Official: Portal Router - High Tech router technology, move your WiFi to the Fast Lane

MichaelTan

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2000
Messages
13,137
Reaction score
23
Convergent is now officially distributing the revolutionary Portal router.

juzVgdG.jpg


Webbie: https://portalwifi.com/

How fast? Here's an Ipad Mini speedtest, Starhub 1Gbit connection with 800+ Mbit/s wired speed. GPGT. Boss' house.

HOeqPzB.jpg


My house using Ubiquiti full solution with cloudkey, with multiple dual radio Ubnt AC Pro 3x3 11AC MIMO AP, but cannot fight the Portal speed. I will change soon, today just got stock of the Portal.

It has many tricks, but its coolest trick is that it unlocks the frequency bands which other routers can't use, and opens it up for your devices to use. Gives you really high speed and takes away the WiFi traffic jam. To date, the Portal is the (correct me if I'm wrong) the first consumer device which can use the entire 5GHz spectrum, giving you 60% more lanes available compared to any other consumer router (fastlanes).

And then, it has true mesh 2.0 capability. You can use the mesh wirelessly or wired, it will auto detect and optimize.

There is a dedicated radio for radar detection and also neighbouring WiFi detection. This makes it able to switch frequencies/channel in real time without requiring a restart. Band steering is built in, so that your devices will be steered to the correct channel and frequency in real time when interference happens.

Singtel VLAN tag support is built in and tested in Singapore quite exhaustively. You can configure which port/ports you need to do for the MIO TV and internet to untag. All 4 ports can be dedicated to tag removal to your requirements. Guide link: https://support.portalwifi.com/hc/e...-WiFi-Router-with-Singtel-s-broadband-network

Price: S$249 (including GST)
Availability: Lazada http://www.lazada.sg/portal-smart-gigabit-ac2400-mu-mimo-wifi-mesh-router-26668563.html
Retail shops: Courts, Harvey Norman, Sprint-Cass, Fuwell, Cybermind, PC Themes, DynaCore

Reviews:

You can search for reviews but this is the easiest in depth tech review I've found: https://nerdtechy.com/portal-turbocharged-wifi-review

There's a LOT of tech to discuss which Convergent team will answer in this thread, but here are my impressions as a networking devices addict. I've not been able to find any reasonably priced router or AP with real time spectrum scanning and real time channel switching without reboot - simply because most other consumer devices (and also a lot of enterprise devices) don't have a dedicated scan radio.

I've also never had a router/AP which gave me such high wifi speed, continually. Especially in a condo/HDB environment with very very high wifi density, speed is excellent. Single router coverage is much better than other major brands I've used, due to the interference avoidance.

Anyway, we welcome questions. Product will be rolled out to Lazada by today, and to the retail shops within a week.
 
Last edited:

Ah-Pin-Kor

Great Supremacy Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2008
Messages
54,433
Reaction score
1,334
It has many tricks, but its coolest trick is that it unlocks the frequency bands which other routers can't use, and opens it up for your devices to use. Gives you really high speed and takes away the WiFi traffic jam. To date, the Portal is the (correct me if I'm wrong) the first consumer device which can use the entire 5GHz spectrum, giving you 60% more lanes available compared to any other consumer router (fastlanes).
Not every device can see and use these dfs channels so you should warn potential buyers about this.
 

tkl23786

Master Member
Joined
May 11, 2015
Messages
3,259
Reaction score
142
Not every device can see and use these dfs channels so you should warn potential buyers about this.

yes, precisely

not every device can utilize the entire 5Ghz spectrum

but having the ability to tap into the entire 5Ghz spectrum is a bonus
 

MichaelTan

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2000
Messages
13,137
Reaction score
23
yes, precisely

not every device can utilize the entire 5Ghz spectrum

but having the ability to tap into the entire 5Ghz spectrum is a bonus
the DFS compatibility list (non exhaustive) is here: https://support.portalwifi.com/hc/en-us/articles/230886168-List-of-devices-for-compatibility-mode

There are 3 compatibility modes for the portal router, which DFS can be switched off in various degrees to support the legacy devices.

