ASUS Lyra Home Wi-Fi System Reviewed

[thiggins]

ASUS' Lyra is late to market, with disappointing performance.

Read on SmallNetBuilder

 

[pete y testing]

so im surprised to see no one has posted in this tread and i wonder why , perhaps some are scared to object to your conclusions

yes the lyra has taken some time to come to market but im guessing asus has lots of tongs in the fire and the lyra is just one with blue cave , brt-ac828 , rt-ac86u etc etc

TBH from previous posts from b4 this review was posted your not happy with asus atm and what you call public beta testing

im also not sure why you chose to compare the eero 2 to the lyra as the eero 2 has had a year of erro 1 and then V 2 to get it close to being right , so i dont see any subjectivity in comparing something thats been in the wild for a year and a second version to something new to the wild

its clear you had issues with both fw and app , but didnt you have the same with v1 of erro and most of the other mesh systems

its also clear that shows in your comments from prob the first words of the review that you started with a negative attitude to the lyra

the lyra may not be perfect and may need time in the wild to improve as all of these mesh/dw systems have needed , seems your expectations on the lyra may be more than should be expected of a new to wild device

not trying to pump up the lyra here but more to just clear the air and suggest perhaps in this case the expectations may over ride the logic of what the lyra is and what stage it is

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just a fyi the orbi which you claim is on top of the heap is suffering for many users with disconnections , drop outs and sat issues all of which your review doesnt seem to reflect

i would suggest you maybe not jump on these devices the day they are released and perhaps allow some time in the wild b4 testing to allow for initial fw improvements

just my 2 cents

pete

 

[thiggins]

i would suggest you maybe not jump on these devices the day they are released and perhaps allow some time in the wild b4 testing to allow for initial fw

If a product is good enough to ship to start generating revenue, it's good enough to review.

ASUS sent the product for review. I delayed the review, pending new firmware that was supposed to ship a week ago Monday. I was then told the app also needed to be updated, which would take more time. I decided to move forward with the review.

My conclusions are based on data, Pete. Where is yours?

 

[pete y testing]

My conclusions are based on data, Pete. Where is yours?

gimme a week and i will have the lyra myself and then will comment on its performance , but i dont crap on tested devices b4 i post the review as its called subjective reviewing , its clear you have an issue with asus and its out to wild policy which i have said b4 yes it should be a policy of every manufacture to run some sort of in house beta testing with volunteers and i have suggested so to most of them, that being said it is your review and your conclusion and i respect you for posting it but i will call a tad of unfairness where it needs to be called and comparing the eero2 to the just released lyra seems a bit one sided

again just my 2 cents

pete

 

[massaquah]

The review reflects perfectly what I have been observing with my Lyra for the past week.
I own an Orbi RBK50 for 8 months (no disconnect issues here) and out of curiosity wanted to compare it to the new Asus product.

Orbi performance is great and Lyra is very slow. I will give Asus a chance with the new firmware which was supposed to arrive last week (but didn't). And if this new firmware doesn't change Lyra fundamentally, it will be returned.

As to the fairness of the review: As a potential buyer who just wants to know which mesh system to choose RIGHT NOW it is absolutely ok to compare a Lyra to an eero pro. I don't care how long each system has been on the market I just want to know which system performs best.

 

[maylyn]

Hi Thiggins,

Out of curiosity, what is the firmware version you are testing the ASUS Lyra?

If you are on 11142 and you have updated it before your testings and your results is what is posted, I find it pretty peculiar .... as in the results are kinda low.

Edit ~ Never mind, yours is on firmware 11014, my mistake for only glancing through the article.

I'm able to achieve 500+Mbps download/400+ Mbps upload Speedtest on iPhone 7+ @ the main ASUS Lyra with AiProtection default (enabled) Adaptive QoS is off in both star/daisy chain network topology.

Perhaps you might want to look into the connectivity strength between the nodes? Mine is all 3/2 green connectivity strength whereas yours is 2 yellow connectivity strength into consideration?

