the minions router support mesh networking?

    -Yes, the minions routers support mesh networking, allowing for multiple routers to be connected and configured together.

  • What security protocol does the minions router support?

    -The minions routers support WPA 3, which is an important security feature for modern Wi-Fi networks.

  • What were the main concerns raised about the minions routers online?

    -The main concerns were the lack of support for PPPoE and a vulnerability where the Wi-Fi passphrase is passed to the console in plain text, requiring physical access to the device.

  • What was the reviewer's final recommendation regarding the minions routers?

    -The reviewer could not recommend the minions routers for anything other than their cuteness factor and suggested looking elsewhere for better performance, such as an ISP-provided access point.

Outlines

00:00

🛍️ Unboxing and Initial Impressions of Minion Wi-Fi Routers

The paragraph begins with the narrator sharing their experience of discovering Minion-themed Wi-Fi routers on Reddit and subsequently purchasing them. The routers are named Bob and Kevin, with Bob being an AX1800 (Wi-Fi 6) and Kevin an AX5400 (Wi-Fi 6E). The narrator highlights the unique features of the routers, such as the 2.5 Gbps Uplink Port on Kevin and the upgraded Qualcomm processor compared to Bob's dual-core MIPS processor. The routers are designed by Davin, a Korean company specializing in business and education networking. The narrator also mentions the inclusion of a QR code for the installation guide and the lack of additional information online beyond what's provided on the box. The paragraph concludes with the narrator expressing surprise at the detailed design of the routers, including the Minion's shoes and cable.

05:02

🔧 Setup Process and Initial Testing of Minion Routers

This paragraph details the setup process of the Minion routers, which involves scanning QR codes for easy configuration. The narrator encounters issues with the setup on an iPhone due to Apple's default DNS settings but finds success on Android and other devices. The control panel features a default admin username of 'Bob,' adding to the novelty of the product. The narrator discusses the lack of certain features in the Wi-Fi settings and addresses concerns raised online about the routers, including a lack of PPPe support and a potential security vulnerability. The paragraph concludes with the narrator conducting performance tests on the routers, noting decent out-of-the-box performance but highlighting issues with the routers' ability to switch between Wi-Fi bands and poor horizontal pickup pattern.

10:04

📶 Evaluation of Minion Routers' Performance and Practicality

In the final paragraph, the narrator evaluates the practicality of using the Minion routers as functional Wi-Fi access points. Despite their cute design, the narrator finds that the routers are not recommended for anything beyond their novelty factor due to their performance limitations. The narrator notes that the routers work well in extremely small spaces but advises users seeking better performance to look elsewhere. The paragraph ends with a comparison to an ISP-provided access point and a recommendation to subscribe to 'Short Circuit' for more tech-related content.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Minions Wi-Fi routers

Minions Wi-Fi routers are novelty networking devices designed with the appearance of minions from the popular animated film series. These routers are not just for aesthetic appeal but are functional devices intended to provide Wi-Fi access to users. In the video, the reviewer has purchased these routers and is testing their functionality and performance.

💡Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E

Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E are standards for wireless networking technology. Wi-Fi 6, also known as 802.11ax, offers improved performance in congested areas and enhanced security with WPA 3. Wi-Fi 6E extends Wi-Fi 6 by adding support for the 6 GHz frequency band, which provides more bandwidth and less interference. These standards are significant in the context of the video as they define the capabilities of the Minions routers being reviewed.

💡AX1800 and AX5400

AX1800 and AX5400 are specific model numbers that refer to the performance and capabilities of networking devices. These numbers indicate the maximum theoretical speed and the Wi-Fi technology used. For instance, AX1800 implies support for Wi-Fi 6 with a maximum speed of approximately 1800 Mbps, while AX5400 implies a higher performance device with support for Wi-Fi 6E and speeds up to 5400 Mbps.

💡Tri-band

Tri-band refers to a type of Wi-Fi router that has three separate wireless frequency bands, typically 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and a second 5 GHz or 6 GHz band. This configuration allows for better performance by reducing congestion and providing dedicated bandwidth for certain devices or tasks.

💡2.5 Gig Uplink Port

A 2.5 Gig Uplink Port refers to an Ethernet port that supports speeds of up to 2.5 Gbps (Gigabits per second). This is significant for networking devices as it allows for faster wired connections, which can be beneficial for devices that require high-speed data transfer, such as servers or high-performance computers.

