I will give you a basic overview of the app, some comments, and how it benefited me.
On a basic level, the app provides you access to many of the features found in the administration screens to provide the user to the following features in a user friendly app.
Connect devices/networks and strengths, and what type of connection on each device.
On the app, this is found under devices, and also shows your network types from the router - Guest 2.4 Ghz, 2.4 Ghz and 5.0 Ghz networks and the name you have created for the network.
One bug I found in the app, under guest, I clicked the toggle to disconnect guest WI-FI, and saved this change, it was not reflected in the admin screens under WI-FI, guest network. The app showed it disabled, but it was still broadcasting, and the admin screen showed it still active, therefore the changes from the app are not being communicated and saved on the gateway.
A bit of a strange feature in the app from a security point of view.
When connected to the gateway on one of the networks, you will see which network you are connected to at the top of the overview tab, there is a link to show your Wi-Fi password. You can see the password in your My WiFI tab as well for each of the three active networks. The odd thing is that you can "share" the password from either of these places via email, text, or social media messenging systems. Why one would do that I am not sure. I personally would not recommend sending your password to someone else's device messenging method as I can't count on the security of those devices. Just my own view on that one.
The other strange one is that it sends the password for the connected network, so say you are connected to your 5G network, it will send that one, where as you probably want to give them your guest password.
You can easily change passwords in the app which is nice. It also advices you if the password is strong or weak.
From the three dots at the top of the overview page, you can block devices, which blocks all connection by MAC address, and device name is there if it is provided from the device, to the network and Internet. If you find that there is an unexpected device on the network, you can change your password for security and block that device permanently from accessing that network. I am not sure if that blocks the device from all networks active on the gateway or not. I am going to guess it is as in the admin screens under security and blocks MAC address to the gateway, which means all networks, not just the network.
Under this section is also access to Port forwarding, port triggering, restart modem, reset to default factory settings, and to log out.
Means you can do these features from the app, rather than the admin screens. If you go into port forwarding, you will see all the predefined ones in there, plus you can add new ones.
Again, these are all available in the admin screens. Personally, if using these features, I would use the admin screens, because I want to use a full keyboard for accuracy, not a smartphone keyboard. Just preference.
There are also additional features within the admin screens not available on the app, like DMZ, Gateway function - note if you have bridged your gateway, then the device will be of little benefit to you, because it has to be connected to the Hitron gateway, not a personal router, or access point, or repeater.
So a very limited number of features available to replace directly going to the gateway admin screens. Feature set is basically diagnostic of signal strength, managing your network access, port forwarding and performance of the gateway modem - Internet to modem and Hitron to device on WIFI.
The last feature allowed me to confirm a few things.
1. My 75 Mbs connection down is actually at 102, which I already knew from a SamKnows whitebox, but the app can now allow you to check that. Up was 10 as expected and provided.
2. In the design of my house, in my living room, my couch sits on top of two I beams, a main ductwork run for the furnace, water piping, electrical to furnace, water heater, laundry room, and air conditioner, a light right below me, and I actually cannot connect with either 5G or 2.4G. My neighbourhood is saturated with 2.4G,
What it proved to me is that the best location for my Hitron remains the basement with ethernet connection to that computer in the office and the printer, not WIFI, so I left 5.0 on for WIFI calling in the basement, as we don't get a Rogers signal for LTE in the basement. I also learned that I still have many g/n devices, so the benefits of ac is only useful for 20% of my devices. Even a Nest thermost, last year's model is still g/n, not. ac.
The app showed a weak signal to the Nest device, so I have switched all connections to WIFI to my Dlink access point/repeater, in AP mode, on ethernet upstairs. I get a strong signal from that AP anywhere in the house and outside with a combination of 2.4 or 5.0, except for the basement, so I kept 5.0 turned on in the basement for WIFI calling, and phone or other device users when in the basement rec room/office.
A trouble shooting feature on a weak connection is provided.
First is move closer to the router, or you can choose to stay where you are. Moving closer will at least confirm if it is a device issue - when I get close to it on 5.0, I get identical 100 Mbs to the gateway Hitron, and from Hitron to the device, so great signal in the basement.
But to get proper coverage anywhere else in the house, because I have structured cabling, a 49.00 Dlink met the needs for the whole house. If I could afford a router, my old one died, I would go with a router rather than AP, but the AP with ethernet provides a full signal to devices upstairs, a slight drop in the main floor, but I would probably still have the issue of poor service in the basement, so the gateway in basement with AP on second floor meets the needs. Hitron alone would be useless in my home, but I already knew that.
Second trouble shoot is restart your device - for me, no change. I already confirmed by moving closer it is not a device issue.
Next is optimize your network, which is actually doing turned on Quality of Service that is also found in the gateway admin screens. I don't know the approach that Quality of Service is taking in the gateway. Maybe @Datalink can comment.
Next, you can turn on band steering. Neither of these made any difference, and the app lets you know that.
You are then provided the opportunity to call into support. You can at least answer questions and have done most trouble shooting before talking to tech support. In my case, they would have been probably recommending as they have in the past, the mesh network, moving the gateway, buying new devices with newer network devices, take more advantage of my structured wiring, and recently people have been suggested to move to Ignite to get the new Ignite modem which is supposedly better.
So, certainly, in summary, it makes trouble shooting easier, and provides a user friendly GUI for things like band steering, or QofS, port forwarding, port triggering (if you even knew what those were, but I would go to the admin screens so I can use a full keyboard for accuracy.
Only bug I found was the guest network disable that did not push the change to the gateway, had to be done in the admin screens, and question the appropriateness of encouraging the sharing electronically via communication systems of your password, and you can't send your guest password by sharing, unless you first log into it yourself.
So, some nice features.
So I have done the survey - anything else I have to do to be in the contest.
Bruce
