I find PLN more reliable than wifi, nearly as reliable as ethernet. If that’s true, then for some homes PLN is a superior solution in terms of complexity, wiring,,,, See https://tedium.co/2020/06/02/powerline-networking-history/

Whenever I need uninterrupted connectivity for telecommute, I avoid home wifi (including mesh)… too unstable. If I can’t run a long cable across rooms, then PLN is my default choice.

— frequent power-down rest

I have learnt from experience that PLN devices need ventilation and periodic power-down. I think some models can become hot quite easily. My current pair of devices are identical 🙂 and therefore interchangeable.  One of them is easy to power-off, and gets more “rest”. So I devised a rotation plan, so each one periodically rotates to the light-duty position. Is this a burdensome or reccreational complexity? R

==== Nokia modem/router .. much faster setup than Linksys, perhaps due to parental control…
not http, but https://192.168.18.1 accessible even if you are connected to the another hotspot downstream.

https://192.168.18.1/web_whw/#/security/mac-filter
https://192.168.18.1/web_whw/#/wifi/wifi-networks .. can edit wifi key to daba******
https://192.168.18.1/web_whw/#/maintenance/password .. can change pw to eng xxxxxxxx !1 (min 10-char; meta required) for the default username printed on casing ( It’s a good habit to only mention hints, never full passwords.)

The white tplink is confirmed necessary in the kitchen deadzone. Nokia signal strength is unreliable. No need for further test.

This Nokia product is rather new and kinda beta version.

— issue of frequent disconnection

IPhones can experience slow switching when using an auto-switching hotspot. Such a hotspot automatically switches channel between 2.4 and 5Ghz, when a mobile device roams in and out. The switching is faster on Android, and some Android devices don’t switch channel at all, but iPhones are known to be slow switching.

My older routers don’t have auto-switching hotspot. Therefore, we created a traditional non-switching hotspot  (0Nokia_2.4) for iPhones.

— WMF (wifi Mac filter)

• A device (indirectly) connected via the ethernet “interface” is not subject to WMF. I think the ethernet mac filter is not really necessary.
• If a devices wants to connect via 0Nokia SSID, then it can use either channel .. (mysterious) SSID#1 or SSID#5. If one of these channels allows the device, then it would connect.
  • One way to “allow” is … disable WMF for that channel. EVERY channel (SSID 1 to 8) have WMF disabled by default. So by default, any device can connect via SSID#1 and #5 !
  • One way to “allow” is … enable WMF for that channel, and add the device into the white list. Need to create a tiny whitelist on SSID 5. Otherwise, any MAC can join SSID 5

In conclusion, to stop unauthorized access by an unknown device JJ,

• you must physically block it from the ethernet interface .. easy
• you must enable WMF on both SSID #1 and #5, otherwise any device can connect by default
• you must ensure device JJ is not in any white list

==== In Sep I started using a $70 EA8100 model I bought from a Simlim shop (Indian gentleman). This model was originally a Starhub bundle router. Such units are usually below $100, so some people say “crap” but my first-hand experiences are convincing.

Factory default SSID/pw: in manual and sticker on hardware, but the manual has incorrect (non-customized) 192.168.1.1.

— Q: is Linksys better than other brands [dlink, tplink etc]

A: I have some limited evidence.

• WebConsole better designed, but other routers I had were older and cheaper.
• tech support perhaps better

— MAC filter ..
Access via website .. wifiSettings>MacFilter. Verified by misspelling one MAC
Access via APP .. delete only. No edit.
guest network is also subject to MAC filtering.

— console log-in … by 1) email/pw or 2) router pw

Using router pw, your phone must be (physically close to ) and connected to the router.

Using email/pw, the computer/APP can be anywhere. However, there is a system bug affecting APP login.

— WebConsole > networkMap

The displayName of each device can be cryptic. Looks like you can look into and edit each displayName — NetworkMap > click on a displayName > deviceInfo > Edit

NetworkMap > FilterMap .. lets you filter out devices by certain criteria.

On the network map (actual map), each device has an icon on its right, indicating LAN/5Ghz/2.4Ghz. The central item (router) has a misleading displayName. This name could be 0tiger2 but it represents not only the 2.4GHz channel.

— warranty .. was over in 2022, but free tech support is still available.

Service life .. let’s target 2Y till Sep 2025.

— Some good things to focus on (when in bad mood)

• WebGUI: 192.168.10.1, fortunately different from the DLink and TPLink.
• 24×7 tech support… slightly better than other vendors. Can be slow at peak hours like late night. 800 120 4280 in Sg.. 1 for home-wifi
• With a free Linksys Smart Wi-Fi account (Linksys!978) you have WebConsole anytime, anywhere, even if you don’t know your router’s IP. Verified. I think this is better than other brands.
• WebGui can show (Troubleshooting and NetworkMap) all clients currently connected… good. I think the earlier routers (across brands) didn’t have this feature.
• parental control

==== parental control .. complexity -> huge legwork but insufficient reliability [2]

You need to identify the device by displayName, not MAC. Web console > Troubleshooting > status > devices > IPv4 and IPv6 tables seem to show displayName/MAC for each (connected?) device.

can pause inet access indefinitely for a given device [64:70:33:BF:7F:8D / 2d94ab5c and 80:45:DD:6A:06:44 for CB ]. For old models like EA8100 [1][2], the “pause” feature is known to be less reliable than scheduled internet access, though I have NO confirmed evidence. You can have a 23.5/7 blackout, almost the same as “pause” but recommended as more reliable.