💡Qualcomm processor

A Qualcomm processor refers to a system-on-chip (SoC) designed and manufactured by Qualcomm, a leading company in the semiconductor industry. These processors are known for their efficiency and performance, often used in networking devices to handle complex tasks and improve the overall functionality of the device.

💡Mesh networking

Mesh networking is a type of network topology where nodes (routers or access points) are interconnected, allowing data to be transmitted through multiple paths. This enhances network coverage, reliability, and performance by providing alternative routes for data and reducing the impact of a single node failure.

💡WPA 3

WPA 3, or Wi-Fi Protected Access 3, is the latest security protocol for Wi-Fi networks. It provides improved security features such as stronger encryption and easier configuration for devices, making it more difficult for unauthorized users to access the network.

💡Performance

In the context of networking devices, performance refers to the efficiency, speed, and reliability with which a router can transmit data over a network. It is a critical factor in determining the quality of the user's internet experience, especially in terms of activities that require high bandwidth or low latency, such as streaming or online gaming.

💡Antenna pickup pattern

The antenna pickup pattern of a wireless router refers to the physical coverage area of the Wi-Fi signal emitted by the router's antennas. It describes how effectively the router can transmit its signal in different directions and how well it penetrates obstacles such as walls or floors.

💡Novelty item

A novelty item is an object that is unusual, interesting, or amusing, often due to its unique design or concept. In the context of the video, the Minions Wi-Fi routers are considered novelty items because of their distinctive appearance based on characters from a popular animated film, which may initially lead consumers to question their functionality and performance.

Highlights

The user purchased Minion-themed Wi-Fi routers named Bob and Kevin, inspired by a post on Reddit.

Bob is an AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 router, while Kevin is an AX5400 Wi-Fi 6E router, indicating different levels of performance and support for newer Wi-Fi standards.

The Kevin version is tri-band, supporting 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz each at 160 MHz channel widths, which is unusual for a novelty item.

Kevin features a 2.5 Gb Uplink Port and an upgraded Qualcomm processor, compared to the dual-core MIPS IIA processor in Bob.

Both routers have 512 megabytes of RAM, which is surprisingly ample for devices perceived as novelty items.

Designed by Davincom, a Korean company specializing in business and education networking, the routers also support mesh networking and WPA 3.

The physical design of the routers is detailed, with attention to features like the Minion's shoes and cable.

The setup process involves scanning QR codes, but the user encountered issues with Apple devices, which were not present with Android or desktop/laptops.

The control panel has a default admin username of 'Bob', adding to the novelty and charm of the product.

The user discusses a sponsor, manscaped, offering a discount with the code 'circuit', highlighting a humorous and somewhat unrelated product placement.

The Minion routers were tested for functionality, with Bob achieving 500 Mbps download and 700 Mbps upload, showing reasonable out-of-the-box performance.

When moving away from the router and through walls, the routers struggled to switch between bands effectively, leading to inconsistent connections.

The antenna pickup pattern was found to be vertically strong but horizontally poor, affecting the router's ability to provide consistent Wi-Fi coverage across a space.

The user concludes that while the Minion routers are charming and cute, they are not recommended for performance, except in very small spaces or as a novelty accessory.

The review suggests looking to an ISP-provided access point for better performance over the novelty Minion routers.

