One of the cheapest ways to get Wi-Fi 6.
It’s interesting to talk about the fastest and most expensive router you can buy, but in the end, most people just want a simple Wi-Fi solution that provides enough speed and coverage for their home. Of course, it helps if they can buy it cheaply. Speedefy KX450 is a Wi-Fi 6 AX1800 dual-band router that is expected to provide sufficient speed for games, video streaming and smart home devices, and in most cases, it meets these goals.
The KX450 lacks many bells and whistles in the game, mainly because it does not. Instead, what you get is a barebones AX1800 router with reliable MU-MIMO support, four Gigabit Ethernet ports, and an application that can be set up and managed quickly and easily. If you are looking for a router with basic functions, Speedefy can meet your needs at the right price.
Sufei KX450
Bottom line: Speedefy KX450 is quite fast for the AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 router. If you want to upgrade your home to Wi-Fi 6 at a cheap price, it is a good choice. Using the Speedy WiFi app, you can easily set up and manage your router, and it only takes a few minutes to get up and running.
OK
- Reliable AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 speed around the house
- Simple application controls for setup and management
- Speed is very cheap
- Time management function
bad
- Parental control is very simple
- Speed may be inconsistent
- Design feels cheap
$80 on Amazon
Speedefy KX450: Price and availability
Speedefy KX450 is mainly sold on Amazon, with a suggested retail price of US$89.99, but it is usually priced at US$79.99. At the time of review, there was also a 10% coupon on the Amazon product page. The router is also sold on Speedefy’s website and shipped to the United States and Canada. The related Speedy WiFi app can be set up and managed on Android and iOS.
Speedefy is also very good without excessive packaging. A simple cardboard box with cardboard inserts can ensure the safety of the router during transportation, and the entire package contains only one plastic bag. Intentionally or not, it is great to see a company using most easily recyclable or biodegradable packaging. There are routers, power supplies, and a flat Ethernet cable in the box. These are all you need.
Speedefy KX450: What would you like
When it comes to affordable Wi-Fi 6 routers, AX1800 is the best choice. It fully supports 2×2 5GHz, supports 1.2Gbps link speed, and has enough 2.4GHz capacity to handle IoT and traditional devices. Speedefy KX450 is a fairly basic four-stream Wi-Fi 6 router with the most basic functions, including MU-MIMO and OFDMA. You can also unify 2.4GHz and 5GHz signals, although they are separated by default.
The router has four antennas, four Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports on both sides, and no USB ports. The LAN port works normally and can easily transmit data at full speed. The antennas are not removable, but they are very sturdy, so you may not get much benefit from them anyway.
I tested the download speed of the KX450 on a gigabit home Internet connection from Cox. The maximum download speed for this connection is 940Mbps, and this number is often reached when connecting directly. I use Ookla’s Speedtest app to use the nearest server to get these results.
Speedefy KX450 2.4GHz:
| Place | Living room (router) | Anterior chamber | bathroom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zenfone 8 (Wi-Fi 6) | 220 Mbps 251 Mbps |
273 Mbps 255 Mbps |
221 Mbps 161 Mbps |
| Galaxy S20+ (Wi-Fi 6) | 76.1 Mbps 98.1 Mbps |
111 Mbps 93.4 Mbps |
105 Mbps 96.8 Mbps |
| LG G8 (Wi-Fi 5) | 119 Mbps 105 Mbps |
107 Mbps 116 Mbps |
89.7 Mbps 108 Mbps |
The 2.4GHz result is similar to what you would expect from the speed of this Wi-Fi 6 router. Although these speeds are not too impressive on their own, they are even sufficient for easy 4K streaming, and if you need some extra speed, you can also connect to 5GHz.
Speedefy KX450 5GHz:
| Place | Living room (router) | Anterior chamber | bathroom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zenfone 8 (Wi-Fi 6) | 466 Mbps 390 Mbps |
443 Mbps 459 Mbps |
336 Mbps 357 Mbps |
| Galaxy S20+ (Wi-Fi 6) | 550 Mbps 626 Mbps |
476 Mbps 494 Mbps |
327 Mbps 325 Mbps |
| LG G8 (Wi-Fi 5) | 277 Mbps 367 Mbps |
336 Mbps 326 Mbps |
237 Mbps 227 Mbps |
The speed of 5GHz is also very much in line with what I have seen from other AX1800 routers, if not lower. One thing to note is that the speed is not very consistent, I even achieved higher results on the third pass in the first position. In the third test, Zenfone 8 got 636Mbps, S20+ got 704Mbps, and LG G8 got 512Mbps. These fluctuations are obvious in daily use, but in most cases, stay above the speed I need.
