EnGenius ESR350 2.4 GHz Wireless N300 Cloud Gigabit Router with USB Port and EnShare EnGenius ESR350 2.4 GHz Wireless N300 Cloud Gigabit Router with USB Port and EnShare

Pros: its small and interesting looking, kinda like a little flying saucer, wireless works very well at least at close ranges, gig wired connection is a huge improvement, downloads are twice as fast and it finally feels like having cable internet is worth it, easy to set up

Cons: pink stripe is ridiculous, Im a guy and every guy that sees my router comment on the pink, or girly , or you can imagine thing on my shelf, of course then they notice thier wireless connection speeds and stop complaining, sharpie is gonna fix that lol

Other Thoughts: so far its been excellent

Pros: Strong Radio
Price
Setup ease

Cons: No lights indicate ethernet ports connected
somewhat short power cord

Other Thoughts: This is another excellent unit from Engenius' internal antenna, "smoke alarm" collection-- unusual look but they work well. The 4 gigabit-port router is built in Taiwan. The WPS switch is next to USB port on the side instead of the back. It's easy to reach and operate, unless mounted on ceiling, of course! The device can be mounted on wall or ceiling (mounting inserts included), although you might think twice about access to ports and WPS button if done. The unit runs just warm to the touch. There is no dd-wrt firmware at this time, but you might not even miss it.

Once the router is set up, you can scan a unique QR code on the bottom label to connect (or "Enshare") the USB device via internet to smartphone or tablet Enter the name and password you set up in the wizard and voila! your USB port device becomes a NAS. The USB port can serve 600ma max, so check your device before plugging in. I can't imagine a flash drive would draw more, but older external hard drives that draw current through USB might.

A lot of thought went into the software for this router. An auto-running setup wizard makes things easy. Icons show the status of connections. The interface is clean, visual, and easy to follow, although I had to roll over several cryptic icons to understand their function. A wizard is included to set up a VPN.

Like other Engenius wireless routers, the ESR350 has a strong radio. The transmitting power may be changed and reduced down to 10%. I guess this might be useful in a small apartment where you want to reduce your signal reach. Within 10 feet, the router put out a signal up to 20db stronger than my ISP-supplied router. It performed comparably better over 100 feet away (outside) when the signal strengh was still at -70db and the other router dropped out. It is a deal at this price point too. I am pretty impressed.

Pros: This router rocks, I love being able to share all my media from a flash drive on all of my computers and mobile devices. From my gaming rig to my surfing the internet desktop back to my laptop than to my cell I had no problems with anything. Speed wise compared to my old netgear this thing eats it for lunch. I highly recommend this product to anyone.

Cons: Only con i have for this is the color, could of just left it white. No con really just personal taste.

Other Thoughts: I have taken this thing over my friends houses shared my media with them while thy shared amongst them selves. and everybody loved it. Kept asking me where I got it, I simply respond NewEgg baby now you know. (-:

Pros: Low price. Laptop wireless works on second floor of home with this router in the basement.

Cons: pink

Other Thoughts: This is replacing a big-name wireless n router which never was able to reach the whole house.

Pros: 4 gigabit LAN ports, USB port, decent wireless signal. I was able to transfer files wirelessly over 30ft with five thick intervening walls and multiple signals from my neighbors overlapping my channel, lthough speeds varied wildy between 15KB/s and 500KB/s, averaging about 200KB/s. In the same room they were around 10MB/s, but I live in a very signal-congested area. In either case, I experienced no dropped connections or lockups.
If you don't need dual-band or you live in a fairly signal-free area, and don't need the "added value" features like Enshare, this is a good value for the money.

Cons: It is not dual band.
The USB port allows "Enshare" to share files over the internet. However, maximum file size is 500MB. I was able to get it to work at first, but later it stopped recognizing the attached USB drive. I tried it with two different drives, both of which worked fine on my PC - one formatted as NTFS and the other as FAT32.
It is also supposed allow IP cams, however you can only use Engenius models, as you get the message "The "IP Camera" function supports EnGenius IP-Cam product only" on the IP Camera Client Table page.
I'm not too worried about the above as I would likely use neither function.

Other Thoughts: The base gets quite warm after a while, when it's sitting down flat on a surface. It may be best to mount it on the wall, using the screw holes provided, with the large vent holes on the side facing up. The top is not vented at all.
It took me a while to get it set up correctly, but once I did the router worked reliably (apart from Enshare). I was a little disappointed at the Enshare feature limitations (especially after it stopped working), but overall it's a pretty decent router for the money. I get much better speeds with my wireless AC router, but that cost five times as much.

Pros: When I first took at a look at the box, I wasn’t too sure what to expect. A round, pink router, that looked like something crashed outside of Area 51. But after a little seat time with the E350, I walked away quite impressed. The first thing I noticed was the ability to connect to the router using a DNS name as opposed to using an IP address. I think that is a commonly overlooked feature that makes things much easier for people that aren’t well versed in networking.

