Pros & Cons
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- Moderate pricing for a Wi-Fi 7 mesh kit in two- and three-node versions
- Easy to install and manage
- Excellent signal range
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- Middling throughput performance
- Does not support 6GHz transmissions or 320MHz channels
- Some features require a subscription
- No USB or multi-gig LAN ports
MNQ1525 WiFi7 BE3600 Router With Easy Mesh Specs
| Anti-Malware Tools | |
| Coverage Area for Hardware as Tested | 4000 |
| IPv6 Compatible | |
| MU-MIMO | |
| Number of Antennas | 4 |
| Number of Bands | 2 |
| Number of Nodes | 2 |
| Number of Wired LAN Ports (Excluding WAN Port) | 2 on router, 3 on nodes |
| Parental Controls | |
| Quality of Service (QoS) | |
| Security | WPA2 |
| Security | WPA3 |
| Separate Bands | |
| Wi-Fi Speed (Total Rated Throughput) | BE3600 |
| Wired Backhaul | |
| Wireless Specification | 802.11be |
The march of Wi-Fi 7 pricing continues south. Motorola’s newest mesh offering, the MNQ1525 WiFi 7 Router With Easy Mesh, is a dual-band system that delivers Wi-Fi 7 technology at an agreeable $349.99 for a three-pack. What's the catch? The MNQ1525 offers 2.5GbE WAN connectivity and is easy to install and manage, but it’s held back by its lack of multi-gig LAN ports and a 6GHz radio band. Moreover, access to its parental-control and network-security software requires a paid subscription. You’ll get better performance with the similarly priced TP-Link Deco BE25, which offers 2.5GbE WAN and LAN connectivity. For a full-blown Wi-Fi 7 experience with 6GHz transmissions, consider our Editors’ Choice winner, the eero Pro 7. It’s significantly more expensive than the MNQ1525, but it’s also significantly faster and supports 320MHz channels, as well as Thread, Matter, and Zigbee wireless technologies.
Design and Features: Budget Pillars of Wi-Fi 7
Each MNQ1525 node provides 2,000 square feet of coverage. A one-pack goes for $129.99, a two-pack will cost you $239.99, and a three-pack runs $349.99.
Each of the white mini-tower nodes stands 8.9 inches tall, and measures 2.6 inches wide and 6.5 inches deep. The front is home to six small LED indicators. They indicate power, the two supported radio bands (2.4GHz and 5GHz), internet, mesh, and system (paired with the mobile app).
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)Around back are a couple of buttons: one for adding a node and another for resetting the unit. Here you’ll also find a 2.5GbE WAN port, two 1GbE LAN ports, and a power jack.
You get no multi-gig LAN ports on this system, nor any USB ports. Each node contains four internal Wi-Fi antennas, a 2GHz quad-core CPU, and 1GB of DDR4 RAM.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)As a dual-band BE3600 system, the MNQ1525 can reach maximum data rates of 3.6Gbps using the 2.4GHz and 5GHz radio bands. Unfortunately, it doesn't support the 6GHz transmissions, nor the 320MHz-channel transmissions, that some more-premium Wi-Fi 7 systems do. As for the Wi-Fi 7 connection, the MNQ1525 supports key technologies such as Beamforming, Multi-Link Operation (MLO), WPA3 encryption, 4K-QAM, and Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA).
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)Software: A Look at MotoSync+
The MNQ1525 uses the same MotoSync+ mobile app as the Motorola MQ20 system that I reviewed late last year. It comes with two months of free parental-control and network-security software, but after that time expires, you’ll have to pay $9.99 per month or $90 per year for a MotoSync+ Premium plan.
The parental controls let you create family profiles, set access schedules, block access to sites and apps, and filter web content, while the security software offers real-time monitoring for phishing and other malware risks, as well as website and ad blocking.
(Credit: Motorola)I found the app basic and clean. The MotoSync+ app opens to a screen that displays the network name, the number of nodes (repeaters), and the number of connected devices. Below this is a panel where you can sign up for Premium Protection. Scroll down to view Wi-Fi credentials, run an internet-speed test, and view data-usage reports.
At the bottom of the screen, you'll find buttons labeled Alerts, Users, Devices, and Settings. Tapping the Home button brought me back to the eponymous screen, while hitting Alerts enabled me to view system and device logon notifications.
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If you have a premium subscription, you can tap the Users button to see who is online. (I was also able to configure parental controls from there.) Tapping the Devices button opens a screen where I could see which devices are currently online; and, finally, hitting the Settings button took me to a menu where you could configure Wi-Fi, LAN, and WAN parameters. Also in Settings, I was able to choose an app color theme, remove unwanted devices, view firmware information, and back up system settings.
Installation and Setup: Easy as MNQ
As with the Motorola MQ20, the MNQ1525 system was smooth sailing to install. I downloaded the MotoSync+ app and created an account, then tapped “Set up a new device” on the welcome screen. I tapped Begin Setup after reading the installation checklist, and scanned the QR code on the base of the node that would become the router node. I then followed the instructions to unplug my modem and connect the router to my modem using the included Ethernet cable.
After that, I powered up the router and the modem, and tapped “Yes, ready to set up” when prompted. Within a few seconds, the router was paired with the app, so I tapped OK to complete the router installation. I went to the Dashboard, tapped Add Repeater, and pressed the Mesh button on the router and the node for 10 seconds. After a few minutes, the node came online; I moved it to my living room and was ready for testing.
Throughput Performance Testing: Limited by the LAN
As with all of our mesh-system reviews, we tested the MNQ1525 with Auto Band-Steering enabled, and it performed as expected. Since it lacks a multi-gig LAN port, it was unable to keep pace with those dual-band Wi-Fi 7 mesh systems that used 2.5GbE LAN to connect to our desktop testbed. Not coincidentally, the results were similar to those we saw with the MSI Roamii BE Lite mesh system, which is also limited by 1GbE LAN throughput.
On the close-proximity (same-room) test, the MNQ1525 router delivered a score of 956Mbps, only slightly faster than the MSI Roamii BE Lite’s 937Mbps. Meanwhile, the Netgear Orbi 370 router and the TP-Link Deco BE25 router (both of which support 2.5GbE LAN) scored 1,990Mbps and 1,959Mbps, respectively...
On the 30-foot test, the NQ1525 router hit 538Mbps, the MSI Roamii BE Lite router got to 524Mbps, and the Netgear Orbi 370 router reached 602Mbps. The TP-Link Deco BE25 led this test group, with a score of 628Mbps.
The MNQ1525 satellite node’s score of 575Mbps on the close-proximity test edged out the MSI Roamii BE Lite node (561Mbps), but it couldn’t keep pace with the Netgear Orbi 370 node (860Mbps) or the TP-Link Deco BE25 node (982Mbps). On the 30-foot test, the MNQ1525 node scored 480Mbps, the MSI Roamii BE Lite node hit 441Mbps, and both the Netgear Orbi 370 node and TP-Link Deco BE25 node racked up 630Mbps.
Signal Strength Testing: All Around the House
To test Wi-Fi signal strength, we use an Ekahau Sidekick 2 diagnostic device paired with the company's Survey software. (Disclosure: Ekahau is owned by PCMag.com's parent company, Ziff Davis.) This combination generates a heat map that displays Wi-Fi signal strength throughout our test home. The circles on the heat map represent the router and node locations, and the colors indicate signal strength: dark green for the strongest, lighter yellow for a weaker signal, and gray for a very weak or no measurable signal.
As illustrated on the map, the MNQ1525 did an excellent job of delivering strong Wi-Fi signals throughout my test home.
(Credit: Ekahau)