Wi-Fi Company Plume Introduces New 'SuperPod' Mesh Router Alongside $60/Year Subscription

[BlueTide]

Okay, the product looks nice, and I might have been tempted even if it's not the fastest around. If I need speed, WiFi ain't it anyhow.

But... subscription? LOL. I understand that they might need to have something on a server to do AI/ML and have more data or something... Perhaps, just perhaps if this could be justified, there might be a reason for a small fee. Not 39$ fee, tho. And then, I don't understand what this optimization even does. Gives priority and load balances some nodes in the mesh? Do we even benefit from that, for realz? Rhetoric questions btw, I'll head out to chuckle some more now.

 

[Braderunner]

..."implement "Adaptive Wi-Fi" to actively optimize the network for more consistent speed and performance". When I read this, I'm taking it as the router will slow down traffic when it would normally be faster. They want people to pay for this...ahem, "feature"? Genius!

 

[jlforester]

So now we pay a subscription for the modem and another subscription for this? How is two subscriptions a "better alternative"?

At least with the modem, the internet service provider is actually providing you with a service. With this thing, what service are they providing?

 

[gnomeisland]

I hate subscription pricing but I could see how this might catch on. However, it seems they are still expecting their target market to know what their needs will be. If there's a subscription, there should be a guarantee of perfect coverage (with the caveat that your home/office has enough plugs in the right places) and the company/software should work with you to achieve that. There's a guided setup process and if it detects a deadzone you should automatically be sent another pod.

The other plus (for the educated, wealthy, time constrained, and not 100% tech savvy) is security. There are a lot of stories about old routers getting hacked. Now that Apple is out of the business, how many manufacturers really keep their firmware current/secure for years and years?

 

[budselectjr]

..."implement "Adaptive Wi-Fi" to actively optimize the network for more consistent speed and performance". When I read this, I'm taking it as the router will slow down traffic when it would normally be faster. They want people to pay for this...ahem, "feature"? Genius!

A groundbreaking feature others call QoS. Haha.

how would this compare to an amplifi HD?

They are both consumer mesh systems but you obviously don't have the subscription fees with Ubiquiti.

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

I can see subscribing to a router under the right conditions.

I've been using wifi since 1999, with the original iBook. At the time it cost an extra $99 for the AirPort card and $299 for the AirPort basestation. Since then, I've spent at least $2000 upgrading routers over the years.

At $5/month, that means I would have spent $1,150 since April 1999. A subscription would have saved me more than $850 thank buying that hardware over time.

With a subscription I'd expect two things. One would be that they'd continue to optimize the software. With your standard router, you might get a firmware update or two in its lifetime, but rarely do they do much to really update things. They're generally fixing security issues and big bugs. I'd hope with an ongoing subscription they'd continue to optimize performance over time and other benefits you don't typically get with a normal one-time router purchase.

I'd also hope that hardware upgrades were included in the service. A large part of the cost over the years has been upgrades as we change standards. From b to g to n to ac, etc. Each time you have to purchase a new router. If this service included updates to the hardware as the industry progresses, I'd certainly consider it.

 

[WinstonRumfoord]

Yo dawg, I heard you like paying for your internet so we launched a subscription router so you can pay for your internet while you pay for your internet.

 

[FelixDerKater]

One of the main points of buying your own router is to get away from the ISP router rental fees. Foolishness!

 

[mdhwoods]

Not a bad deal if it includes spam control, antivirus, packet inspection etc. then your paying for a decent service that also protects your network. Otherwise there is nothing they could provide justifying a subscription.

 

[VideoFreek]

Unimpressive. I spent some time going through the limited technical info on their site, and it appears that unlike the best competition (e.g., Netgear Orbi), they do not use a dedicated, non-interfering backhaul radio for inter-pod data traffic. Rather, they use the WiFi channels, and so it appears that their touted "Adaptive WiFi" is nothing more than dynamically managing the backhaul vs. client data streams. For example, if you're streaming something on the 2.4GHz band, I assume the system would switch backhaul traffic to the 5GHz band, or vice-versa. Cool, but then this is something any mesh system should do well, and in no way justifies requiring a subscription. They only provide AC1200 2x2 MIMO speeds (300/867 Mbps on the 2.4/5GHz bands, respectively), so their are far better options out there.

 

[Solomani]

People are going to love subscription routers.

