Plume SuperPod AC3000 Tri-Band Whole Home Wifi System, Adaptive WiFi, Parental Controls, Advanced IoT Security, 5 Year Warranty & Lifetime Membership. Covers 3-4 BD Homes. Wall Pluggable. US only.

TLDR:====Technologically, this is an awesome mesh system - from its stable wifi connections, its elimination of all my dead spots, its intuitive user interface, to its awesome feature set for managing wireless homes. However, I am not entirely comfortable with Plume harvesting every URL I visit - no matter how noble its goals. You have to decide if your loss of privacy is worth the cost. I am still struggling with this decision, and am not sure yet how I will trend.Long version:==========This is my first mesh system, and I truly am impressed by the Plume's technological superiority over my Nighthawk.However, the biggest problem I have with this router is buried deep in its privacy policy. It is a self-confessed snoop and (among other things) harvests information on every URL you visit, including HTTP headers, connected devices, IP addresses, etc. etc.Given the prevalence of companies losing data these days, I am personally very uncomfortable about this aspect of its service. Unfortunately this cannot be disabled.Furthermore - this fact is not disclosed anywhere easily visible.If this does not faze you, then this is indeed a very capable mesh system.Setup=====A dream to setup: download app, setup Plume account, power on a superpod, connect broadband cable to it, and walk through a wizard. In <15 minutes, my home was back online. (It took me longer to decide where to place the superpods!)I have two challenging areas, where download speeds are 9-12Mbps. I placed one superpod by both these problem areas. I am now getting 100+Mbps at these locations. Problem fixed!It broadcasts a single network id (SSID) for all 3 bands. This is a refreshing change from my Netgear with 3 distinct SSIDs.You can even rename pods for easy management, and the pods obligingly blink their LEDs to help you locate them.App===The app is a joy to use - completely intuitive and very informative.There's a lot of useful information displayed in the app for each device on the network. And, it even lets you assign owners (with their photographs) to connected devices. I especially love the "solar-system view" with devices orbiting their pods.It does crash occasionally, but recovers well every time.Security:=======Plume has a number of security-conscious features:You can segregate your devices into 3 groups - Home (for trusted devices - with access to the Internet AND to ANY other device on the network), Guest (with access to the Internet AND to SELECTABLE devices on the network), and Internet Only (only with access to the Internet). Interestingly, a device's group is determined by the password used to login - since all devices use the same SSID to connect.Firmware updates are automatic - so no need to worry about staying current (and a best practice). But I would have preferred a choice - I tend to wait a while, until any early major defects with the patch are known.There is no default admin login and password. You sign in using credentials established during registration. This ensures that your router does not have a gaping security hole in its side.You can even change the LAN subnet - for instance, with one click you can inhabit 192.168.3.x. This should thwart basic cross site request forgery style attacks.But, it ships with uPNP turned on by default.Other features:============Most of the other staples are present (IP address reservation, port forwarding, time-limits on Internet usage, etc.)But it does not support port triggering, a DMZ, or audit logging. None of these was a huge loss for me.