Transcripts

00:00

yep just like you I saw the minions

00:03

Wi-Fi routers on Reddit and went those

00:05

can't be real can they but then unlike

00:07

you I actually bought them so here they

00:10

are Bob and Kevin ready to turn your

00:13

Wi-Fi evil how evil you ask Does this

00:18

answer your question this piig b b

00:21

banana

00:23

ban oh there's a thing about me the

00:25

truth is there's not a ton of

00:26

information about these other than what

00:28

the manufacturer publishes is on the box

00:30

the Bob version is ax1 1800 so this is

00:34

Wi-Fi 6 while the Kevin version is Axe

00:38

5400 so WiFi 6E other than that the

00:41

Kevin version is triband which it has to

00:44

be to be Wi-Fi 6E so it's got 2.4 GHz

00:47

support and 5 GHz and 6 GHz each at 160

00:51

MHz Channel widths it has a 2 and 1/2

00:53

gig Uplink Port which is not necessarily

00:57

surprising at this price but is a little

01:00

surprising on something that I had

01:01

perceived to be pretty much a novelty

01:03

item typically they give no thought to

01:04

Performance whatsoever but this clearly

01:07

does because all we have to do is flip

01:09

over one more panel and we see that it

01:11

also uses an upgraded Qualcomm processor

01:14

versus the more basic uh dual core mys

01:17

IIA processor on The Bob version and

01:19

it's got more I guess Dam I'm assuming

01:23

flash Dam doesn't really mean anything I

01:25

think they mean Flash and Dam so uh has

01:28

512 megabytes of ram this side of the

01:31

box is also where we find out these are

01:32

designed by davink a Korean company

01:35

that's been around since 2000 and

01:37

specializes in business and education

01:39

networking uh we've got a QR code for

01:41

the installation guide and then that is

01:42

about it and online you won't find much

01:45

more in the way of information compared

01:47

to what they tell you on the box they

01:49

are mesh supported you could have one

01:51

Kevin for your internet connection and

01:53

then I have a whole mesh of Bobs

01:55

connected to them uh they have support

01:56

for WPA 3 which we actually did a video

01:59

over online as Tech tips recently and uh

02:01

explained why that's very important and

02:03

what's included in the box is apparently

02:06

all yeah we're going to need a little

02:08

bit of clarification on that so why

02:09

don't we go ahead and get oh my God it's

02:10

so

02:13

cute my very own

02:17

Minion it's not very heavy but a

02:20

wireless router doesn't necessarily need

02:23

to be heavy to indicate its

02:26

quality oh my God it's so cute if you

02:30

want to connect more than one wired

02:31

client you're going to need a network

02:33

switch so you've got just the one Wan

02:35

port and the one Lan Port there's a mesh

02:38

button which I assume is for setup an

02:41

LED which I have to assume lights up the

02:45

eyes I really really hope it does and

02:47

then power in oh my God the shoes are

02:52

rubber the attention to detail you

02:58

guys it's so cute

03:01

cute even the cable's cute look it's a

03:05

Minion's cable not really expecting to

03:07

find anything extra in Kevin's box but

03:09

who knows he does cost

03:11

$130 compared to just $69 for Bob he's a

03:15

lot heavier which highlights that this

03:17

is a completely different product not

03:20

just two different versions of the same

03:22

thing stuffed into a smaller chassis and

03:24

a larger chassis this feels like it's

03:26

got some heat sinks in it too oh my God

03:28

his hair TFT is rubber too oh it's

03:31

probably not the eyes that light up it's

03:32

probably this right here okay oh wow

03:34

this is a really short ethernet cable um

03:37

that's kind of a bummer hey there we go

03:40

we got activity LED now well here let's

03:42

let's do the setup this is pretty simple

03:44

just scan this QR code to connect to it

03:46

and then scan a second QR code well the

03:49

easy setup kind of broke down here well

03:51

we got there it turns out that whatever

03:53

Apple's doing with their default DNS

03:55

settings and Safari on the iPhone it

03:57

just doesn't work for this it works just

04:00

fine on Android and it works just fine

04:02

on a desktop or laptop so let's go ahead

04:04

and check out this control panel I love

04:07

that the default admin username is Bob

04:11

come on how perfect is that like they

04:14

really did they really did put in the

04:16

work on this one guys

04:19

wait what if you

04:22

reconfigure SSID

04:24

Z SSID 1 just shows up so now I've got

04:28

Kevin sucks and I've got bobor one how

04:33

do I turn how do I turn that one off oh

04:36

yeah it's not secured what is going on

04:39

right now oh I should tell the people

04:41

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04:43

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04:45

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04:49

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04:52

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04:54

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04:56

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04:59

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05:01

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05:03

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05:05

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05:07

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05:09

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05:11

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05:13