Speedefy’s Speedy WiFi app makes setup quick and easy, and it only takes a few steps to complete the setup. After you connect your phone to the placeholder Wi-Fi name, you will create your own name and password in a few minutes.
These features are fairly standard and can view all connected devices and their usage, change general Wi-Fi settings, and even check your security settings. Interestingly, the router sets your Wi-Fi password as the administrator password by default, and then the application marks it as a security risk. This can alleviate some confusion, but in terms of security, it’s worth making it unique.
The application can also automatically scan to ensure that your router uses the best frequency band. This is helpful if you live in an area with severe local wireless network congestion, such as an apartment building. If you have guests coming, you can also set up a guest Wi-Fi network so that they cannot fully access your local network.
Nevertheless, there are still some settings that must be done in the web browser, and I think these settings can be easily included in the application. The first is the option to unify the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands. This allows you to set only a Wi-Fi name and enables the router or your device to decide whether it should use the 2.4GHz or the faster 5GHz band. Likewise, the ability to adjust channels and bandwidth is only available in a web browser. I think these features could have been included under the advanced tab of the application without causing any obvious confusion.
Speedefy KX450: What you won’t like
One thing that annoys me about this router is the extent to which it advertises parental control. Although there are some basic usage controls, there is no user profile, scheduling is simple, and blocking is a simple URL whitelist/blacklist setting. This means that if you want to restrict the sites your children can visit, you must determine each site individually or block them individually. Either way, when there is a better solution in the software, a lot of time will be wasted.
In terms of overall performance, I encountered some inconsistent connection issues when testing this router. Although it usually resumes within a few seconds, I did notice that the video on my PS5 was struggling for a while, which I hardly noticed before. I also noticed some lag and out-of-sync issues in Halo Infinite, but at this time, I hesitate to blame the hardware. This may also be the result of increased server load during the holidays, so please be cautious about this criticism.
Finally, the hardware is not very good. I know this is not the kind of equipment you use every day. Most people will throw it on the shelf and forget about it, but I still feel that more can be done to make the design feel special. The plastic is thin and feels cheap, and the bottom feet don’t have any grip rubber. If it is pulled slightly by the Ethernet cable, the router will slide around. Fortunately, these build issues don’t seem to have a negative impact on the truly important internal components.
Speedefy KX450: competition
TP-Link Archer AX21 is one of the best examples of how to make an affordable Wi-Fi 6 router. It is equipped with a similar AX1800 connection and showed similar speed to KX450 in my review. It also comes with slightly more powerful applications and web browser settings. Although AX21 also lacks parental controls, it forms some foundations with features such as OneMesh, allowing you to build a mesh system with compatible TP-Link extenders. The price is usually within $10 or $20 of Speedefy.
If you are willing to spend a little more money, ASUS RT-AX56U comes with many additional features. Although it is still an AX1800 connection, you can get many additional software features, such as AiProtection Pro, to provide additional security for your home network. AiProtection Pro is also equipped with a powerful set of parental controls, allowing you to create custom profiles for family members through content blocking and scheduling. It also supports mesh expansion with built-in AiMesh.
Speedefy KX450: Should you buy it?
You should buy this if…
- You are looking for a simple Wi-Fi 6 upgrade
- You don’t have much to spend on Wi-Fi
- You need a router to keep up with the gigabit connection
You shouldn’t buy this if…
- You are looking for advanced parental control
- You need to get the best speed near your home
- You have a home that is hard to cover like a concrete wall
Speedefy KX450 really wants to access the Internet via Wi-Fi 6 at the cheapest possible price, and it can be managed at a reasonable, easy and stable speed throughout the house. A router is a great way to upgrade your home network, especially when you upgrade to a faster internet connection that the old router can’t keep up with. The setup is simple, so you don’t need to worry about whether it can be done. If you can connect to a Wi-Fi hotspot and download the app on your phone, then you are halfway there.
Despite this, the software still lacks features. Although simple parental controls are standard in the course, they are not enough to be useful for most parents. It is also worth noting that this router does not support mesh network extensions because it is the same as some recent competitors, even though it can be set as a wireless repeater.
Overall, Speedefy KX450 has done its work and has been a good router for the past few weeks. Its speed can’t be compared with the best Wi-Fi 6 routers, but it was not designed for this. This router provides stable speed for small and medium-sized families through simple setting procedures and application management. If you are looking for a cheap Wi-Fi 6 solution for everyday use (including 4K streaming), then this router is definitely worth a look.
Sufei KX450
Bottom line: Speedefy KX450 is a basic router, which is fast for most people. If you are looking for a simple Wi-Fi upgrade, this is a good choice. Nevertheless, the software features are a bit too simple for some people, especially if they are looking for parental control features.
$80 on Amazon
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