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-   -   Linksys MR8300 Mesh WiFi Router, AC2200, MU-MIMO (http://www.pcbanter.net/showthread.php?t=1107077)

Walter Boyd January 10th 19 06:28 PM

Linksys MR8300 Mesh WiFi Router, AC2200, MU-MIMO
 
My old Linksys E4200 router has performed admirably for quite a few
years now, but may be getting a little long in the tooth. I've been
browsing routers for awhile now. Yesterday an ad for the Linksys AC2200
popped up in my inbox. It looks perfectly well-suited for my home
network (3 Win 10 PCs, two android tablets, HVAC system, 2 Windows
phones, network printers/scanners, Amazon TV, and of course internet
connectivity)...

The kicker is that it requires downloading an Android or iOS app in
order to set it up. We still use Lumia 950 Windows phones. Why would I
need Android or iOS to install a router which will be running a Windows
wi-fi network?

Second question - when I do decide on a router, will I need to
re-install all the peripherals or will the new router recognize the
current network and take over from there?

Thanks in advance for any enlightenment! -Walt

VanguardLH[_2_] January 10th 19 06:49 PM

Linksys MR8300 Mesh WiFi Router, AC2200, MU-MIMO
 
Walter Boyd wrote:

My old Linksys E4200 router has performed admirably for quite a few
years now, but may be getting a little long in the tooth. I've been
browsing routers for awhile now. Yesterday an ad for the Linksys AC2200
popped up in my inbox. It looks perfectly well-suited for my home
network (3 Win 10 PCs, two android tablets, HVAC system, 2 Windows
phones, network printers/scanners, Amazon TV, and of course internet
connectivity)...

The kicker is that it requires downloading an Android or iOS app in
order to set it up. We still use Lumia 950 Windows phones. Why would I
need Android or iOS to install a router which will be running a Windows
wi-fi network?

Second question - when I do decide on a router, will I need to
re-install all the peripherals or will the new router recognize the
current network and take over from there?

Thanks in advance for any enlightenment! -Walt


The app is to allow remote access to your router; i.e., you are away
from home and want to see what's happening or reconfigure your router
when not at the router. You might want to consider the security
ramifications of allowing remote (external) access to your router. Make
sure to change the default admin logon password after getting the
router.

https://www.linksys.com/us/support-a...icleNum=274486

As the instructions mention, you can setup the router using a wired
(Ethernet) connection from an intranet host to the router. With a wired
connection, you connect to the internal web server in the router.

nospam January 10th 19 07:00 PM

Linksys MR8300 Mesh WiFi Router, AC2200, MU-MIMO
 
In article , Walter Boyd
wrote:

My old Linksys E4200 router has performed admirably for quite a few
years now, but may be getting a little long in the tooth. I've been
browsing routers for awhile now. Yesterday an ad for the Linksys AC2200
popped up in my inbox. It looks perfectly well-suited for my home
network (3 Win 10 PCs, two android tablets, HVAC system, 2 Windows
phones, network printers/scanners, Amazon TV, and of course internet
connectivity)...

The kicker is that it requires downloading an Android or iOS app in
order to set it up. We still use Lumia 950 Windows phones. Why would I
need Android or iOS to install a router which will be running a Windows
wi-fi network?


because it's generally easier to set up and just about everyone has at
least one android or ios device. you say you have two android tablets,
so it's not an issue.

you can still use a browser if you want.

Second question - when I do decide on a router, will I need to
re-install all the peripherals or will the new router recognize the
current network and take over from there?


the latter. there is no 'install peripheral' for a router.

however, you will probably want to reboot all of the devices to renew
their dhcp leases.

nospam January 10th 19 07:00 PM

Linksys MR8300 Mesh WiFi Router, AC2200, MU-MIMO
 
In article , Wolf K
wrote:

[...]
The kicker is that it requires downloading an Android or iOS app in
order to set it up. We still use Lumia 950 Windows phones. Why would I
need Android or iOS to install a router which will be running a Windows
wi-fi network?

[...]

The router should be plug'n'play on Windows, OS-X, and Linux. If it
isn't, don't buy it.


no it very definitely shouldn't.

there might be (and often is) a setup wizard, but plug and play it is
not.

nospam January 10th 19 07:00 PM

Linksys MR8300 Mesh WiFi Router, AC2200, MU-MIMO
 
In article , VanguardLH
wrote:

The app is to allow remote access to your router; i.e., you are away
from home and want to see what's happening or reconfigure your router
when not at the router.


nope. it's for easy setup, done locally.
remote access is *optional*.

You might want to consider the security
ramifications of allowing remote (external) access to your router. Make
sure to change the default admin logon password after getting the
router.


always, which has nothing to do with any app or remote access.

Paul[_32_] January 10th 19 07:43 PM

Linksys MR8300 Mesh WiFi Router, AC2200, MU-MIMO
 
Walter Boyd wrote:
My old Linksys E4200 router has performed admirably for quite a few
years now, but may be getting a little long in the tooth. I've been
browsing routers for awhile now. Yesterday an ad for the Linksys AC2200
popped up in my inbox. It looks perfectly well-suited for my home
network (3 Win 10 PCs, two android tablets, HVAC system, 2 Windows
phones, network printers/scanners, Amazon TV, and of course internet
connectivity)...