The router interface was intuitive and easy to navigate, in my opinion. For its price point, I was surprised at the included functionality. The ability to broadcast 4 independent SSIDs was something I didn’t expect to find at this price. It has all your normal stuff, like QoS, VPN, SPI, WPA/WPA2, etc. But what you normally don’t see at this price point is the available USB port, or the functionality to adjust the broadcast power. So if you live in a small apartment and don’t want to be broadcasting to all your neighbors, you can just turn down the power.

It comes with 4 Gigabit ports, a WAN port and an available USB port for sharing files over your LAN or over the Internet. The sharing works correctly but I found it clunky and with some severe limitations (See cons).

Wireless network transfer speeds were to be expected and didn’t cause any issues with gaming or streaming media from my server both wired and wireless.

I really like the “smart” functionality of this router when it senses it is attached to another router, such as one provided by your ISP. It configures itself as an access point when attached to a router. You will have to change SSID names and passwords if you want them to match your existing router, but you don’t have to go through editing DHCP settings, which is nice.

I briefly tested their EnShare remote access functionality and it did work as advertised. The iPhone app connected properly and I was able to transfer files as described. The App includes a Help feature which outlines some troubleshooting steps if you run into any issues with your connection.

Cons: As others have pointed out, I was unable to stream any files of appreciable size which limited media streaming. You can do music and pictures, but video is pretty much out of the question. I found this aspect pretty disappointing. (I deducted 1 Egg for this limitation)

The wireless broadcast power, even though adjustable, is on par with similar routers I’ve tested. I normally wouldn’t even bother mentioning this fact because it is similar, but I bring it up because of the manufacturer’s “Xtra Range” claim.

Other Thoughts: All in all, this is a nice router and for the price point it really can’t be beat. It has a few slight annoyances, but nothing I would consider a deal breaker. The biggest flaw is the limitation imposed by their USB sharing functionality. I’m hoping they address this limitation with a future firmware release.

Pros: Smart enough to automatically set itself as an Wireless Access Point once connected to another router/device that provides DHCP. Meaning, if you want to extend range of your wireless network, you can just connect this device to an existing router, and everything will work without any setup. Type “Engeniusrouter” into a browser to get to router’s management, USB storage or IP camera access. Being able to simply type a phrase is a bonus for those who do not feel like finding router’s IP address. This must sound trivial to anyone who has a faintest knowledge of networking, but it is easier for total novices. Able to set up up to four SSIDs. Choice to set it up to operate on single 20 MHz channel or auto dual 20/40 MHz channel. This is important since I run into a quite a few wireless cards that refuse to connect at full dual speeds, even though they are capable of dual-channel speeds. This router will automatically downgrade to single channel speed in case of connectivity issues (also see in cons). You can set the wireless radio to work on B, G, N, B+G or B+G+N. IPv6 support. Ability to set up simple VPN. On the wired side, there are four full Gigabit ports. Standard Wireless encryption up to WPA2. Nice website management interface. Ability to attach IP surveillance camera.

Cons: USB file sharing is limited to files less than 500 MB in size and maximum of 20 users. This is really puzzling to me. Why limit the size of files to 500 MB? This limitation is not mentioned anywhere in the documentation, therefore I am deducting one egg for this omission of important fact. You cannot upload/download folders. Just individual files. If you were hoping to attach a Hard Drive full of large media files, you will be sorely disappointed unless all your individual files are less than 500 MB in size. Auto dual channel/single channel operation. There is no way to force dual channel operation. This is important if you wanted to tweak your wireless card and perhaps force it into dual channel mode. Parental controls allow blocking of websites containing user-defined “keywords”. Ability to limit use based on times and days (schedule). Router is not AC capable.

Other Thoughts: While the physical look of this router goes against anything I would expect a router to look like, I am trying to get used to this new look. Hiding antennas into a body of a router certainly makes it less vulnerable to physical damage.
I set this router up as a wireless access point (N only) in a close proximity of another AP made by Buffalo. I walked around the house and measured signal strength on my notebook. Signal strengths compare favorably for this router. Surprisingly, EnGenius was consistently showing higher signal strength than my Buffalo, despite the fact that the Buffalo model is more expensive and I consider Buffalo to be a better router. During testing, I was still able to get a usable wireless signal at about 60 feet and being separated by 2 wood frame/drywall walls.
At its price range, this router competes with many more other routers. I have tested this router for 2 weeks and I have not run into any issues. I would recommend this router despite its limitations (like 500 MB maximum shared file size, auto 20/40 MHz channel only). Most routers are ‘”setup and forget” devices tucked out of sight, and a savvy buyer would not choose a router solely based on its looks.

Pros: Works like you'd expect, and has a decent range. Seems packed with extra features such as IP Cam Viewer (if you own a EnGenius IP Cam), and Storage Sharing which lets you share the contents of a drive connected to the router via USB. The Web UI is fairly responsive, however it has some issues...