Someone have posted that ASUS Lyra operates 5GHz @ 300mW as compared to Linksys Velop/NetGear Orbi @ 900mW? i'm not sure is it accurate or not to begin with

Just my 2 cents.

PS ~ your reviews have always been very comprehensive and an interesting read.

Regards

 

[Lars]

Hi, I got my Asus Lyra today before I went to work. I'll set it up to test it later today and tomorrow.
My choice was Asus Lyra or Linksys Velop, but I chose Asus Lyra,
hope I made a good purchase?
My internet line is only at 250mbps down and 20mbps upload
Im seeing that many are satisfied and many who are not satisfied.
Im seeing that the latest firmware is Version 3.0.0.4.382.11142 on asus web site.
Should i uppdate if i dont have the lates,when im comming home?
Hope it works with me

 

[thiggins]

Perhaps you might want to look into the connectivity strength between the nodes? Mine is all 3/2 green connectivity strength whereas yours is 2 yellow connectivity strength into consideration?

All products are tested with the same path loss between nodes. The app did not indicate any problems with backhaul connection strength.

What was your mesh configuration and which node was your client connected to when you ran the speed tests? Your screenshots show one and two-hop configurations.

 

[RMerlin]

Im seeing that many are satisfied and many who are not satisfied.

When it comes to wifi, environment is critical. Reviews are great to give you a general idea of the performance, however the only way to be sure how well it will perform within your specific environment is to test it. Both the location and the type of clients you connect to it will make a difference.

As an example, my own wifi setup has always been fairly bulletproof... until I bought a new Zenpad tablet to replace my dead Nexus 9. The Zenpad would constantly disconnect/get sluggish on the 5 GHz band, until I switched my router from channel 157 to 36. Then it becomes as stable and solid as my Nexus 9.

The Zenpad has a Mediatek chip, while all my other devices have always been Broadcom, Intel or Qualcomm. This indicates a potential problem specific to Mediatek - something that no review would typically pick up.

So when it comes to a wifi router/system, make sure you have a good return policy from the reseller, and test it within your own environment. It's possible your performance might end up as good as Maylyn's, or as bad as Tim's.

 

[mactenchi]

Those who are paranoid about networking products that require companion cloud services may think Lyra is a better product for not having one. But when its competition like eero and Google do have cloud systems constantly monitoring system Wi-Fi metrics, they can have a big advantage in making informed decisions about what to tweak.

And yet, the best performing "mesh" so far is Orbi, with no cloud service.

 

[pete y testing]

So when it comes to a wifi router/system, make sure you have a good return policy from the reseller, and test it within your own environment. It's possible your performance might end up as good as Maylyn's, or as bad as Tim's.

totally agree

just for comparison here is PC mags review

https://www.pcmag.com/review/355544/asus-lyra-home-wi-fi-system

the asus seems to run with the pack with their testing and they have the velop on top place , however im not sure they have tested the orbi as its not in the comparison charts

we will obviously been seeing a raft of reviews now the lyra has launched some interesting reading ahead

 

[sfx2000]

the asus seems to run with the pack with their testing and they have the velop on top place , however im not sure they have tested the orbi as its not in the comparison charts

we will obviously been seeing a raft of reviews now the lyra has launched some interesting reading ahead

There's bound to be a lot of "favorable" reviews (insert vendor), followed up by loyal fan-boi feedback - this is the web these days...

We see a bit of here here - meh....

 

[sfx2000]

ASUS' Lyra is late to market, with disappointing performance.

So basically - meh...

It's another QCA mesh thingy...

Not saying that the QCA mesh stuff is bad - it's quite good...

 

[maylyn]

All products are tested with the same path loss between nodes. The app did not indicate any problems with backhaul connection strength.

What was your mesh configuration and which node was your client connected to when you ran the speed tests? Your screenshots show one and two-hop configurations.