The kicker is that it requires downloading an Android or iOS app in
order to set it up. We still use Lumia 950 Windows phones. Why would I
need Android or iOS to install a router which will be running a Windows
wi-fi network?

Second question - when I do decide on a router, will I need to
re-install all the peripherals or will the new router recognize the
current network and take over from there?

Thanks in advance for any enlightenment! -Walt


Some comments here.

https://www.macrumors.com/2019/01/07...mr8300-router/

So it's a router with four antennas, that can't reach your
entire house. Unit costs $250 in local currency. You're
supposed to buy multiple of them, using the mesh support it
has, to extend coverage to the whole house.

Seems like a conflict of interest in there somehow :-/

Like buying a car with 3 wheels and needing to pay $2000
for the 4th wheel.

If the "meshness" is such a deal, a second plastic box and
power supply should be included right in the box, with the second
plastic box "dumbed down" and there purely to extend reach.

The lack of a user manual may be due to the release of
the device during CES. Even though, you know the user manual
was put in the box when they ship units, and to do that,
the user manual was ready to go, months ago.

The day that's announced at CES, that document should just
"pop up" on the Linksys server.

A user manual is in a sense, a "contract" between the manufacturer
and the user, as it contains "promises of functions". Distribution
of user manuals as a pre-sales tool is a common feature with a lot
of companies, and that's why. It fills in all the gaps the marketing
people glossed over.

*******

In a "desperate" situation, you could use the EA8300 manual, which
is presumably similar but lacking the mesh software inside. The EA8300
doesn't have mesh, so purchasing two EA8300 devices, there would
be no "magical connection" between then for whole-house coverage.

http://downloads.linksys.com/downloa...ernational.pdf

On page 8, you use a web browser at http://192.168.1.1 or similar.

Once you've connected to a Linksys server and "set up an account",
at that point an Android app might be able to also "log into the
Linksys server", use the information there in the DDNS sense,
and from there the Linksys server connects to your router.
It would be something along those lines.

In other words, it doesn't absolutely have to be bootstrapped
with an Android. Classical web browsering to 192.168.1.1, like
with older products, will suffice.

If you didn't set up an account on the Linksys server, then
perhaps logging in from the WAN side or something, would not
be supported. Or would take "good ole hacking skills". Personally,
I'm not in favor of *any* WAN ports for such functions, as
it's an unnecessary attack surface. People will still get
in, and it's really a matter of what kinds of exploits the
equipment supports. Some routers are riddled with holes, and
people search for those with Shodan. This is why we have routers
arranged in botnets.

Paul

nospam January 10th 19 08:07 PM

Linksys MR8300 Mesh WiFi Router, AC2200, MU-MIMO
 
In article , Paul
wrote:

So it's a router with four antennas, that can't reach your
entire house. Unit costs $250 in local currency. You're
supposed to buy multiple of them, using the mesh support it
has, to extend coverage to the whole house.

Seems like a conflict of interest in there somehow :-/

Like buying a car with 3 wheels and needing to pay $2000
for the 4th wheel.


nothing like that at all.

covering a large area with a good wifi signal using a single wifi
access point is difficult to impossible and setting up multiple access
points where users can seamlessly roam among them is non-trivial for
most people and usually requires cabling each one.

mesh solves that problem, and more.

If the "meshness" is such a deal, a second plastic box and
power supply should be included right in the box, with the second
plastic box "dumbed down" and there purely to extend reach.


and that's exactly what some mesh routers do.

however, that's not ideal for every situation.

example, eero:
https://ad3d98360fa0de008220-e893b89...8245.ssl.cf5.r
ackcdn.com/eero-wifi-2nd-generation-router-review-49-hp.jpg

main unit:
https://d2vw57jh8139vw.cloudfront.ne...8b392d4af7c0c6.
jpg
beacon unit:
https://d2vw57jh8139vw.cloudfront.ne...9a9a0e542e27d4.
jpg
and it's even a nightlight:
https://d2vw57jh8139vw.cloudfront.ne...505bebd15a4e54.
jpg

nospam January 11th 19 02:05 AM

Linksys MR8300 Mesh WiFi Router, AC2200, MU-MIMO
 
In article , Wolf K
wrote:

The router should be plug'n'play on Windows, OS-X, and Linux. If it
isn't, don't buy it.


no it very definitely shouldn't.

there might be (and often is) a setup wizard, but plug and play it is
not.


Erm, when I connected my present (wi-fi) router to this box, it ... just
worked. The last time I had to set up a router was so long ago I've
forgotten how to do it.


if you did nothing and left it at its default settings, then it's not
secure. in fact, it's horribly insecure, dangerously so.

at a minimum, its default password should be changed, a unique wifi
ssid and different password should be chosen, all of which would be
part of a setup wizard, or can be done manually.

many people will want to change other options, such as network
security, port forwarding, qos, dhcp, dns and more.

what wifi router is it?