Warning … do not use a 24/7 blackout. It would be converted to “pause”, and the actual schedule would be discarded… confusing everyone.

Warning … some sites are uncontrollable via parental control. We might need to call Linksys to find out, but it could take too much effort.

Warning … The mobileApp and the webGUI are synched up in specific ways.

• mobileApp is connected directly to router. Any change (including toggle) is saved inside the router memory. WebGUI would need some time to show it (I tested webGUI refresh 🙂
• webGUI is connected to the cloud. Any change (including schedule) is saved to the cloud + router. MobileApp has to re-login to show it. Therefore, the mobileApp display is frequently outdated…. but I will embrace the technical limitation.

[1] no more firmware upgrades after 2021. To get better-supported models, I was “advised” to consider MX2000 [three downstream ports] or MX4200. The same Linksyssmartwifi.com account will be usable.

— [2] real-world reliability and usability of parental control .. Regardless of manufacturer, I always had an unfounded perception that parental control features use complicated GUI, but are not the most reliable thing compared to simpler technologies like MAC filtering. Now I have heard a similar comment from the Linksys hotline, and I have a confirmed evidence in my router. Some may say “You are a novice and don’t know how to use this feature”, but most users are like me.

I suspect the cheaper, older models are probably even less reliable, less predictable, less consistent. No evidence.

Whenver there’s a reliability issue, Linksys tech support would say “upgrade your firmware” but this feature is not new.

• http://192.168.0.1/bsc_lan.php : wired+wireless clients (top menu -> Setup -> NetworkSettings)
• .. http://192.168.0.1/status.php -> LAN computers .. shows current clients.
• http://192.168.0.1/bsc_wlan.php : SSID name

Factory Reset — Power On then hold Reset button for 10 seconds.

— password:
Factory default password: cajne57275 , on SSID dlink-*45C*

timeout is short and unforgiving. If it really hurts, then you can temporarily remove password [top menu -> Tools.]

— MAC address filter .. Advanced -> NetworkFilter -> http://192.168.0.1/adv_mac_filter.php

• need to register wired + wireless MAC addresses , including NIC for powerline networking !
• .. Android/iOS devices use private MAC by default 🙁 Must disable.
• full list is maintained in a spreadsheet in recoll
• 24 slot available. I usually have about 11 items populated.
• If you uncheck one of 11 items and save, the item is still present 🙂
• to remove one item, wipe out the MAC address textbox and hit Save. The empty item would be “squeezed out”
• with a given iPhone, the MAC address “presented” by default is often a “private MAC” and therefore not in my filter. Better disable all private MAC on a given iPhone, and use the single physical MAC.

— home landline .. I had phone wiring in my home for decades, but since 2019, I seldom need more than the cordless

• sugg: keep the regular desk phone as spare at the same site as the cordless base station. This is required when the cordless is low-battery or missing
• sugg: in my cockpits … rely on cellphone. I have “relied” for it in meimei’s room for years. Nowadays mobile talk time is cheaper.

==== home wifi
— overkill .. I would say that for a small home, the lone-wolf router is cheaper and better than a single mesh unit. Better in terms of configurability.

A few Wi-Fi dead zones can be remedied by with range extender, by putting the existing router in a more central location or by upgrading to a better lone-wolf router with a longer range.

If range extender is not so easy to set up, then engage a professional. Would cost perhaps $200 but saves me lots of trial-n-error.

— higher cost .. A good two-piece mesh-router kit will cost USD 200+

— Router central location … is hard to achieve in some homes

• A: (original) modem -> multiport router -> set-top
• B: (starhub) modem -> router -> switch -> set-top, as described in https://www.fiber-optic-cable-sale.com/network-switch-router.html. This topology can use mesh router.
• .. Starhub modem can accept a single device, but switch connects multiple devices to the modem.
• C: (Singtel,,) modem -> switch -> Nokia router -> set-top.

New TV set-top must connect to router not modem, so having modem and set-up together is now irrelevant.

some /discreet/ mesh router units feature a single (cost consideration) output LAN port — a show-stopper for me. A kind and generous StarHub staff gave me an IP-switch that could create multiple ports. He said it’s plug-n-play, without any config.

— naming SSID
If your SSID has the same signal strength as 55 other, then sorting by name.

Therefore, my SSID names start with “0” and end in “2” or “5” for the 5Ghz