Both of my Speedtest results are done @ node 1 which resides @ my bedroom, nothing to do with 1-2 hops configuration. it's just an illustration that both star/daisy chain works OK.

I do find out that having green lines connectivity strength away from node 1 onwards - results are much higher as compared to those whom have yellow lines connectivity strength, so one's placement of the ASUS Lyra is paramount.

And just wanted to highlight there is pretty significant changes in 11142 firmware as well.

ASUS Lyra firmware version 3.0.0.4.382.11142

Release note:
- General stability improvement.
- DFS handling update.
- Internet detect improvement.
- GUI bug fix.
- Add multiple language support on web GUI.

All aside, it's not all flawless when it's first shipped, for example those issues like not able to switch off the LED on second/third nodes, no other languages support besides English and some others too

 

[RogerSC]

If a product is good enough to ship to start generating revenue, it's good enough to review.

ASUS sent the product for review. I delayed the review, pending new firmware that was supposed to ship a week ago Monday. I was then told the app also needed to be updated, which would take more time. I decided to move forward with the review.

My conclusions are based on data, Pete. Where is yours?

Agree 100% that once a router or wireless system is for sale, it should be up for review. You can re-review it a couple of firmware generations downstream if merited, which Tim has done in the past, but too many routers come out with crap firmware that's never really fixed. And Tim owes it to the users that trust him to do a timely review.

Personally, I make a strict policy (after some hard lessons) of not even thinking about buying a product that might get better when its firmware is fixed. I'll consider it after the firmware is fixed *smile*.

 

[thiggins]

And just wanted to highlight there is pretty significant changes in 11142 firmware as well.

As I said above, I held the review waiting for new firmware that was supposed to improve performance and was told the app also needed to be upgraded, so it wasn't ready for release.

SNB's policy is to review only with publicly released firmware, so I reviewed with the most current release.

I am in contact with ASUS and will retest the product when they request.

 

[pege63]

Its strange that the Linksys Velop provided better performance overall the others in all tests i have read online.

 

[pete y testing]

SNB's policy is to review only with publicly released firmware, so I reviewed with the most current release.

perhaps worth doing a real world outside the box test , as in outside the chamber and in your house as you have done b4 as the other tests and reviews have done just that , there maybe something in the claims about the active antennas and how they work in real world rather than in the box testing

 

[pete y testing]

Its strange that the Linksys Velop provided better performance overall the others in all tests i have read online.

most of those reviews i have read didnt test the orbi and so have no reference , im guessing its in some cases who pays for the advertising and where the revenue comes from , no doubt velop is ok but its very expensive at the same time

 

[GJJ]

perhaps worth doing a real world outside the box test , as in outside the chamber and in your house as you have done b4 as the other tests and reviews have done just that....."

Pete, I know you love to challenge people and what I will write below will be nothing new to you, but it is worth pointing out to others. And like you, I'm not here to attack anyone. (I sometimes have an issue with being too direct, like yourself, and cop the same crap you do for being that way.)

Problem with real world testing is that it's hard to repeat, especially in different locations. As mentioned above, the only real way is to try it yourself, because every house/location is in a different wifi environment. (Unfortunately Australian retailers aren't as flexible as US retailers.) I think you posted once before, even different days with different humidity, can change the results.

While the chamber used in the SNB is artificial, it will give repeatable and comparable results as long as none of the parameters are changed. If you test the same unit today, in 6 weeks or in 6 months time, you'll be able to get comparable results and can say xxx change to the unit has made a positive or negative difference. If it was in the real world, who knows what effect the new mega-screen tv I bought and mounted on the wall between 2 nodes or even adjacent to 1 node or even a new art installation, might have on the result. eg. reflections/blockages/clearer path/etc.
It's like the mpg figures posted on the windscreen of a new car: the tests are all done in a lab, in standardised conditions, so you are never going to have a hope of matching them yourself, but at least it is a level playing field where you can compare one item to another, whether it be today or at a different point in time.

GJ