Win8.1 Home 64 bit on an HP box.


that doesn't matter.

nospam January 11th 19 05:18 PM

Linksys MR8300 Mesh WiFi Router, AC2200, MU-MIMO
 
In article , Wolf K
wrote:

The router should be plug'n'play on Windows, OS-X, and Linux. If it
isn't, don't buy it.

no it very definitely shouldn't.

there might be (and often is) a setup wizard, but plug and play it is
not.

Erm, when I connected my present (wi-fi) router to this box, it ... just
worked. The last time I had to set up a router was so long ago I've
forgotten how to do it.


if you did nothing and left it at its default settings, then it's not
secure. in fact, it's horribly insecure, dangerously so.


To connect to the router, I used Windows network applet. I had to enter
the security key (128 bits) that came with the box. That's all.


so not plug and play.

and no, that's not all. if you didn't do anything else, your router is
wide open, which is *really* bad.

Are you
saying that's some kind of universal key that anyone can use?


no.

If so, why
do I have to give to my nearest and dearest when they visit so's they
can use the network? And why can't I connect to the neighbour's wi-fi,
which shows up as available both in Windows network applet, and in Speccy?


are you saying you have not changed the ssid and password from what's
on the card, and that's what you tell others to use?

at a minimum, its default password should be changed, a unique wifi
ssid and different password should be chosen, all of which would be
part of a setup wizard, or can be done manually.


OK, noted.

In the Windows Network applet, I re-labelled the router to suit me.
Speccy shows this label as its SSID. I suppose that could be considered
set-up.


the ssid/password is changed within the router interface, not windows,
which has no way of knowing how every router does it.

many people will want to change other options, such as network
security, port forwarding, qos, dhcp, dns and more.

what wifi router is it?


DLink, can't recall the model number, and it's on a high shelf, so I
ain't gonna climb up there and find out. :-)


d-link is admin/admin or admin/{none} for almost all of them, usually
at 192.168.0.1.

as noted above, if you did not change that, that is *bad*. anyone can
pwn you.

Jonathan N. Little[_2_] January 11th 19 05:42 PM

Linksys MR8300 Mesh WiFi Router, AC2200, MU-MIMO
 
nospam wrote:
d-link is admin/admin or admin/{none} for almost all of them, usually
at 192.168.0.1.

as noted above, if you did not change that, that is *bad*. anyone can
pwn you.


Even crappy modern routers now require you to set a new admin password
upon initialization for some time now.

--
Take care,

Jonathan
-------------------
LITTLE WORKS STUDIO
http://www.LittleWorksStudio.com

nospam January 11th 19 06:33 PM

Linksys MR8300 Mesh WiFi Router, AC2200, MU-MIMO
 
In article , Jonathan N. Little
wrote:

d-link is admin/admin or admin/{none} for almost all of them, usually
at 192.168.0.1.

as noted above, if you did not change that, that is *bad*. anyone can
pwn you.


Even crappy modern routers now require you to set a new admin password
upon initialization for some time now.


yep, and that's a really good thing.

David B.[_10_] January 11th 19 09:03 PM

Linksys MR8300 Mesh WiFi Router, AC2200, MU-MIMO
 
On 11/01/2019 17:33, nospam wrote:
In article , Jonathan N. Little
wrote:

d-link is admin/admin or admin/{none} for almost all of them, usually
at 192.168.0.1.

as noted above, if you did not change that, that is *bad*. anyone can
pwn you.


Even crappy modern routers now require you to set a new admin password
upon initialization for some time now.


yep, and that's a really good thing.


Agreed - to a point!

Years ago, the routers I used had a 'user name' of 'ADMIN' and a
password of 'PASSWORD'. It was right and proper to change both!

In more recent times, though, my BT Home Hub routers have come with a
factory preset Wireless Network Name, a 12 digit Wireless Password/key
and also an Admin Password for the Hub Manager.

Why is there a need to change these if no one else has physical access
to the router?

--
David B.

Andy Burns[_6_] January 11th 19 09:19 PM

Linksys MR8300 Mesh WiFi Router, AC2200, MU-MIMO
 
David B. wrote:

my BT Home Hub routers have come with a factory preset Wireless Network
Name, a 12 digit Wireless Password/key and also an Admin Password for
the Hub Manager.

Why is there a need to change these if no one else has physical access
to the router?


DNS Rebinding plus tempting someone to visit an attack website, in this
case Hyperoptic/ZTE routers, rather than BT

https://contextis.com/en/resources/advisories/hyperoptic-zte-home-routers

Char Jackson January 15th 19 02:05 AM

Linksys MR8300 Mesh WiFi Router, AC2200, MU-MIMO
 
On Fri, 11 Jan 2019 10:05:02 -0500, Wolf K wrote:

On 2019-01-10 20:05, nospam wrote:

what wifi router is it?


DLink, can't recall the model number, and it's on a high shelf, so I
ain't gonna climb up there and find out. :-)


To get that info, you log into its interface. ;-)



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