I was pretty excited about the switch to Orbi: performance doubled and coverage was great. While it had an app, it also had a full web-based GUI for management and included a depth of configuration options. The fact that the web console was a bit clunky and hard to work with was fine because I could once again control my network from a laptop.
Then the updates started.
I have been working with mesh systems for quite a while now and have some new observations. I had begun the journey with Google WiFi, a product that checked all of my boxes and had incredible performance, right out of the box. However, what I quickly realized with Google was that their business model and lack of flexibility really became the real issue and that led me down the path of unplugging it and replacing it with Amplifi.
While Amazon is primarily known for their online ecommerce, and now their cloud services, they clearly have a strategy that will take them in some serious new directions.
There is a huge push for high speed internet services, but that only covers a consumer between their home and their ISP. What happens when they purchase broadband that is 10X their old performance and it still cannot deliver a better experience?