Review and test Mercusys MR50G (AC1900)

The Mercusys MR50G router is model with gigabit ports and a dual-band Wi-Fi network. A good choice for those who want high speed at an affordable price.

Specification

Manufacturers often provide very high values for the theoretical throughput of wireless networks provided by their products. Mercusys's MR50G is no exception, the declared 1900 Mbit/s consists of a maximum of 600 Mbit/s in the 2.4 GHz band and up to 1300 Mbit/s at 5 GHz. However, these are only theoretical calculations that, in practice, can be immediately halved. Even under ideal conditions where there are no other devices on neighboring radio channels.

Mercusys MR50G
Interfaces	1× Gigabit WAN Port 2× Gigabit LAN Ports
Button	WPS/Reset Button
External Power Supply	12V/1A
Dimensions (W X D X H)	175.6 x 157.2 x 45 mm
Antenna Type	6 Fixed Omni-Directional Antennas
Package Contents	AC1900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router (MR50G) Power Adapter Ethernet Cable Quick Installation Guide
Wireless Standards	IEEE 802.11a/n/ac 5 GHz, IEEE 802.11b/g/n/ac 2.4 GHz
Frequency	2.4 - 2.5GHz, 5.15 - 5.25GHz
Signal Rate	600 Mbps at 2.4 GHz, 1300 Mbps at 5 GHz
Transmission Power	CE:<20dBm (2.4GHz), <23dBm (5.15 - 5.25GHz) FCC:<30dBm(2.4 GHz & 5GHz)
Reception Sensitivity	5GHz: 11a 6Mbps: -98dBm, 11a 54M: -78dBm 11ac VHT20_MCS0: -98dBm, 11ac VHT20_MCS8: -72dBm 11ac VHT40_MCS0: -92dBm, 11ac VHT40_MCS9: -68dBm 11ac VHT80_MCS0: -89dBm, 11ac VHT80_MCS9: -64dBm 2.4GHz: 11g 6Mbps: -97dBm, 11a 54M: -77dBm 11n VHT20_MCS0: -97dBm, 11n VHT20_MCS8: -72dBm 11n VHT40_MCS0: -92dBm, 11n VHT40_MCS9: -67dBm
Wireless Functions	Enable/Disable Wireless Radio, Wireless Statistics
Wireless Security	WPA-PSK / WPA2-PSK
WAN Type	Dynamic IP/Static IP/PPPoE/PPTP/L2TP
DHCP	Server
Port Forwarding	Virtual Server, UPnP, DMZ
Management	Access Control Local Management Remote Management
Firewall Security	IP and MAC Address Binding
Protocols	IPv4, IPv6
Guest Network	2.4 GHz Guest Network, 5 GHz Guest Network

Official website of the product: mercusys.com

Contents of the package

The large package contains a modest set, inside, apart from the router itself, we will find:

Power Supply 12V 1A;
white color patchcord (1 meter long);
Installation manual.

The power supply works in AC networks with a voltage from 100 up to 240 V 50/60 Hz. Input voltage amounts to 12 V and 1 A of direct current. Both router and power supply are destinated for working in rooms where the humidity's condensation can be avoided and in the temperature between 0 and 40 °C.

Appearance

The first thing that catches the eye is its unusual shape and a large number of external antennas. At the top there is the manufacturer's logo and one LED informing about the status of the device. When it is green - everything is working properly, while the orange color means that the device cannot connect to the Internet.

At the bottom you will find 3 feet to increase the clearance between the device and the surface on which it is located. Special perforations allow airflow to improve cooling. The MR50G is devoid of wall mounting holes.

Settings

The WEB interface is used for configuration, which is available by default at the address http://192.168.1.1 or http://mwlogin.net, configuration can be made via a WiFi network or via a wired connection. The default SSID and password for our WiFi network are on the label on the bottom of the device.

Basic setup process

In the first window, enter the password twice, which will protect our device against unauthorized access.

In the next step, we choose our time zone and move on

The wizard asks us to connect the cable to the Internet source, if we have done it before, this step will be skipped

The system will try to automatically detect the WAN connection type, the available options are:

Dynamic IP
Static IP
PPPoE
PPTP
L2TP

If our internet or TV is delivered with tagged VLAN we have to assign it now, otherwise we move on without changing anything

Now we set the SSIDs and passwords for our WiFi networks. Separately for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz

We will now see all the settings we have made, if they are correct, we approve them. The device will restart with the settings we entered

If we did the configuration via the WiFi network, we have to reconnect to it. After that, click the connected button

Our setup is complete. Optionally, we can download QR codes, with the help of which we can connect to our network without having to enter a password