OK WOW! OK WOW! OK WOW, Sorry had to say it three times. These Superpods, No joke have to be the single best purchase I’ve ever made in Tech. Buy this I’m on Cloud 9, It’s A steal worth every penny and I’ve only had it for 20 hours. Let me give you a little bit of background about my Internet. My house is built like a Doughnut I have a central courtyard that my house is built around it was impossible to get clear Wi-Fi to 1/2 of my house And to complicate things further I have an office in a detached garage. My old Internet consisted of two routers with two different addresses just to barely cover to makes things functional. I live in a college town so my population increases 3 fold From 15k to 60k. I also love Technology And have been trying to have a smart home for year’s, Before Plume I always thought I only had 50 devices turns out I have over 80 devices I’ve been connecting things that I have owned. that just never worked with my old Wi-Fi. I have surveillance cameras from three different manufacturers . Switches, thermostats ,smoke dectectors, lights etc. my initial response after a couple of minutes, was OK it’s better than it was before. Then a message came up said The system needs 24 hours to optimize then next morning like magic all my devices Are all working Flawlessly. My old Internet was an XB3 three from Xfinity with 299 mbps down I would have to reset it multiple times a week just to maintain service so I saw Comcast were offering Xfinity Xfi pods I Purchased a Set of 6. Setup was a bit bumpy but when I got them working and they work fine for week. then system went down and it wouldn’t recover I had spent multiple hours with tech-support and had a technician come out to my house. They were all clueless about the technology So I came across Plume as the Provider of this technology to Comcast. So I started doing some extensive research came across Ars Technica articles On WiFi and Mesh Networks. So even though I wasn’t direct customer of Plume I reached out to them.They were more than happy To answer questions about their product. But understandably apprehensive to answer questions about Xfinity’s product. I was primarily asking if I would be able to introduce plume superpods to Xfinity xfi pods. Because I was Planning to upgrade my service to gig speed, short the answer was NO. So it Decided to return Xfinity xfi pod. First I upgrade my internet to gig speed got the xb6 router I noticed an improvement in service But it didn’t fix my problems. I decided to Buy Plume SuperPods with lifetime Subscription. They arrived yesterday although they were packaged in a box way too big By amazon. Plume Packaging was minimalistic And highly recyclable thanks to Plume for that. When I first held the superpods it had a good weight to it, an inspired quality . SETUP I took an extra step on setup that I uncovered from my research. It was to Disable the radios and my SS ID from my main router to minimize ip conflicts . (I dont think you have to do this first?) This turned out to be the hardest step because of the slowness in response to my router via http. But once I got into the Plume app set up was almost too easy. It was up and running in five minutes, I Purchased three Superpods. Two pods We’re connected via ethernet from my bedroom to my detached garage/office and the third remained wireless in my living room. Initially they were all connected wirelessly because I forgot to reconnect my ethernet cable but when I did it recognized the Ethernet connection immediately. The app like the box is super minimalistic but don’t let it fool you there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes. At first I was extremely turned off by the subscription service. But after exhaustive research it turns out that you’re not paying any additional cost over any other Mesh Network product because plume has reflected a discount in the cost of their hardware. Actually to be honest They are not the most expensive mesh network on the market today.I am forgetting to mention on top of my 80+ devices I have two kids that are addicted to the Internet so I’m more than happy to utilize their parental controls and offer a line of defense to the content they may be exposed to and Super psyched to use your multiple logins so I no longer have to give out my main password to houseguests. Plume also gives you control on what devices can access other devices on your network for instance I don’t want my kids playing with the pump to My koi pond. The lifetime Subscription also covers five years hardware warranty on all your devices under one network even if you plan to expand further than the insulation kit. I Believe the subscription price on Expansion is $39 for Regular pods and $99 for Superpods.Did I mention my Internet speeds I get a 1gig Every room I have a Superpod and about 300mbps at the Furthest this point from a pod in my house. But more importantly I tested my Internet Before and after pods with two apps (wi-fi SweetSpots), test your speed in real-time it showed my Internet speed coming into My home in a wave Format and before superpods the Wave would Bottom out Occasionally indicating that points in my service that would relate to device failure or lag. But with superpods the service never bottoms out. Check it out it’s a free app. The Second app was Wi-Fi Dr has a great real time ping Showing how responsive of Devices on my service. before ping was 18 to 26 after 8 to 18I Included two photos first photo shows my network is with all its devices circling around like satellites The two green planets signify ethernet connected devices the white shows wireless. second Photos it’s from ars techinca Article when they visited Plumes HQ . Plume Outfited a test house with Wi-Fi gadgets and attach the price tag to each item. It represents what we spend on Wi-Fi connected devices and makes the best argument for Wi-Fi Subscription service model.10/19 updateOk Nobody called me on it yet but I should mention the above speed’s are throughput speeds Which mean internal network speed not Internet service provider speeds. ISP speed are 900+ mbps via Ethernet from Superpods That remain connected via ethernet. my one wireless pod Plugged into ethernet I’m pulling 700mbs. Wireless on 5 GHz AC 10 feet from the pod My highest speed is 499 mbps and at 25 feet I’m pulling 300 mbps. And as far as response (ping) I’m seeing about 12-20ms depending on distance From pod These speeds are coming from the iPad Pro first GEN. What does it all mean because of the throughput speeds My network connected security cameras that are wireless Transmit within Network At near real time via Alexa fire TV. I also have an ethernet POE camera Transmitting at real time. The most profound Difference is I no longer Notice any difference in service when it’s peak time. also Impressed With Internet filtering of malware site. Plume also have something new Called ad blocking Which is filtering all those annoying pop up ads that been showing up on iOS Devices lately. Everything Being blocked is conveniently located In list form in the app.Yesterday I emailed tech-support They have always responded in a few hours. I want to ask about moving pods for a better connection The answer is Simply unplug and plug back in. I was also worried about orientation which doesn’t matter because of Omni directional antennas No problem plugging into powerstrip when pods are facing upwards. I’m also happy to report when I disconnected two pods from network Recovery time was 10 minutes and full optimization was about three hours Where I felt things were operating as they were before. in my email I also inquired about this recovery time and they said it’s different for each network depends on complexity.10/20it just get better ever day new speed record 533mbps this morning on a I pad pro 12 feet from main Superpod. But later in the day I did see a slow down video on Security cameras got a little Choppy. I guess there limits, it’s peak time internet on weekends with kids and wife streaming video, Browsing, games etc. But just to clear my worst day with Internet now Doesn’t even come close to best day before plume. New photo of speed from all around my house. New Photo throughput speed on my wireless living room Superpod 12 feet using sweetspots wi-fi app Notice how flat the line is I never saw this before plumeI’m currently working on a video reviewing this incredible technology look for it on YouTube soon So in closing I feel like a tremendous burden has been lifted off my shoulders, that my Internet isn’t a problem I have to deal with after a long day of work. THANKS PLUME :)

Bought this as my cable Wi-Fi router is unable to provide sufficient speeds in our 2500 sq. ft. two story house. The cable router is at one end of the house on the ground floor and my study is at the opposite end upstairs. Use one unit as the gateway to plug into the router's Ethernet port, and another unit in the middle of the house and the 3rd unit is near the study room upstairs. Got easily 200Mbps speeds from my laptop across 80ft and one floor. Amazing product! It will continuously optimize the network as Wi-Fi networks do change over time as more Wi-Fi devices are plugged in and being used. This system is a tri-band unit which can truly repeat Wi-Fi without slowing down, not the cheap dual-band units that has to share the same band to both repeat and provide access. It has TWO 5GHz bands and a 2.4Ghz bands, and all 3 bands can operate simultaneously to bridge data across the extenders and provide Wi-Fi access to devices! I am very happy with the performance and ease of use - setup took only 5 minutes and the system is up and running. Before using this extender, I am only getting 10Mbps at the other end of the house. After installing the Plume SuperPod, I am getting the full 200Mbps bandwidth available from my ISP. I believe it could go even faster as the limit is now the bandwidth from my cable router! In the future if I upgrade my data speeds, I will not have to worry about upgrading my Wi-Fi!