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05:16

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05:18

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05:21

shipping was this enabled box here

05:24

before no that enable and disable thing

05:28

is not here and this Supply button that

05:30

is here in the easy setup is not here in

05:33

the Wi-Fi settings one right guys tell

05:37

me tell me what's happening right

05:40

now does that

05:45

apply the little paper airplane is apply

05:48

wouldn't recommend using the Easy Wi-Fi

05:50

setup there were a couple of concerns we

05:52

saw raised about the device online

05:54

someone said that it doesn't support

05:55

pppe so if you need that then I guess

05:59

the minion

06:00

router uh is not for you and more

06:03

importantly a Reddit user pointed out

06:05

that there's a vulnerability where the

06:06

Wi-Fi passphrase is passed to the U

06:08

console in plain text however it should

06:11

be noted that someone would need

06:12

physical access to the device in order

06:14

to take advantage of that exploit so

06:16

once someone's got physical access

06:18

you're pwned anyway enough chitchat

06:20

though it's time for the moment you've

06:21

all been waiting for is it actually a

06:24

functioning Wi-Fi router it's a gigabit

06:26

connection running into it half half a

06:30

megabit wow uploads even better 500

06:33

megabit download 700 up very reasonable

06:37

but can Kevin do better I'm not going to

06:39

bother configuring everything on this

06:41

one and guys I'm sure there's things we

06:42

could do to tune things a little bit

06:44

better but we want to see how these are

06:46

going to perform out of the box because

06:47

realistically come on that is how most

06:50

people buying a novelty

06:51

router like this are going to use it all

06:54

right not bad you can see our ISP is

06:57

delivering a little bit more than

06:58

gigabit on this connection unfortunately

07:00

UBC is really not giving us good enough

07:02

consistency in our downloads to really

07:04

draw any kind of reasonable conclusion

07:06

let's move the test inconsistency isn't

07:09

that big of a deal though because under

07:10

normal circumstances you're not going to

07:11

be right next to your router anyway and

07:14

the bottom L is going to be you know

07:16

what kind of connection can you get to

07:17

it through a wall or whatever so we're

07:20

at one wall right now let's see how

07:21

we're doing here

07:25

oh yeah I don't think the University of

07:27

British Columbia is the problem here

07:30

wow okay so then I just go through this

07:34

one door oh wow this is with no wall

07:38

guys look the set is right there it's

07:43

like right there this is bizarre

07:47

guys

07:48

Kevin

07:50

Kevin are you okay it probably switched

07:54

over to 2.4 when I went on the other

07:57

side of the door and then just didn't

07:59

grab 5 GHz or 6 GHz again ooh oh that's

08:03

not good oh man I had not intended to go

08:08

into Kevin's control panel but I'm going

08:10

to have to do that so here's what we're

08:12

going to do you're in apartment and you

08:16

just don't need 2.4 GHz and we're just

08:18

going to turn 2.4 off so the question

08:21

we're trying to answer here is can you

08:23

buy one of these for your mom or is she

08:25

going to call you complaining the second

08:26

she walks you know 30 ft away from it or

08:28

goes into another room

08:30

if you understand the compromise you're

08:31

making that 2.4 GHz isn't going to work

08:34

let's go let's go again back to the

08:35

other side of the door we go okay moving

08:38

around doesn't seem to be good for it

08:43

seriously surprisingly this fares much

08:46

better so the problem is not

08:49

necessarily the wall or the distance I'm

08:53

probably about the same distance from

08:54

Kevin as I was before the issue seems to

08:57

be the pickup pattern of the the antenna

09:00

so if you live in like a row home you

09:03

know like a three level but like small

09:06

building man

09:09

Perfect all right we're

09:15

back all right yeah like we can really

09:17

see it here so the problems are TW full

09:21

one switching between different bands is

09:24

handled extremely poorly now that could

09:27

potentially be um exacer ated by the

09:30

devices own Tendencies but whoever's

09:33

fault it is it's not a good experience

09:35

with the minions routers I'm assuming

09:38

Bob is no better than Kevin and then

09:41

problem number two is that the pickup

09:43

pattern on this antenna is I don't know

09:46

what word to use to describe it other

09:47

than

09:48

inexcusable um it worked great upstairs

09:51

so it's not that it's completely unable

09:53

to punch through walls it's that the

09:56

pickup pattern is really strong

09:58

vertically and and yeah yeah it's all

10:01

it's it's a it's a Cenna sticking out of

10:04

the top of this thing and really poor

10:06

horizontally so at this point in time I

10:09

can't say that I can recommend the

10:11

minions routers um for anything other

10:13

than cuteness Factor so if you're in an

10:15

extremely small space and you just want

10:17

a cute little Wi-Fi access point then

10:20

they're great and if you want

10:21

performance then you should probably

10:23

look elsewhere like to your ISP provided

10:26

access point compared to these

10:28

things

10:29

subscribe to Short

10:31

Circuit

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