We can check if we have access to the Internet and how many devices are using the router at the moment

IPTV configuration

After logging in to our configuration panel, go to the Advanced tab → Network → IPTV / VLAN

Each of the services must be assigned a VLAN ID. The device will not allow us to save the settings, if any service will not have it assigned. If we do not use all services, we assign a random VLAN number in the range of 2-4094, which does not conflict with our other services. Additionally, one of the VLANs may be marked untagged

Then we assign services to Ethernet ports and save the settings. Connect the Set-top box to the port selected during configuration and check if it works

The interior of the device

The manufacturer does not disclose a hardware component in the specification, so we had to look into the device. The body halves are fastened with one screw in the center of the base, under the label, and plastic snaps around the perimeter. It is worth paying attention to the solid construction of the housing, the thickness of the material is considerable. The plastic latches had a marked resistance to opening, but none of them were damaged.

The chips we find are:

Mediatek ARM TP1900BN - Processor 1,2 GHz
RTL8367S -Ethernet switch
MT7761N - responsible for radio 2,4 GHz
MT7762N - responsible for radio 5 GHz
25Q32CSIG - FLASH memory 32Mbit

On the other side, we find a large metal plate that acts as a passive cooling radiator.

Tests

Test conditions:

In general it is possible to see the repeatability of the test results made on the wi-fi devices only in laboratories. Our tests have been made in offices. That's why they should be treated only as an indication, since the speed and the level of the signal depend on many factors, such as the configuration of the room, the Wi-Fi channels and also the other devices. Below there is the list of the devices that were used during the tests:

Mercusys MR50G
Two laptops with network adapter WiFi Intel® Wi-Fi 6 AX200
MikroTik RouterBOARD RB4011iGS-5HacQ2HnD-IN

5GHz Wireless (QCA9984)
2,4 GHz Wireless (Atheros AR9300)

Iphone 7 Plus

Test results

1. WAN (Mikrotik) ⟷ Mercusys MR50G ⟷ LAN (Mikrotik)

Average score:

Downloading 905 Mbps
Uploading 905 Mbps

2. LAN (Mikrotik) ⟷ Mercusys MR50G ⟷ LAN (Mikrotik)

Average score:

Downloading 941 Mbps
Uploading 942 Mbps

3. WAN Internet (1 Gb/200 Mb) ⟷ Mercusys MR50G ⟷ WiFi 2,4 GHz
On the left is the smartphone result on the right of the laptop

speedtest telefon

Smartphone result:

Downloading 98 Mbps
Uploading 89 Mbps

Laptop result:

Downloading 119 Mbps
Uploading 104 Mbps

4. WAN Internet (1 Gb/200 Mb) ⟷ Mercusys MR50G ⟷ WiFi 5 GHz
On the left is the smartphone result on the right of the laptop

speedtest telefon

Smartphone result:

Downloading 458 Mbps
Uploading 234 Mbps

Laptop result:

Downloading 651 Mbps
Uploading 227 Mbps

5. WLAN 5 GHz (Laptop) ⟷ Mercusys MR50G ⟷ LAN (Mikrotik)

Average score:

Downloading 508 Mbps
Uploading 661 Mbps

6. WLAN 2,4 GHz (Laptop) ⟷ Mercusys MR50G ⟷ LAN (Mikrotik)

Result:

Downloading 129 Mbps
Uploading 76 Mbps

7. WLAN 5 GHz (Laptop) ⟷ Mercusys MR50G ⟷ WLAN 5 GHz (Mikrotik)

Result:

Downloading 172 Mbps
Uploading 100 Mbps

8. WLAN 2,4 GHz (Laptop) ⟷ Mercusys MR50G ⟷ WLAN 2,4 GHz (Mikrotik)

Result:

Downloading 72 Mbps
Uploading 32 Mbps

Summary

In all the tests we can see the fast operation of the Ethernet switch. Data exchange between wired clients, both on the local network and with the WAN port to which the Internet source is connected, reaches speeds above 900 Mb / s. The wireless module is doing great. High speeds are achievable, the tested WiFi range fared surprisingly well. The price of the router is very favorable in relation to what the device offers.

Working without obstacles

Mercusys MR50G router is equipped with six rotating omnidirectional antennas with energy gain +5 dBi. This provides a very good area of operation. The power is sufficient for stable communication in a medium-sized apartment and small business, provided the router is placed close to the center of the apartment / business. Obstacles in the form of walls, especially reinforced concrete structures, reduce the connection speed by half (on each obstacle).

Advantages

Good speed
Gigabit ports
Simultaneous operation in two bands (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz)
IPTV support
VLAN support
Good price

Disadvantages

No USB port
A small amount of Ethernet ports