Generally, old devices have problem. Might be one can use old existing router as passthrough AP to support these old devices instead.
 

KWSW

High Supremacy Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2000
Messages
31,427
Reaction score
2
since its good for mesh network, buy 2 or 3 got bundle discount or something?
 

sadboy

Master Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2000
Messages
2,782
Reaction score
80
So I would have to dump my current router and make this portal as my main router? Can this device setup as AP mode?
 

MichaelTan

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2000
Messages
13,137
Reaction score
23
How many concurrent user can I have?
There's no limit on how many users can connect, but given enough bandwidth, 50 users can connect concurrently without degradation. Obviously this also depends on application, for example, if all 50 users are running bittorrent with 4K concurrent connections each, the number is much lesser.
 

Apparatus

High Supremacy Member
Joined
May 27, 2005
Messages
43,939
Reaction score
6,156
Re

Hi

1) Where's this Portal guy come from? Singapore, China, Taiwan etc?

2) Does it collect user's privacy data? NETGEAR, ASUS and LINKSYS are doing that. Don't like their stock firmware.

3) Is it dual channel 2.4/5GHz?

4) Is it MU-MIMO?

5) Can configure to support VPN?

6) How's its performance compared to ASUS RT-AC5300 like consistency in speed, disconnections, up/down speed etc?

7) Do I need a couple of them in my HDB 4-room flat or one will do since it's a mesh device?

8) Does it comes with any protection against malware and how does it protect IoT devices?

Thanks
 
Last edited:

MichaelTan

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2000
Messages
13,137
Reaction score
23
1) Where's this Portal guy come from? Singapore, China, Taiwan etc?

American. USA design. Portal team is from US. Most of the founders were working in Broadcom before.

2) Does it collect user's privacy data? NETGEAR, ASUS and LINKSYS are doing that. Don't like their stock firmware.

I asked them this. Their privacy protection is very very strict as you can see from their website. In personal talking to them, they treat privacy very very very strictly.

3) Is it dual channel 2.4/5GHz?

Yes, and their 5GHz channel is fully opened up.


4) Is it MU-MIMO?

Yes, 4x4

5) Can configure to support VPN?

VPN server is not in this version of the firmware.

6) How's its performance compared to ASUS RT-AC5300 like consistency in speed, disconnections, up/down speed etc?

It's a high end router so the routing performance is comparable. The main differentiator is Wifi performance which the portal router excels because of its DFS technology, which switches you over to a uncongested wifi channel once your current channel becomes congested, in real time.

7) Do I need a couple of them in my HDB 4-room flat or one will do since it's a mesh device?

Not likely but depends on design. If you really need, you can add another one effortlessly.

8) Does it comes with any protection against malware and how does it protect IoT devices?

It has intrusion detection and the usual firewalls. The intrusion detection actually alerts your cellphone.

The main point is still - wifi performance. It excels. Possibly the fastest I have ever tried.
 

Apparatus

High Supremacy Member
Joined
May 27, 2005
Messages
43,939
Reaction score
6,156
Re

1) Where's this Portal guy come from? Singapore, China, Taiwan etc?

American. USA design. Portal team is from US. Most of the founders were working in Broadcom before.

2) Does it collect user's privacy data? NETGEAR, ASUS and LINKSYS are doing that. Don't like their stock firmware.

I asked them this. Their privacy protection is very very strict as you can see from their website. In personal talking to them, they treat privacy very very very strictly.

3) Is it dual channel 2.4/5GHz?

Yes, and their 5GHz channel is fully opened up.


4) Is it MU-MIMO?

Yes, 4x4

5) Can configure to support VPN?

VPN server is not in this version of the firmware.

6) How's its performance compared to ASUS RT-AC5300 like consistency in speed, disconnections, up/down speed etc?

It's a high end router so the routing performance is comparable. The main differentiator is Wifi performance which the portal router excels because of its DFS technology, which switches you over to a uncongested wifi channel once your current channel becomes congested, in real time.

