The amplifier's signal coverage is limited.
The amplifier's signal coverage is limited.
I recently purchased three Amplifi alien routers to swap in for my Netgear Nighthawk X6 AC3200. The Amplifi Alien units performed well inside, offering a strong wireless link and smooth mobile app control. However, outside the house the signal remained weak or completely unavailable. Setting up was straightforward for this model, and it looks modern. For my Netgear X6 I didn’t need a range extender; placing the main Amplifi Alien in the same location and using the other two as mesh nodes throughout the house maintained decent connectivity inside. Outside, though, the connection stayed poor. I also own a Netgear Nighthawk XR500 and a Synology RT2600ac, which all seem to provide better range compared to the Amplifi Alien. The decision to buy this router was driven by YouTube reviews highlighting its performance, making me believe it was worth the investment despite older alternatives. My modem is a Netgear CM1200 with 1000Mbps down and 50Mbps upload speeds. The need for reliable outside connectivity stems from my vehicle requiring internet access for downloads and security cameras.
I'm a fan of Ubiquiti products, though I haven't tried these Alien devices yet. I won't dive too deep into technical details, but maybe the antenna design helps here. Your Nighthawk uses external antennas that are likely omnidirectional, while the Alien has an internal setup possibly with a different layout. The power and gain of those antennas might also play a role. I'm not super network-savvy, but most of your long-range Wi-Fi comes from the 2.4GHz band, which works better through walls and obstacles. If you're aiming for faster speeds, it's probably using the 5GHz band, which is harder to penetrate.
I can identify precisely which devices are operating at 2.4GHz or 5GHz through the Amplifi mobile app. I’ve positioned one of the mesh Amplifi alien routers against the wall near my car, but the connection remains weak—my car and the mesh are about 10 feet apart, possibly due to external walls obstructing the signal.