It's just as popular as paying a monthly subscription to live in a house that you don't own…. hardly anyone does th……. oh wait….

 

[jazz1]

Maybe they send you a picture of your router with today's newspaper and/or a gun to its head

 

[belvdr]

I can see subscribing to a router under the right conditions.

I've been using wifi since 1999, with the original iBook. At the time it cost an extra $99 for the AirPort card and $299 for the AirPort basestation. Since then, I've spent at least $2000 upgrading routers over the years.

In the same time frame, I'm lucky to have spent $750. I ran a WRT54G for years and adding another one was only $50 when I needed it.

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

In the same time frame, I'm lucky to have spent $750. I ran a WRT54G for years and adding another one was only $50 when I needed it.

Had a couple that failed over the years. Oh god the Linksys routers that would need to be reset and then 5 minutes later need to be reset again.

I've also always been quick to upgrade when newer and better hardware comes out. Means greater expense than those slower to upgrade.

 

[Jsfrederick]

Was considering these. NEVER going to purchase if I have to pay yearly. NOPE, NADA!

 

[mazz0]

I’d like to know what this supposed optimisation does and why it needs to learn my usage pattern, rather than being as fast as possible all the time.

 

[VideoFreek]

I’d like to know what this supposed optimisation does and why it needs to learn my usage pattern, rather than being as fast as possible all the time.

I explain what I think is going on in my post above. But the short answer is “it doesn’t need to learn your usage pattern.” All of these optimizations can and should be done in real time; I think their “cloud-based learning” BS is just marketing hype to justify the subscription model.

Moreover, I think there are potentially severe problems with this approach. In my experience, “IoT” devices like Nest Thermostats, Harmony remote hubs, and so forth don’t handle ever-changing WiFi channels very well. THey tend to fall off the network and never rejoin! Static channels are far more stable; the forums at Ubiquiti and other vendors are full of stories of folks struggling with this issue.

 

[Le Big Mac]

This isn't a rental model. It's like a co-op/HOA model where you have to buy the property and also pay upkeep fees.

Now, if it reduces the price, perhaps it could work but they'd better come up with a way to pitch the benefits of renting over owning.

 

[wigby]

This incessant rush to turn anything and everything into a subscription is a joke. Garage doors, cars, now routers. What's next, subscription toothbrushes? I wouldn't be surprised. Only a fool would subscribe to this, as you'll be losing money after ~3 years. If you want me to subscribe to something, you better be offering me an actual service, not a piece of hardware that I'm paying for in perpetuity.

Ummm... https://www.getquip.com
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This isn't a rental model. It's like a co-op/HOA model where you have to buy the property and also pay upkeep fees.

Now, if it reduces the price, perhaps it could work but they'd better come up with a way to pitch the benefits of renting over owning.

The problem is that they picked the wrong product for this model. Routers are something you buy and hide in a corner for 10 years so you don't have to think about it. Why anyone would willingly go into a subscription relationship for a product like that is beyond me.

 

[nutmac]

People are going to love subscription routers.

While I am not a fan of many subscriptions, I don't have problem with Plume's pricing.

For one thing, Plume is offering a choice of lifetime membership ($200 per household) and subscription ($60/year per household). And in exchange for subscription, you are getting Plume at heavy discount, $259 for 4 pack of Superpods ($64.75 each). If you factor in $200 lifetime membership cost, it costs roughly the same as comparable Eero or Orbi.

Having said that, I have two problems.

First, to me, subscription implies I should get new hardware every few years. At the very least, hefty discount on upgrading hardware. Given super competitive landscape, I am not even sure the company will be around few years from now. When that happens, what happens to these routers?

Second, I can't get over the design. I am sure there are folks who likes Plume's design and I admit that designs are subjective. But I just find Plume to be tacky looking.

 

[drumcat]

This type of business model needs to be regulated out of existence.

 

[itsthenewdc]

Why does a feature of "learning your usage patterns" need to be a thing? Shouldn't the device just give me the data at the speed its capable of?

 

[thefourthpope]

I miss Airport Express.
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How about just delivering the fastest and most stable connection all the time?

Right? That’s literally what we pay for.

 

[kazmac]

They lost me at subscription, and worse, the Plumes' performance plummeting after a year if you do not subscribe.

 

[Vjosullivan]

A monthly fee to use my own router? GTFOH.

No. A monthly fee to use their router.