7) Do I need a couple of them in my HDB 4-room flat or one will do since it's a mesh device?

Not likely but depends on design. If you really need, you can add another one effortlessly.

8) Does it comes with any protection against malware and how does it protect IoT devices?

It has intrusion detection and the usual firewalls. The intrusion detection actually alerts your cellphone.

The main point is still - wifi performance. It excels. Possibly the fastest I have ever tried.

Hi Michael

Thanks for the replies.

Regarding item 6)

So it's a dual-band instead of a tri-band router? I have the ASUS RT-AC5300 router so I'm comparing to it. What's its maximum throughput in Mbps? Tr-band AC5300 routers max at 5300Mbps.

So does it separates devices intelligently and automatically based on 2.4GHz and 5GHz or all devices are lumped into one channel and then switches you over to a less congested channel when the current one becomes congested as you put it?

BTW, can provide a link to the EULA so that I can read it? And which retailers are carrying it and when it's available?

Thanks
 
Last edited:

MichaelTan

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2000
Messages
13,137
Reaction score
23
don't be misled by claims of 5300Mbit/s. Adding together maximum bandwidth of the 3 bands is nonsense. Because no device can connect to all 3. And most of us don't have a 5gbit connection so ...

What's going on is interference and that for the conventional routers like yours, only 30% of the 5GHz spectrum is available and a lot of it is plagued by interference if you live in a congested area. Getting rid of the interference by switching frequencies in real time to clean bands is much more important than adding together 3 fictional numbers.

The true measure of speed is real world connection speed, how fast is the actual wifi connection? Get an Ipad Mini 4, and speedtest your RT-AC5300 with it. What speed do you get on a 1Gbit connection from a normal distance (not too near, about 3 metres, but within line of sight)? This is a test on a 1gbit Starhub connection with the Portal:

HOeqPzB.jpg


Afraid that there's no link to the EULA right now, I'll request for it.
 

Apparatus

High Supremacy Member
Joined
May 27, 2005
Messages
43,939
Reaction score
6,156
don't be misled by claims of 5300Mbit/s. Adding together maximum bandwidth of the 3 bands is nonsense. Because no device can connect to all 3. And most of us don't have a 5gbit connection so ...

What's going on is interference and that for the conventional routers like yours, only 30% of the 5GHz spectrum is available and a lot of it is plagued by interference if you live in a congested area. Getting rid of the interference by switching frequencies in real time to clean bands is much more important than adding together 3 fictional numbers.

The true measure of speed is real world connection speed, how fast is the actual wifi connection? Get an Ipad Mini 4, and speedtest your RT-AC5300 with it. What speed do you get on a 1Gbit connection from a normal distance (not too near, about 3 metres, but within line of sight)? This is a test on a 1gbit Starhub connection with the Portal:

HOeqPzB.jpg


Afraid that there's no link to the EULA right now, I'll request for it.

Ok thanks for the replies again.

From what I know a firewall with IDS cannot prevent against virus/malware attack just like in your PC. Firewall with IDS is to prevent unwanted external network intrusion and not against virus/malware. If you use a PC with firewalll and IDS you should know this.

You'll need an antivirus or antimalware product to do it. And that's why ASUS teams up with Trend Micro to provide protection for IoT devices.

Can you check with Portal on this? Otherwise user will need another device to connect to the Portal router to protect their IoT devices like the Norton Core, BitDefender Box, Bullguard Dojo etc

BTW, what chipset is Portal using ie. Broadcom, Qualcomm etc?


Thanks again
 
Last edited:

ChenHoNam

Supremacy Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2005
Messages
7,968
Reaction score
4,346
Hi Michael ,

How is the performance compared to Linksys Velop ?
Is the setting up of multiple nodes complicated ? i.e. through web-based or app etc. ?

Thanks.
 
Important Forum Advisory Note
This forum is moderated by volunteer moderators who will react only to members' feedback on posts. Moderators are not employees or representatives of HWZ. Forum members and moderators are responsible for their own posts.

Please refer to our Community Guidelines and Standards, Terms of Service and Member T&Cs for more information.
Top