Verdict
useable as a subscription service , the Plume HomePass is a trivial different from its major competitors . The SuperPod satellites are quite chunky and , as they plug into a socket directly , may be hard to optimally position , plus they launch the old Wi - Fi 5 standard . That said , carrying out was splendid , and the system of rules is super - easy to setup and care , making this a good selection for anyone that wants hassle - barren networking .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
It ’s common to see mesh topology system with subscription add - ons , offering the like of parental controls and internet security department . The Plume HomePass goes one step further , as the entire system is a subscription table service , ironware and software alike .
This can make the initial leverage cost more affordable , but the price stack up over time . With some somewhat superannuated Wi - Fi 5 computer hardware and a chunky sparking plug - mist design , the Plume HomePass is n’t go to be for everyone .
Design and features
Although Plume hasWi - Fi 6andWi - Fi 6Edevices available in the US , in the UK , HomePass is sold through Virgin Media , which only proffer the old Wi - Fi 5 SuperPods . You do n’t need Virgin Media broadband to purchase , and the service is undecided to everyone in the UK .
With the Virgin Media deal , you have to take out a rolling 12 - monthly subscription at £ 8 per month , which bugger off you two SuperPods . Additional SuperPods need to be pay for at £ 90 a pop . This can begin making the price jump considerably . In my house , I postulate four Pods due to the layout of the house and the garden office .
That ’s £ 180 extra I ’d have to pay on pods , plus £ 96 on the service over a year . That ’s £ 276 for the system . Admittedly , the rivalEero 6+system would cost £ 458 at full Leontyne Price , but I ’d own it outright and everything else is an optional subscription .
With Plume HomePass , the prices keep stacking up , costing an additional £ 96 a twelvemonth . After three eld , that ’s a sum of £ 468 . And , like all subscription table service , if I call off , I have to ship everything back and start over again .
Of course , being able to spread the requital out over a few years may accommodate some people . And , that subscription fee includes all of the software goodies . With Eero , there ’s a monthly fee if you want maternal ascendency and security .
Each SuperPod is contained in a machine with a plug on it : just plug away them straight into a socket and you ’re good to go . go simple , right ? Well , yes and no . Wi - Fi machine should n’t be placed near source of hindrance or behind large object . In my house , most of the fire hydrant socket are out of sight and close to the ground , so they ’re not peculiarly idealistic for Wi - Fi equipment .
I think this could be an takings in most homes . My solution was to stop up the devices into extenders , so I could get them where I want , but it ’s not the most elegant solution .
The 2d issue is that the SuperPod devices are properly chunky . Depending on what else you postulate to plug in , a SuperPod can obscure a second powerfulness socket . On balance , a even mesh guest with a power cable makes installing easier .
Your first SuperPod act as the router , link to your internet via any one of its two Gigabit Ethernet porthole . joining is immobile , and the app took me through set up a good meshing .
Additional SuperPods can be connected around the firm , and they ’re discovered and touch base mechanically . If you need to plug one in out of wireless range ( that would be my garden office staff ) , then the SuperPods also support Ethernet backhaul and can be hardwired together .
From the HomePass app , you could regard what ’s move on in your connection , including Guard net certificate events , and what the Plume service protects you against . Much like other mesh systems , you may create profiles for each person in your planetary house , assigning them devices .
Profiles set the internet filtering level and give you a immediate fashion to pause all internet access for one somebody . curiously , I could n’t retrieve a way to schedule internet admittance for a person , but I could do this per twist .
alone to HomePass is Sense , which uses the SuperPods as motion sensors , picking up change in Wi - Fi waves cause by multitude in a way . The SuperPods can send alert when they find motion either all of the time or when the system detects that everyone is out . It ’s a neat usage of technology , but I ’d invest in a proper alarm system , such as the Ring Alarm , instead .
Inside the app , the advanced features permit you reserve an IP address , set custom DNS addresses , toggle switch UPnP , and that ’s it . There ’s no mastery over wireless web channels or the security mode used ; if you want more control , you ’ll want a unlike interlocking system .
I do like the guest electronic web options . These let you make a unparalleled password for each guest , that time out at a specific time . you may choose to share net access only , or a circumscribed set of your devices . The latter is useful if you have a house guest and want to permit them cast to a TV .
Performance
I managed to place my SuperPods in barren open quad , away from piece of furniture and interference . Starting off at close range , I measure an initial throughput of 478.65Mbit / s , which put the Plume HomePass a way behind the Eero 6 + system .
Moving to the first floor , the roles had invert with Plume claim over with a throughput of 426.70Mbit / s. On the second floor of my household , the Plume HomePass managed 432.62Mbit / s ; intelligibly its dedicated Wi - Fi backhaul was influence wonders .
Having a consecrate backhaul really does help at compass , and shows that Wi - Fi 5 can still shorten it , particularly against chintzy Wi - Fi 6 competition . My only caveat to this is that Wi - Fi 6 is much better at dealing with multiple clients as its MIMO technology works both up and down ; as our home base sate up with more Wi - Fi 6 devices , the benefits of the newer engineering will be more obvious .
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Should you buy it?
If you want a hassle - free mesh scheme with build - in security measures and parental controls , this neat subscription service is a good selection .
If you want Wi - Fi 6 , and more control condition over your Wi - Fi , look elsewhere . Likewise , if you do n’t have spare plug socket in good locations , a traditional mesh system may be better .
Final Thoughts
The Plume HomePass is fast and has a large kitchen stove of feature of speech , including some you may well never need . It ’s also decent value to start with , although over clip the subscription service means that it will get more expensive .
Whether it ’s correct for you , will reckon on many things . While the basic connection speed is libertine , Wi - Fi 6 mesh systems will make out with a high figure of machine . Then , there ’s the matter of where to place the SuperPods : as they plug directly into a socket , you may struggle to put them somewhere free of encumbrance .
Assuming you’re able to place the SuperPods in the right place , it ’s a decent , hassle - free organisation .
Trusted Score
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Unlike other sites , we test every wireless router we survey soundly over an extended period of clock time . We expend industry standard exam to compare features by rights . We ’ll always tell you what we find . We never , ever , take money to review a product .
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FAQs
The SuperPods refresh here habituate Wi - Fi 5 .
Yes , you may practice Ethernet to connect the satellites together .
