In the television show, Monk, Tony Shalhoub plays a character struck with multiple phobias. He also has an obsessive-compulsive disorder to manage each and every aspect of his life, in his own peculiar way. He goes about his day, managing everything down to a T, controlling everything at a granular level till things meet his expectations.
In the world of technology, companies also strive to let users customise and control their experience in the way they choose. So why should it be any different for our broadband networks?
Motorola has collaborated with Minim to try and give users this level of control over their home networks. This has been made possible through a combination of hardware and cloud-enabled services. The question is do they succeed?
Design and Setup
If you are used to the small and somewhat unnoteworthy designs of regular ISP routers, then the MH7020 will shock you with its size. It's tall and wide, made from plastic and stands out in a striking white colour.
As you might have guessed, this makes it difficult for the device to blend in. The smaller routers, while lacking range and power are small enough to be pushed into the back of a monitor or placed on a table in the corner to be forgotten about.
With the MH7020, it's very tough to do that. Like your average routers, the MH7020 can be wall-mounted or kept on a desk.
The setup process itself is fairly simple, you need to download the Motosync app from the Play Store or Apple App Store, create an account and then add the router by scanning a QR code at the back.
Next, we need to power down and remove our ISP router, plug the ethernet cable into the back and wait for the light to turn green. You can also add satellites, if there are any, during the setup.
Then it's a simple matter of naming and setting up a password for your network, after which you are good to go.
Management and Performance
A big USP of the MH7020 is the number of options you get to manage your network post-installation. Using the Motomanage app, you can view all connected devices at a glance, and control what times you want those devices to have access to WiFi.
Sadly, there is currently no way to manage the amount of data each device consumes but the company has said it could theoretically provide functionality down the road with a software update. Let's hope this is something they consider for India.
Another neat feature is the ability to control the kind of content each device on the network can access. This is especially useful for supervision at work or at home for kids. You can choose to block certain types of content on devices, connected to the network.
Next on the agenda, is malware detection. To be clear, this happens entirely on the cloud and Minim analyses and compares traffic on your network, with Malware lists that are updated regularly. The router will then warn you if it finds something suspicious.
If your Spidey-sense went off, hearing the words "your network" and "cloud" in the same sentence together, then Minim assures us that all processing of data that happens on the cloud, uses general classifications of categories like entertainment, sports etc. and the actual lists and history are hidden. These lists are also disposed of, once they are analysed.
Being cloud-enabled, gives the device another huge advantage, remote access and control. You can control the router and manage your network connection remotely from off-site using the app or a web browser.
As for coverage, things were a little hit or miss for me. I tested the router in a three-bedroom apartment. While the connection was strong between rooms adjacent to each other, the signal did seem to be affected by wood and concrete.
For example - the connection between the three bedrooms was solid since they are close to each other but there is a wooden door and a wall between the living room and the dining area. The signal was pretty weak when I started moving to the corners of the living room.
The same thing happened when I moved between the kitchen (In one corner) and one of the bedrooms. What was surprising, was the MH7020 seemed to do worse in some areas than my ISP router, while beating it hands down when I moved to the back of my house and the garden in the front. All of this seems to suggest that you would need to buy, at least one satellite together with the base unit, to squeeze the maximum potential out of this device.
Conclusion
The MH7020 is priced at Rs 7,999 but the one I would recommend is the package with one satellite included, which is priced at Rs 13,999. For larger homes, there is also a package that comes with two satellites which will cost you Rs 19,999.
On its own, I would say the MH7020 performed better than a standard ISP router in some areas while not so great in others. This is mostly in regards to coverage but when the connection is solid, the signal does stay stable and speeds stay consistent across devices.
Here is the problem though, an ISP router is usually included with the plan. While you pay security, which will be refunded in case you dismantle your connection, it effectively costs nothing to the end-user.
For normal households, I do not see the need for a device like MH7020. For smaller apartments, the coverage a standard ISP router provides should be enough. Another knock against the MH7020 is the lack of WiFi 6, which isn't a big deal yet, but it would have been nice to have.
Bigger households are where we can see a strong case for devices like MH7020, especially for a package with one or two satellites included. Another thing that tips the scales in favour of the MH7020 is the management suite and the granular control, it provides. Malware protection is also something to consider.
I would say this is the perfect device for people, who want granular control over their network. It also makes sense for businesses and gives them easy to use controls for great, network management.
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