Tenda Nova MW6 Whole-Home Mesh Wi-Fi System Review

1. Introduction2. Tenda nova MW63. Tenda nova MW6 Administration Interface4. Tenda nova MW6 Analysis5. Closing Thoughts6. View All Pages

The Tenda nova MW6 proved to be a disappointment. It's very keenly priced for a three-unit system, but performance is nothing short of dire. This is almost certainly due to its lack of a third radio dedicated to the wireless “backhaul”. We're not sure how Tenda divides up its two radios to create its mesh, but clearly whatever system it uses isn't very effective.

We are also surprised by the lack of a Web management interface, forcing you to use the smartphone app for all setup and configuration. This does have some nice features, including parental control, but lacks a firewall, so you will only be advised to use the nova MW6 as an add-on for a router that does have decent firewall protection.

Mesh WiFi is a bit complicated, and you really need it to work without much fuss. There are alternatives that deliver in this area much better than the Tenda nova MW6. If you're after a sub-£200 mesh WiFi system with good coverage and are willing to compromise on raw performance, BT's Whole Home WiFi is a much better choice. And if you're willing to pay more, the NETGEAR Orbi RBK40 or RBK50, or the ASUS Lyra, provide much better performance and coverage. Infamously, “no va” means “it doesn't go” in Spanish, and we wonder if that was how this product got its name.

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The Tenda nova MW6 is available from Novatech for £179.99.

Pros:

• Very cheap for a three-unit system.
• Parental controls in smartphone app.
• Routing functions including port forwarding.

Cons:

• Terrible 802.11ac performance.
• Poor 802.11n range.
• Management exclusively via smartphone app.
• No URL or keyword blocking.
• No firewall.
• No USB ports for printer or storage sharing.

Kitguru Says: The Tenda nova MW6 may be cheap, but its dire performance make it one to avoid.

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