devolo Magic 2

If you’re struggling to get decent Wi-fi signals around your home, devolo’s Magic 2 could be the answer. Five Computeractive readers tell us how this mesh Wi-fi system boosted their home network

‘Significant boost to my ADSL’

I was keen to test devolo Magic 2 Wi-fi adapters as I live in a new-build flat in an area which is yet to get fibre broadband - and so I need to make the most of my ADSL connection.

The adapters came well packaged with an easy-tofollow installation guide. devolo’s home-network app was similarly easy to set up and I soon had my network up and running.

I work from home a lot and find that when I transfer large PDFS between different inboxes and Sharepoint environments my internet basically shuts down until the document has fully transferred. But since installing Magic 2 adapters I’ve found that the ‘Airtime Fairness’ feature helps my Wi-fi stay usable while the document transfers. It means I can still stream Youtube videos while large documents transfer.

I can also now hardwire my smart TV in my bedroom, giving me a much better streaming experience. Each adapter has two Ethernet ports, allowing for simple hardwiring of games consoles and smart tech in areas away from the router, without filling the house with wires.

Running a speed test on my ADSL internet also shows a boost to download

speeds in rooms away from the router. Before installing the Magic 2, I was averaging 2.91Mbps - after installation it was 3.32Mbps. This might seem negligible to fibre users, but it’s significant on an ADSL connection.

All in all I’m very impressed with the quality and adaptability of the devolo Magic 2 adapters. I look forward to seeing what I can do with the system when my exchange is finally upgraded to fibre. Paul Villers, Pool, Cornwall

‘I now get 350Mbps’

Being eager and an IT expert (we all think we are sometimes), my first attempt to set up the plugs resulted in not being able to see all the plug adapters. So I stopped to read the instructions and found that there is an IOS and Android app that set up the adapters in one go.

I downloaded the app to my iphone, followed the simple on-screen prompts, and scanned the code in the box. All plugs, present and accounted for! The next steps cloned the existing wireless network.

My home has thick brick internal walls, built in the 1960s. The existing coverage from my Vodafone router was hit and miss, but not after installing devolo Magic 2s!

The 500-metre coverage from each plug is amazing. My home office is in the garden and the previous connection speeds were 100-150Mbps via the link in the powerline. This has now increased to 350Mbps. Plus, the bonus is the kids and wife have stopped complaining about the internet not working.

Stephen Edworthy, Linford, Hants

‘Versatile and robust’

I was delighted to hear I had been chosen to test this system because my home setup has a dodgy Wi-fi signal and powerline dropouts.

The big plus for me is that each adapter has an integrated power socket. This becomes important because like all powerline adapters it is recommended that they are plugged directly into a power socket, not into an extension cable. If like me the availability of single outlets in your home is limited, and you have extension leads all over the place, the ability to plug the adapter into the wall socket and then the extension into the adapter is very helpful.

The installation booklet is very simple to follow, telling you how to use the adapters with mesh technology, which is what I wanted to do all along. In no time the Magic 2 network was up and running. The LAN adapter was plugged in next to the BT Hub, and one of the Wi-fi adapters in the study (feeding two eight-port switches and a plethora of hardware). Positioning an adapter on the landing was vetoed by my better half and so I moved it into my daughter’s room.

Before we talk performance, I have to confess that the adapter in the study is plugged into an extension lead! So I accept that some of my performance figures might be negatively impacted by this arrangement, but it’s probably typical of the ‘real world’ situation most of us find ourselves in.

devolo’s software showed me around 450-500Mbps between the adapters plugged directly into the wall sockets and around 350Mbps to the adapter plugged into the extension cable. I was expecting better than this but it’s much better than I’ve ever had before.

The best 5GHZ connection was achieved by a Google Pixel phone and a Samsung S7 phone both at 866Mbps. 2.4GHZ performance was somewhat less (to be expected) at 70Gbps.

If you’re looking for a whole-house mesh system that’s space-saving, versatile and robust, with excellent connection speeds, this could be the system for you. Andy Latty, Boston, Lincs