Cons: The Web UI is a bit clunky and seems to be geared towards beginners... the choices for security are "High", "Medium", and "None". As someone a bit more technically oriented I'd like a little more details. There's also numerous spelling errors and other mistakes. The UI navigation in general is pretty clunky.

It's not dual band, so beware if you live somewhere with congested wireless networks such as an apartment complex.

Other Thoughts: If you specifically need the features this router offers, it does work and once you get it set up it does what it's supposed to do. It is pretty weird looking for a router, don't really think that's a con though.

Pros: Fast shipping from newegg (as usual)
Packaged well
4 port gigabit switch
easy to see indicator status lights.
Set up is a bit more complicated then it needs to be. The average, user may have trouble setting it all up?

Cons: Really bizarre looking!
It looks like a smoke detector/flying saucer, made by Apple for the female gender.
Set up is a bit more complicated then it needs to be. The average home user may have trouble setting it all up?
And as someone has pointed out, the power cord is too short and the RJ45 ports all face upwards!
The router I received for testing out, must be a faulty one, as the power would not stay on but would drop once in awhile. The power cord not only is short, but real cheap feeling and thin. I think that will show to be the real downside to this router, that and the fact it looks strange, and does not look like the typical router. But then again, maybe people will really like it?

Other Thoughts: This router works OK in my network setup at home. Signal strength is really no better than other routers I have tried, netgear, trendnet, cisco etc. and the USB port is OK if you want to access data from the router itself, but why would you?
Overall, I am not impressed with this router, and will stick to the other guys I have become familiar with, and know that they will work properly all the time.
It seems like this one was designed as a gimmick, as if the features and shape and color would somehow help it sell?

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Paul on the Mesa,

We appreciate your time in posting your comments and feedback. We will take note of them as we continue to improve and develop our products.

We understand that you are experiencing some intermittent power issues with the ESR350. Perhaps you can try plugging the ESR350 to another power outlet. All Engenius devices have a 1 year limited warranty from the date of purchase from an authorized Engenius reseller.
There are several factors that affect wireless range. Please place the unit away from other electronic equipment and please check for other wireless networks that may be using the same wireless channel.

If you have any questions regarding Engenius and our products you may reach us through our number at 1-888-735-7888 or e-mail us at support@engeniustech.com. Our support team would be glad to be of service to you.

Thank you for your patience and we look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Mike
Engenius Customer Support Team

Pros: Has four true gigabyte ports. Can do four Guest SSID's with options. AP and WDS modes with port forwarding, guest networks, QOS, and an easy setup for non-experienced networkers.WPA/WPA2 wireless encryption and SPI firewall. USB port for data sharing using the EnGenius Enshare feature. Wireless and Power LED"s are easy to see and not overly bright. For those that like using them, has an easy to reach WPS button. User WEB interface is the standard 192.168.0.1 and is easy to understand with pretty much all the basic stuff there for the beginning networker. Included setup booklet should be easy to follow for even the novice, and if not, the EnGenius web site is easy to navigate. It does come with the latest (and only) firmware installed. Has fast reboot times after making changes that require a reboot. Is wall mountable.

Cons: Not a dual band router, is only 2.4Ghz. NO DD-WRT support so you are stuck with the installed firmware. Unusual shape means it will take up a lot more desk space than you may be accustomed to. I found it best to wall mount it for my use and mounting hardware is included in the package. Power cord from the wall wart is shorter than any other router I own. It could really stand to be another two feet longer due to the shape of the router. Signal strength s no better than any other router that I have tested in my home. Normal price point puts it in the range of some dual band routers, so best to catch this o sale to get the best bargain.

Other Thoughts: When I was offered this EnGenius router to test and evaluate, I was more than happy to do so as I wanted to evaluate their claims of "high" power and ease of use. Yes, it is easy to use and setup , and it is clearly geared for the beginning network in this respect. As far as the "high" power, I found this not to be the case. In test results from five other routers I have tested, it only ranked in the middle of the pack as far as signal strength at 35-40 feet from the router. I blame this mostly on the design of not having external antennas. All the other pod style routers I have tested from other manufacturers also have this same issue whether in 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz mode. Under testing, I did not run into any dropouts or signal loss over several days of testing the unit.

It may look a little different than what you would normally want in a router, and it may not be dual band, but it does function well and setup is very easy. This router with its easy to use interface is clearly geared to the novice user, and more experienced users or power users will want to consider another one of the EnGenius routers, perhaps one of the 1200AC routers they have. I did like the EnShare feature and found it easy to use and access.

Not a true 5 Egg offering from EnGenius since it's only a single band, but a solid 4 Egg rating for overall solid performance and easy setup.

DISCLAIMER: As a NewEgg EggXpert reviewer, I am not paid by NewEgg or Trendnet to review their products. I am provided a sample of the item to test to the best of my abilities. My opinions are solely my own based on the testing I have done on the item. Please note that I am very technically inclined, have run my own computer repair and building business for some time including commercial networking. Your results may vary from my own depending on your equipment.